A new study found Massachusetts is the fourth most costly state to smoke cigarettes in, with the average smoker expected to pay more than $2.3 million over the course of his or her lifetime on the habit, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance company’s analysis takes into account the cost of a pack of cigarettes per day over several decades as well as health care expenditures, income losses and other costs, according to the study, which was released Wednesday.
WalletHub also found that smokers in Massachusetts will spend around $46,000 every year on the habit. More than $5,000 of that number will be spent on medical costs.
“Every year, smoking costs the U.S. more than $300 billion,” the company said. “To encourage the estimated 34.2 million tobacco users in the U.S. to kick the dangerous habit, WalletHub looked into the true per-person cost of smoking in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia."
More than 16 million people in the U.S. are living with a smoking-related illness. Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, strokes, lung diseases, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
States receive billions of dollars from tax revenue from tobacco products and lawsuits against cigarette companies. The states use a small portion of that money to prevent and control tobacco use, according to the CDC.
“In fiscal year 2019, states will collect a record $27.3 billion from tobacco taxes and settlements in court, but will only spend $655 million in the same year,” the CDC said. “That’s less than 2.4% spent on programs that can stop young people from becoming smokers and help current smokers quit.”
New York, where smokers will spend around $48,197 every year on the habit, was ranked the most expensive state to be a smoker. North Carolina was named the least costly, with annual smoking expenditures estimated at $24,088, according to the study.
Other New England states were ranked in the top five most expensive states in which to smoke cigarettes. Connecticut was second on the list, and Rhode Island was ranked fifth.