Welcome to the Utah tobacco data dashboard

About this dashboard.

This dashboard provides data on Utah tobacco and other nicotine product use. It also shows socioeconomic, health-related, and geographic characteristics that put populations at increased risk for use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, other vape products, and smokeless tobacco.

Progress in reducing tobacco addiction has not been equal across all population groups. Poverty and unequal economic and social conditions create barriers to living a life free from tobacco and nicotine addiction. As a result, differences in tobacco use continue by income, education, occupation, geography, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and behavioral health status. Targeted tobacco industry marketing has further increased the risk for tobacco use in some population groups. 1

The information presented in this dashboard is intended to inform statewide and local efforts to reduce tobacco-related disease and deaths among all Utahns.

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities—A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2024.

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Utah tobacco dashboard
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Utah tobacco dashboard
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Utah tobacco dashboard

Directions:

Most of the tables, charts, and maps in this dashboard are interactive. Users can click on the checkboxes in the legends to turn data views on and off. The controls at the top of each chart become active when the mouse cursor hovers over them. The controls include a camera icon that allows users to download a chart as a png. Other controls allow users to zoom, pan, and select parts of charts.

Use the dark blue sidebar to review and select major content areas. The content area “tobacco use trends” allows users to select one of four charts, “adult trends,” “18-24,” “youth trends,” and “youth experimentation.” All other content areas link directly to charts. The content areas “adult smoking,” “adult vaping,” youth smoking,” and “youth vaping” allow users to select graphs by clicking or unclicking check boxes above the graphs. When multiple graphs are selected the graphs show up in sequential order. Clicking on a specific district in the local health district(LHD)-related content area maps opens up data tables or reports with additional district-specific data.

Note: * In this graph, vape product use refers to any product vaped (nicotine and marijuana).

  • In 2023, Utah youth were more than twice as likely to report that they experimented with vaping compared to cigarette smoking.*
  • In 2019, nearly one-fourth of Utah youth reported that they ever experimented with vaping. Vape experimentation started to decline in 2021 and continued to decline in 2023.
  • Experimentation with cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus) decreased from 2013 to 2023.
Adult cigarette smoking

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  • Current cigarette smoking declined by 39% since 2012 and reached a historic low of 6.2% in 2023.
  • Utahns aged 45-54 reported the highest percentage of current cigarette smoking at 8.0%. Utahns aged 18–24 (2.6%) and 65+ (5.1%) were less likely to smoke cigarettes than adults in other age groups.
  • Utah adults who reported they had less than a high school education had the highest percentage of current cigarette smoking at 19.7%. Utahns who reported some post high school education (6.1%) and college graduates (1.7%) were less likely to smoke cigarettes.

Note: * The estimates for Black or African American and Pacific Islander have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. Use caution in interpreting these estimates. Hispanic/Latino/a (ethnicity) is not mutually exclusive of other categories (race).

  • Among racial/ethnic groups, people who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native reported the highest smoking rate (15.2%).
  • At 7.6%, men were more likely to report current smoking than women (4.8%).

Note: * Gay, lesbian, or bisexual also includes the response categories of 'other' and 'not sure.

  • At 5.7% Utah adults who identify as heterosexual (straight) were less likely to report cigarette smoking than Utahns who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (10.2%).
  • Utah adults reporting an income of $0-$24,999 had the highest percentage of current smoking at 20.8%, followed by adults reporting an income of $25,000-$49,999.
  • Utahns reporting an income of $75,000 or more had the lowest percentage of current smoking at 3.1%.

Note: Insurance categories are not mutually exclusive.

  • Utah adults enrolled in Medicaid had the highest percentage of current smoking at 20.2%.
  • Utah adults who were unable to get needed healthcare due to cost reported a current smoking rate of 15.2%.
  • At 16.0%, Utah adults without health insurance were more likely to smoke cigarettes than Utah adults with health insurance (5.3%).
  • In 2023, Utahns reporting one or more disabilities had a percentage of current smoking of 11.6%, compared to Utahns with no disabilities (4.3%).
  • In 2023, the cigarette smoking rate for Utah adults who reported binge drinking was 19.4%. The cigarette smoking rate for those who did not report binge drinking was 4.2%.
  • The Health Improvement Index (HII) is a composite measure of 9 community factors that affect health including income, education, homeownership, and poverty levels. Based on their composite score, Utah’s 99 small areas are categorized into 5 HII groups: very low, low, average, high, and very high scores for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Higher HII scores indicate a greater need for community improvement.
  • Utahns living in communities with “high” scores for socioeconomic disadvantage reported the highest rate of cigarette smoking (9.1%), followed by Utahns living in areas of “very high” socioeconomic disadvantage (8.4%).
  • Utahns living in communities with “very low” scores for socioeconomic disadvantage reported the lowest rate of cigarette smoking (2.8%).
Adult vape product use

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  • Use of vape products (or electronic cigarettes) increased from 2.0% in 2012 to 7.2% in 2022. In 2023, 6.5% of Utah adults reported current vaping.

Note: *The estimate for age 65+ has a coefficient of variation >30% and is therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. Use caution in interpreting this estimate.

  • Utahns aged 25-34 reported the highest percentage of current vape product use at 12.2%.
  • Vape product use declined with increasing age. The lowest rate was reported by Utahns aged 65 and older (0.8%).
  • Utahns with a high school education or GED reported the highest rate of current vape product use at 9.0% followed by those with less than high school education (8.0%).
  • Vape product use declined with increasing educational attainment. Utahns with college degrees reported the lowest rate of vape product use (2.5%).

Note: * The estimate for Black or African American has a coefficient of variation > 30%, and is therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. Use caution in interpreting this estimate. Hispanic/Latino/a (ethnicity) is not mutually exclusive of other categories (race).

  • Among racial/ethnic groups, vape product use was highest for Utah adults who identified as American Indian/Alaska Native (14.7%), or Pacific Islander (14.1%), and lowest among those who identified as Hispanic/Latino/a (5.9%) or Asian (5.0%).
  • At 7.5%, men reported higher vape product use than women (5.4%).

Note: * 'Gay, lesbian, or bisexual' also includes the response categories of 'other' and 'not sure.'

  • Utahns who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (11.4%) were more likely to report current vaping than Utahns who identified as heterosexual (straight) (5.5%).
  • Utah adult vape product use was comparable for all income groups below $75,000.
  • Utahns reporting an income of $75,000 or more had the lowest percentage of current vaping at 5.3%.

Note: Insurance categories are not mutually exclusive.

  • Utah adults who were not able to get needed healthcare due to cost reported the highest rate of vaping at 13.3%.
  • Utahns with health insurance reported the lowest rate of vape product use at 5.3%.

Note: *Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women consumed on one occasion.

  • At 16.5%, Utah adults who reported binge drinking were more likely to use vape products than Utahns who did not report binge drinking.
  • The Health Improvement Index (HII) is a composite measure of 9 community factors that affect health including income, education, homeownership, and poverty levels. Based on their composite score, Utah’s 99 small areas are categorized into 5 HII groups: very low, low, average, high, and very high scores for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Higher HII scores indicate a greater need for community improvement.
  • Utahns living in communities with “average” scores for socioeconomic disadvantage reported the highest rate of vape product use (8.6%), followed by Utahns living in areas of “high” socioeconomic disadvantage (8.0%).
  • Utahns living in communities with “very low” scores for socioeconomic disadvantage reported the lowest rate of vape product use (4.1%).

Adult tobacco use by local health district

Please click on a health district area on the map to view additional local health district data.

Note: *Use caution in interpreting the estimates for San Juan and Wasatch counties. They have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards.

Note: *Use caution in interpreting the estimates for Summit and Wasatch counties. They have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. **The estimate for San Juan has been suppressed because 1) the relative standard error is greater than 50% or the relative standard error can't be determined, 2) the observed number of events is very small and not appropriate for publication, or 3) it could be used to calculate the number in a cell that has been suppressed.

Youth cigarette smoking

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  • Youth cigarette smoking has decreased by 77% since 2013. In 2023, 0.9% of Utah youth reported they smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.
  • In 2023, current cigarette smoking increased significantly from 8th grade (0.6%) to 12th grade (1.4%).
  • Utah's overall cigarette smoking rate for students in grades 8, 10, and 12 is at a historic low at 0.9%.

Note: *The estimates for American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, and Pacific Islander have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. Use caution in interpreting these estimates. Hispanic/Latino/a (ethnicity) is not mutually exclusive of other categories (race).

  • Students who identify as Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black/African American (1.3%) reported slightly higher percentages of current cigarette smoking than students from Utah overall.

Note: Sexual orientation and gender identity are separate variables and not mutually exclusive.

  • Students who reported being gay or lesbian (2.6%) and students who reported being bisexual (3.1%) were more likely to smoke cigarettes than students who reported being heterosexual (straight) (0.7%).
  • Transgender students also reported a higher percentage of cigarette smoking (3.0%) compared to non-transgender students.
  • Male (1.0%) and female students (0.9%) reported comparable rates of cigarette smoking.
Youth vape product use

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NOTE: From 2013-2021, lifetime and 30-day vape product use questions on the SHARP-PNA asked students about general electronic cigarette or vape device use. In 2023, the survey questions were updated to ask about vaping nicotine and vaping marijuana separately. The 2023 vape product use data in this graph includes students who vaped nicotine, marijuana, or both.
  • Youth vape product use more than doubled between 2013 and 2019. In 2019, nearly 1 in 8 Utah students (12.4%) reported vaping in the past 30 days. Youth vape use declined to 7.5% in 2023.*
  • Vape product use increased significantly from 8th grade to 12th grade.
  • In 2023, 10.3% of high school seniors used vape products in the past 30 days.

Note: Hispanic/Latino/a (ethnicity) is not mutually exclusive of other categories (race).

  • In 2023, students who identified as Pacific Islander (20.2%) or Hispanic/Latino/a (13.3%) reported the highest percentages of vape product use.

Note: Sexual orientation and gender identity are separate variables and not mutually exclusive.

  • Students who reported being gay or lesbian (17.0%) or bisexual (19.3%) reported higher percentages of vape product use compared to students who reported being heterosexual (straight) (6.1%).
  • Transgender students reported a higher percentage of vape product use (12.8%) compared to non-transgender students.
  • Female students (9.2%) reported a higher percentage of vape product use compared to male students (5.8%).
Other youth data

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  • Most students who tried tobacco products, tried vape products first (75.0%), followed by cigarettes (16.2%).
  • Students were significantly less likely to list chewing tobacco, cigars, hookah, or nicotine pouches as the product they tried first.
  • In 2023, Utah youth were more than twice as likely to report they had tried vape products compared to having tried cigarette smoking.
  • Most students who vaped in the past 30 days reported that they either used vape products with sweet, alcohol, or other flavors (69.6%) or mint flavor (22.4%).
  • Students were significantly less likely to vape products with menthol (5.9%) or tobacco flavors (2.2%).
  • Overall, 7.5% of Utah students (grades 8, 10, 12) reported using a vape product in the past 30 days. 6.0% used a vape product that contained nicotine, 4.5% used vape products with marijuana, and 3.3% used vape products containing both nicotine and marijuana.

Youth tobacco use by local health district

Please click on local health district areas on the map to view SHARP survey reports by corresponding local substance abuse authority (LSAA).

Note: *Use caution in interpreting the estimates for Summit County, TriCounty, and Wasatch County. They have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards. **The estimate for San Juan has been suppressed because 1) the relative standard error is greater than 50% or the relative standard error can't be determined, 2) the observed number of events is very small and not appropriate for publication, or 3) it could be used to calculate the number in a cell that has been suppressed.

Note: *Use caution in interpreting the estimate San Juan. They have a coefficient of variation > 30% and are therefore deemed unreliable by Utah Department of Health and Human Services standards.

  • In 2023, Utah's adult smoking rate (6.2%) was about half of the US average (11.9%).
  • In 2023, 6.5% of Utah adults reported using vape products compared to the US average of 8.2%.
  • Use of smokeless tobacco was lower in Utah (2.1%) compared to the US average (3.1%).

Note: To ensure that school grades for the U.S./Utah comparison are comparable, this graph uses YRBS high school data for Utah estimates (grades 9-12).

  • In 2023, Utah's 1.1% cigarette smoking rate among high school students (grades 9-12) was just below the national rate of 1.6%.
  • At 5.7%, vaping among Utah high school students (grades 9-12) was comparable to the US average (5.9%).
  • At 1.0%, smokeless tobacco use (chew, dip, snuff) among Utah students (grades 9-12) was comparable to the US average (1.3%).

Data Sources

BRFSS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Health-related telephone survey conducted each year with adult US residents. The survey collects data on health risk behaviors, chronic conditions, and the use of preventive services. The BRFSS sample size for Utah is 10,000 to 12,000 participants each year. Additional Utah BRFSS data can be accessed at IBIS.

SHARP - PNA: Student Health and Risk Prevention Survey - Prevention Needs Assessment

Utah schools administer the SHARP-PNA survey in the spring of odd years in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. The survey asks questions about substance use; safe and healthy relationships; family, school, and community connections; physical, social, and mental health; and risk and protective factors. Data analysis for the TPCP dashboard focused on responses from students in grades 8, 10, and 12. Additional SHARP PNA data can be accessed at IBIS.

YRBS – Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Utah schools administer the YRBS survey in the spring of odd years in grades 9 to 12. The survey asks questions about health-related behaviors and experiences. Additional Utah YRBS data can be accessed at IBIS.

NYTS – National Youth Tobacco Survey

The NYTS provides national data about middle school and high school students' tobacco-related beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and exposure to tobacco influences. More information about the NYTS can be found at About National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).