The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study.

About 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, a drop from 10.8% in 2023, according to an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence. 

The findings mark the first time the adult smoking rate in the U.S. has fallen to the single digits, a milestone public health officials have pursued for decades. 

The decline suggests the U.S. may be moving closer to the Healthy People 2030 goal — a national public health target — of reducing adult smoking to 6.1%.

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“If this decline continues, the target might be met or exceeded by 2030,” the researchers, led by Israel Agaku, an Atlanta-based public health researcher and professor, wrote in the paper.

But the milestone does not mean tobacco use has disappeared. About 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes — the most commonly used tobacco product in the United States — while nearly 47.7 million adults, or 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars or e-cigarettes, according to the researchers.

The study analyzed responses from more than 29,500 adults in 2023 and 32,600 adults in 2024 who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey and the most recent national data available on adult tobacco use.

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The drop in cigarette smoking helped drive a decline in overall combustible tobacco use, which includes cigarettes and cigars. About 12.6% of adults used combustible tobacco in 2024, down from 13.5% the year prior, according to the study.

However, the prevalence of other tobacco products — including e-cigarettes and cigars — did not significantly change between 2023 and 2024, according to the study.

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“The lack of change in cigar and e-cigarette use calls for intensified implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies addressing all products,” the researchers wrote.

The study also found that tobacco use was not evenly distributed across the population.

Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product compared with nearly 14% of women, according to the study.

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Tobacco use was also higher among certain demographic and occupational groups, particularly adults in industries such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.

The highest tobacco use was reported among people with a general educational development certificate at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income individuals and people with disabilities.

Young adults were more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes. Nearly 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes, compared with 3.4% who smoked cigarettes, according to the study.

Some experts note the findings reflect a shift in nicotine use rather than a disappearance of addiction.

John Puls, a psychotherapist and addiction specialist who runs Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, said the trend away from cigarettes but continued use of tobacco and e-cigarettes mirrors what he sees with patients.

“Most of my patients use e-cigarettes and various vape products,” Puls, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “They’re easier to conceal, can be used almost anywhere and deliver a much more powerful nicotine dose.”

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Cigarette smoking, on the other hand, is “more socially unacceptable than it has ever been,” he added. “I work with many patients who are addicted to nicotine, and the vast majority have never smoked a cigarette.”

Puls said this pattern is especially common among adolescents and young adults and is concerning because cigarettes typically deliver about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine, while some vape products can contain 20 to 60 milligrams.

“There’s also a perception that e-cigarettes are a safer form of smoking, which is contributing to the decline in cigarette smoking,” Puls added.

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Health officials stress that no tobacco product is safe, including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. and is responsible for about one in three cancer deaths, the agency says.

Overall, sustained public health measures — including smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes and access to quitting support — remain critical to further reducing tobacco use, the researchers noted.

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The study had several limitations, including changes to how smokeless tobacco has been defined over the survey years, reliance on self-reported data and less reliable estimates for some smaller subgroups.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Agaku for comment.

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A Los Angeles mother said her jarring symptoms were dismissed by doctors for years, chalked up to a side effect of childbirth — but they turned out to be signals of colorectal cancer.

Marisa Peters, 44, a mother of three and former Broadway vocalist, first noticed bleeding when going to the bathroom after having her first son.

“Symptoms intensified to where blood was filling the toilet … then I had increased urgency to go to the bathroom,” she shared with Fox News Digital. “The size, shape and texture of my stool also changed.”

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As these symptoms progressed, Peters voiced her concerns to her primary care physician and other doctors.

Since Peters was only in her early 30s at the time, she wasn’t seen as the “typical” colorectal cancer (CRC) patient, as most cases occur in older adults. In recent years, however, statistics show the disease has been rising in younger individuals.

“They didn’t realize the face of colorectal cancer had changed,” Peters said. “It now looked like someone much younger.”

“We’re seeing a rise in people, younger and younger, unfortunately, with late-stage diagnosis, which leads to pretty abysmal mortality rates,” she added, noting the power of earlier detection and intervention through colonoscopy.

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Instead of considering cancer, Peters’ doctors told her that “our bodies change when we have babies” and that her concerns were “ultimately dismissed.”

Meanwhile, her symptoms were “checking every single box” for CRC, including severe anemia, although she was unaware at the time.

Over the next five years, Peters had two more children while battling on-again, off-again symptoms. During the last year, she noted there was “always blood” in her bowel movements, motivating her to seek answers from a gastroenterologist.

“I will never forget [the doctor’s] face,” she said. “She was stunned and shocked by what I shared.”

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The doctor ran blood and stool-based tests, which came back positive for CRC, prompting an urgent colonoscopy to confirm the cancer.

In June 2021, Peters was officially diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer after a 5-centimeter tumor was found at the top of her rectum.

Peters had a complete response to the next 11 months of chemotherapy and radiation, as her tumor shrunk by half. She then underwent rectal reconstruction and was fitted with a temporary ileostomy bag, which diverted waste away from the area for four months so it could heal.

“We’re seeing a rise in people, younger and younger, with late-stage diagnosis, which leads to pretty abysmal mortality rates.”

After six more rounds of chemo, Peters had an ileostomy reversal, where her body was “essentially put back together.”

At the time of Peters’ diagnosis, she was still nursing her 16-month-old baby and continued to take care of all three kids while undergoing treatment, with support from her husband.

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“Thankfully, I have a tremendous mental health team, and they have helped me redefine my life, really communicate with my husband, with my children — not only throughout the journey, but also through the reformation of what family and motherhood looks like,” she told Fox News Digital. 

Taking early action

Although Peters’ cancer was already “too far gone” for a colonoscopy to have made a difference in her diagnosis, she highly encourages the “gold standard” screening for anyone who has concerns or is at high risk.

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After her diagnosis, Peters said her sister went in for a colonoscopy, during which her doctors found and removed some pre-cancerous polyps, although she never had any symptoms. Peters later discovered that her parents both had pre-cancerous polyps removed.

“Knowing your family’s health history is tremendously important,” she said.

Peters founded BE SEEN, a colorectal cancer nonprofit advocating for earlier intervention and screening, to help others find their voice and get ahead of the disease. BE SEEN offers resources and community programs.

“Colorectal cancer is an entirely preventable disease, even though it’s on the rise in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s for reasons we don’t know,” she said.

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“I want people to be seen for their symptoms … I want them to be seen for their story. And I want them to be seen, ultimately, for their screenings, because we know they save lives.”

“I lost so much time, and I’m still deeply questioning why I am here to talk about it when so many other people get a late-stage diagnosis and don’t have the complete response that I had,” Peters added. “We’re losing people far too soon, and it’s just not okay. This is not something we should be settling for.”

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50 and the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.

Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.

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Official health agencies recommend that CRC screenings start at age 45 and continue through age 75 for adults at “average risk.”

Anyone with concerning symptoms or questions about risk should consult a doctor for guidance.

Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed reporting.