Total Cost of Smoking per Year per Smoker in California: $55,948
With smokers having an elevated risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19 and the economic and societal costs of smoking totaling more than $300 billion per year, a report was released today on The Real Cost of Smoking by State.
To encourage the estimated 34.2 million tobacco users in the U.S. to kick this dangerous habit, WalletHub calculated the potential monetary losses — including the lifetime and annual costs of a cigarette pack per day, health care expenditures, income losses and other costs — brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
The Financial Cost of Smoking in California (1=Lowest, 25=Avg.):
- Out-of-Pocket Cost per Smoker – $145,591 (Rank: 39th)
- Financial-Opportunity Cost per Smoker – $1,623,157 (Rank: 39th)
- Health-Care Cost per Smoker – $206,295 (Rank: 43rd)
- Income Loss per Smoker – $695,002 (Rank: 46th)
- Other Costs per Smoker – $15,459 (Rank: 45th)
- Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker: $2,685,504
- Total Cost per Year per Smoker: $55,948
Smoking doesn’t just ruin your health, according to Adam McCann of WalletHub. It can also burn a nasty hole through your wallet. Tobacco use accounts for nearly half a million deaths in the U.S. each year and is the leading cause of lung cancer, according to the American Lung Association. Smokers also may have an increased risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19. In addition, even those around tobacco smokers aren’t safe from its harmful effects. Since 1964, smoking-related illnesses have claimed over 20 million lives in the U.S., 2.5 million of which belonged to nonsmokers who developed diseases merely from secondhand-smoke exposure.
However, the economic and societal costs of smoking are just as huge. Every year, smoking costs the U.S. more than $300 billion, which includes both medical care and lost productivity. Unfortunately, some people will have to pay more depending on the state in which they live.
For the full report, click here.
Image Sources
- Cigarettes: Pixabay
