This Gallup press release discusses the results of a recent poll intended to identify the current percentage of adult smokers in the U.S. A random sampling of 1,014 adults, aged 19 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia was taken, asking the participants if they had smoked a cigarette in the last week. Twenty percent responded that they had — a 2% decline from last year’s rate of 22%, and tying the all time low since 1944.The greatest decline was among young adults age 18 to 29; college non-graduates; and those living in the East and West. Throughout this shift, the West has remained the region with the lowest percentage of smokers. The East has moved from tied with the Midwest for having the highest rate to being the second lowest. Fewer men and women are lighting up now than in 2001-2005, with a similar decline seen among both groups. Smoking continues to be slightly more common among men than among women. At one time, nearly half of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes, but after smoking rates declined to 25% by the mid-1990s, public policymakers have found it difficult to drive the rate significantly lower. The good news is that the rate of decline is much sharper among adults 18 to 29 than among those 50 and older. This may reflect a decline in smoking among teens and other minors (the ages at which a lifetime of smoking often starts) and may increase the likelihood that smoking rates will continue to fall in the years to come.