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Charted: The Surge of Vaping in America’s Young Adults
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Today, one in four young American adults use nicotine vapes—nearly double the rate since 2017.
While smoking rates approach record-lows, the question of whether vaping contributes to this decline remains contested. Given its growing prevalence, at least 15 states have imposed bans on flavored products or online sales, with California recently banning retailers from selling flavored e-cigarettes in January 2025.
This graphic shows the share of Americans aged 19 to 30 who vape, based on data from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
Trends in Nicotine and Cannabis Vapes
Below, we show the prevalence of vaping among U.S. young adults based on a survey of 4,810 respondents in 2023:
Year | Vaped nicotine in the past 12 months | Vaped cannabis in the past 12 months |
2023 | 25.3% | 14.4% |
2022 | 23.7% | 13.9% |
2021 | 22.3% | 13.3% |
2020 | 20.8% | 10.6% |
2019 | 19.1% | 10.9% |
2018 | 16.5% | 9.2% |
2017 | 13.7% | 5.9% |
After Juul electronic cigarettes launched in 2015 by Stanford graduates James Monsees and Adam Bowen, vaping quickly rose in popularity.
By 2018, the company received a $12.8 billion investment from Altria, the biggest cigarette maker in the country, stoking criticism on top of their use of flavored vaping products that appeared to target youth.
Since Juul entered the market, the number of nicotine vaping products in America has expanded to nearly 6,300 as of 2024. Moreover, in June of last year, sales stood at $488.9 million, with the most popular brands being Vuse, Juul, and Geek Bar Pulse.
Notably, the share of U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 who vape is more than three times higher than those aged 35 to 50. Meanwhile, 2.6% of Americans aged 55 to 65 vape nicotine.
When it comes to vaping cannabis, rates have shot up at an even faster rate, likely influenced by legalization across roughly half of U.S. states. In 2023, 14.4% of young adults vaped cannabis pens, which often have a higher THC concentration than traditional cannabis. Like nicotine vapes, usage rates were significantly higher among young adults compared with older generations.
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What about alcohol use, and specifically beer? Check out this graphic on the countries that drink the most beer.