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Report details the cost of smoking

Daily Press - 1/17/2019

Jan. 16--VICTORVILLE -- Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults is on a continued decline, according to a report last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But despite the drop in smoking, an estimated 37.8 million tobacco users in the U.S. still light up, placing a strain on their health, income and society, according to WalletHub, who recently released its report on "The Real Cost of Smoking by State."

The drop in the number of smokers, nearly 5.5 percent from 2005 to 2016, according to the CDC, does not offset the economic and societal costs of smoking in the U.S. that totals more than $300 billion a year, the WalletHub report said.

The report calculated the potential monetary costs and losses faced by smokers across a lifetime in each state, with calculations including the cost of a cigarette pack per day, health care expenditures, income losses and other costs brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.

The report ranked Connecticut No. 51 in "Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker" category, with smokers in the state expected to pay out more than $2.8 million in costs related to the habit.

California was ranked No. 39 in "Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker," with smokers expected to pay nearly $2.2 million. The "Total Cost per Year per Smoker" in the state came in at just over $43,000.

In the category of "Out-of-Pocket Cost per Smoker," California was ranked No. 40, with smokers dishing out $143,149 across a lifetime to light up.

When it comes to "Health-Care Cost per Smoker," California took the No. 39 spot, with smokers expected to pay $200,851, per lifetime.

The state was ranked No. 40 in "Financial-Opportunity Cost per Smoker," with smokers paying out nearly $1.5 million over a lifetime. Financial costs were determined by calculating the amount of return a person would have earned by instead investing that money in the stock market over the same period.

The survey ranked the state No. 42 in "Income Loss per Smoker," with an individual losing $274,050 over a lifetime.

WalletHub calculated the amount of income lost based on a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta that found that smokers earn 20 percent less than nonsmokers, 8 percent of which is attributed to smoking and 12 percent to other factors.

California ranked No. 44 in "Other Costs per Smoker," with each smoker paying out $15,055 during that same time. Calculations in this category include homeowners insurance rates and the costs for victims of secondhand-smoke exposure.

The state of Georgia ranked No. 1, with the "Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker" coming in at just over $1.3 million.

Melissa Lee Terry of Victorville said she "dropped the nasty habit" of smoking nearly 10 years ago and doesn't regret the new year's resolution she made to herself.

"Going without a smoke was hard for the first month, but it got easier from there," said Terry, 47, who began smoking in high school. "After a while, I wasn't so winded and tired. My insomnia went away and my face skin cleared up."

Terry said the only downside to kicking the habit was the 30 pounds she gained in her first "smoke-free year." She added that she eventually lost the weight "and a bit more."

Key stats from the report

* The average estimated financial cost of smoking over a lifetime: Over $1.9 million per smoker.

* The average out-of-pocket cost per smoker: $123,308 over a lifetime.

* Average income loss over a lifetime: $237,605

* Smoking-related health-care costs over a lifetime: $172,801

Smoking 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.

Since 1964, smoking-related illnesses have claimed over 20 million lives in the U.S., with 2.5 million of which belonged to nonsmokers who developed diseases from secondhand-smoke exposure.

To view the full report by WalletHub, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/the-financial-cost-of-smoking-by-state/9520.

Reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227, RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com, Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

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