Transparency is extremely important to us, so we are letting you know that we may receive a commission on some of links you click on from this page. See our disclaimer.
The health costs of smoking are well known. From cancer risks to lung disease to other ailments, stopping smoking is an important step to wellness.
Then there's the financial cost.
In time for the CDC's Tobacco Awareness program, WalletHub has calculated the financial cost of smoking, state-by-state: “WalletHub gauged the financial cost of smoking in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We did so by calculating the potential monetary losses — including the cumulative cost of a cigarette pack per day over several decades, health care expenditures, income losses and other costs — brought on by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.”
The main findings break down the state-by-state cost into a per person cost, which differs by state. The most expensive state per smoker: Alaska, where the total cost per smoker is $2,032,916. The least expensive: South Carolina, where it still will run $1,097,690 per person.
Adds WalletHub: “In the U.S., the economic and societal costs of smoking-related issues total more than $301 billion a year, and that figure continues to rise. Broken down, the total includes $116.4 billion in direct health care costs, $67.5 billion in workplace productivity losses and $117.1 billion in early deaths related to smoking.”
Money breaks down the WalletHub methodology and notes that the site assumes that money not spent on tobacco would have been wisely invested. Nevertheless, “even if the figures are on the inflated side, it’s an undeniable reality that the smoking habit costs big bucks over a lifetime. And oh yeah, it can make your lifetime a lot shorter. Let’s not forget that.”
0 Comments