Connecticut Youth Vaping Declines as Adult Smoking Reaches Historic Low

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Key Points:

• Survey Overview: Newly released 2025 Connecticut Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results show youth cigarette smoking remains near historic lows, while e-cigarette use has declined dramatically since peaking in 2019.

• Youth Smoking Near Historic Lows: In 2025, only 3.3 percent of Connecticut high school students currently smoked combustible cigarettes, an 81.8 percent decline from 2005, when 18.1 percent were current smokers. However, smoking increased slightly from 3 percent in 2023.

• Youth Vaping Plummets: Current e-cigarette use among Connecticut high school students declined 54.8 percent between 2019 and 2025, falling from 27 percent to 12.2 percent.

• Vaping Experimentation Declines: In 2025, 26.9 percent of Connecticut high school students reported ever trying an e-cigarette, a 40 percent decrease from 44.8 percent in 2019.

• Other Youth Nicotine Use Remains Low: Only 3.6 percent of Connecticut high school students currently used smokeless tobacco products, 2.8 percent smoked cigars, and 2.4 percent used nicotine pouches.

• National Trends Mirror Connecticut: The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey similarly documented substantial declines in youth smoking and vaping, reinforcing that Connecticut's progress reflects broader national trends.

• Missing Youth Vaping Motivations: Although Connecticut's 2025 YRBS asked students why they use e-cigarettes, the Department of Public Health did not publish those findings in its 216-page report, leaving an important gap in understanding youth vaping behavior.

• Flavor Policy Questions: Without publicly available data on why Connecticut students vape, policymakers have less information to evaluate proposals targeting flavored nicotine products and determine whether restrictions address the primary motivations for youth use.

• Adult Smoking Reaches Historic Low: According to the 2025 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) figures presented in the analysis, only 7.5 percent of Connecticut adults currently smoked cigarettes, representing approximately 222,765 adults and the lowest rate recorded in the state.

• Adult Smoking Falls Sharply: Between 2024 and 2025, adult smoking declined 16.7 percent, from 9 percent to 7.5 percent, representing approximately 42,764 fewer adult smokers in a single year.

• Adult Vaping Continues to Grow: In 2025, 6.5 percent of Connecticut adults currently used e-cigarettes, representing approximately 193,064 adults and a 16.1 percent increase from 2024.

• More Adults Vaping: Connecticut gained an estimated 27,845 adult e-cigarette users between 2024 and 2025, while the number of adults smoking combustible cigarettes declined substantially.

• Young Adult Smoking Plummets: In 2025, only 3.5 percent of Connecticut young adults currently smoked cigarettes, compared with 18 percent in 2005.

• Evidence for Tobacco Harm Reduction: Scientific research indicates that e-cigarettes generally expose users to substantially fewer harmful chemicals than combustible cigarettes, while clinical trials have found that nicotine e-cigarettes can help adults quit smoking.

• FDA-Authorized Alternatives: The FDA has authorized numerous e-cigarette products after determining that their marketing is “appropriate for the protection of public health,” recognizing potential benefits for adults who completely switch away from combustible cigarettes.

• Smoking and Vaping Trends: Connecticut's declining adult smoking rates alongside increasing vaping prevalence are consistent with the potential role of smoke-free alternatives in tobacco harm reduction, although population-level trends alone cannot establish causation.

• Economic Implications: WalletHub estimated the annual economic cost of smoking at $104,911 per Connecticut smoker in 2025, including $7,038 in health care costs.

• Potential Economic Benefits: Applying WalletHub's estimates to Connecticut's approximately 42,764 fewer adult smokers suggests $4.5 billion in associated annual economic costs and $301 million in health care costs. These figures illustrate potential benefits rather than immediately realized savings.

• Policy Implications: As Connecticut lawmakers prepare for the 2027 legislative session, the latest data provide important context for evaluating youth prevention measures, flavor restrictions, nicotine taxation, and adult access to lower-risk alternatives.

• Bottom Line: Connecticut's latest youth and adult survey findings show substantial progress in reducing combustible cigarette smoking, with youth vaping falling sharply from its 2019 peak and adult vaping continuing to increase. The findings support examining policies that protect youth, account for differences in product risk, and consider the potential role of smoke-free alternatives in reducing smoking-related harms.

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The Connecticut Department of Public Health has quietly released the 2025 results of the state's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Conducted biennially in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the survey examines a variety of health risk behaviors among high school students in the Constitution State, including dietary and physical habits, mental health, and substance use.

The latest results offer promising news for lawmakers concerned with youth tobacco and vapor product use. Among Connecticut high school students, combustible cigarette smoking remains near historic lows, while youth vapor product use has declined significantly from its 2019 peak.

According to the YRBS, in 2025, only 3.3 percent of Connecticut high school students reported currently smoking combustible cigarettes. Current use is defined as having used the product on at least one occasion in the 30 days prior to the survey. This represents an 81.8 percent decrease from 2005, when nearly one in five (18.1 percent) students were current smokers. Unfortunately, the latest figure represents a slight increase from 2023, when 3 percent of students reported smoking.

E-cigarettes first entered the U.S. marketplace in 2007, and, as evidenced by Connecticut's latest YRBS results, their introduction has not led to a renormalization of smoking among youth. While youth vaping rates in previous years raised legitimate concerns, state and national survey data indicate that youth vapor product use has declined substantially from its 2019 peak, challenging claims of a continuing youth vaping epidemic.

In 2025, according to the YRBS, 26.9 percent of Connecticut high school students reported ever trying an e-cigarette. This represents a 40 percent decrease from 2019, when nearly half (44.8 percent) of students had experimented with vaping. Even more encouraging, only 12.2 percent of high school students reported currently vaping – a 54.8 percent decline from 2019, when 27 percent were current users.

Other tobacco and nicotine product use also remains relatively low. Only 3.6 percent of students reported currently using smokeless tobacco products, while 2.8 percent reported smoking cigars and 2.4 percent reported currently using nicotine pouches.

These findings reflect broader national declines in youth tobacco and vapor product use. According to the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), only 5.2 percent of U.S. high school students reported currently vaping, while 1.4 percent reported currently smoking combustible cigarettes.

One troubling omission from Connecticut's latest report is the lack of publicly available data explaining why students use e-cigarettes. Although the 2025 YRBS asked students to identify their primary reason for vaping, the Connecticut Department of Public Health did not include those findings in its 216-page summary report.

This omission is particularly unfortunate given that, in recent years, policymakers have advanced numerous proposals to restrict or ban the sale of flavored tobacco harm reduction products, including e-cigarettes, while also considering steep excise taxes intended to discourage their use. Understanding why young people vape is essential to developing effective, evidence-based policies that address youth use without unnecessarily restricting access for adults who smoke.

Meanwhile, Connecticut's adult tobacco and nicotine use data reveal another encouraging trend: combustible cigarette smoking continues to decline as adult e-cigarette use increases.

The CDC annually administers the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which, like the YRBS, examines health behaviors and risk factors among adults aged 18 years or older.

According to the BRFSS, in 2025, only 7.5 percent of Connecticut adults were currently smoking combustible cigarettes – approximately 222,765 adults. This is the lowest smoking rate ever recorded by the BRFSS in Connecticut and represents a 16.7 percent decrease from 2024, when 9 percent of adults were current smokers. In just one year, the estimated number of adult smokers declined by 42,764.

Meanwhile, 6.5 percent of Connecticut adults reported currently vaping – approximately 193,064 adults. This represents a 16.1 percent increase from 2024, or an estimated 27,845 additional adult vapers.

Even more encouraging, smoking rates among young adults have fallen dramatically. In 2025, only 3.5 percent of Connecticut young adults reported currently smoking combustible cigarettes, a substantial decline from 2005, when nearly one-fifth (18 percent) were smokers.

Despite persistent media alarmism surrounding vaping, the scientific evidence indicates that e-cigarettes expose users to substantially fewer harmful chemicals than combustible cigarettes and are generally considered substantially less harmful than smoking. Clinical trials have demonstrated that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes can help adults quit smoking, while real-world evidence has documented declining smoking rates alongside increased vaping prevalence.

Although population-level trends cannot establish that vaping caused the decline in smoking, Connecticut's latest BRFSS findings are consistent with the potential role of smoke-free nicotine alternatives in reducing combustible cigarette use.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of numerous e-cigarette products after determining that they meet the statutory standard of being appropriate for the protection of public health. These decisions recognize the potential benefits of such products for adults who smoke, particularly those who completely transition away from combustible cigarettes.

Beyond the public health implications, declining smoking rates could also reduce the substantial economic burden associated with combustible tobacco use.

For example, WalletHub estimates that the total annual economic cost per smoker in Connecticut in 2025 was $104,911, including $7,038 in health care costs. Applying those estimates to the more than 42,700 fewer adults estimated to be smoking in 2025 yields approximately $4.5 billion in associated annual economic costs, including roughly $301 million in health care costs.

While these figures illustrate the potential economic benefits associated with declining smoking prevalence, they should not be interpreted as immediate or directly realized savings. WalletHub's estimates include broader economic costs, and reductions in smoking-related health care expenditures often occur over time.

As Connecticut lawmakers prepare for the 2027 legislative session, it is imperative that they consider the latest state-level data when evaluating tobacco and nicotine policies. Youth smoking remains near historic lows, youth vaping has declined dramatically since 2019, and the introduction of e-cigarettes has not been accompanied by a resurgence in youth combustible cigarette use.

At the same time, adult smoking has reached its lowest recorded level, while adult vaping continues to increase. Although these trends do not establish causation, they underscore the importance of considering the potential role of less harmful nicotine alternatives in reducing smoking-related disease and economic costs.

Rather than relying on outdated perceptions of a youth vaping epidemic, policymakers should pursue evidence-based approaches that protect young people while preserving access to potentially less harmful alternatives for adults who smoke.

Nothing in this analysis is intended to influence the passage of legislation, and it does not necessarily represent the views of Tobacco Harm Reduction 101.