Montana Youth Tobacco Use Declines While More Adults Switch to Smoke-Free Alternatives

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Key Points:

• Survey Overview: Newly released 2025 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results show continued declines in both youth smoking and vaping, reinforcing long-term progress in reducing tobacco and nicotine use among high school students.

• Youth Smoking Near Record Lows: In 2025, only 6.1 percent of Montana high school students reported current cigarette smoking, while 26.9 percent had ever tried a cigarette – among the lowest levels ever recorded in the state.

• Two Decades of Progress: Since 2005, youth cigarette experimentation declined by 51.4 percent and current smoking fell by 69.7 percent, dropping from 20 percent of students smoking to just 6.1 percent.

• Youth Vaping Continues to Fall: Current e-cigarette use among Montana high school students declined from 30.2 percent in 2019 to 16.9 percent in 2025, a 44 percent reduction.

• Peak-to-Present Declines: Between 2019 and 2025, ever use of e-cigarettes among Montana students fell by 45.6 percent, while current use declined by 44 percent.

• State Officials Highlight Success: Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen praised the results, noting that more students are “taking their health seriously,” while state officials emphasized that nicotine use trended downward across most categories.

• Adult Vaping Rising as Smoking Falls: Between 2016 and 2024, adult vaping in Montana increased by 131 percent, while adult smoking declined by 34.1 percent, suggesting continued movement away from combustible cigarettes.

• More Than 85,000 Adult Vapers: In 2024, an estimated 85,935 Montana adults were current e-cigarette users – an increase of 52,560 adults since 2016.

• Smoking Declines Significant: During the same period, Montana had approximately 40,239 fewer adult smokers, highlighting continued reductions in combustible cigarette use.

• Middle-Aged Adults Driving Growth: Among adults aged 35 to 44, vaping increased by 300 percent between 2016 and 2024, rising from 3.2 percent to 12.8 percent.

• Harm Reduction Evidence: The FDA has authorized 45 e-cigarette products after determining their marketing is “appropriate for the protection of public health,” while the CDC acknowledges that vaping aerosol generally contains fewer harmful chemicals than cigarette smoke.

• Economic Benefits: With more than 40,000 fewer adults smoking since 2016, Montana has realized an estimated $2.7 billion reduction in annual smoking-related costs, including more than $130.9 million in healthcare savings.

• Curiosity, Not Flavors: Montana is one of the few states that asks students why they vape. In 2025, curiosity was the leading reason cited by youth e-cigarette users (32 percent), while only 3.9 percent reported flavors as their primary reason for use.

• Mental Health and Social Influences Matter More: Among youth who had ever used e-cigarettes, 19.3 percent cited anxiety, stress, or depression, and 17 percent cited friends or family members who used e-cigarettes.

• National Trends Mirror Montana: The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey found only 5.1 percent of U.S. middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users – the lowest level recorded in more than a decade.

• Policy Implications: The latest Montana data demonstrate that youth smoking and vaping continue to decline even as adult use of smoke-free alternatives grows and smoking falls.

• Bottom Line: Montana’s latest YRBS results show substantial progress in reducing youth tobacco use while more adults are switching away from combustible cigarettes. Policymakers should continue prioritizing youth access prevention while preserving access to lower-risk alternatives for adults who smoke

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Cigarette and e-cigarette use continues to decline among Montana high school students, according to recently published results from the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Conducted biennially by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Montana Office of Public Instruction (MOPI), the survey monitors a wide range of student behaviors, including dietary habits, mental health, substance use, and tobacco product consumption.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen announced the results on June 4, noting she was “incredibly proud to see more Montana youth taking their health seriously.” In the accompanying press release, MOPI emphasized that “[n]icotine usage trended downward across most categories, underscoring continued progress and healthier outcomes.” The reported declines in both cigarette smoking and vaping should be welcomed by policymakers across the Treasure State and mirror encouraging national trends.

In 2025, only 26.9 percent of Montana high school students reported ever trying a combustible cigarette, while just 6.1 percent were current smokers, defined as having smoked on at least one day during the previous 30 days. These are among the lowest rates ever recorded and represent substantial progress over the past two decades. In 2005, more than half (55.4 percent) of Montana high school students had tried smoking, while one in five (20 percent) were current smokers. Between 2005 and 2025, ever trying cigarettes declined by 51.4 percent, while current smoking fell by 69.7 percent.

In recent years, policymakers have increasingly focused on newer nicotine products such as e-cigarettes. Similar to national trends, youth vaping rates among Montana high school students have declined significantly. In 2025, only 31.7 percent of students reported ever trying an e-cigarette, while 16.9 percent were current users. Like much of the United States, youth vaping in Montana peaked in 2019, when nearly two-thirds (58.3 percent) of students had ever used an e-cigarette and 30.2 percent were current users. Between 2019 and 2025, ever use of e-cigarettes declined by 45.6 percent, while current use decreased by 44 percent.

Montana policymakers should also consider trends among adults. Results from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicate that the percentage of Montana adults aged 18 years and older who reported current e-cigarette use increased by more than 131 percent between 2016 and 2024, rising from 4.1 percent to 9.5 percent. Among adults aged 35 to 44 years, vaping rates increased by 300 percent, from 3.2 percent in 2016 to 12.8 percent in 2024.

In 2024, an estimated 85,935 Montana adults were current e-cigarette users, representing an increase of 52,560 adult vapers since 2016. During the same period, the percentage of adults who smoked combustible cigarettes declined by 34.1 percent, equating to 40,239 fewer smokers statewide.

As a tobacco harm reduction tool, e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes. The CDC has acknowledged that e-cigarette “aerosol generally contains fewer harmful chemicals” than cigarette smoke. Through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the sale of 45 e-cigarette products after determining that their marketing is “appropriate for the protection of public health.”

These reductions in smoking translate into meaningful economic benefits. According to WalletHub, the total annual cost of smoking per smoker Montana in 2024 was $67,363, including approximately $3,254 in annual healthcare costs. With more than 40,000 fewer adult smokers in Montana since 2016, these reductions represent an estimated $2.7 billion in total annual savings, including more than $130.9 million in healthcare-related savings.

Montana’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey is one of only a handful of state surveys that asks students about the primary reason they use e-cigarettes. Policymakers should pay close attention to these findings. Question 40 of the 2025 high school YRBS asked students who had used e-cigarettes to identify their main reason for doing so. Response options included curiosity, flavors, stress or anxiety relief, social influences, perceived reduced harm, seeking a buzz or high, and other reasons. Students were permitted to select only one response.

Among students who reported ever using an e-cigarette, curiosity was by far the most common reason, cited by 32 percent of respondents. By comparison, only 3.9 percent reported that flavors were their primary reason for use. Other frequently cited reasons included anxiety, stress, or depression (19.3 percent) and having a friend or family member who used e-cigarettes (17 percent).

The 2025 Montana YRBS results are encouraging. Nationally, the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey found that only 5.1 percent of U.S. middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users in 2025, the lowest level recorded in a decade. At the same time, the FDA has signaled a willingness to reduce regulatory burdens for certain flavored products and device types, reflecting growing recognition that many adults are successfully quitting smoking by switching to significantly lower-risk alternatives.

Montana policymakers should welcome these latest YRBS findings and carefully consider these long-term declines in youth tobacco use when evaluating future policies that could affect the 85,935 Montana adults who were current e-cigarette users in 2024. Public health policies should continue to prioritize preventing youth access while preserving access to 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.