The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study.

About 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, a drop from 10.8% in 2023, according to an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence. 

The findings mark the first time the adult smoking rate in the U.S. has fallen to the single digits, a milestone public health officials have pursued for decades. The decline suggests the U.S. may be moving closer to the Healthy People 2030 goal — a national public health target — of reducing adult smoking to 6.1%.

SMOKING JUST TWO CIGARETTES A DAY CAN WREAK HAVOC ON YOUR HEART, STUDY SHOWS

"If this decline continues, the target might be met or exceeded by 2030," the researchers, led by Israel Agaku, Ph.D., an Atlanta-based public health researcher and professor, wrote in the paper.

But the milestone does not mean tobacco use has disappeared. About 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes — the most commonly used tobacco product in the United States — while nearly 47.7 million adults, or 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars or e-cigarettes, according to the researchers.

The study analyzed responses from more than 29,500 adults in 2023 and 32,600 adults in 2024 who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey and the most recent national data available on adult tobacco use.

DOCTORS REVEAL WHAT ‘REASONABLE’ DRINKING LOOKS LIKE — AND WHO SHOULD AVOID ALCOHOL

The drop in cigarette smoking helped drive a decline in overall combustible tobacco use, which includes cigarettes and cigars. About 12.6% of adults used combustible tobacco in 2024, down from 13.5% the year prior, according to the study.

However, the prevalence of other tobacco products — including e-cigarettes and cigars — did not significantly change between 2023 and 2024, according to the study.

STUDY CHALLENGES NEGATIVE CANNABIS STEREOTYPES, CLAIMING LINK TO BRAIN BENEFITS

"The lack of change in cigar and e-cigarette use calls for intensified implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies addressing all products," the researchers wrote.

The study also found that tobacco use was not evenly distributed across the population.

Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product compared with nearly 14% of women, according to the study.

NEARLY 40% OF CANCERS CAN BE PREVENTED WITH 3 LIFESTYLE CHANGES, STUDY FINDS

Tobacco use was also higher among certain demographic and occupational groups, particularly adults in industries such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.

The highest tobacco use was reported among people with a General Educational Development certificate at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income individuals and people with disabilities.

Young adults were more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes. Nearly 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes, compared with 3.4% who smoked cigarettes, according to the study.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Some experts note the findings reflect a shift in nicotine use rather than a disappearance of addiction.

John Puls, a psychotherapist and addiction specialist who runs Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, said the trend away from cigarettes but continued use of tobacco and e-cigarettes mirrors what he sees with patients.

"Most of my patients use e-cigarettes and various vape products," Puls, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "They’re easier to conceal, can be used almost anywhere and deliver a much more powerful nicotine dose."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES

Cigarette smoking, on the other hand, is "more socially unacceptable than it has ever been," he added. "I work with many patients who are addicted to nicotine, and the vast majority have never smoked a cigarette."

Puls said this pattern is especially common among adolescents and young adults and is concerning because cigarettes typically deliver about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine, while some vape products can contain 20 to 60 milligrams.

"There’s also a perception that e-cigarettes are a safer form of smoking, which is contributing to the decline in cigarette smoking," Puls added.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Health officials stress that no tobacco product is safe, including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. and is responsible for about one in three cancer deaths, the agency says.

Overall, sustained public health measures — including smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes and access to quitting support — remain critical to further reducing tobacco use, the researchers noted.

The study had several limitations, including changes to how smokeless tobacco has been defined over the survey years, reliance on self-reported data and less reliable estimates for some smaller subgroups.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Agaku for comment.

The Obama Foundation is looking for 100 unpaid volunteers to work alongside the former president's highly paid cronies at the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Chicago when it opens in June.

Officials are pitching the no-paycheck gigs as rooted in former President Barack Obama’s legacy of civic engagement. The recruitment campaign comes after Fox News Digital reported that the organization’s CEO, former top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, earned $740,000 in 2024.

Foundation officials told Fox News Digital the volunteers will complement about 300 full- and part-time employees at the long-delayed center, which the organization is promoting as a $3.1 billion economic catalyst for the Windy City's South Side.

The new program will see 75 to 100 volunteers, known as "ambassadors," greet and direct visitors around the campus and share information about exhibits at the 22-story museum tower, athletic center and Chicago Public Library branch, among other amenities. It is expected to expand in the future. 

The foundation describes the volunteer program as a key component of its mission, saying volunteers represent its values both onsite and in the community.

TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR LAWN CARE, FIXING HINGES AT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES. TRUMP-LED REFORMS AIM TO STOP IT

It is unclear what the salary range for those paid workers will be. However, the foundation’s most recent tax filings provide insight into compensation at the organization’s senior levels.

Federal filings viewed by Fox News Digital show Jarrett earned $740,000 in 2024, 2023 and 2022, while several former Obama White House officials have collected six-figure salaries as foundation executives.

Total salaries and benefits at the foundation climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing expanded to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million, according to the filings. The foundation’s main office is located in Chicago’s Hyde Park, where it runs leadership and community programs in the U.S. and abroad.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN

Still, the foundation is looking to have a cohort of unpaid volunteers help out at the new presidential center. It's common for presidential libraries, museums and nonprofit cultural institutions to employ unpaid volunteers.

"Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side," the foundation said in a press release.

Jarrett, one of the Obamas’ closest advisors, said in a statement that the center will be "a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day."

She became CEO in 2021 and is overseeing development of the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT' AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND

The foundation has promoted the center as a catalyst for economic revitalization on Chicago’s South Side, citing $3.1 billion in projected economic activity over 10 years and 5,000 construction jobs tied to the $850 million campus. Those figures come from an economic assessment conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP.

According to the foundation, more than 50% of construction contracts have been awarded to diverse firms, 33% of the construction workforce has come from South and West Side communities, and 798 residents have enrolled in construction pre-apprenticeship programs.

The center is scheduled to open on Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Other former Obama administration officials have also earned substantial compensation at the foundation in past years, including former White House political director David Simas, who earned more than $600,000 annually while leading the organization from 2017 to 2020, and Adewale Adeyemo, who later became Biden’s deputy Treasury secretary and earned roughly $540,000 during his tenure. 

Several other senior leaders with Obama administration ties have earned between roughly $300,000 and $400,000 annually, according to tax filings.