E-Cigarette Statistics at a Glance
E-cigarette use in the United States is moving in different directions depending on age group. Adult use has risen in the latest CDC series, while youth use has fallen sharply in the latest FDA and CDC updates. That split matters because the same product category is showing different patterns across the population, with different policy pressure, different device preferences, and different brand mixes.
Quick takeaways
- U.S. adults who used electronic cigarettes rose from 3.7% in 2020 to 6.5% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
- U.S. middle and high school students who currently used e-cigarettes fell to 5.9% in 2024 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
- U.S. high school current use fell to 7.8% in 2024, while middle school current use was 3.5% (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
- The CDC estimated 1.63 million U.S. middle and high school students currently used e-cigarettes in 2024, down from 2.13 million in 2023 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
- Among current youth e-cigarette users, 87.6% used a flavored product (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
Table of Contents
- Adult use trends
- Youth use trends
- Who uses e-cigarettes in the adult population
- Youth device and flavor patterns
- What the federal figures suggest
- Readable snapshot table
- Key numbers to watch
Adult Use Trends
Adult e-cigarette use is the clearest example of how this category has expanded in recent years. The NCHS Data Brief No. 524 shows U.S. adults who used electronic cigarettes at 4.5% in 2019, 3.7% in 2020, 4.5% in 2021, 6.0% in 2022, and 6.5% in 2023. That 2020 dip is notable, but the broader pattern is a climb from the earlier low point to the latest reading.
A compact way to read those figures is as a shift from a mid-single-digit niche to a more established habit among adults. It is not a majority behavior, but it is no longer a marginal one either. The latest adult rate in the dataset, 6.5% in 2023, is the highest figure in the series (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
Adult gender split
The gender breakdown shows a consistent difference. Adult men who used electronic cigarettes were 5.5% in 2019 and 7.6% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Adult women who used electronic cigarettes were 3.5% in 2019 and 5.5% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
The gap is not small, and it persists across the endpoints in the series. That does not tell you why the difference exists, but it does show the category is not spreading evenly. Any market or policy discussion that ignores the male-female gap misses a major part of the usage pattern.
Adult age pattern
Age makes the differences sharper. Adults ages 21-24 who used electronic cigarettes were 10.1% in 2019 and 15.5% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Adults ages 25-34 were 7.4% in 2019 and 12.6% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Adults ages 18-20 were 8.1% in 2019 and 10.3% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
The pattern then eases with age. Adults ages 35-49 were 4.9% in 2019 and 7.3% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Adults ages 50-64 were 2.7% in 2019 and 3.3% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Adults ages 65 and older were 0.8% in 2019 and 0.9% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
That progression is useful because it shows where e-cigarette use is concentrated among adults. Younger adults are far more represented than older adults. The category still exists at older ages, but at much lower levels.
Youth Use Trends
The youth numbers move in the opposite direction from the adult trend. CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 reports that U.S. middle and high school students who currently used e-cigarettes were 5.9% in 2024. That same report says U.S. high school students who currently used e-cigarettes were 7.8% in 2024, while middle school students were 3.5%.
The percentage figures matter, but so does the count. CDC estimated 1.63 million U.S. middle and high school students currently used e-cigarettes in 2024, down from 2.13 million in 2023 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). That is a decline of about 0.50 million youth current users from 2023 to 2024 (CDC Newsroom Sept. 5, 2024).
The 2024 total was also described as about one-third of the 2019 peak, when over 5 million youth reported current use (CDC Newsroom Sept. 5, 2024). That is a strong directional change. When a use category can fall from a peak of over 5 million youth users to 1.63 million, the story is not just a percentage shift. It is a large change in absolute exposure.
High school versus middle school
The high school and middle school figures are different enough to matter. High school current use at 7.8% is more than double middle school current use at 3.5% in 2024 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). That difference is important because it suggests the older student group remains the larger concern even after the overall decline.
The CDC also reported that current youth e-cigarette use declined from 7.7% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). High school current use declined from 10.0% in 2023 to 7.8% in 2024 (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Those year-over-year drops are central to the latest youth trendline.
A closer look at frequency
The NYTS data also shows how often current youth users reported using e-cigarettes. Among current youth e-cigarette users, 44.1% used e-cigarettes on 1-5 days in the previous 30 days (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Another 17.5% used them on 6-19 days, and 38.4% used them on 20-30 days (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Within that group, 26.3% reported daily e-cigarette use (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
That split shows current use is not all one thing. Some users are occasional, but a sizable share are frequent users. The daily-use figure is especially important because it points to heavier patterned use rather than experimentation alone.
Who Uses E-Cigarettes in the Adult Population
The adult race and ethnicity figures show another layer of difference. Non-Hispanic White adults who used electronic cigarettes were 5.1% in 2019 and 7.5% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Non-Hispanic Black adults were 3.4% in 2019 and 5.7% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Hispanic adults were 2.8% in 2019 and 4.4% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
Non-Hispanic Asian adults were 2.7% in 2019 and 3.4% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). Non-Hispanic adults of other and multiple races were 7.7% in 2019 and 8.0% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524).
These figures do not describe cause. They do, however, show that adult e-cigarette use is not evenly distributed across groups. The spread ranges from the low single digits to 8.0% in the latest series, which means one-size-fits-all assumptions will be weak.
Youth Device and Flavor Patterns
The youth report is especially revealing when it comes to device type and flavor preference. Among current youth e-cigarette users, 55.6% most often used disposable devices (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Another 15.6% most often used prefilled or refillable pods or cartridges, 7.0% most often used tanks or mod systems, and 21.8% were unsure of the device type used (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
That means disposable products were the most common device type by a wide margin. It also means a meaningful share of youth users could not clearly identify the device type, which is useful context when interpreting self-reported behavior.
Brand mix among current youth users
The brand list in the CDC report shows a crowded field. Among current youth e-cigarette users, 36.1% reported Elf Bar as a brand used (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Other reported brands included Breeze at 19.9%, Mr. Fog at 15.8%, Vuse at 13.7%, JUUL at 12.6%, Esco Bars at 10.2%, and Fume at 9.1% (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
Those figures are not a market share ranking. They are reported-use percentages among current youth users. Still, they give a practical sense of what names show up repeatedly in youth reports. That makes the brand panel useful for understanding what products are visible in the youth landscape.
Flavor is the dominant feature
Flavor use is the strongest single pattern in the youth data. Among current youth e-cigarette users, 87.6% used a flavored product (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). Fruit flavors were used by 62.8%, candy, desserts, or other sweets by 33.3%, mint by 25.1%, and menthol by 15.1% (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
The report also lists nonalcoholic drink flavors at 11.6%, unflavored products at 11.4%, alcoholic drink flavors at 8.9%, tobacco flavors at 8.5%, spice flavors at 6.4%, chocolate flavors at 5.8%, and some other flavor at 7.1% (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). In addition, 54.6% used flavors with the word ice or iced in the name, and 20.4% used concept flavors that did not describe a specific flavor (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
That is a dense flavor profile. It shows that youth users are not clustered around a narrow flavor set. Instead, flavor use is broad, varied, and central to the category as reported by the CDC.
What the Federal Figures Suggest
The federal updates in the dataset point in two directions at once. For adults, use has climbed in the latest series from 3.7% in 2020 to 6.5% in 2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). For youth, use has dropped from 7.7% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024, and from 10.0% to 7.8% in high school specifically (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
The FDA and CDC also said 2024 youth e-cigarette use dropped to the lowest level in a decade (FDA News Release Sept. 5, 2024). The FDA said current youth e-cigarette use has declined nearly 70% over the past five years (FDA Year in Review 2024).
On the enforcement and authorization side, the FDA said it had issued marketing denial orders for more than 65,000 non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette product applications in 2024 (FDA Year in Review 2024). The agency had authorized 34 e-cigarette products and devices as of December 19, 2024 (FDA warning letters Dec. 19, 2024). The FDA also says there are 45 e-cigarettes authorized for lawful sale in the United States (FDA authorized e-cigarettes list).
That set of figures is best read as a policy and market context, not as a product guide. The main takeaway is that the regulatory environment is active, and the authorized-product list remains limited relative to the wider market.
A brief note on authorized flavors
The dataset also notes that the FDA authorized four menthol-flavored e-cigarette products on June 21, 2024 (FDA authorization press release). The FDA described those products as the first non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette products authorized by the agency (FDA authorization press release). That detail matters because it gives a precise example of how authorization decisions are being applied.
Readable Snapshot Table
| Segment | Latest figure | Earlier figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults who used electronic cigarettes | 6.5% in 2023 | 3.7% in 2020 | NCHS Data Brief No. 524 |
| Adult men who used electronic cigarettes | 7.6% in 2023 | 5.5% in 2019 | NCHS Data Brief No. 524 |
| Adult women who used electronic cigarettes | 5.5% in 2023 | 3.5% in 2019 | NCHS Data Brief No. 524 |
| U.S. middle and high school students current use | 5.9% in 2024 | 7.7% in 2023 | CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 |
| U.S. high school current use | 7.8% in 2024 | 10.0% in 2023 | CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 |
| U.S. middle school current use | 3.5% in 2024 | not listed | CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 |
| Estimated youth current users | 1.63 million in 2024 | 2.13 million in 2023 | CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 |
| Current youth users using flavored products | 87.6% | not listed | CDC MMWR NYTS 2024 |
Key Numbers to Watch
A few figures do most of the work in this dataset. The adult series ends at 6.5% in 2023, the highest adult figure shown in the NCHS data (NCHS Data Brief No. 524). The youth series ends at 5.9% in 2024, with a corresponding estimated 1.63 million current users (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). The biggest youth device signal is disposable usage at 55.6% among current users (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024). The biggest youth flavor signal is 87.6% using a flavored product (CDC MMWR NYTS 2024).
Those are the figures that define the current shape of the category. They show a market where adult use has risen, youth use has fallen, and flavor and disposable-device patterns remain central in the youth report.