Vape usage statistics at a glance
Vape use remains concentrated in younger age groups, but the 2024 data also show a wider adult pattern that changes by age and community type. The most useful way to read the numbers is to compare who is using e-cigarettes now, where use is higher, and how the latest year moved versus 2023.
Quick facts
- 5.9% of U.S. middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2024, equal to 1.63 million students (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Among high school students, current use was 7.8% in 2024, compared with 3.9% among middle school students (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Among adults age 18 and older, current e-cigarette use was 7.0% in 2024, with the highest level in nonmetropolitan counties at 9.2% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Flavored e-cigarette use was reported by 88.2% of high school students and 85.7% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes in 2024 (CDC youth tobacco page).
Contents
- Youth use in 2024
- Which groups had the highest youth use
- What changed from 2023 to 2024
- Adult vape use by age and county type
- Adult smokers who also vape
- Flavor use and what it signals
- Reading the numbers responsibly
Youth vape use in 2024
The headline youth number is the broadest measure in the dataset: 5.9% of U.S. middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2024, which translates to 1.63 million students (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR). That single figure matters because it lets you compare the overall youth market with the subgroup rates below.
The school-level split is straightforward:
- High school students: 7.8% current use, or 1.21 million students (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Middle school students: 3.9% current use, or 410,000 students (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
That gap is large enough to shape how vape use should be discussed on any site covering consumer behavior, public health, or youth trend reporting. High school use is about double middle school use in these figures, and the counts show that the larger share of current users are in high school even though middle school use is still substantial.
Youth comparison table
| Group | 2024 current e-cigarette use | Estimated users |
|---|---|---|
| All middle and high school students | 5.9% | 1.63 million (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| High school students | 7.8% | 1.21 million (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| Middle school students | 3.9% | 410,000 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
The numbers also show that current use is not evenly distributed across student groups. Gender, race, and ethnicity all matter in the 2024 snapshot, and the spread across those categories is wide enough to affect any deeper analysis.
Which student groups showed the highest use
Among all students in 2024, male students reported higher current e-cigarette use than female students: 11.5% versus 5.8% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR). That difference also appears within the high school and middle school splits.
For high school students, the 2024 rates were:
- Male students: 15.5% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Female students: 7.8% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
For middle school students, the 2024 rates were:
- Male students: 6.5% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Female students: 3.1% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
Those gaps are not minor. In both school bands, male students were about twice as likely as female students to report current use, which suggests that a single youth vape statistic can hide very different patterns beneath it.
Race and ethnicity also vary meaningfully in the 2024 student data.
Among all students in 2024:
- Asian students: 7.0% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Hispanic or Latino students: 6.6% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- White students: 6.1% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Black or African American students: 5.9% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Multiracial students: 5.9% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- American Indian or Alaska Native students: 2.3% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
Among high school students in 2024, the spread was even wider:
- Hispanic or Latino students: 8.7% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Asian students: 8.4% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Black or African American students: 8.1% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Female students: 7.8% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Multiracial students: 7.8% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- White students: 7.4% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- American Indian or Alaska Native students: 3.1% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
Among middle school students in 2024:
- Male students: 6.5% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Black or African American students: 4.4% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- White students: 4.0% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Hispanic or Latino students: 3.5% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Multiracial students: 3.5% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- American Indian or Alaska Native students: 4.9% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Asian students: 2.8% (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
A useful way to read these figures is to separate the broad youth average from the subgroup pattern. The overall youth rate is 5.9%, but several high school subgroups are at or above that level while the middle school subgroup rates sit lower overall. That makes the age band one of the strongest dividing lines in the data.
What changed from 2023 to 2024
The year-over-year change is one of the most important parts of the dataset because it shows direction, not just level.
Among all students, current e-cigarette use fell from 7.7% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR). The estimated number of current users also fell from 2.13 million to 1.63 million over the same period (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
That is a clear decline in both percentage and estimated count. For readers scanning vape usage statistics, this is the main ?trend? signal in the youth data.
The drop also appears in key subgroups:
- High school students fell from 10.0% in 2023 to 7.8% in 2024 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Female students fell from 9.3% in 2023 to 6.1% in 2024 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Hispanic students fell from 8.5% in 2023 to 6.1% in 2024 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
One subgroup moved the other direction:
- American Indian or Alaska Native students rose from 5.9% in 2023 to 11.5% in 2024 (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
That contrast matters because it prevents an overly neat interpretation. The overall youth trend is downward, but subgroup movement is not uniform. A site article that reports vape use statistics should keep both truths visible: the broad decline and the exceptions.
2023 to 2024 comparison table
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| All students current e-cigarette use | 7.7% | 5.9% | Down (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| Estimated current users | 2.13 million | 1.63 million | Down (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| High school students current use | 10.0% | 7.8% | Down (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| Female students current use | 9.3% | 6.1% | Down (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| Hispanic students current use | 8.5% | 6.1% | Down (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native students current use | 5.9% | 11.5% | Up (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR) |
If you are using this data for a category page or an informational article, the safest framing is that youth current use declined in the most recent year measured, but not every demographic followed the same path.
Adult vape use by age and county type
The adult dataset adds another layer. Current e-cigarette use among adults age 18 and older was 7.0% in 2024 (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table). That overall figure is close to the youth all-student average, but the age distribution underneath it is very different.
Across all adults, younger groups report higher use:
- Age 18 to 24: 14.8% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Age 25 to 44: 11.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Age 45 to 64: 4.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Age 65 and older: 1.0% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
That age gradient is sharp. The youngest adult group has more than 14 times the use rate of adults 65 and older in the same dataset.
Adult age pattern table
| Adult age group | Current e-cigarette use in 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 18 and older | 7.0% | CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table |
| 18 to 24 | 14.8% | CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table |
| 25 to 44 | 11.1% | CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table |
| 45 to 64 | 4.1% | CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table |
| 65 and older | 1.0% | CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table |
County type also matters, and not only for the overall adult population. Adults in nonmetropolitan counties reported the highest current use in the 2024 adult table at 9.2% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table), while adults in large central metropolitan counties reported 6.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
The full county pattern for adults age 18 and older was:
- Large central metropolitan counties: 6.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Large fringe metropolitan counties: 6.7% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Medium/small metropolitan counties: 7.3% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Nonmetropolitan counties: 9.2% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
That progression suggests a fairly consistent relationship between rurality and higher current vape use among adults in this dataset. It is especially visible when the adult age groups are paired with county type.
For example, among adults age 18 to 24:
- Large central metropolitan counties: 11.5% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Large fringe metropolitan counties: 16.0% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Medium/small metropolitan counties: 14.9% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Nonmetropolitan counties: 20.6% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
Among adults age 25 to 44:
- Large central metropolitan counties: 9.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Large fringe metropolitan counties: 11.0% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Medium/small metropolitan counties: 11.7% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Nonmetropolitan counties: 15.7% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
Among adults age 45 to 64:
- Large central metropolitan counties: 3.8% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Large fringe metropolitan counties: 2.8% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Medium/small metropolitan counties: 4.4% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Nonmetropolitan counties: 6.3% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
Among adults age 65 and older:
- Large central metropolitan counties: 0.7% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Large fringe metropolitan counties: 1.1% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Medium/small metropolitan counties: 0.9% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- Nonmetropolitan counties: 1.2% (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
These numbers are useful because they show that geography does not flatten age effects. The youngest adults have the highest use in every county type listed, and nonmetropolitan counties are highest within each age band shown.
Adult smokers who also vape
Another useful figure in the dataset is the overlap between cigarette smoking and vaping among adults. In 2021, 29.4% of adults who vaped also smoked cigarettes (CDC adult e-cigarette page).
That statistic is valuable because it keeps the conversation from becoming too narrow. Vape use is not always a separate behavior from smoking. In some adult populations, the behaviors overlap, and that overlap can matter when interpreting health, product, and behavior trends.
Flavor use and what it signals
The youth flavor numbers stand out because they are so high. In 2024, 88.2% of high school students and 85.7% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes reported using a flavored e-cigarette during that time (CDC youth tobacco page).
Those percentages indicate that flavor use is the norm among current youth users, not a side note. If you are writing or updating a page about vape usage statistics, this point belongs near the top because it helps explain why the youth category has its own distinct market shape and risk profile.
A practical reading of the flavor figures is simple:
- Flavored products are highly prevalent among current youth users (CDC youth tobacco page).
- The prevalence is slightly higher in high school than middle school users, but both figures are very high (CDC youth tobacco page).
- Flavor use should be treated as a core part of the youth vape story, not a separate niche topic (CDC youth tobacco page).
The flavor data also reinforce the need to keep student subgroups visible. When high percentages show up across both middle and high school users, it suggests that device characteristics and product characteristics may be a major part of youth vape behavior.
Reading the numbers responsibly
These statistics are useful because they separate broad levels from subgroup patterns. A reader can easily remember the headline numbers, but the subgroups tell the more practical story.
Three takeaways are especially important from the 2024 dataset:
- Youth current e-cigarette use declined overall from 2023 to 2024, both in percentage terms and estimated user counts (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
- Younger age groups, both in youth and adult data, show higher current use than older groups (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR; CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).
- County type and demographic subgroup can change the picture a lot, especially among adults in nonmetropolitan counties and among specific student groups (CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table; CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR).
If you need a single sentence that captures the dataset without flattening it, this is the cleanest reading: vape usage is highest among younger people, remains elevated in some adult groups, and in 2024 the youth trend moved downward overall while some subgroup patterns moved differently (CDC/FDA NYTS 2024 MMWR; CDC NHIS 2024 urbanization table).