At a glance
Youth vaping statistics in 2024 show a market that is still large, still changing, and still shaped by product design, flavors, and frequency of use. The most important pattern is not just how many students use e-cigarettes, but how concentrated that use is among high school students, how often current users vape, and which brands and device types dominate (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR; Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Fast facts from the dataset:
- 1,630,000 U.S. middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2024, equal to 5.9% of students (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
- High school use was 1,210,000 students or 7.8% in 2024, compared with 410,000 students or 3.5% in middle school (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
- Among current youth e-cigarette users in 2024, 26.3% reported daily use, while 38.4% used on 20–30 days in the past month (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
- Disposables were the most often used device type for 55.6% of current youth users in 2024 (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
- 87.6% of current youth users reported using any flavor other than tobacco-flavored or unflavored products in 2024 (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Table of contents
- Youth vaping statistics in 2024
- How many students use e-cigarettes
- Use frequency and intensity
- Device types and brands
- Flavor patterns
- What changed from 2023 to 2024
- Historical context from earlier survey years
- What the numbers suggest
Youth vaping statistics in 2024
Youth vaping statistics are easiest to understand when you separate three things: prevalence, frequency, and product preference. The prevalence numbers show how many students are using e-cigarettes. The frequency numbers show how deeply embedded the behavior is among current users. The product data show which device formats and flavor profiles are most associated with that use (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR; Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Key takeaway: the 2024 data do not describe a narrow niche. They describe a broad user base with strong concentration in high school, heavy use among a meaningful share of current users, and clear preference patterns around disposables and flavored products.
Big number
1.63 million middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2024 (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR). That figure matters because it is not just a rate; it is a population count large enough to make device design, flavor availability, and brand recognition relevant to student behavior.
How many students use e-cigarettes
The clearest split in the dataset is by school level. High school students account for the larger share of youth e-cigarette use, both in absolute counts and in percentage terms (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
| Group | Current users | Share of students | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle and high school combined | 1,630,000 | 5.9% | Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR |
| High school | 1,210,000 | 7.8% | Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR |
| Middle school | 410,000 | 3.5% | Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR |
The table shows two important things.
First, the high school number is about three times the middle school count, which means most of the current youth vaping burden sits in older students rather than being evenly spread across grades (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
Second, the prevalence rate is also higher in high school. A 7.8% current-use rate in high school versus 3.5% in middle school suggests that use becomes more common as students get older, at least in the 2024 survey snapshot (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
Why this split matters
For readers trying to understand youth vaping statistics, the grade-level gap is more informative than a single combined percentage. A combined figure of 5.9% can hide the fact that older students are disproportionately represented (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
A practical reading of the data is this:
- Middle school use is lower, but still sizable enough to matter.
- High school use is the core of the current youth vaping population.
- Any interpretation of youth trends should avoid averaging away the difference between age groups.
Use frequency and intensity
Current use is not a single pattern. Among current youth e-cigarette users in 2024, the past-30-day frequency data show a spread from occasional use to daily use (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Frequency breakdown
| Past-30-day use pattern | Share of current youth e-cigarette users | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 days | 44.1% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| 6–19 days | 17.5% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| 20–30 days | 38.4% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Daily use | 26.3% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
The strongest signal here is that a substantial share of current users are not light or occasional users.
- 44.1% used on 1–5 days, which is the largest single group.
- 38.4% used on 20–30 days, which means more than a third of current users reported very frequent use.
- 26.3% said they used daily, showing a sizable daily-use segment inside the current-user population (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Pull quote: more than one in four current youth e-cigarette users reported daily use in 2024 (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Reading the pattern
If you look only at prevalence, youth vaping can seem like a simple yes-or-no measure. The frequency data show that current use includes both experimentation and routine use. The 38.4% figure for 20–30 day use suggests that a large share of current users are near-continuous users rather than occasional ones (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
That is why frequency matters as much as prevalence when discussing youth vaping statistics. Two groups can have the same current-use rate and very different behavioral intensity.
Device types and brands
The 2024 device data show a clear preference for disposable products. Disposables were the most often used device type for 55.6% of current youth e-cigarette users, far ahead of other device categories (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Device use at a glance
- 55.6% disposables (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR)
- 15.6% prefilled or refillable pods or cartridges (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR)
- 7.0% tanks or mod systems (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR)
- 21.8% did not know the device type they used most often (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR)
That pattern points to a market where simple, portable products dominate youth use. It also leaves a large unidentified segment, since 21.8% of current users were not sure what device type they used most often (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Brand comparison
The brand list in the dataset is useful because it shows how concentrated youth use is around a handful of names, but not to the exclusion of variety (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
| Brand | Share of current youth e-cigarette users | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Elf Bar | 36.1% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Breeze | 19.9% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Mr. Fog | 15.8% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Vuse | 13.7% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| JUUL | 12.6% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Esco Bars | 10.2% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Fume | 9.1% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| SMOK (including NOVO) | 7.7% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Kangvape (including Onee Stick) | 7.6% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| blu | 6.9% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| NJOY | 6.1% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Geek Bar | 5.8% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Suorin (including Air Bar) | 5.2% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| HQD | 5.0% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Logic | 4.9% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
| Lost Mary | 3.4% | Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR |
A few things stand out.
- Elf Bar at 36.1% is far ahead of every other named brand in the list.
- The next tier includes Breeze at 19.9%, Mr. Fog at 15.8%, Vuse at 13.7%, and JUUL at 12.6%.
- The brand distribution is still fairly broad because several brands sit in the single digits, which means youth users are not confined to one or two names (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Short brand notes
If you want the tightest possible summary of the brand data, it is this:
- The market is led by one clear brand leader, Elf Bar (36.1%).
- A second tier of brands sits well below the leader but still represents meaningful youth usage.
- No single brand accounts for anything close to all current youth users, which suggests spread across multiple product lines rather than monopoly-like concentration (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Flavor patterns
Flavor is one of the most important dimensions in the dataset because it helps explain why youth users choose certain products and why device brands matter so much. In 2024, 87.6% of current youth e-cigarette users reported any flavor other than tobacco-flavored or unflavored products (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Flavor distribution
- 62.8% fruit flavors
- 33.3% candy, desserts, or other sweets flavors
- 25.1% mint flavors
- 15.1% menthol flavors
- 11.6% nonalcoholic drink flavors
- 11.4% unflavored products
- 8.9% alcoholic drink flavors
- 8.5% tobacco-flavored products
- 6.4% spice flavors
- 5.8% chocolate flavors
- 7.1% some other flavor
All of the figures above come from the 2024 youth-user flavor breakdown in the dataset (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
What the flavor mix says
Fruit is the leading flavor family by a wide margin at 62.8%, and the next largest categories are sweets at 33.3% and mint at 25.1% (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
The flavor profile also includes a notable “ice” preference:
- 54.6% reported using flavors with the word “ice” or “iced” in the name.
- 20.4% reported concept flavors with names that did not describe a specific flavor (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
Those two numbers are useful because they suggest youth users are responding not just to a flavor category, but to naming style and product branding as well.
Compact interpretation
The flavor data are not subtle. They show that nontraditional flavor names and sweet or fruity profiles dominate youth use. The tobacco-flavored share at 8.5% is much smaller than fruit or sweets, and even unflavored use at 11.4% is relatively limited compared with the leading taste categories (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
What changed from 2023 to 2024
The year-over-year comparison in the dataset shows a decline in youth e-cigarette use from 2023 to 2024 (Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC).
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth e-cigarette use | 2,130,000 students | 1,630,000 students | -500,000 students | Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC |
| High school e-cigarette use | 1,560,000 students | 1,210,000 students | -350,000 students | Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC |
The decline is large enough to matter, but it does not erase the scale of current use. Even after the drop, the 2024 combined count remains well above one and a half million students (Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC; Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
Why the drop still needs context
The reduction from 2.13 million to 1.63 million shows meaningful movement in the right direction, yet the 2024 dataset still contains a large current-user population, significant daily use, and strong flavor concentration (Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC; Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
That means the relevant question is not whether the trend improved. It did. The better question is how much of the remaining use is still persistent and product-driven.
Historical context from earlier survey years
The earlier survey years in the dataset show how youth e-cigarette use has moved over time, especially in 2020 and 2016.
2020 snapshot
In 2020, 27.5% of high school students, equal to 4.11 million, reported current e-cigarette use (E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020, MMWR). Middle school use in 2020 was 10.5%, equal to 1.24 million students (E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020, MMWR).
For flavored use among high school current users in 2020, the leading categories were:
- Fruit: 73.1% and 1.83 million students
- Mint: 55.8% and 1.39 million students
- Menthol: 37.0% and 920,000 students
- Candy, desserts, or other sweets: 36.4% and 910,000 students (E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020, MMWR)
2016 reasons for use
The 2016 data add another layer by showing why current youth e-cigarette users said they used them (Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2016, MMWR).
- 41.1% cited flavors as a reason for use.
- 35.1% said a friend or family member used them.
- 23.7% said e-cigarettes were less harmful than other tobacco products.
- 34.3% said they used them for some other reason.
The 2016 figures are useful because they show that flavor was already a major motivator years before the 2024 flavor-use breakdown. That continuity helps explain why flavor names and flavor categories remain so prominent in more recent youth vaping statistics (Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2016, MMWR).
What the numbers suggest
Taken together, the dataset points to four broad themes:
- Youth vaping in 2024 is still large in absolute terms, with 1.63 million current users (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
- High school students account for the larger share of use, both by count and rate (Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — NYTS 2024, MMWR).
- A meaningful fraction of current users are frequent or daily users, not just experimenters (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
- Disposable products and flavored products dominate the product side of the market, with fruit, sweets, and “ice” naming patterns standing out most clearly (Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).
For anyone reading youth vaping statistics with a marketing, public health, or policy lens, the main takeaway is that the category is defined by scale, frequency, and product design rather than by one isolated number. The data show a decline from 2023 to 2024, but they also show a concentrated core of users, a strong flavor skew, and a clear preference for disposables that likely shapes how the market behaves (Youth E-Cigarette Use Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade, CDC; Notes from the Field: E-Cigarette and Nicotine Pouch Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2024, MMWR).