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A pack of 20 cigarettes costs about $10 on average in the United States, and the same brand runs from about $8 in the cheapest states to nearly $15 in New York. Almost all of that spread is tax. This page breaks a pack’s price into its parts, lists every state’s cigarette tax, and explains why the number at checkout is the only one that is true for your address.
Last verified September 11, 2026. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation’s July 2026 data and the TTB; sources are listed at the end.
What is in the price of a pack
Six things stack up between the factory and the register:
- The manufacturer’s price. Brands sell in two tiers. Premium brands (Marlboro, Newport, Camel, Parliament, American Spirit) carry a higher list price; discount brands (Pall Mall, Maverick, L&M, Eagle 20’s and the store brands) carry a lower one. Altria reported that discount brands were 31.8% of US cigarette sales in 2025, up from 29.6% the year before.
- Federal excise tax: $1.01 per pack. The federal rate is $50.33 per 1,000 cigarettes, which works out to $1.0066 a pack and $10.07 a carton. It has been at that level since April 1, 2009, when the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act raised it from 39 cents.
- State excise tax: 17 cents to $5.35 per pack. This is the number that moves the price around the country. The full table is below.
- Local excise tax, in some places. Nearly 650 cities and counties add their own tax. New York City adds $1.50, Philadelphia $2.00, Cook County (Chicago) $3.00 plus the city’s own $1.18, and Juneau, Alaska, $3.00. Most states, including Texas, do not allow local cigarette taxes at all.
- The settlement pass-through. Under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement the major manufacturers pay the states about $9 billion a year, and economists estimate that adds roughly 33 to 40 cents to every pack.
- Retail markup and sales tax. About half the states have minimum-price or minimum-markup laws that set a floor on what a retailer can charge (at the last national count, 25 states plus DC; typical required retail markup is 6% to 25%). Then general sales tax applies to the whole excise-inclusive price in most states.
Cigarette tax by state, per pack of 20
State excise tax only. Federal tax ($1.01), local taxes and sales tax come on top. Data as of July 2026 from the Tax Foundation, cross-checked against the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ June 2026 map.
| State | Tax per pack | State | Tax per pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $0.68 | Montana | $1.70 |
| Alaska | $2.00 | Nebraska | $0.64 |
| Arizona | $2.00 | Nevada | $1.80 |
| Arkansas | $1.15 | New Hampshire | $1.78 |
| California | $2.87 | New Jersey | $3.00 |
| Colorado | $2.24 | New Mexico | $2.00 |
| Connecticut | $4.35 | New York | $5.35 |
| Delaware | $2.10 | North Carolina | $0.45 |
| District of Columbia | $5.07 | North Dakota | $0.44 |
| Florida | $1.34 | Ohio | $1.60 |
| Georgia | $0.37 | Oklahoma | $2.03 |
| Hawaii | $3.60 | Oregon | $3.33 |
| Idaho | $0.57 | Pennsylvania | $2.60 |
| Illinois | $2.98 | Rhode Island | $4.50 |
| Indiana | $3.00 | South Carolina | $0.57 |
| Iowa | $1.36 | South Dakota | $1.53 |
| Kansas | $1.29 | Tennessee | $0.62 |
| Kentucky | $1.10 | Texas | $1.41 |
| Louisiana | $1.08 | Utah | $2.20 |
| Maine | $3.50 | Vermont | $3.08 |
| Maryland | $5.00 | Virginia | $0.60 |
| Massachusetts | $3.51 | Washington | $3.03 |
| Michigan | $2.00 | West Virginia | $1.20 |
| Minnesota | $3.88* | Wisconsin | $2.52 |
| Mississippi | $0.68 | Wyoming | $0.60 |
| Missouri | $0.17 |
*Minnesota’s $3.88 is a $3.04 excise plus an 84-cent per-pack cigarette sales tax charged in place of general sales tax. DC’s $5.07 is a $4.50 excise plus a 57-cent surtax for tax year 2026.
The national average state tax is $2.06 a pack, and 25 states plus DC now charge $2.00 or more. In 2006 only six states did.
What that adds up to at the register
Put the pieces together and the range is wide. In Missouri, a pack carries $1.01 federal and 17 cents state tax, so a premium pack lands around $8. In New York City it carries $1.01 federal, $5.35 state and $1.50 city, so the same pack is close to $15 before sales tax. Chicago’s combined federal, state, county and city taxes passed $6.67 a pack back in 2013. The most recent nationwide compilation (World Population Review, August 2026, drawing on CDC and Tobacco-Free Kids data) puts the average at $10.15 a pack, with New York highest at $14.83 and Missouri lowest at $8.01.
A carton is 10 packs, 200 cigarettes, and carries ten times every tax above. Buying by the carton saves on the retailer’s markup, not on tax.
Texas
Texas taxes cigarettes at $70.50 per 1,000, which is $1.41 a pack, ranking 31st of the 50 states. Texas law (Tax Code 154.601) makes that tax “in lieu of” any city or county cigarette tax, so Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Midland and San Antonio add nothing on top of it. State sales tax of 6.25%, plus local sales tax of up to 2%, is charged on the retail price, which adds roughly 30 to 35 cents to a $10 pack. The same compilation above puts Texas at about $10.04 a pack, near the national average.
Why the price on this page is not your price
Tax tables tell you the floor, not the shelf. Within one city, two stores can charge different prices for the same pack because the manufacturer’s promotions, the wholesaler’s terms and the retailer’s own margin all vary, and premium and discount versions of similar cigarettes sit a few dollars apart. Excise rates also change: state legislatures adjusted cigarette taxes in several states in each of the last five years, and DC recalculates its surtax every October. The price a licensed retailer near you charges today, with every tax already included, is the one you see when you enter your address on Saucey. Our pack size guide covers what you get for it.
Sources
- TTB, Tax and Fee Rates and the 2009 federal excise tax increase
- Tax Foundation, Cigarette Taxes by State, August 2026 (July 2026 data)
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates and Rankings, June 25, 2026
- CDC STATE System, Cigarette Excise Taxes
- Tax Policy Center, How do state and local cigarette and vaping taxes work?
- CDC MMWR, State Cigarette Minimum Price Laws
- Viscusi and Hersch, NBER Working Paper 15422, Tobacco Regulation through Litigation: The Master Settlement Agreement
- Altria, 2025 full-year results, January 29, 2026
- Texas Comptroller, Cigarette Tax; Texas Tax Code 154.601
- World Population Review, Cigarette Prices by State, August 2026 (compilation)
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
The fine print
Saucey delivers nicotine products where it is legal to do so. What is available depends on your address. Enter it and we will show you what is in stock nearby. Nicotine products are 21 and up. ID at the door, every time, no exceptions and no negotiating with the driver.
