Quick answer: State cigarette excise taxes range from $0.17 per pack in Missouri to $5.35 in New York, averaging $1.98 across the 50 states and D.C. A carton of 10 packs carries ten times the per-pack rate. The federal excise of $1.0066 per pack applies everywhere on top of these.
This is the state excise tax only — the tax the state charges per pack. It does not include the federal $1.0066 per pack, local city or county taxes, or general sales tax, all of which can add substantially in some places.
| State | State tax / pack | Per carton (10 packs) | Effective since |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $5.35 | $53.50 | 9/1/2023 |
| District of Columbia | $5.01 | $50.10 | 10/1/2021 |
| Maryland | $5.00 | $50.00 | 6/1/2024 |
| Rhode Island | $4.5 | $45.00 | 9/1/2024 |
| Connecticut | $4.35 | $43.50 | 12/1/2017 |
| Massachusetts | $3.51 | $35.10 | 8/1/2013 |
| Oregon | $3.33 | $33.30 | 1/1/2021 |
| Hawaii | $3.2 | $32.00 | 7/1/2011 |
| Vermont | $3.08 | $30.80 | 7/1/2015 |
| Minnesota | $3.04 | $30.40 | 1/1/2017 |
| Washington | $3.025 | $30.25 | 5/1/2010 |
| Illinois | $2.98 | $29.80 | 7/1/2019 |
| California | $2.87 | $28.70 | 4/1/2017 |
| New Jersey | $2.7 | $27.00 | 7/1/2009 |
| Pennsylvania | $2.6 | $26.00 | 8/1/2016 |
| Wisconsin | $2.52 | $25.20 | 9/1/2009 |
| Colorado | $2.24 | $22.40 | 7/1/2024 |
| Delaware | $2.1 | $21.00 | 9/1/2017 |
| Oklahoma | $2.03 | $20.30 | 8/23/2018 |
| Alaska | $2.00 | $20.00 | 1/1/2005 |
| Arizona | $2.00 | $20.00 | 11/7/2006 |
| Maine | $2.00 | $20.00 | 9/19/2005 |
| Michigan | $2.00 | $20.00 | 7/1/2004 |
| New Mexico | $2.00 | $20.00 | 7/1/2019 |
| Nevada | $1.8 | $18.00 | 7/1/2015 |
| New Hampshire | $1.78 | $17.80 | 8/1/2013 |
| Montana | $1.7 | $17.00 | 1/1/2005 |
| Utah | $1.7 | $17.00 | 7/1/2010 |
| Ohio | $1.6 | $16.00 | 7/1/2015 |
| South Dakota | $1.53 | $15.30 | 1/1/2007 |
| Texas | $1.41 | $14.10 | 1/1/2007 |
| Iowa | $1.36 | $13.60 | 3/15/2007 |
| Florida | $1.339 | $13.39 | 7/1/2009 |
| Kansas | $1.29 | $12.90 | 7/1/2015 |
| West Virginia | $1.2 | $12.00 | 7/1/2016 |
| Arkansas | $1.15 | $11.50 | 3/1/2009 |
| Kentucky | $1.1 | $11.00 | 7/1/2018 |
| Louisiana | $1.08 | $10.80 | 4/1/2016 |
| Indiana | $0.995 | $9.95 | 7/1/2007 |
| Mississippi | $0.68 | $6.80 | 5/15/2009 |
| Alabama | $0.675 | $6.75 | 10/1/2015 |
| Nebraska | $0.64 | $6.40 | 10/1/2002 |
| Tennessee | $0.62 | $6.20 | 7/1/2007 |
| Virginia | $0.6 | $6.00 | 7/1/2020 |
| Wyoming | $0.6 | $6.00 | 7/1/2003 |
| Idaho | $0.57 | $5.70 | 7/1/2003 |
| South Carolina | $0.57 | $5.70 | 7/1/2010 |
| North Carolina | $0.45 | $4.50 | 9/1/2009 |
| North Dakota | $0.44 | $4.40 | 6/30/1993 |
| Georgia | $0.37 | $3.70 | 7/1/2003 |
| Missouri | $0.17 | $1.70 | 10/1/1993 |
Source: CDC STATE System, Table for STATE System Excise Taxes on Cigarettes (2025 Q1 release). Rates are the state excise per 20-cigarette pack; effective dates are the date the current rate took effect. Last verified November 2026.
A pack's price is built in layers, and each layer is charged separately:
That is why the same carton can differ by $30 or more between two states that look similar on paper.
Multiply the per-pack rate by ten for the state tax embedded in one carton. In New York that is $53.50 of state tax per carton; in Missouri it is $1.70. The tobacco and packaging cost is the same in both — the gap is almost entirely tax.
It is also why online carton pricing looks dramatically cheaper in high-tax states and barely cheaper in low-tax ones. The saving is not a discount on the product; it is the difference in the tax and retail layers.
State legislatures set excise rates, and they change on their own schedules — sometimes annually, sometimes after a decade. Missouri's $0.17 has been unchanged since 1993; New York's $5.35 took effect in September 2023. Always check the effective date column before relying on a number for a tax calculation.
New York, at $5.35 per pack (since September 2023). D.C. ($5.01) and Maryland ($5.00) follow.
Missouri, at $0.17 per pack (unchanged since 1993). Georgia ($0.37) and North Dakota ($0.44) are next lowest.
$1.98 per pack across the 50 states and D.C. — on top of the $1.0066 federal excise tax and any local tax.
Yes. State excise is charged per pack, so a carton of 10 packs carries ten times the per-pack rate.
No. The table is state excise tax only. Some cities add local tax (New York City and Chicago are the best-known examples) and most states also apply sales tax.
State excise runs from $0.17 a pack in Missouri to $5.35 in New York, averaging $1.98, with $1.0066 federal on top. A carton carries ten times the per-pack rate — that gap, not the tobacco, explains most of the price difference.
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