Even with the ongoing print and TV advertisements pointing out the obvious affects of cigarettes, lung cancer still continues to be one of the highest cancer killers across the U.S.
There are more than 200,000 cases of the deadly disease in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society, affecting more men than women. As a result, about 156,000 people are expected to die from lung cancer in 2017.
To advance the conversation, Wallethub.com ranked the U.S. states with the worst statistics for lung cancer. See if your state made the list.
Georgia
The Peach State ranked no. 1 for having the lowest price for a pack of cigarettes. Georgia also came in second for having the lowest cigarette taxes. These two things are all bad for the fight against lung cancer, as the low cost is appealing to teens interested in trying cigarettes or longtime smokers trying to kick the habit. A pack of cigarettes in a state like Alaska, for example, is about $9.79 compared to $6.39 in Georgia, according to The Motley Fool.
Louisiana
Researchers found Louisiana to have the highest number of adult tobacco consumers per capita compared to Utah, which had the lowest number.
Nebraska
Surprisingly, Nebraska had the lowest percentage of smokers who tried to kick the habit. Maryland, on the other hand, ranked no. 1 for its percentage of smokers who tried to quit at least once. The contrast is interesting, however, as both states have a smoking ban on indoor workplaces and public spaces.
Tennessee
This southern state has the highest death rate from lung cancer at the time of the study, though; Kentucky led the statistic in 2017 with 85 deaths per 100,000 people and Tennessee with 72-73 deaths per 100,000 people. Other states on the list include Maine, Arkansas and West Virginia. On the other end of the spectrum, Utah again ranked no. 1 in the lowest death rate from lung cancer – followed by Colorado, California, Washington D.C. and Texas.
Tennessee (again):
Country music’s home state tops the list again for the highest estimate of new lung cancer cases per capita – alongside Florida, Maine, Kentucky and West Virginia. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Tennessee rank fell in the 68 to 93 percent range for incident rates of lung cancer. Comparatively, again, Utah came in no. 1 for its lowest estimate of new lung cancer cases per capita, along with Colorado, California, Washington D.C. and New Mexico.
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