Why the Cost of Smoking Could Increase the Homeless Population in Idaho

The last few years have been extremely stressful for everyone, with the pandemic happening, the loss of jobs, the loss of loved ones, and the chaos of everyday life. Sometimes we all need a little something to help us relax and what better way than to have a good smoke? Many Americans smoke, and since the pandemic, it is justified if you didn't before but do now. We all know the statistics and the harm of smoking from school, but another side effect can be how it hurts your wallet. Smoking isn't cheap, and in Idaho, you might be surprised to know how much people are spending to smoke every year.

States that Spend the Most and Least on Smoking

WalletHub recently released a list of the states that spend the most and least on smoking. They used a few different categories, such as out-of-pocket costs, financial opportunity costs, health care costs per smoker, income loss per smoker, and other costs per smoker. The state that spends the least amount on smoking is Missouri, having spent over two million dollars last year. The average cost per smoker each year is just over 46 thousand dollars. The state that spends the most is Connecticut, having seen just shy of four million spent, with the average smoker spending just under 82 thousand dollars. On the list, Washington DC is the most, spending more than four million dollars on smoking, and the average smoker spends over 85 thousand dollars.

What is the Cost of Smoking in Idaho?

According to this list, the state of Idaho ranks as the tenth cheapest state to afford to smoke. Idaho saw $2,367,398 spent on smoking. The average cost per smoker in Idaho is $49,321 per year. According to a census taken in 2021, the average household income in Idaho as of two years ago was $64,000. If both people in the house smoke and the average cost per year is nearly fifty thousand dollars, then paying bills, mortgage or rent, or any debt may become a little tough. While not everyone smokes the same amount and spends the same, by the numbers it would appear that smoking could become more costly than the dollars being spent on cigarettes. These numbers are eye-opening, to say the least.

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Smoking can be harmless to your health, but the harm it does to your wallet may be a little scarier after seeing the numbers. Click on the link above and see the breakdown of how the money is spent in Idaho, as well as how much other states are spending. Perhaps it is time to cut back from a pack a day to half a pack or a fourth of a pack, or maybe reading this will make you need to run out and buy some now to lessen the stress. If you need to make or save a little extra money and you smoke, you now know where to start cutting back to have a little extra cash.