CT is the 6th most expensive state for smokers costing more than $5 million over a lifetime

Smoking is terrible for your health — tobacco kills 4,900 Connecticut residents each year. However, it’s also a very expensive bad habit. A new analysis by WalletHub estimates lifetime costs for Connecticut smokers at $5,035,722 or $104,911 annually. This is the sixth highest smoking burden among states.

The researchers modeled the costs for a pack-a-day smoker, beginning at age 21 (the legal age to purchase tobacco) over a lifespan of another 48 years (the average smoker lives to age 69).

WalletHub’s estimate includes both direct and indirect costs to smokers. They included the direct costs of buying tobacco and the opportunity costs — what that money could have grown to if it was invested. They also estimated added healthcare costs, income loss (studies have found 18.1% lower wages for smokers from absenteeism, workplace bias, and lower productivity due to health issues), and home insurance costs (nonsmokers get discounts).

If you want to quit smoking, call the CT Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or www.CommitToQuitCT.com for more information on free, available resources for CT residents. For the hearing impaired, call 1-877-777-6534.