It depends where you are, because cigarette taxes are usually a mix of federal, state, and sometimes local taxes. In the U.S., the federal cigarette tax is $1.01 per pack, and the average state cigarette tax is about $1.93 per pack, before any local tax is added.

How it usually breaks down

  • Federal tax: $1.01 per pack.
  • State tax: varies a lot by state; the average is about $1.93 per pack.
  • Local tax: some cities or counties add their own tax, so the total can be higher.

Example

A pack in a typical U.S. state might have around $2.94 in cigarette taxes total, before local add-ons or sales tax, using the federal tax plus the average state tax.

Why the answer changes

Some places tax cigarettes by the pack, others by the cigarette count or package type, so the exact amount is not the same everywhere. For example, New York City adds its own cigarette tax on top of New York State’s tax.

TL;DR

There is not one single number. In the U.S., a pack of smokes is usually taxed by at least two layers — federal and state — and sometimes a third local layer.