Vape Industry Statistics: Adult Use, Sales, Disposables, Flavors, Regulation and Waste in the United States

Abe Ali on 18th Oct 2026

Written by the 123Vape Team · Updated October 2026

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21 and over only. See our age verification and responsible use policy.

Quick answer: About 6.5% of U.S. adults used e-cigarettes in 2023, up from 4.5% in 2019, according to the CDC; use was highest among adults 21 to 24 (15.5%). In stores tracked by the CDC Foundation, e-cigarette unit sales rose 46.6% from January 2020 to December 2022, and disposables grew from about a quarter of sales to more than half (51.8%). As of August 2026, the FDA had authorized 48 e-cigarette products. Americans threw away an estimated 5.7 disposable vapes every second in 2023, according to U.S. PIRG. Sources are listed under each table; last updated October 2026.

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In this guide

Key numbers at a glance

Statistic	Number	Source
U.S. adults who currently use e-cigarettes (2023)	6.5%	CDC, National Health Interview Survey
Adult e-cigarette use in 2019	4.5%	CDC, National Health Interview Survey
Highest-use adult age group (2023)	Ages 21 to 24: 15.5%	CDC, National Health Interview Survey
Growth in e-cigarette unit sales, Jan 2020 to Dec 2022	+46.6%	CDC, MMWR (retail sales data)
Disposables' share of unit sales, Dec 2022	51.8% (from 24.7% in Jan 2020)	CDC, MMWR
E-cigarette brands on the market, Dec 2022	269 (from 184 in Jan 2020)	CDC, MMWR
Disposable sales growth, 2019 to 2023	More than 500%	CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative
FDA-authorized e-cigarette products (Aug 2026)	48	FDA, as reported by NACS
Disposable vapes thrown away (2023)	5.7 per second, about 178.7 million a year	U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Vape Waste 2

Where these numbers come from

Source	What it measures	How it works
CDC National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)	Adult tobacco and e-cigarette use	A large yearly household survey of U.S. adults; people report their own use
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)	Retail e-cigarette sales by device type, flavor and brand	Scanner sales data from convenience stores, gas stations, grocery and big-box retailers
CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative	Ongoing retail sales tracking	The same retail scanner data, reported in regular briefs
FDA, as reported by NACS	Products authorized for sale	Counts of e-cigarette products granted marketing orders
U.S. PIRG Education Fund	Disposable vape waste	Estimates built from CDC Foundation sales figures
National Youth Tobacco Survey	Use by middle and high school students	A yearly school-based survey run by the CDC and FDA
Healthy People 2030 (HHS)	Adult cigarette smoking trend	National objective tracking, age-adjusted

Each table below names its source. Where two sources measure different things, such as people's reported use and store sales, we show them separately rather than mixing them.

Adult e-cigarette use by age

Age group	2019	2023
18 to 20	8.1%	10.3%
21 to 24	10.1%	15.5%
25 to 34	7.4%	12.6%
35 to 49	4.9%	7.3%
50 to 64	2.7%	3.3%
65 and older	0.8%	0.9%
All adults	4.5%	6.5%

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief No. 524, "Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adults in the United States, 2019–2023" (National Health Interview Survey).

Men were more likely than women to use e-cigarettes in both years: 7.6% of men and 5.5% of women in 2023.

Retail sales and the rise of disposables

Measure	January 2020	December 2022
Unit sales per 4-week period	15.5 million	22.7 million
Disposable share of sales	24.7%	51.8%
Prefilled cartridge share	75.2%	48.0%
Number of brands	184	269

Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, "E-cigarette Unit Sales by Product and Flavor Type, and Top-Selling Brands, United States, 2020–2022". Data cover brick-and-mortar retailers, not online or vape-shop sales.

Sales peaked at 25.9 million units per 4-week period in May 2022. Over 2019 to 2023, the CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative reported a 47% rise in unit sales and more than 500% growth in disposables at tracked retailers.

Flavor	Share of unit sales, Dec 2022
Other flavors (fruit, sweet and others)	41.3%
Menthol	31.9%
Tobacco	20.1%
Mint	5.9%

Source: CDC, MMWR, 2020–2022 retail sales data.

Tobacco flavor fell from 28.4% of sales in January 2020 to 20.1% in December 2022; menthol held at about a third. Several states, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, restrict flavored e-cigarette sales.

Devices: from pods to high-capacity disposables

In January 2020, three out of four e-cigarettes sold in tracked stores were prefilled cartridges, the pod-style devices that dominated the late 2010s. By December 2022, disposables had taken more than half of unit sales. Since then, disposables have grown in size: rechargeable models with USB-C ports, screens showing battery and e-liquid levels, and much larger rated puff counts.

Device feature	Common in 2020	Common in 2026 (from our catalog)
Rated puff count	Hundreds to a few thousand	Commonly 15,000 to 50,000; some models rated up to 100,000
Charging	Not rechargeable	USB-C rechargeable
Screen	None	Battery and e-liquid display on many models
Modes	One power level	Two or more modes on many models
Format	Single-use body	Single-use bodies and swappable pod-plus-battery kits

Source: 2020 column: CDC MMWR retail data on product types. 2026 column: 123Vape product catalog, October 2026 (rated figures are manufacturer claims, not tested results).

Rated puff counts are manufacturer estimates; real use varies with how long each puff lasts. See puff count in the vape glossary.

Cigarettes and e-cigarettes: the bigger picture

Year	Adults who smoke cigarettes (age-adjusted)	Adults who use e-cigarettes
2019	14.2%	4.5%
2021	11.7%	4.5%
2023	11.0%	6.5%

Source: Cigarettes: Healthy People 2030 (HHS), objective TU-02, age-adjusted. E-cigarettes: CDC, NCHS Data Brief No. 524. The two series use different methods, so compare the trends, not the exact gap.

Over the same years, adult cigarette smoking kept falling while adult e-cigarette use rose. These figures describe how many adults use each product; they say nothing about the health effects of either, and this page makes no health claims.

How online vape sales work

Why orders need ID, a signature and private carriers.

PACT Act explained

What the numbers don't show

Online and vape-shop sales. The CDC retail data cover brick-and-mortar stores such as convenience stores and gas stations, not online stores or specialty vape shops, so total U.S. sales are higher than these figures.
Unauthorized products. Retail scanner data capture products that ring up at tracked stores; they do not fully capture every brand on the market.
Self-reported use. Survey numbers depend on people reporting their own use accurately.
Device size. Unit sales count devices, not puffs or milliliters; a 50,000-puff disposable and a small pod each count as one unit.
Timing. Federal surveys and sales briefs are published months after the period they cover.

Regulation timeline

Year	Change
2016	FDA "deeming rule" brings e-cigarettes under federal tobacco regulation; U.S. DOT bans e-cigarettes from checked airline baggage
2019	Federal Tobacco 21 law raises the minimum age to buy tobacco products, including vapes, to 21
2020	Deadline for e-cigarette makers to file premarket tobacco applications (PMTA) with the FDA
2021	PACT Act requirements extend to e-cigarettes: age verification, adult signature, no consumer mail shipments
August 2026	48 e-cigarette products authorized by the FDA, according to NACS

What the PACT Act means for online orders: PACT Act explained.

Vape waste

U.S. PIRG Education Fund estimated that Americans threw away 5.7 disposable vapes every second in 2023, based on CDC Foundation sales estimates of about 178.7 million disposable vapes a year. The lithium batteries inside can start fires in garbage trucks and facilities.

Source: U.S. PIRG Education Fund, "Vape Waste 2" (July 2025).

How to get rid of one properly: how to dispose of a disposable vape.

Underage use and why retailers verify age

In the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, about 1.63 million middle and high school students (5.9%) reported current e-cigarette use, down from 2.13 million (7.7%) in 2023. Federal law sets the buying age at 21, which is why online orders are age-verified and require an adult signature.

Source: CDC and FDA, 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey release (September 2024).

Our policy: age verification and responsible use.

Trends to watch

Trend	What to watch	Why it matters to buyers
FDA authorizations	The count of authorized products (48 as of August 2026)	Shapes which products stores can lawfully sell
State flavor rules	States adding or changing flavored e-cigarette restrictions	Decides which flavors can ship to an address
Online sales rules	PACT Act enforcement and state shipping limits	Explains age checks, signatures and blocked states
Disposable size	Higher rated puff counts and rechargeable designs	Fewer devices per month for the same use
Waste and recycling	City and state rules on battery disposal	Where to drop off used devices

We revisit this page every quarter and update the figures when new CDC, FDA or sales data come out.

How to cite these statistics

You're welcome to use these numbers. Please cite the original source shown under each table, and link to this page as "123Vape vape industry statistics" if it helped you find them. We update this page every quarter.

Terms used on this page

Disposable, prefilled cartridge, ENDS, PMTA: see the vape glossary. Nicotine strength labels: nicotine strength chart.

Quick facts

Question	Answer
Adult use (2023)	6.5% of U.S. adults (CDC)
Highest-use age group	21 to 24: 15.5% (CDC)
Disposables share of sales	51.8%, Dec 2022 (CDC)
FDA-authorized e-cig products	48, Aug 2026 (FDA via NACS)
Disposables discarded	5.7 per second, 2023 (U.S. PIRG)
Cigarette smoking (2023)	11.0% of adults, age-adjusted (HHS)
Last updated	October 2026

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of U.S. adults vape?

About 6.5% of U.S. adults used e-cigarettes in 2023, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey, up from 4.5% in 2019.

Which age group vapes the most?

Adults aged 21 to 24, at 15.5% in 2023, followed by adults 25 to 34 at 12.6%.

Is vaping increasing among adults?

Adult use rose from 4.5% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2023.

What share of vape sales are disposables?

51.8% of tracked retail unit sales in December 2022.

How many e-cigarette brands are there?

269 brands in tracked retail sales in December 2022.

What is the most popular vape flavor category?

Non-tobacco, non-menthol flavors, at 41.3% of unit sales in December 2022.

How many e-cigarettes has the FDA authorized?

48 e-cigarette products as of August 2026, according to FDA figures reported by NACS.

How many disposable vapes are thrown away?

About 5.7 every second in 2023, per U.S. PIRG.

When did the vape buying age become 21?

Under federal Tobacco 21, in December 2019.

When did the PACT Act start covering vapes?

In 2021.

Do these sales numbers include online sales?

No. The CDC retail data cover brick-and-mortar stores such as convenience stores and gas stations, not online stores or vape shops, so total sales are higher.

Can I use these statistics?

Yes. Cite the original source named under each table, and link to this page if it helped you find them.

About 123Vape

123Vape is an online vape retailer serving adult customers across the United States, selling authentic products from verified distribution channels. Orders require age verification, and we follow federal and state shipping rules; see our legal compliance page. This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice.