Cigarette tax shocker: 15 states with tiny tobacco tariffs

U.S. smoking rates are down, according to CDC research, but states could do a lot more to snuff out the smoke.

"Tobacco tax increases are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking and other tobacco use, especially among kids," says the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids. Every 10 percent increase in cigarette prices, the organization says, reduces youth smoking by about seven percent, and total cigarette use by about four percent.

Which state has the country's highest cigarette tax? New York takes the cake. Its $4.35-per-pack tax is far above the national average of $1.46. But some states opt to tax much lower than that.

How low? Keep clicking to see which 15 states have the lowest cigarette tax rates...

15. Mississippi

Aaron Erskine rides a mechanical bull at the Biloxi Crawfish Festival on the Gulf Coast April 15, 2011, in Biloxi, Miss. BP says it has made tourism payments of $18 million to Mississippi in an attempt to help draw tourists back to its beaches following 2 — Getty Images

Kicking off the list of 15 states with low cigarette tax is Mississippi, at $0.68 per pack.

14. Nebraska

Cigarette tax: $0.64

13. Tennessee

nashville, tennessee — Wikimedia Commons

Cigarette tax: $0.62

12. Kentucky (TIE)

Cigarette tax: $0.60

12. Wyoming (TIE)

Cigarette tax: $0.60

10. Idaho (TIE)

Cigarette tax: $0.57

10. South Carolina (TIE)

south carolina, istockphoto, 4x3 — istockphoto

Cigarette tax: $0.57

8. West Virginia

West Virginia, state, 4x3, generic — iStockphoto

Cigarette tax: $0.55

7. North Carolina

charlotte, north carolina — Wikimedia Commons

Cigarette tax: $0.45

6. North Dakota

Cigarette tax: $0.44

5. Alabama

Cigarette tax: $0.425

4. Georgia

Cigarette tax: $0.37

3. Louisiana

lousiana, roads, state, new orleans — Fotopedia

Cigarette tax: $0.36

2. Virginia

Cigarette tax: $0.30

1. Missouri

Coming in at no. 1 is Missouri, where the cigarette tax is only $0.17 per pack. How low is that? New Yorkers pay 25 times that - a full $4.35 extra per pack.