Part iii — the history of cigarettes and tobacco.

List of Cigarette Brands Featured in Option(1),Option(2) and Option(3)

  • AMERICAN LEGEND (2)
  • AROMA RICH (3)
  • BENSON N’HEDGES (2)
  • BERKELEY (2)
  • BEVERLY (3)
  • BN (2)
  • BOND STREET (3)
  • CAMEL (1)
  • CAMEL (2)
  • CAMEL (3)
  • CAPRI (3)
  • CAPTAIN BLACK (1)
  • CAPTAIN BLACK (2)
  • CHESTERFIELD (3)
  • CLASSIC (3)
  • CRAVEN A (2)
  • CRAVEN A (1)
  • DAVIDOFF (1)
  • DAVIDOFF (2)
  • DAVIDOFF (3)
  • DELTA (3)
  • DUBLISS (3)
  • DUCADOS (2)
  • DUCAT (3)
  • DUNHILL (1)
  • DUNHILL (2)
  • DUNHILL (3)
  • EMBASSY (2)
  • ESSE (3)
  • FORTUNA (2)
  • GAULOISES (1)
  • GAULOISES (2)
  • GAULOISES (3)
  • GB (2)
  • GITANES (1)
  • L&M (3)
  • GITANES (2)
  • GLAMOUR (2)
  • GLAMOUR (3)
  • GOLDEN GATE (1)
  • GOLDEN GATE (2)
  • JOHN PLAYER SPECIAL(2)
  • KARELIA (1)
  • KARELIA
  • KENT (2)
  • KENT (3)
  • KISS (3)
  • KOOL (1)
  • KOOL (2)
  • L&M (2)
  • LAMBERT N’ BUTLER(2)
  • LD (3)
  • LIDER (3)
  • LUCKY STRIKE (2)
  • LUCKY STRIKE (3)
  • MAGNA (3)
  • MARLBORO (2)
  • MARLBORO (3)
  • MAYFAIR (2)
  • MILD SEVEN (2)
  • MONTE CARLO (1)
  • MONTE CARLO (2)
  • MONTE CARLO (3)
  • MORE (1)
  • MORE (2)
  • MORE (3)
  • MS (2)
  • MURATTI (3)
  • NEWS (2)
  • NEXT (3)
  • OPTIMA (3)
  • OTAMAN (3)
  • PALACE (2)
  • PALL MALL (1)
  • PALL MALL (2)
  • PARLIAMENT (2)
  • PALL MALL (3)
  • PARLIAMENT (3)
  • PETER STUYVESANT (2)
  • PRESIDENT (3)
  • PRINCE (2)
  • PRILUKI (3)
  • PRIMA LUX (3)
  • R1 (2)
  • R1 (3)
  • RAQUEL (2)
  • REGAL(2)
  • RICHMOND (3)
  • ROTHMANS (1)
  • ROTHMANS (2)
  • ROYAL CLUB (2)
  • SALEM (1)
  • SALEM(2)
  • SAMSON (1)
  • SILK CUT (1)
  • SILK CUT (2)
  • SOBRANIE (2)
  • SOBRANIE EXPRESS 555 (1)
  • STATE EXPRESS 555 (2)
  • STYLE SELECTION (3)
  • SUPERKINGS (2)
  • THREE KINGS (3)
  • TROYKA (3)
  • VATRA (3)
  • VAN NELLE (1)
  • VICEROY (1)
  • VICEROY (2)
  • VICEROY (3)
  • VIRGINIA SLIMS (3)
  • VOGUE (1)
  • VOGUE (2)
  • VOGUE (3)
  • WALL STREET (2)
  • WEST (1)
  • WEST (2)
  • WEST (3)
  • WINSTON (1)
  • WINSTON (2)
  • WINSTON (3)
  • YALTA (3)

ACE
BASIC
BENSON & HEDGES
BERKLEY
BRONCO
CAMBRIDGE
CAMEL
CAPRI
CARLTON
CHESTERFIELD
DORAL
EVE
GPC
GT ONE
KAMEL RED
KENT
KENTUCKYS BEST
KOOL
LIGGETT
LUCKY STRIKE
MARLBORO
MAVERICK
MERIT
MISTY
MONARCH
MONTCLAIR
MORE
NEW
NEWPORT
NOW
PALL MALL
PARLIAMENT
PYRAMID
SALEM
SARATOGA
SENECA
SMOKELESS TOBACCO
TAREYTON
TRUE
USA GOLD
VANTAGE
VIRGINIA SLIMS
WAVE
WINSTON > Smoking Joe’s
State Express
Tacoma
Tareyton
Triumph
Tuscon
Unify
USA Gold
Vantage
Viceroy
Virginia Slims
Wave
Winston
Yours >

What a pack of cigarettes costs, state by state — the awl

Every year, we check the prices of cigarettes in all fifty legally recognized states of this fair Union. (Previously 2013 2012 2011.) Predictably, the results are mostly but not entirely! grim for the first time in the short history of this survey, not a single store in any state state offered us a pack of cigarettes for less than five dollars. So do smoke them, if you happen to have them, since nothing is ever going to get better.

This year, reigning affordable tobacco merchant Kentucky was resoundingly knocked out of the top spot four states now offer cheaper cigarettes. If obtaining the cheapest possible cigarettes from nearby convenience stores is the overriding factor in the choice of your domicile s location, you can set your Google Maps coordinates for Virginia or Missouri. While New York and Illinois both offer some relief, they manage to retain their position as the states where cigarettes are most likely to cause you to bounce your rent check. Also of note Oklahoma cigarettes cost 21 percent more this year than last, and Minnesota s are up by 36 percent.

As for where these numbers come from we called convenience stores and gas stations in the most highly populated areas of each state (obvious disclaimer prices aren t the same in every store in every area), and asked politely for the cost of a pack of Marlboro Red cigarettes. The current price is in bold last summer s price is in parentheses. As always, YMMV.

48. Virginia (last year $5.81), Missouri ($5.25) $5.25 10%, 0%

47. Tennessee ($5.89) $5.30 10%

46. North Dakota ($5.04) $5.33 6%

45. Kentucky ($4.96) $5.40 9%

44. Wyoming ($5.37), Idaho ($5.25) $5.41 .01%, 3%

43. West Virginia ($5.07) $5.43 7%

42. Louisiana ($5.33) $5.44 2%

41. North Carolina ($6.03) $5.45 10%

40. Alabama ($5.80) $5.51 5%

39. South Carolina ($5.55) $5.58 .01%

38. Colorado ($5.59) $5.65 1%

37. Oregon ($5.35) $5.69 6%

36. Kansas ($6.21) $5.83 6%

35. California ($6.77) $5.89 13%

34. Indiana ($5.77) $5.97 4%

33. Ohio ($5.88) $6.03 3%

32. Arkansas ($6.50) $6.07 7%

31. South Dakota ($6.77) $6.08 10%

30. Nevada ($5.50) $6.15 12%

29. Nebraska ($6.09) $6.23 2%

28. Oklahoma ($5.19), Iowa ($7.25) $6.29 21%, 13%

27. Florida ($6.00) $6.30 5%

26. Mississippi ($5.45) $6.34 16%

25. Delaware ($6.00) $6.35 6%

24. Georgia ($5.93) $6.39 8%

23. New Hampshire ($6.59) $6.44 2%

22. Montana ($6.25) $6.46 3%

21. Texas ($7.24) $6.69 8%

20. Pennsylvania ($6.95) $6.85 1%

19. Utah ($6.64) $6.89 4%

18. Maine ($7.12) $7.37 4%

17. New Mexico ($6.91) $7.67 11%

16. Maryland ($7.93) $7.75 2%

15. D.C. ($7.89) $7.99 1%

14. Michigan ($6.95) $8.00 15%

13. Arizona ($9.65) $8.05 17%

12. Minnesota ($5.95) $8.10 36%

11. New Jersey ($8.55) $8.20 4%

10. Wisconsin ($8.11) $8.82 9%

9. Rhode Island ($9.56) $8.95 6%

8. Washington ($8.31) $9.30 12%

7. Connecticut ($9.30) $9.52 2%

6. Hawaii ($9.68) $9.55 1%

5. Vermont ($9.52) $9.62 1%

4. Alaska ($9.59) $9.79 2%

3. Massachusetts ($8.77) $9.95 13%

2. Illinois ($11.59) $11.50 .01%

1. New York ($14.50) $12.85 11%

Noah Kulwin is The Awl s summer data journalism fellow.