NEW YORK (NEWSnet/AP) — U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to another all-time low last year, with only 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government data released Thursday.

Meanwhile, electronic cigarette use rose, to about 1 in 17 adults.

The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are based on survey responses from more than 27,000 adults.

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and has long been considered the leading cause of preventable death.

During the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping over the decades due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans and changes in the social acceptability of smoking in public.

The latest report shows that the percentage of adult smokers is now about 11%, down from about 12.5% in 2020 and 2021.

E-cigarette use rose to nearly 6% last year, from about 4.5% the year before, according to survey data.

Smoking and vaping rates are almost reversed for teens. Only about 2% of high school students were smoking traditional cigarettes last year, but about 14% were using e-cigarettes, according to other CDC data.

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