Healthy People 2010 objectives regarding tobacco use include that, for people over age 18, no more than 12% will be cigarette smokers and no more than 1.2% will be cigar smokers. As of 2001, S.C. BRFSS data showed 26.0% of residents over age 18 were cigarette smokers. S.C. data for cigar smokers is unavailable.

S.C. BRFSS data for 2007 indicate that 21.9% of S.C. adults report that they smoke (have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke). This is lower than the 2001 rate of 26%. There is a higher prevalence of smokers in Spartanburg County than in S.C. and than in other peer counties, except Charleston (figure 2).

Although Spartanburg has the second highest prevalence of smokers among peer counties and S.C., it has the lowest prevalence of smokers who are trying to quit (figure 3).