Illinois Town Has 'The Most Smokers' In The Entire State

Nestled in the heart of Illinois, one town has earned the reigning title of being the city with the highest concentration of cigarette smokers in the state.

Fun fact: I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. I'm 26 years old and don't even know how to hold, light, or take a puff of a cigarette. That's a good thing, right?

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Though smoking has decreased over the years as e-cigarettes gained more popularity, nearly 28 million adults across America are still avid cigarette smokers.

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We've all seen the advertisements on television that are geared to help people stop smoking. Even with all the health warnings and dangers; cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, people will continue to ruin their lungs and take years off their lives just to get a puff.

"Each year, nearly half a million Americans die prematurely of smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Another 16 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking." [cdc]

Here's a crazy statistic: The United States spends nearly $225 billion on medical care to treat smoking-related diseases in adults.

Doesn't seem like that dollar amount will decrease any time soon.

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I was curious to know which cities around the country have the MOST cigarette smokers today. If I'm wondering, you're probably asking the same question!

18.4% of Janesville & Beloit, Wisconsin residents are active smokers. Life expectancy is kinda low at 77.6 years old.

According to the state as a whole, only 16.1% of Wisconsin smoke.

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20.5% of Duluth, Minnestoa residents are active smokers and nearly 12% of them are in poor health.

Surprisingly, only 14.3% of the entire state of Minnesota smoke.

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What about Illinois, though?

I really hope Rockford didn't make the list as the top city in the state with the most smokers. I have a feeling more people vape and use e-cigarettes here over actual cigarettes.

This Illinois Town Has 'The Most Smokers' In The Entire State

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Danville, Illinois ranked #1 in Illinois. It has a population of roughly 28,000 residents and 22.1% of them smoke cigarettes. That's nearly 6,100 adults to put it into perspective!

See which other cities made the list here.

Next time you want to buy a pack of cigarettes at the gas station, remember you could be saving a whole lotta money and adding a few more years onto your life.

Danville, Illinois is actually home to a dying retro mall that people can't believe is still open. With barely any stores left to shop at, we really don't know how it's still operating. Take a look at the photos below!