by When looking for a cigarette brand, there’s more to consider than taste. There are many different brands of cigarettes on the market; some are known for being more popular than others. This list of the best selling cigarettes in America includes all the most popular brands of cigarettes in the USA. However, keep in mind that different regions have different preferences.
Table of Contents Of the Best Selling Cigarettes in America
Marlboro Cigarettes
If you’re a Marlboro smoker, there’s a good chance you have been a Marlboro smoker for some time. The brand is the top-selling cigarette in the United States, owned by Philip Morris USA. When it came out in 1924, it was a big deal for the cigarette business because it was the first time the Marlboro brand came out with a cigarette for women. This made cigarettes more popular and easier to get than ever before.
Marlboro cigarettes are also known for their famous red packaging, which has become a symbol of American culture. This is the most popular tobacco brand among young adults and men, who can be seen smoking them in films like “The Sopranos” and “Mad Men.”
In 2022 Marlboro cigarettes had an estimated market share of 51.9% on $36.2 billion in sales in the United States
Maroboro Cigarette Commercial From The 1970s
L&M Cigarettes
Philip Morris makes L&M cigarettes. The largest tobacco company in the United States The company was started in London in 1847. Since then, it has grown to become one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, with its headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. The name comes from the tobacco company founded in 1873, Liggett & Myers, the predecessor of today’s Liggett Group, where L&M was initially produced.
L&M uses blends of tobacco from Turkey for a smooth, rich, and exotic taste. They use Samsun and Izmir tobaccos, and each batch is blended with other premium tobaccos. The result? Two tastes with a rich imported flavor.
In 2022, L&M cigarettes had an estimated market share of 9.8% on $6.8 billion in sales in the United States.
Pall Mall Cigarettes
Pall Mall is a cigarette brand introduced in 1899 by the Black Butler Company (UK). Today the brand is owned by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which was founded in 1875 when 25-year-old Richard Joshua Reynolds started a chewing-tobacco manufacturing operation in the town of Winston, N.C.
The Pall Mall, a street in London’s West End home to many gentlemen’s clubs and bars, inspired the brand’s name.If you look within the Pall Mall logo, note the Latin phrase, “In hoc signo vinces.” This means, “By this sign shall you conquer.”
Camel cigarettes’ main rival was Pall Mall, which was marketed as a “gentleman’s” cigarette. It was the first to introduce a filter-tipped cigarette in 1936, which made it popular among women smokers.
In 2022, Pall Mall cigarettes had an estimated market share of 9.7% on $6.8 billion in sales in the United States.
Camel Cigarettes
Camel is a cigarette brand owned by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and British American Tobacco outside of the U.S.
RJR launched the brand for the first time in 1913. In just four years, Camel became the top-selling brand in the country thanks to its distinctive combination of flue-cured, burley, and exotic Turkish tobaccos.
This unique tobacco blend would be called “the American blend.” With the help of a unique “teaser” advertising campaign, Camel became the first cigarette widespread across the whole country in the United States.
It is one of the most popular cigarettes sold today, along with Marlboro and Pall Mall. In 2022, Camel cigarettes had an estimated market share of 5.4% on $3.8 billion in sales in the United States.
Winston Cigarettes
Winston is a brand of cigarettes currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Brands. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company created it in 1954. It had a catchy slogan that many people remember to this day: “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.” The name of the company was chosen to honor Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the home of R.J. Reynolds.
The Winston Cup Series began in 1971 when the Winston Brand became the title sponsor of NASCAR’s elite division. Winston was the first non-automotive sponsor to enter NASCAR on a full-time basis. Winston’s support over the ensuing 33 years. 2003 saw the end of race sponsorships.
In June 2015, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company brands Winston, Salem, and Kool were sold to the Imperial Tobacco Group.
In 2022, Winston cigarettes had an estimated market share of 5.1% on $3.5 billion dollars in sales, primarily in Japan.
Winston Cigarette Commericial From The 1950s
Rothmans Cigarettes
Rothmans Cigarettes are a traditional British brand that has been in business since 1890. Louis Rothman founded the company as a small kiosk on Fleet Street in London. The cigarettes are known for their robust and full flavor and long, smooth burn. This makes them great for those who like to smoke while they’re working or playing sports.
Rothmans is also one of the most popular brands in Europe and South Africa, making it a great choice if you plan to travel abroad.
In 2022, Rothmans cigarettes had an estimated market share of 4.8% on $3.4 billion in sales, primarily in the United Kingdom.
Chesterfield Cigarettes
The Drummond Tobacco Company in St. Louis, Missouri, made the first Chesterfields in 1896. They were made with a mix of tobacco from Turkey and Virginia. The American Tobacco Company acquired the company in 1898, and manufactured Chesterfields until 1911.
Chesterfield’s was a huge advertiser in print and radio. They used celebrities in many of their magazine ads. The official spokespeople for Chesterfield, which took its name from the Virginia county of Chesterfield, in the 1940s and 1950s included Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Arthur Godfrey.
Chesterfield non-filter cigarettes were discontinued by Phillip Morris in the US in 2018. Reds (Full Flavor), Blues (Lights), and Green (Menthol) are the three filtered varieties that they currently offer.
In 2022, Chesterfield cigarettes had an estimated market share of 4.8% on $3.3 billion in sales, primarily in the United States.
Kent Cigarettes
Kent cigarettes are a leading brand of cigarettes in the United States. They’re manufactured by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which is one of the largest tobacco companies in the world. Kent cigarettes came out for the first time in 1952. Kents were one of the first filtered cigarettes. But from 1952 to 1956, the cigarette had a Micronite filter, which was made of compressed blue asbestos, which is known to cause cancer.
Herbert Kent, a former employee of the Lorillard Tobacco Company, was honored with the name “Kent” for his cigarettes.
In 2022, Kent cigarettes had an estimated market share of 4.1% on $2.8 billion in sales, primarily in the United States.
Newport Cigarettes
Newport is the top-selling menthol cigarette brand in America and the second-best-selling cigarette brand overall. The company’s brand mark, the “spinnaker,” is still a reminder of its roots in sailing. The brand was first introduced in 1957 and is named after a seaport in Rhode Island.
The Newport brand was the best-selling menthol cigarette in the United States by 1993, and it rose to the position of second-largest selling cigarette brand in 1996. Today, Newport cigarettes make up almost one in three of the menthol cigarettes sold in the United States. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company manufactures it.
In 2022, Newport cigarettes had an estimated market share of 4.0% on $2.8 billion in sales, primarily in the United States.
Newport Cigarette Commerical From The 1960s
America’s Top Selling Cigarette Brands
The top selling cigarette brands in America are Marlboro, L&M, and Pall Mall. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) noted that these three cigarette brands made up about 69% of the total market share of cigarettes sold in the United States. This means that almost two-thirds of all cigarettes bought and smoked were from one of these three brands.99.7% of the cigarettes smoked are filtered, and about 36% are menthol cigarettes.
The number of cigarettes sold per day is approximately 682 million on average, which amounts to more than 12.4 billion packs per year based on an average pack size of 20 cigarettes (which is also how many cigarettes you’ll find inside a typical box). The price per pack varies between $5 and $10, depending on where you live in America. At $8 a pack, that equates to an estimated $272 million dollars spent by smokers every day!
Final Thoughts on Top Selling Cigarettes in USA
There you have it, the best selling cigarette brands in America. As you can see from this list, there are many different types of smokers in America, and they all have different preferences when it comes to what brand they smoke.
Sources For Best Selling Cigarettes in America
“Tobacco 10 2022 | Brand Value Ranking League Table | Brandirectory.” Tobacco 10 2022 | Brand Value Ranking League Table | Brandirectory, brandirectory.com/rankings/tobacco/table. Accessed 31 Dec. 2022.
CDC. “Tobacco Brand Preferences.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Aug. 2022, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/brand_preference/index.htm.
“R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.” R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, rjrt.com. Accessed 31 Dec. 2022.
