Young Adult Substance Use in America 💊

What We're Showing

This graphic shows young adult substance use in America, based on data from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

The study represents the use of substances at least once in the past 30 days by individuals aged 19-30 across a survey of 4,810 respondents. Data is as of 2023.

Key Takeaways

• Since 1988, the share of young adults that have used cannabis at least once in the past 30 days has risen from 17.5% to 28.7% in 2023.
• In contrast, alcohol use has declined from 74% to 64.9% over the period.
• Cigarette smoking has declined dramatically—from 37.5% of young adults in 1988 to just 8.8% in 2023—although vaping nicotine is on the rise.
• Drug use (other than cannabis) has fallen slightly from 9.4% of young adults in 1988 to 6.6% in 2023.