New York, NY (WIBX) - A new report shows how expensive it is to be a smoker and poor in New York.

People who live in New York State and earn less than $30,000  a year spend about one-quarter of their income on cigarettes.

That's nearly twice as much as the national average for low-income smokers.

New York has the highest state cigarette tax in the country at $4.35 a pack.

The study was conducted at the request of the state health department.

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