According to new data released this week, New Yorkers are back to smoking in record numbers.

The AP reports that although smoking rates are falling across the country, New York's cigarette-smoking elite has actually increased. According to the new numbers, about 16 percent of city dwellers still smoke—a two percent increase from a similar 2010 study.

According to the Wall Street Journal, those increased rates are constant among all races, age brackets, boroughs, and genders in the city—though white smokers make up the largest percentage.

Despite having one of the highest cigarette taxes in the country—about $4.35 a pack—critics say the increase may be due to budget cuts, which wiped the state-sponsored scare ads off the airwaves and eliminated some programs dedicated to helping people quit.

The city is now planning new ads aimed at "light daily smokers," who apparently comprise about 75 percent of New York's nictoine-stained smokeforce.

[image via AP]