Pre-Rolls Surge in the Tri-State Area
Posted by Cones Cones USA on Jun 9th 2026
According to the State of the Pre-Roll Market Report 2026, the top two states for pre-rolls are California, which leads in revenue, and Michigan, which buys more pre-roll units than any other state, by far.
But looking at the growth rates around the country, that could be changing. And one region in particular is looking more and more like the future epicenter of the pre-roll universe: The Mid-Atlantic Tri-State Area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
So why is the Tri-State Area the next hotbed for pre-rolls? Well, for one, those three states have the three highest YoY growth in the country on pre-roll units sold.
Quick, to the numbers!
The New York Pre-Roll Market
In 2025, the still-growing New York market showed the largest year-over-year growth in the country with a staggering 96% increase in pre-roll revenue and a 120% increase in pre-roll unit sales over 2024.
In total, New Yorkers bought about 16.2 million pre-roll units, generating $335.3 million in revenues, making them the fourth-highest revenue state in the country, behind California, Michigan and Massachusetts.
The pre-roll category has a 20% market share in the Empire State, up from 18.7% the year before. That is even more impressive when you consider that New York also has the highest average unit price for pre-rolls of any of the states tracked by Headset at $20.47, about $2.50 more than the next closest state, Connecticut.
And we don't think the Empire State has reached its ceiling yet. The state is still issuing new cannabis licenses every month and with prices expected to continue to fall, New York and its massive population are expected to continue to be an industry leader in terms of both revenue and units sold.
Pre-Roll Growth in New Jersey
When it comes to pre-roll revenue, New Jersey ranks just behind New York, generating $171.2 million on sales of about 9.6 million units, up from $119.3 and 5.6 million, respectively, in 2024. That's a revenue growth rate of 50.5% and growth of 79.2% for units sold, second in both metrics behind its neighbor to the north.
Over the same time frame, the market share of pre-rolls in New Jersey grew from 11% to 14.7% as the average price for a pre-roll product dropped from $13.31 to $11.40.
However, unlike New York, where infused pre-rolls – which have a higher price point and lead to higher revenue numbers - are the top segment in the state, New Jersey residents favored hybrid pre-rolls in 2025. However, the infused segment is growing, which should increase opportunities for producers as well as overall revenues throughout the state.
Additionally, New Jersey is scheduled to open consumption lounges this year and a pre-packaged, portable and ready-to-smoke product like pre-rolls are perfect for those environments.
Taken together, we see New Jersey as one of the prime pre-roll growth states going forward.
Connecticut Pre-Rolls by the Numbers
Though much smaller than its neighbors, Connecticut also showed major growth in 2025.
Though total pre-roll revenues in the nation's third-smallest state by size are not particularly impressive at $41.3 million and the total units sold may seem a bit light compared to others at 2.2 million, both of those numbers are up over the previous year.
In fact, in terms of units sold, Connecticut ranked third in growth with a YoY rate of 41.4% with the category's market share jumping from 12.6% to 14.2%. Prices in the Constitution State continue to drop as well, with the average pre-roll price dropping to $13.18 from $14.64 in 2025.
Like New Jersey, hybrid pre-rolls dominate but declined in 2025, with the infused segment showing the biggest growth in the state as revenues more than doubled, going from $5.4 million in 2024 to $11.1 million last year.
The Tri-State Pre-Roll Takeover
As we can see, the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region is showing major growth in the pre-roll category over the past few years and even larger potential for the next few.
New York and New Jersey top all states in both pre-roll revenue growth and pre-roll units sold growth, with Connecticut also coming in third in unit sales growth.
Additionally, we expect to see continued growth in New York as regulators continue the state's rollout of licenses and cultivators fully dial in harvest schedules. As that happens, the quantity and quality of flower being devoted to pre-rolls will increase, even as the prices continue to decrease, creating perfect conditions for increased pre-roll sales.
In New Jersey, meanwhile, the addition of consumption lounges to the cannabis landscape provides additional opportunities for the sale of pre-rolls, which as a ready-to-use consumer packaged good is perfect for lounges. On top of that, we expect the sale of infused pre-rolls to continue to grow, like they do in most states, leading to increased revenue from the higher-priced units.
And in Connecticut, where units sales continue to grow as prices come down, consumers are shifting more and more of their pre-roll dollars to infused products, which should see revenues increase as well.
Taken all together, it's why we predict that the Tri-State Region is poised to become the newest hotspot for pre-rolls in the entire country. There is tremendous opportunity in all three states for pre-roll brands to make their mark in these growing markets, with branding becoming an even more important factor to help differentiate one brand from another in customer minds and on dispensary shelves.
Contact the Pre-Roll Experts today to find out how you can make your mark in these growing and exciting markets and how custom pre-roll branding can take your brand to the next level.
The New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region has been showing major growth in the pre-roll category over the past few years.