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The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors play important regulatory roles, influencing plant growth and responses to environmental stresses. In the present study, 132 <i>bZIP</i> genes identified in the tobacco genome were classified into 11 groups with <i>Arabidopsis</i> and tomato bZIP members, based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis. An examination of gene structures and conserved motifs revealed relatively conserved exon/intron structures and motif organization within each group. The results of an investigation of whole-genome duplication events indicated that segmental duplications were crucial for the expansion of the <i>bZIP</i> gene family in tobacco. Expression profiles confirmed that the <i>NtbZIP</i> genes are differentially expressed in various tissues, and several genes are responsive to diverse stresses. Notably, <i>NtbZIP62</i>, which was identified as an <i>AtbZIP37/ABF3</i> homolog, was highly expressed in response to salinity. Subcellular localization analyses proved that NtbZIP62 is a nuclear protein. Furthermore, the overexpression of <i>NtbZIP62</i> in tobacco significantly enhanced the salt stress tolerance of the transgenic plants. The results of this study may be relevant for future functional analyses of the <i>bZIP</i> genes in tobacco.