A recent survey shows that the number of American homes that only have wireless telephones has
grown 2.4% since the first half of 2012. Now, nearly two in every five American homes (38.2%) only have wireless telephones. In addition, nearly one of every six American homes (15.9%) received all or almost all calls on wireless telephones despite also having a landline telephone.
Other interesting statistics from the survey highlight demographic differences:
– Six in ten adults aged 25–29 (62.1%) lived in households with only wireless telephones. This rate
is greater than the rates for adults aged 18–24 (53.2%) or 30–34 (56.7%). The percentage of adults living in households with only wireless telephones decreased as age increased beyond 35 years: 43.5% for those aged 35–44; 28.4% for those aged 45–64; and 11.6% for those aged 65 and over.
– Hispanic adults (50.5%) were more likely than non-Hispanic white adults (32.9%) or non-Hispanic black
adults (39.0%) to be living in households with only wireless telephones.
– Three in five adults renting their home (59.7%) had only wireless telephones. This rate is more than
twice the rate for adults owning their home (25.4%).
– Adults living in poverty (54.3%) were more likely than adults living near poverty (45.9%) and higher income adults (33.2%) to be living in households with only wireless telephones.
– Men (38.0%) were more likely than women (35.1%) to be living in households with only wireless
telephones.
– Adults living in the Midwest (40.6%), South (39.7%), and West (37.8%) were more likely than those living in the Northeast (23.6%) to be living in households with only wireless telephones.
The statistics are from the July–December 2012 National Health Interview Survey. The
Survey, which is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics , includes information about household telephones and whether anyone in the household has a wireless telephone. It is released twice a year.
Source: Blumberg SJ, Luke JV. Wireless substitution: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, July–December 2012. National Center for Health Statistics. June 2013. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm