3 in 10 US Households Have Abandoned Their Landlines

According to the National Health Interview Survey, conducted by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, about 3 in 10 households either only use mobile phones or rarely take calls on their landlines.

During the second half of last year, 16% of households only had mobiles, while 13% had mobiles and landlines but took nearly all calls on their mobiles. Wireless-only houses grew 2% between the first and second half of 2007. In early 2004, only 5% of households only had mobile phones.

We've written about the decline in landline use before, and these numbers are not surprising at all. I have been pushing hard with my wife to give up our landline but haven't broken through yet. My guess is that it'll happen in the next 12-18 months in our household.

The survey had other interesting data including:

-Low-income people are likelier than the more affluent to have only cell phones.

-Those with only cells tend to be living with unrelated roommates, renters rather than homeowners, and Hispanics and blacks rather than whites.

-About a third of those under age 30 only have cell phones.

-Households with both cell and landline phones who rarely or never get calls on their landlines tend to be better educated and have higher incomes.

-About 2% of households reported having no telephones.

The National Health Interview Survey, conducted by the CDC, involved in-person interviews with people in 13,083 households done from July through December of last year.

No Surprise - Cell Phone Most Vital Device

According to a new study released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, Americans are now more reliant on their mobile phones than their landline phones. When the research firm mounted a similar study two years earlier, respondents still cited landline phones as the more essential technology.

"The preferences have flipped," said Pew Research associate director John Horrigan. "During that timeframe, people have gotten new devices that have more capabilities. People have more experience using cell phones for text messaging and other information tools. That has helped pushed cell phones as 'go to' devices."

Mobile handsets are now the technological tool Americans would be most reluctant to give up, surpassing the Internet and television; two years ago, landlines topped the Pew Research list, with television in second place and cell phones in third.

According to Pew Research, 58% of mobile users have now sent or received text messages, a 41% increase over April 2006 totals; on an average day, 31% of mobile subscribers employ text services and 15% turn to camera features, with about 8% playing mobile games. Another 8% rely on their phones for email.