Cell phone statistics 2024

Phone ownership trends

Since 2015, cell phone ownership has increased 20%. About 97% of Americans owned a feature phone or smartphone in 2022, compared to 81% in 2015.

Today, nine out of 10 of all cell phone owners have a smartphone.

Future trends predict that the number of American smartphone users will increase to more than 364 million people by 2040.

Future trends predict that the number of American smartphone users will increase to more than 364 million people by 2040.

Smartphone shipments in 2023 reached 1.16 billion devices worldwide. While this is a staggering number of shipments, such orders would represent a 3.5% decline year-over-year.

Apple is the leading smartphone brand in the United States, representing more than half of the market share.

Mobile phone ownership by age and gender

Almost all Americans (97%) own a mobile phone. This translates to 330.8 million people. 

Those aged 65 and over are the least likely to have any type of phone. However, in 2023, the vast majority of seniors own cell phones (94%) or smartphones (76%). In contrast, children, on average, get their first phones at 11.6 years old. By age 15, almost all children have a cellphone. Of those, 97% of female and 94% of male teens own a cell phone. 

Mobile phones and teens

• 95% of teens ages 13-17 in the U.S. report having access to a smartphone, an increase of 22 percentage points from a decade ago.
• 97% of older teens (ages 15-17) are more likely to own a smartphone than their younger counterparts, while 97% of girls are slightly more likely to own smartphones than boys (94%).
• Hispanic teens have the most access to smartphones, but the 2% difference in access between white, Black and Hispanic teens is negligible.

Teen smartphone access by demographics, 2024

Unlike gaming consoles, tablets, and other electronic devices, there does not seem to be a strong relationship between income and smartphone access. Teens in households with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999 are less likely to have access to a smartphone (92%) than teens in households with a lower (94%) or higher (96%) income range.

Teen smartphone access by income, 2024

Ninety one percent of teens use their cell phones simply as a way to pass the time, and over half of those teens say that they often use their cell phones this way. More than 8 in 10 teens also report that they use their phones to connect with other people or learn new things, while half of teens use their devices for the exact opposite purpose, to avoid social interaction.

Phones vs. other electronic devices

On average, American households have nearly six internet-connected devices. Generation Z is more “connected” than their older counterparts, using 6.6 devices in the home on average.

• Among smartphone owners in the U.S., 15% of people reside in “smartphone-only” households. Just 8% of households own four types of connected devices (a smartphone, laptop, tablet, and smartwatch).
• Many (42%) of American households own two connected devices: a smartphone and either alaptop, tablet, or smartwatch/wearable.
• Though 91% of Americans have access to the internet (via home broadband or a smartphone), the rising cost of broadband service is a concern for many. As a result, at home 15% of adult Americans are dependent on their smartphone for internet access.

A shocking number of people upgrade their phones every year (11.89%), and 4.28% purchase a new phone every six months.

• Most cell phone users (55.47%) upgrade their phones every two to three years.

Mobile phone usage and habits

Caught in an endless cycle of notifications and pings, Americans are feeling tied to their phones now more than ever.

• On average, cell phone users look at their phones 144 times a day.
• Per day, Americans spend an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes on their phones, up 52% from 2022, when they used their phones daily for 2 hours and 54 minutes. This is expected to increase to 4 hours and 39 minutes this year.20
• The most common phone activities are checking email, taking photos, and surfing the internet.

Self-professed smartphone addictions (fear of being without a mobile phone) are becoming increasingly common as more people rely on technology for relationships, work, learning, and entertainment.

• Nearly 57% of Americans consider themselves "mobile phone addicts."
• Three in four admit to feeling uncomfortable without their phones.
• One in six sleep with their phones at night.
• Almost half (47%) say that they panic when their battery drops below 20%.
• Roughly half of teens ages 13 to 27 are worried that they spend too much time on their phones.

Mobile shopping

By 2025, mobile phone sales (known as m-commerce) are forecasted to double, amounting to approximately $710 billion. By comparison, m-commerce sales topped $360 billion in 2021.

• Over half (59.5%), of internet traffic comes from mobile phones.
• Three in four Americans (76%) have purchased something online using mobile phones. Those under age 50 are most likely to buy online (92%). Unsurprisingly, in 2022 the Amazon shopping app was the top downloaded marketplace app in the U.S.
• At least once a week, about one-third (32%) of the U.S. population uses their phone to buy something online.
• Mobile retail sales hit approximately $387 billion in 2022.
• M-commerce is most common among U.S. users ages 30 to 49 at 92%, compared to 87% of users ages 18 to 29.

References

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