Many Renters Use Only Cell Phones

Conveniently, every six months the federal government updates the nation on how many households use cell phones only. The latest survey, taken January to June 2008, finds that 16 percent of Americans aged 18 or older use only cell phones. 

Age is the most important factor in determining cell phone only use, with young adults most likely to spurn landlines. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, 31 percent use only cell phones. Among 25-to-29-year-olds, the figure is an even larger 36 percent. 

The demographic segments dominated by young adults are also the ones most likely to use only cell phones. A hefty 34 percent of renters, for example, are cell phone only users (compared with a paltry 9 percent of homeowners). Among Hispanics, 22 percent use only cell phones (versus a smaller 15 percent of non-Hispanic whites). Among unrelated adults who live together (many of them cohabiting couples), the 63 percent majority are cell phone only. 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2008