Landlines still hanging on with some populations | Local News
There are few consumer products as ubiquitous as the mobile phone.
According to the Pew Research Center, more than 97% of adults own some type of mobile device and more than 85% own a smartphone. As mobile phones have exploded in popularity over the past three decades, landline phone ownership has declined sharply.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of households with only a landline (and no wireless) was 15.5% in early 2009, while the share of households with both a landline and wireless was nearly 60%.
In the next 10 years, these numbers were cut by about two-thirds and one-half respectively. In 2019, just over 31% of American households still had a landline.
While households with only a landline phone have become extremely rare, nearly one in three U.S. households continue to pay for a landline system alongside other services, such as cellular or broadband. Some households that might otherwise give up their landline phones still have them because they are bundled with their cable or internet service. Other households keep landlines in case of emergencies since they work without power and are sometimes required for certain home security or medical alert systems.
Given these trends, it’s not surprising that older Americans and those living in older homes are far more likely to have landline phones. Among householders aged 75 and older, 75% have landlines in their homes. In comparison, the figure is less than 5% for householders under 25. Likewise, just 16% of homes built within the last few years — 2018 to 2019 — have landlines. In contrast, 35% of those built in the 1950s are equipped with a landline phone.
The closest regional city that landed on the list is the Kansas City, Kansas, area at No. 18 with 24.8%, or about 211,000 homes, with landline phones.
In St. Joseph, Joe Kramer, a retired factory worker who also operates as an independent electrician, said he still sees a reason to have a landline phone. He uses his cell phone for personal calls and the landline for business inquiries and appointments.
“I know it’s not en vogue anymore but I find it better to keep my business phone separate from my personal phone,” he said. “I would rather only have to use my cell phone for a business call if I’m lost or something. Otherwise, I know this area well enough and my customers are good about keeping their appointments. I’d rather not take calls on the road.”
At the geographic level, similar trends hold, with locations that have an older housing stock and older population more likely to report higher rates of landline use.
To find the metropolitan areas where residents still have landlines, researchers at HireAHelper analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked locations according to the percentage of homes with a landline. Researchers also calculated the total number of homes with a landline, the percentage of householders 55 and over with a landline, and the percentage of householders 55 and over.
News-Press NOW reporter Andrew
Gaug contributed to this story.
