Which Is the Most-Used Device to Connect to the Internet?
The number of internet users in the United States has increased steadily in recent years. In 2024, 331 million Americans have internet access, a 0.5% increase from the previous year and accounting for 97.1% of the US population.
For ecommerce store owners, understanding how people go online is crucial for the successful execution of marketing strategies. Which is the most-used device to connect to the internet? Here’s a look at the data.
Devices used in the US to connect to the internet: table
|
Device |
Percentage of US internet users using each device to access the internet |
|
Mobile phone (any) |
96.2% |
|
Smartphone |
94.6% |
|
Laptop or desktop (any) |
72.8% |
|
Personal laptop or desktop |
65.3% |
|
Connected television |
42.5% |
|
Tablet device |
41.7% |
|
Smart home device |
30.6% |
|
Work laptop or desktop |
28.3% |
|
Games console |
27.7% |
|
Feature phone |
3.6% |
Which is the most-used device to connect to the internet?
The latest data shows that mobile phones are the most-used device for internet access in the US. In 2024, 96.2% of internet users there aged 16 to 64 connect through a mobile phone, with 94.6% using a smartphone. This dominance reflects the convenience of mobile connectivity for social media, information access, and daily tasks.
These figures align closely with global data, with 95.9% of internet users worldwide accessing the internet via a mobile phone and 93.7% using smartphones. The high numbers are a strong indication of global consumers’ high reliance on mobile devices for internet access.
Laptops and desktops are also popular for internet access but trail behind mobile devices. In the US, 72.8% of users access the internet via laptops or desktops, which is notably higher than the 62.2% global rate. Breaking this down further, we see that close to two-thirds (65.3%) of Americans use their personal laptops or desktops to go online, while 28.3% do so on company-provided ones.
Connected televisions are used by 42.5% of US users. This compares to 31.5% globally, suggesting a higher smart TV adoption rate in the US. When it comes to tablet devices, more than two in five (41.7%) internet users in the US use them to go online.
The data reveals that smart home devices are also relatively popular. Gadgets such as Amazon Echo or Google Home are used by 30.6% of US users, compared to 18.1% globally. Games consoles are used by 27.7% of US users to access the internet and feature phones complete the list, used by 3.6% of users.
The differences in device preferences between the US and the global average provide insights into consumer habits. Mobile phones, especially smartphones, are the dominant way to access the internet. However, higher adoption rates of connected TVs, tablets, and smart home devices in the US suggest a more diverse array of devices, offering marketers opportunities to target specific user preferences effectively.