How Many Americans Have Smartphones (2013–2024)
With mobile commerce sales on the rise year after year, there’s no question that smartphones are one of the best ways ecommerce business owners can reach consumers.
But before heading to the drawing board to plan your mobile marketing strategy, there are key facts about smartphone usage you need to know. This includes the question: How many Americans have smartphones?
US cell phone ownership statistics by year: Table
|
Year |
US smartphone penetration |
|
2013 |
53% |
|
2014 |
61% |
|
2015 |
71% |
|
2016 |
76% |
|
2017 |
81% |
|
2018 |
83% |
|
2019 |
84% |
|
2020 |
85% |
|
2021 |
88% |
|
2022 |
88% |
|
2023 |
91% |
|
2024 |
90% |
Percentage of Americans with smartphones
The latest US cell phone ownership statistics by year show that the percentage of Americans with smartphones has been increasing over the past decade.
In 2013, smartphone penetration in the US was at 53%. In other words, just over half of all Americans owned a smartphone. Today, that number has surged to 90%, which is an estimated 258 million people.
Despite the jump, these smartphone penetration statistics also show that the increase in ownership has been decelerating in recent years. In fact, 2024 marks the first time the figure has fallen year on year. The fastest year-over-year increase from 2013 to 2024 came in 2015, when the percentage of Americans with smartphones rose by 10 percentage points from 61% in 2014, to 71%.
One of the main drivers behind the uptick in smartphone penetration in the US is the fast mobile internet connection speed its mobile operators offer. The latest data shows that mobile internet connection speeds in the US average 106.28 Mbps (megabits per second)—more than two times faster than the worldwide average of 48.61 Mbps.
Connection speeds also vary from operator to operator. According to the latest statistics, in Q4 2023, T-Mobile offered the fastest speed, reaching a median download speed of 188.96 Mbps. This is followed by Verizon Wireless, with 91.62 Mbps.
US smartphone penetration demographic breakdown
|
Age group |
Smartphone penetration rate |
|
18–29 |
97% |
|
30–49 |
97% |
|
50–64 |
89% |
|
65+ |
76% |
Smartphone penetration in the US appears to be higher among the younger age group. In fact, a survey shows that as many as 97% of US adults between the ages of 18 and 49 own smartphones.
This number decreases as we advance through the age groups: 89% of US adults between 50 and 64 years of age own smartphones, and this figure decreases to just three in four (76%) for those aged 65 and above.