More Americans are using their thumbs rather than their mouths to communicate. In figures released Dec. 15, 2009 by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of text messages sent in 2008 doubled from the previous year. In 2008, Americans sent more than 110 billion text messages. In comparison, only 48 billion messages were sent in 2007.
Interestingly, it appears as though Americans prefer to conserve their voices when contacting persons via cellphone. On average, they only spent 2.3 minutes each on a mobile phone call in 2008.
All in all, more than 270 million mobile phone and texting device users were accounted for in 2008. This number represents a 70% jump from 2003, when there were only around 159 million subscribers.
Merely 2.1 billion text messages were sent that year. That number has since risen more than 52 times in the six years leading to 2008’s record breaker. From two billion, the number of sent text messages rose to 4.7 billion in 2004, 9.8 billion the following year, 18.7 billion in 2006, and finally a quadruple billion in 2007.
Still, the average monthly cellphone bill relatively stayed the same throughout this six-year period. Since 2003, it has remained at approximately $55.
Talk time reached its pinnacle in 2004, even as call plans and mobile phones became increasingly available and affordable for everyday consumers. The average user talked for 3.05 minutes on the cellphone that year.
These numbers are largely based on a survey conducted by the nonprofit group known as the CTIA-Wireless Association. The Census Bureau used the data for their yearly Statistical Abstract, known in American terms as Uncle Sam’s Almanac.
Now on its 129th outing, the Statistical Abstract contains figures and tables about the economy, politics, society and everyday life in the United States. The abstract has been a traditional source of statistical information for many researchers and businesspersons.