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NCHS

Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January - June 2009

by Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., and Julian V. Luke, Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics

Table 1

Table 1a. Percent distribution of household telephone status, by date of interview, for households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Household telephone status
Landline households with a wireless telephone Landline households without a wireless telephone Landline households with unknown wireless telephone status Nonlandline households with unknown wireless telephone status Wireless-only households Phoneless households Total
Date of interview Number of households (unweighted) Percent of households
Jan-Jun 2006 16,009 45.6 30.9 10.3 0.7 10.5 2.0 100.0
Jul-Dec 2006 13,056 44.3 29.6 10.2 0.8 12.8 2.2 100.0
Jan-Jun 20071 15,996 58.9 23.8 1.7 0.1 13.6 1.9 100.0
Jul-Dec 2007 13,083 58.8 21.8 1.3 0.1 15.8 2.2 100.0
Jan-Jun 2008 16,070 58.5 20.6 0.9 0.0 17.5 2.5 100.0
Jul-Dec 2008 12,597 59.6 17.4 0.9 0.0 20.2 1.9 100.0
Jan-Jun 2009 12,447 59.4 15.5 0.4 0.0 22.7 1.9 100.0
95% confidence interval2 57.84-60.90 14.38-16.77 0.30-0.64 0.01-0.05 21.29-24.25 1.59-2.24

See footnotes at end of Table 1c.

Table 1b. Percent distribution of household telephone status, by date of interview, for adults: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Household telephone status
Landline households with a wireless telephone Landline households without a wireless telephone Landline households with unknown wireless telephone status Nonlandline households with unknown wireless telephone status Wireless-only households Phoneless households Total
Date of interview Number of adults (unweighted) Percent of adults
Jan-Jun 2006 29,842 49.5 28.2 10.4 0.6 9.6 1.8 100.0
Jul-Dec 2006 24,473 48.1 27.3 10.5 0.7 11.8 1.7 100.0
Jan-Jun 20071 29,982 63.3 20.8 1.7 0.1 12.6 1.6 100.0
Jul-Dec 2007 24,514 63.2 19.1 1.2 0.1 14.5 1.9 100.0
Jan-Jun 2008 30,150 63.0 17.9 0.8 0.0 16.1 2.1 100.0
Jul-Dec 2008 23,726 63.7 15.1 1.0 0.0 18.4 1.7 100.0
Jan-Jun 2009 23,632 63.5 13.4 0.4 0.0 21.1 1.5 100.0
95% confidence interval2 62.01-65.03 12.32-14.51 0.30-0.65 0.01-0.06 19.70-22.59 1.28-1.80

See footnotes at end of Table 1c.

Table 1c. Percent distribution of household telephone status, by date of interview, for children: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Household telephone status
Landline households with a wireless telephone Landline households without a wireless telephone Landline households with unknown wireless telephone status Nonlandline households with unknown wireless telephone status Wireless-only households Phoneless households Total
Date of interview Number of children (unweighted) Percent of children
Jan-Jun 2006 11,670 53.4 23.8 11.5 0.9 8.6 1.9 100.0
Jul-Dec 2006 9,165 51.9 21.5 11.9 0.9 11.6 2.3 100.0
Jan-Jun 20071 11,532 68.3 16.4 1.6 0.0 11.9 1.7 100.0
Jul-Dec 2007 9,122 68.5 13.8 1.1 0.0 14.4 2.1 100.0
Jan-Jun 2008 11,238 67.3 12.6 0.6 0.0 17.0 2.5 100.0
Jul-Dec 2008 8,635 67.1 11.1 0.7 0.0 18.7 2.4 100.0
Jan-Jun 2009 8,818 67.6 9.1 0.3 0.0 21.3 1.7 100.0
95% confidence interval2 65.34-69.76 7.95-10.29 0.17-0.66 0.00-0.06 19.32-23.35 1.30-2.34

0.0 means quantity is more than zero but less than 0.05.

0.00 means quantity is more than zero but less than 0.005.

1 Questionnaire changes that occurred in 2007 should be considered when evaluating recent trends in household telephone status. See text for more information about these changes.

2 Confidence intervals refer to the time period January through June 2009.

DATA SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, January 2006-June 2009. Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

Table 2

Table 2a. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by race and ethnicity and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Race/ethnicity Percent 95% confidence interval2
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s) 11.2 15.3 18.0 19.3 21.6 25.0 28.2 25.09-31.62
Non-Hispanic white, single race 9.0 10.8 11.3 12.9 14.6 16.6 19.7 18.22-21.34
Non-Hispanic black, single race 10.5 12.8 14.3 18.3 18.5 21.4 21.3 18.38-24.46
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race 10.2 11.8 10.6 12.1 16.5 17.8 18.0 14.55-22.01
Non-Hispanic other, single race 9.8 17.2 22.8 17.5 12.8 17.3 20.6 13.59-29.99
Non-Hispanic multiple race 15.4 14.6 17.3 22.8 22.3 22.5 28.7 22.24-36.27

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2b. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by age and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Age Percent 95% confidence interval2
18-24 years 22.6 25.2 27.9 30.6 31.4 33.1 37.6 33.78-41.62
25-29 years 22.3 29.1 30.6 34.5 35.7 41.5 45.8 42.34-49.31
30-34 years 12.1 17.6 16.5 22.0 27.0 30.4 33.5 30.07-37.19
35-44 years 8.2 10.1 10.8 12.5 15.5 17.5 21.5 19.84-23.18
45-64 years 5.3 6.1 7.1 8.0 9.2 11.6 12.8 11.58-14.04
65 years and over 1.3 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.8 3.3 5.4 4.41-6.65

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2c. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by sex and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Sex Percent 95% confidence interval2
Male 10.7 13.1 13.8 15.9 18.0 20.0 22.5 21.04-24.01
Female 8.5 10.5 11.5 13.2 14.4 17.0 19.8 18.30-21.43

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2d. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by education and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Education Percent 95% confidence interval2
Some high school or less 8.3 12.9 14.6 15.4 16.1 18.8 22.2 19.84-24.78
High school graduate or GED3 9.6 10.6 11.8 13.4 15.2 17.8 20.8 18.94-22.78
Some post-high school, no degree 11.9 14.4 14.7 17.0 19.0 20.1 23.6 21.57-25.76
4-year college degree or higher 8.5 10.1 10.8 12.7 14.3 17.7 18.2 16.24-20.35

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2e. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by employment status last week and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Employment status last week Percent 95% confidence interval2
Working at a job or business 11.6 13.9 15.0 16.6 19.0 21.5 24.3 22.60-26.03
Keeping house 7.1 8.6 9.5 12.8 12.6 16.0 16.6 14.15-19.28
Going to school 17.3 20.4 21.3 28.9 21.5 23.5 29.7 24.27-35.73
Something else (incl. unemployed) 4.2 6.2 6.4 7.6 8.9 11.0 14.0 12.70-15.35

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2f. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by household structure and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household structure Percent 95% confidence interval2
Adult living alone 16.2 18.2 20.3 22.9 24.6 28.1 30.8 28.18-33.48
Unrelated adults, no children 44.2 54.0 55.3 56.9 63.1 60.6 68.5 57.64-77.62
Related adults, no children 7.1 8.5 9.8 11.0 12.5 14.7 16.8 15.29-18.34
Adult(s) with children 8.6 10.5 11.3 13.0 15.1 17.2 20.4 18.54-22.34

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2g. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by household poverty status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009
Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household poverty status4 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Poor 15.8 22.4 21.6 27.4 26.0 30.9 33.0 29.76-36.51
Near poor 14.4 15.7 18.5 20.8 22.6 23.8 26.5 23.70-29.44
Not poor 9.4 11.3 10.6 11.9 14.2 16.0 18.9 17.34-20.64

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2h. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by geographic region and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Geographic region5 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Northeast 7.2 8.6 8.8 10.0 9.8 11.4 14.6 11.82-17.85
Midwest 10.2 11.4 14.0 15.3 17.8 20.8 21.9 19.49-24.48
South 11.4 14.0 14.9 17.1 19.6 21.3 25.0 22.70-27.51
West 7.8 11.0 10.9 12.9 13.7 17.2 19.0 16.57-21.69

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2i. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by metropolitan statistical area status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Metropolitan statistical area status Percent 95% confidence interval2
Metropolitan 10.3 12.7 13.7 15.5 17.5 19.7 22.4 20.72-24.08
Not metropolitan 7.0 8.0 8.4 10.0 10.9 13.5 16.5 14.04-19.36

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2j. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by home ownership status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Home ownership status6 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Owned or being bought 5.1 5.8 6.7 7.3 9.0 9.9 12.8 11.67-14.05
Renting 22.5 26.4 28.2 30.9 33.6 39.2 40.9 38.04-43.74
Other arrangement 10.7 *20.3 22.5 23.2 23.4 17.7 33.6 22.94-46.31

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2k. Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample (unweighted) 2,804 2,878 3,819 3,558 4,939 4,426 5,078

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards for reliability.

1 Questionnaire changes that occurred in 2007 should be considered when evaluating recent trends in household telephone status. See text for more information about these changes.

2 Confidence intervals refer to the time period January through June 2009.

3 GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

4 Poverty status is based on household income and household size using the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds. “Poor” persons are defined as those below the poverty threshold. “Near poor” persons have incomes of 100% to less than 200% of the poverty threshold. “Not poor” persons have incomes of 200% of the poverty threshold or greater. Early Release estimates stratified by poverty status are based on reported income only and may differ from similar estimates produced later that are based on both reported and imputed income. NCHS imputes income when income is unknown, but the imputed income file is not available until a few months after the annual release of National Health Interview Survey microdata. For households with multiple families, household income and household size were calculated as the sum of the multiple measures of family income and family size.

5 In the geographic classification of the U.S. population, states are grouped into the following four regions used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Northeast includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Midwest includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. South includes Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. West includes Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii.

6 For households with multiple families, home ownership status was determined by considering the reported home ownership status for each family. If any family reported owning the home, then the household level variable was classified as “owned or being bought” for all persons living in the household. If one family reported renting the home and another family reported “other arrangement,” then the household level variable was classified as “other arrangement” for all persons living in the household.

DATA SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, January 2006-June 2009. Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

Table 3

Table 3a. Percent distribution of race and ethnicity, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Race/ethnicity Percent 95% confidence interval2
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s) 15.2 17.1 18.9 18.0 18.1 18.5 18.4 15.8-21.4
Non-Hispanic white, single race 65.6 64.0 61.5 61.2 62.2 61.9 63.8 60.7-66.8
Non-Hispanic black, single race 12.5 12.4 12.9 14.4 13.2 13.3 11.7 10.1-13.5
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race 4.7 4.4 3.8 3.8 4.6 4.4 3.9 3.1-4.8
Non-Hispanic other, single race 0.6 0.9 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.5-1.2
Non-Hispanic multiple race 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.8 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.2-2.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3b. Percent distribution of age, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Age Percent 95% confidence interval2
18-24 years 30.5 27.6 28.4 27.2 24.9 23.1 22.9 20.6-25.4
25-29 years 21.1 22.7 22.3 22.1 20.5 21.0 19.9 18.3-21.7
30-34 years 11.0 12.9 11.3 13.0 14.3 14.0 13.6 12.2-15.1
35-44 years 16.8 16.6 16.3 16.3 17.8 17.4 18.4 17.0-19.9
45-64 years 18.5 17.6 19.1 18.9 19.6 21.6 21.0 19.3-22.7
65 years and over 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.9 2.9 4.3 3.5-5.2
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3c. Percent distribution of sex, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Sex Percent 95% confidence interval2
Male 54.1 53.9 52.9 53.0 53.7 52.4 51.4 50.1-52.8
Female 45.9 46.1 47.1 47.0 46.3 47.6 48.6 47.2-49.9
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3d. Percent distribution of education, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Education Percent 95% confidence interval2
Some high school or less 14.8 17.4 17.5 16.2 15.5 15.8 15.5 13.7-17.6
High school graduate or GED3 28.3 27.0 27.5 27.5 27.8 27.2 27.7 25.5-30.1
Some post-high school, no degree 34.7 34.2 32.7 32.9 33.9 31.7 33.3 31.1-35.5
4-year college degree or higher 22.1 21.4 22.3 23.4 22.8 25.3 23.5 21.1-26.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3e. Percent distribution of employment status by last week, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Employment status last week Percent 95% confidence interval2
Working at a job or business 78.6 76.7 77.1 74.3 75.9 74.5 71.1 69.4-72.9
Keeping house 5.2 4.9 5.2 5.6 5.0 5.3 4.5 3.9-5.3
Going to school 5.6 4.9 5.1 5.8 4.1 3.7 4.6 3.6-5.8
Something else (incl. unemployed) 10.3 13.0 12.1 13.1 13.7 15.4 18.7 17.2-20.2
Unknown, not reported 0.2 0.6 0.6 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.1 0.7-1.7
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3f. Percent distribution of household structure, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household structure Percent 95% confidence interval2
Adult living alone 25.4 24.2 25.1 24.4 23.2 23.6 22.1 20.2-24.1
Unrelated adults, no children 6.8 10.1 6.0 7.7 6.4 5.2 5.4 3.9-7.6
Related adults, no children 33.1 32.4 34.4 34.2 35.1 36.9 36.0 33.6-38.6
Adult(s) with children 34.6 33.3 34.6 33.7 35.3 34.3 36.4 33.8-39.2
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3g. Percent distribution of household poverty status, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household poverty status4 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Poor 12.7 15.7 14.6 16.1 14.1 15.5 15.5 13.5-17.7
Near poor 19.5 17.1 18.4 18.4 18.1 16.8 17.9 16.3-19.6
Not poor 47.9 46.2 50.5 49.7 53.4 53.3 56.7 53.6-59.7
Unknown, not reported 19.9 21.0 16.5 15.8 14.4 14.4 10.0 8.5-11.7
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3h. Percent distribution of geographic region, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Geographic region5 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Northeast 13.8 13.4 12.7 12.4 10.7 11.3 12.2 9.4-15.6
Midwest 24.1 22.2 25.1 24.6 25.0 26.0 23.9 19.6-28.8
South 44.1 44.4 42.6 42.7 45.2 41.1 43.8 38.4-49.2
West 18.0 20.0 19.7 20.4 19.1 21.6 20.1 16.8-24.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3i. Percent distribution of metropolitan statistical area status, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Metropolitan statistical area status Percent 95% confidence interval2
Metropolitan 84.4 86.7 86.1 86.9 85.9 85.1 83.3 79.4-86.6
Not metropolitan 15.6 13.3 13.9 13.1 14.1 14.9 16.7 13.5-20.6
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3j. Percent distribution of home ownership status, by date of interview, for adults living in wireless-only households: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Home ownership status6 Percent 95% confidence interval2
Owned or being bought 37.4 33.8 37.7 34.8 39.2 37.1 42.1 39.0-45.2
Renting 60.5 62.6 59.0 61.3 58.1 61.1 55.0 51.7-58.3
Other arrangement 2.1 3.7 3.3 3.8 2.7 1.8 2.9 1.7-5.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

See footnotes at end of Table 3k.

Table 3k. Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2006-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2006 Jul-Dec 2006 Jan-Jun 20071 Jul-Dec 20071 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample (unweighted) 2,804 2,878 3,819 3,558 4,939 4,426 5,078

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards for reliability.

1 Questionnaire changes that occurred in 2007 should be considered when evaluating recent trends in household telephone status. See text for more information about these changes.

2 Confidence intervals refer to the time period January through June 2009.

3 GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

4 Poverty status is based on household income and household size using the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds. “Poor” persons are defined as those below the poverty threshold. “Near poor” persons have incomes of 100% to less than 200% of the poverty threshold. “Not poor” persons have incomes of 200% of the poverty threshold or greater. Early Release estimates stratified by poverty status are based on reported income only and may differ from similar estimates produced later that are based on both reported and imputed income. NCHS imputes income when income is unknown, but the imputed income file is not available until a few months after the annual release of National Health Interview Survey microdata. For households with multiple families, household income and household size were calculated as the sum of the multiple measures of family income and family size.

5 In the geographic classification of the U.S. population, states are grouped into the following four regions used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Northeast includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Midwest includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. South includes Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. West includes Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii.

6 For households with multiple families, home ownership status was determined by considering the reported home ownership status for each family. If any family reported owning the home, then the household level variable was classified as “owned or being bought” for all persons living in the household. If one family reported renting the home and another family reported “other arrangement,” then the household level variable was classified as “other arrangement” for all persons living in the household.

DATA SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, January 2006-June 2009. Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

Table 4

Table 4a. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Total 12.6 14.0 14.4 15.4 16.2 15.23-17.17

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4b. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by race and ethnicity and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Race/ethnicity Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s) 13.2 14.5 16.0 15.9 18.0 16.02-20.13
Non-Hispanic white, single race 12.3 13.2 14.2 14.9 15.6 14.50-16.80
Non-Hispanic black, single race 11.9 15.1 13.3 14.7 15.0 12.88-17.34
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race 16.0 20.3 16.4 20.3 19.6 17.03-22.42
Non-Hispanic other, single race 14.6 *8.6 *10.1 15.5 22.9 13.97-35.08
Non-Hispanic multiple race 14.6 19.7 17.7 24.2 22.5 15.92-30.73

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4c. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by age and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Age Percent2 95% confidence interval1
18-24 years 17.3 18.2 19.2 18.8 20.0 17.92- 22.28
25-29 years 17.2 19.7 17.3 18.3 17.7 15.13-20.54
30-44 years 15.5 17.3 18.2 19.0 20.3 18.65-22.00
45-64 years 11.5 13.0 13.8 15.4 16.5 15.22-17.79
65 years and over 3.4 3.9 4.4 4.9 5.3 4.36-6.32

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4d. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by sex and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Sex Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Male 13.2 14.3 14.9 15.4 16.2 15.18-17.38
Female 12.0 13.6 14.0 15.2 16.1 15.18-17.09

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4e. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by education and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Education Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Some high school or less 8.0 8.7 10.0 9.8 12.1 10.48- 13.90
High school graduate or GED3 10.6 12.7 12.5 13.2 13.7 12.52-14.89
Some post-high school, no degree 15.7 16.6 17.0 18.6 17.7 16.26- 19.13
4-year college degree or higher 14.9 16.2 17.1 18.0 19.7 18.12- 21.42

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4f. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by employment status last week and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Employment status last week Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Working at a job or business 15.5 16.8 17.3 18.4 19.5 18.26- 20.76
Keeping house 9.3 10.4 11.9 11.9 12.7 10.91- 14.72
Going to school 17.2 20.4 25.2 21.5 21.1 17.49-25.13
Something else (incl. unemployed) 5.3 6.7 6.6 7.8 9.0 8.04-10.10

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4g. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by household structure and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household structure Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Adult living alone 10.8 10.7 10.1 12.2 10.0 8.73-11.50
Unrelated adults, no children 13.9 20.1 *15.4 21.3 13.9 8.19-22.62
Related adults, no children 11.6 12.1 12.8 13.2 14.7 13.38-16.22
Adult(s) with children 14.4 17.2 18.1 19.2 20.5 18.91-22.12

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4h. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by household poverty status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Household poverty status4 Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Poor 8.4 8.6 10.8 9.5 11.0 8.91-13.44
Near poor 9.7 11.4 10.3 11.3 12.0 10.24-14.00
Not poor 14.8 15.9 17.1 18.2 18.8 17.62-20.04

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4i. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by geographic region and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Geographic region5 Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Northeast 11.3 11.7 13.8 12.0 15.3 13.08-17.78
Midwest 10.6 13.3 12.6 13.2 14.6 12.67-16.77
South 13.8 14.3 14.6 16.2 16.7 15.21-18.22
West 13.7 15.9 16.4 18.7 17.7 15.75-19.85

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4j. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by metropolitan statistical area status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Metropolitan statistical area status Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Metropolitan 13.2 14.7 15.0 15.8 16.9 15.81-18.07
Not metropolitan 10.2 10.9 12.1 13.4 13.5 11.78-15.40

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4k. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by home ownership status and by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Home ownership status6 Percent2 95% confidence interval1
Owned or being bought 12.1 14.0 14.7 15.9 17.2 16.05-18.44
Renting 13.9 13.8 13.9 13.0 13.9 12.42-15.51
Other arrangement 12.2 14.1 14.8 24.6 13.8 9.66-19.36

See footnotes at end of Table 4l.

Table 4l. Number of adults in survey sample who live in landline households with wireless telephones, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2007-June 2009

Calendar half-year
Jan-Jun 2007 Jul-Dec 2007 Jan-Jun 2008 Jul-Dec 2008 Jan-Jun 2009
Number of adults in survey sample who live in landline households with wireless telephones (unweighted) 3,733 3,435 4,302 3,663 3,908

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards for reliability.

1 Confidence intervals refer to the estimate of the percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households for the time period January through June 2009.

2 The sum of the percentage of adults in households that receive all or nearly all calls on wireless phones (shown here) and the percentage of adults in households that receive some or very few calls on wireless phones (data not shown) is equal to the percentage of adults living in landline households with wireless telephones (see Table 1).

3 GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

4 Poverty status is based on household income and household size using the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds. “Poor” persons are defined as those below the poverty threshold. “Near poor” persons have incomes of 100% to less than 200% of the poverty threshold. “Not poor” persons have incomes of 200% of the poverty threshold or greater. Early Release estimates stratified by poverty status are based on reported income only and may differ from similar estimates produced later that are based on both reported and imputed income. NCHS imputes income when income is unknown, but the imputed income file is not available until a few months after the annual release of National Health Interview Survey microdata. For households with multiple families, household income and household size were calculated as the sum of the multiple measures of family income and family size.

5 In the geographic classification of the U.S. population, states are grouped into the following four regions used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Northeast includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Midwest includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. South includes Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. West includes Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii.

6 For households with multiple families, home ownership status was determined by considering the reported home ownership status for each family. If any family reported owning the home, then the household level variable was classified as “owned or being bought” for all persons living in the household. If one family reported renting the home and another family reported “other arrangement,” then the household level variable was classified as “other arrangement” for all persons living in the household.

DATA SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, January 2007-June 2009. Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

Table 5

Table 5a. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health-related behaviors for adults aged 18 years and over, by household telephone status: United States, January-June 2009

Household telephone service
Landline household1 Wireless-only household Phoneless household
Health-related behaviors Percent (95% confidence interval)
Five or more alcoholic drinks in 1 day at least once in past year2 19.3 (17.87-20.80) 35.3 (32.50-38.20) 27.4 (20.02-36.24)
Current smoker3 17.9 (16.64-19.21) 28.4 (25.98-31.02) 29.4 (22.53-37.37)
Engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity4 34.6 (33.00-36.27) 37.2 (34.49-39.97) 24.3 (17.74-32.23)

See footnotes at end of Table 5e.

Table 5b. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health status for adults aged 18 years and over, by household telephone status: United States, January-June 2009

Household telephone service
Landline household1 Wireless-only household Phoneless household
Health status Percent (95% confidence interval)
Health status described as excellent or very good5 59.3 (57.54-60.95) 64.5 (61.73-67.20) 55.8 (47.66-63.74)
Experienced serious psychological distress in past 30 days6 2.7 (2.27-3.31) 4.6 (3.67-5.68) 6.2 (3.58-10.68)
Obese (adults aged 20 years and over)7 28.0 (26.52-29.49) 26.8 (24.48-29.28) 23.4 (17.58-30.33)
Asthma episode in past year8 3.8 (3.25-4.34) 4.2 (3.35-5.27) *1.8 (0.75-4.39)
Ever diagnosed with diabetes9 10.8 (9.89-11.76) 4.5 (3.55-5.59) 6.2 (3.71-10.29)

See footnotes at end of Table 5e.

Table 5c. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health care service use for adults aged 18 years and over, by household telephone status: United States, January-June 2009

Household telephone service
Landline household1 Wireless-only household Phoneless household
Health care service use Percent (95% confidence interval)
Received influenza vaccine during past year10 39.0 (37.68-40.39) 22.3 (20.22-24.44) 18.9 (12.72-27.22)
Ever been tested for HIV11 37.1 (35.24-39.02) 48.6 (45.52-51.75) 39.7 (31.68-48.27)

See footnotes at end of Table 5e.

Table 5d. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health care access for adults aged 18 years and over, by household telephone status: United States, January-June 2009

Household telephone service
Landline household1 Wireless-only household Phoneless household
Health care access Percent (95% confidence interval)
Has a usual place to go for medical care12 86.5 (85.26-87.60) 69.8 (67.16-72.29) 59.3 (50.47-67.48)
Failed to obtain needed medical care in past year due to financial barriers13 7.1 (6.32-7.96) 14.8 (13.10-16.63) 14.2 (9.45-20.92)
Currently uninsured (adults aged 18-64 years)14 13.7 (12.51-15.02) 29.4 (26.93-32.04) 45.0 (36.74-53.58)

See footnotes at end of Table 5e.

Table 5e. Number of adults in survey sample, by household telephone status: United States, January-June 2009

Household telephone service
Landline household1 Wireless-only household Phoneless household
Number of adults in survey sample (unweighted) 7,463 2,590 205

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet National Center for Health Statistics standards for reliability.

1 In this analysis, landline households include households that also have wireless telephone service.

2 A year is defined as the 12 months prior to interview. The analyses excluded adults with unknown alcohol consumption (about 2% of respondents each year).

3 Current smokers were defined as those who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day or some days. The analyses excluded persons with unknown smoking status (about 1% of respondents each year).

4 Regular leisure-time physical activity is defined as engaging in light-moderate leisure-time physical activity for greater than or equal to 30 minutes at a frequency greater than or equal to five times per week or engaging in vigorous leisure-time physical activity for greater than or equal to 20 minutes at a frequency greater than or equal to three times per week. Persons who were known to have not met the frequency recommendations are classified as “not regular, ” regardless of duration. The analyses excluded persons with unknown physical activity participation (about 3% of respondents each year).

5 Health status data were obtained by asking respondents to assess their own health and that of family members living in the same household as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. The analyses excluded persons with unknown health status (about 0.5% of respondents each year).

6 Six psychological distress questions are included in the National Health Interview Survey. These questions ask how often during the past 30 days a respondent experienced certain symptoms of psychological distress (feeling so sad that nothing could cheer you up, nervous, restless or fidgety, hopeless, worthless, that everything was an effort). The response codes (0-4) of the six items for each person were equally weighted and summed. A value of 13 or more for this scale indicates that at least one symptom was experienced “most of the time” or “all of the time” and is used here to define serious psychological distress.

7 Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more. The measure is based on self-reported height and weight. The analyses excluded people with unknown height or weight (about 4% of respondents each year). Estimates of obesity are presented for adults aged 20 years and over because the Healthy People 2010 objectives for healthy weight among adults define adults as persons aged 20 and over.

8 Information on an episode of asthma or an asthma attack during the past year is self-reported by adults aged 18 years and over. A year is defined as the 12 months prior to interview. The analyses excluded people with unknown asthma episode status (about 0.3% of respondents each year).

9 Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is based on self-report of ever having been diagnosed with diabetes by a doctor or other health professional. Persons reporting “borderline” diabetes status and women reporting diabetes only during pregnancy were not coded as having diabetes in the analyses. The analyses excluded persons with unknown diabetes status (about 0.1% of respondents each year).

10 Receipt of flu shots and receipt of nasal spray flu vaccinations were included in the calculation of flu vaccination estimates. Responses to these two flu vaccination questions do not indicate when the subject received the flu vaccination during the 12 months preceding the interview. In addition, estimates are subject to recall error, which will vary depending on when the question is asked because the receipt of a flu vaccination is seasonal. The analyses excluded those with unknown flu vaccination status (about 1% of respondents each year).

11 Individuals who received human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing solely as a result of blood donation were considered not to have been tested for HIV. The analyses excluded those with unknown HIV test status (about 4% of respondents each year).

12 The usual place to go for medical care does not include a hospital emergency room. The analyses excluded persons with an unknown usual place to go for medical care (about 0.6% of respondents each year).

13 A year is defined as the 12 months prior to interview. The analyses excluded persons with unknown responses to the question on failure to obtain needed medical care due to cost (about 0.5% of respondents each year).

14 A person was defined as uninsured if he or she did not have any private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), state-sponsored or other government-sponsored health plan, or military plan at the time of the interview. A person was also defined as uninsured if he or she had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service, such as accidents or dental care. The data on health insurance status were edited using an automated system based on logic checks and keyword searches. The analyses excluded persons with unknown health insurance status (about 1% of respondents each year).

DATA SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2009. Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

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