Nearly half of US homes use cellphones only, shun landlines

NEW YORK (AP) — A government official says Americans are approaching a tipping point in their telephone use — the day when cellphone-only users will outpace landline users.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 47 percent of American homes now use only cellphones. About 42 percent have both cellphones and landlines.

The new federal statistics show only about 8 percent of households having just landlines.

A dozen years ago, a mere 3 percent of US households used only cellphones. Given the trend, officials believe more than half of US homes will be wireless within the next year.

More than 3 percent of homes don’t have phones at all, and that group has been growing slightly over the past three years.

Poor adults and young people are most likely to rely on cellphone-only service.

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