If you use a cellphone instead of a landline, you aren’t alone. More people are dropping their landlines in exchange for a cellphone-only existence.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released estimates today showing a two year increase in Missouri and Illinois households making the switch to cellphones.
In Missouri:
- Only 10.1 percent of Missouri households relied on cellphones in 2007.
- That number climbed to 22.4 percent in 2009.
- In St. Louis County and St. Louis City that percentage was higher than the rest of the state --26.9 percent.
In Illinois:
- Almost 30 percent of Cook County residents over the age of 18 live in wireless-only households.
- In Madison and St. Clair counties that number is even higher, with an estimate of 31.5 percent.
- In the rest of Illinois, an estimated 22 percent of households use only cellphones.
The increased number of Missouri and Illinois households dropping their landlines follows a national trend, according to the data released by the CDC. In most state, between 15 and 25 percent of households use only cellphones. Some states saw their counties rank even higher, like Dallas County, Texas, which saw 43.2 percent of households switch to cellphones.
Some experts say the removal of landlines is due, in part, to people trying to save money.
