Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–June 2011

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 for households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

		Household telephone status
Date of interview		Landline with wireless	Landline without wireless	Landline with unknown wireless	Nonlandline with unknown wireless	Wireless-only	Phoneless	Total
	Number of households (unweighted)	Percent of households
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
Jul–Dec 2009	21,375	58.2	14.9	0.4	0.0	24.5	2.0	100.0
Jan–Jun 2010	17,619	58.1	12.9	0.3	0.0	26.6	2.0	100.0
Jul–Dec 2010	16,676	55.0	12.9	0.3	0.1	29.7	2.0	100.0
Jan–Jun 2011	20,133	55.0	11.2	0.2	0.1	31.6	2.0	100.0
95% confidence interval¹		53.73–56.17	10.53–11.90	0.13–0.27	0.03–0.11	30.49–32.67	1.83–2.28	…

See footnotes at end of Table 1c.

Table 1b. Percent distribution of household telephone status for adults, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

		Household telephone status
Date of interview		Landline with wireless	Landline without wireless	Landline with unknown wireless	Nonlandline with unknown wireless	Wireless-only	Phoneless	Total
	Number of adults (unweighted)	Percent of adults
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
Jul–Dec 2009	40,619	62.5	12.6	0.3	0.0	22.9	1.7	100.0
Jan–Jun 2010	33,780	62.2	10.9	0.3	0.0	24.9	1.7	100.0
Jul–Dec 2010	31,791	59.4	10.7	0.3	0.1	27.8	1.8	100.0
Jan–Jun 2011	38,104	58.8	9.0	0.2	0.0	30.2	1.8	100.0
95% confidence interval¹		57.53–59.99	8.42–9.62	0.15–0.30	0.02–0.09	8.42–9.62	1.58–1.99	…

See footnotes at end of Table 1c.

Table 1c. Percent distribution of household telephone status for children, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

		Household telephone status
Date of interview		Landline with wireless	Landline without wireless	Landline with unknown wireless	Nonlandline with unknown wireless	Wireless-only	Phoneless	Total
	Number of children (unweighted)	Percent of children
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
Jul–Dec 2009	14,984	63.4	8.5	0.2	0.0	25.9	1.9	100.0
Jan–Jun 2010	12,234	62.8	6.4	0.1	–	29.0	1.7	100.0
Jul–Dec 2010	11,815	59.8	6.2	0.1	0.1	31.8	2.0	100.0
Jan–Jun 2011	13,753	56.7	5.1	0.1	0.0	36.4	1.7	100.0
95% confidence interval¹		54.90–58.48	4.44–5.81	0.05–0.29	0.02–0.15	34.81–37.96	1.39–2.03	…

0.0 Quantity is more than zero but less than 0.05.

… Category not applicable

– Quantity zero.

¹ Refers to the time period January through June 2011.

NOTE: Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

DATA SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, January 2008–June 2011.

Table 2

Table 2a. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by race/ethnicity and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Race/ethnicity	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s)	21.6	25.0	28.2	30.4	34.7	38.4	40.8	38.73–42.93
Non-Hispanic white, single race	14.6	16.6	19.7	21.0	22.7	25.0	27.6	26.30–28.86
Non-Hispanic black, single race	18.5	21.4	21.3	25.0	28.5	31.1	32.5	30.26–34.82
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race	16.5	17.8	18.0	20.6	18.8	27.0	27.7	24.79–30.88
Non-Hispanic other, single race	12.8	17.3	20.6	26.5	*16.1	31.9	33.8	27.12–41.16
Non-Hispanic multiple race	22.3	22.5	28.7	26.9	36.0	36.1	39.3	33.99–44.79

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2b. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by age and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Age	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
18–24 years	31.4	33.1	37.6	37.8	39.9	45.5	46.8	43.98–49.59
25–29 years	35.7	41.5	45.8	48.6	51.3	53.5	58.1	56.09–60.17
30–34 years	27.0	30.4	33.5	37.2	40.4	43.8	46.2	44.02–48.45
35–44 years	15.5	17.5	21.5	23.9	27.0	30.9	34.3	32.50–36.14
45–64 years	9.2	11.6	12.8	14.9	16.9	18.8	21.6	20.45–22.85
65 years and over	2.8	3.3	5.4	5.2	5.4	7.7	7.9	7.19–8.77

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2c. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by sex and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Sex	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Male	18.0	20.0	22.5	24.5	26.2	29.0	31.4	30.22–32.65
Female	14.4	17.0	19.8	21.3	23.7	26.8	29.1	27.94–30.19

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2d. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by education and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Education	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Some high school or less	16.1	18.8	22.2	24.7	28.6	29.2	32.1	30.15–34.09
High school graduate or GED²	15.2	17.8	20.8	22.9	23.6	27.6	30.8	29.22–32.51
Some post-high school, no degree	19.0	20.1	23.6	25.0	26.5	30.9	31.8	30.32–33.39
4-year college degree or higher	14.3	17.7	18.2	19.5	22.7	24.3	26.9	25.41–28.38

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2e. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by employment status last week and calendar half-years: United States, January January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Employment status last week	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Working at a job or business	19.0	21.5	24.3	26.0	28.5	31.5	34.2	32.91–35.54
Keeping house	12.6	16.0	16.6	20.5	22.7	25.8	31.2	29.05–33.37
Going to school	21.5	23.5	29.7	29.2	33.2	38.6	35.3	30.71–40.09
Something else (incl. unemployed)	8.9	11.0	14.0	15.9	16.8	19.2	21.0	19.86–22.08

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2f. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by household structure and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household structure	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Adult living alone	24.6	28.1	30.8	32.9	33.5	36.8	38.0	36.16–39.92
Unrelated adults, no children	63.1	60.6	68.5	62.9	69.4	69.7	71.3	60.13–80.41
Related adults, no children	12.5	14.7	16.8	17.1	19.1	22.1	23.2	22.00–24.52
Adult(s) with children	15.1	17.2	20.4	24.1	26.9	29.4	33.6	32.11–35.22

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2g. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by household poverty status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household poverty status³	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Poor	26.0	30.9	33.0	36.3	39.3	42.8	46.8	44.12–49.46
Near poor	22.6	23.8	26.5	29.0	32.9	35.2	38.1	35.73–40.61
Not poor	14.2	16.0	18.9	19.6	21.7	24.1	27.7	26.46–28.88

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2h. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by geographic region and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Geographic region⁴	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Northeast	9.8	11.4	14.6	15.1	15.8	17.2	18.8	16.71–21.17
Midwest	17.8	20.8	21.9	25.6	26.6	30.0	33.5	31.19–35.95
South	19.6	21.3	25.0	25.4	29.3	31.1	33.6	31.78–35.53
West	13.7	17.2	19.0	22.2	23.5	28.7	30.3	28.21–32.55

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2i. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by metropolitan statistical area status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Metropolitan statistical area status	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Metropolitan	17.5	19.7	22.4	24.2	26.5	29.1	31.4	30.20–32.59
Not metropolitan	10.9	13.5	16.5	17.9	19.3	22.9	25.6	23.28–28.01

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2j. Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households, by home ownership status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Home ownership status⁵	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Owned or being bought	9.0	9.9	12.8	14.0	15.5	17.7	20.6	19.56–21.71
Renting	33.6	39.2	40.9	43.1	47.1	50.3	52.5	50.85–54.17
Other arrangement	23.4	17.7	33.6	33.8	34.9	35.1	38.4	31.96–45.32

See footnotes at end of Table 2k.

Table 2k. Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011
Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample (unweighted)	4,939	4,426	5,078	9,401	8,659	9,228	11,872

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet NCHS standards for reliability or precision.

¹ Refers to the time period January through June 2011.

² GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

³Based 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.

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.

NOTE: Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

DATA SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, January 2008–June 2011.

Table 3

Table 3a. Percent distribution of race/ethnicity for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Race/ethnicity	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent distribution
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s)	18.1	18.5	18.4	18.5	19.4	19.5	19.0	17.22–20.98
Non-Hispanic white, single race	62.2	61.9	63.8	62.5	61.6	61.0	61.8	59.77–63.72
Non-Hispanic black, single race	13.2	13.3	11.7	12.7	13.3	13.0	12.5	11.20–13.83
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race	4.6	4.4	3.9	4.1	3.5	4.5	4.3	3.78–4.89
Non-Hispanic other, single race	0.6	0.6	0.7	1.0	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.59–1.11
Non-Hispanic multiple race	1.3	1.2	1.5	1.3	1.6	1.3	1.6	1.37–1.97
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Age	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent distribution
18–24 years	24.9	23.1	22.9	21.2	20.7	21.1	20.0	18.80–21.35
25–29 years	20.5	21.0	19.9	19.6	19.1	17.7	17.6	16.83–18.47
30–34 years	14.3	14.0	13.6	14.0	13.9	13.7	13.3	12.58–14.09
35–44 years	17.8	17.4	18.4	18.6	18.9	19.3	19.5	18.54–20.46
45–64 years	19.6	21.6	21.0	22.8	23.7	23.6	25.0	23.90–26.18
65 years and over	2.9	2.9	4.3	3.8	3.7	4.7	4.5	4.03–5.01
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Sex	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent distribution
Male	53.7	52.4	51.4	51.8	50.9	50.3	50.4	49.63–51.14
Female	46.3	47.6	48.6	48.2	49.1	49.7	49.6	48.86–50.37
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Education	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent distribution
Some high school or less	15.5	15.8	15.5	16.0	16.6	15.4	15.6	14.46–16.87
High school graduate or GED²	27.8	27.2	27.7	28.9	26.7	28.1	27.8	26.54–29.15
Some post-high school, no degree	33.9	31.7	33.3	32.9	32.0	32.7	32.2	30.95–33.48
4-year college degree or higher	22.8	25.3	23.5	22.3	24.7	23.9	24.3	23.01–25.74
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 last week for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Employment status last week	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Working at a job or business	75.9	74.5	71.1	69.1	69.7	68.8	68.5	67.39–69.67
Keeping house	5.0	5.3	4.5	5.3	5.3	5.5	5.9	5.47–6.36
Going to school	4.1	3.7	4.6	4.4	4.3	4.7	4.2	3.60–4.91
Something else (incl. unemployed)	13.7	15.4	18.7	20.2	19.5	20.0	20.3	19.37–21.34
Unknown, not reported	1.4	*1.1	1.1	1.1	1.3	1.1	1.0	0.71–1.45
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household structure	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Adult living alone	23.2	23.6	22.1	21.9	19.9	20.0	18.7	17.60–19.85
Unrelated adults, no children	6.4	5.2	5.4	4.1	4.1	4.0	4.3	3.45–5.26
Related adults, no children	35.1	36.9	36.0	34.0	35.1	36.0	35.3	33.89–36.80
Adult(s) with children	35.3	34.3	36.4	40.0	40.9	40.0	41.7	40.09–43.33
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, for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household poverty status³	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Poor	14.1	15.5	15.5	16.4	16.5	17.4	15.6	14.53–16.84
Near poor	18.1	16.8	17.9	18.5	19.8	18.6	17.7	16.45–19.01
Not poor	53.4	53.3	56.7	53.0	53.2	52.3	47.8	46.03–49.61
Unknown, not reported	14.4	14.4	10.0	12.2	10.6	11.7	18.8	17.63–20.13
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Geographic region⁴	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Northeast	10.7	11.3	12.2	12.1	11.4	11.0	11.1	9.88–12.46
Midwest	25.0	26.0	23.9	26.0	24.0	24.7	24.9	22.91–27.09
South	45.2	41.1	43.8	39.5	42.3	40.2	40.5	38.10–42.85
West	19.1	21.6	20.1	22.4	22.3	24.1	23.5	21.47–25.66
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Metropolitan statistical area status	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Metropolitan	85.9	85.1	83.3	83.7	83.2	82.7	82.8	80.31–84.97
Not metropolitan	14.1	14.9	16.7	16.3	16.8	17.3	17.2	15.03–19.69
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 for adults living in wireless-only households, by date of interview: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Home ownership status⁵	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Owned or being bought	39.2	37.1	42.1	42.3	43.7	43.3	47.0	45.14–48.92
Renting	58.1	61.1	55.0	54.3	53.5	54.2	49.9	48.05–51.84
Other arrangement	2.7	1.8	2.9	3.3	2.8	2.5	3.0	2.55–3.59
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 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011
Number of wireless-only adults in survey sample (unweighted)	4,939	4,426	5,078	9,401	8,659	9,228	11,872

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet NCHS standards for reliability or precision.

… Category not applicable.

¹ Refers to the time period January through June 2011.

² GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

³ 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.

NOTE: Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

DATA SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, January 2008–June 2011.

Table 4

Table 4a. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health-related behaviors for adults aged 18 and over, by household telephone status: United States, January–June 2011

	Household telephone status
Health-related behaviors	Landline¹	Wireless-only	Phoneless
	Percent (95% confidence interval)
Five or more alcoholic drinks in 1 day at least once in past year²	18.2 (17.20–19.33)	31.0 (29.16–32.90)	20.3 (15.76–25.84)
Current smoker³	16.5 (15.46–17.70)	25.2 (23.74–26.62)	26.6 (21.40–32.43)
Engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity⁴	34.7 (33.37–35.95)	39.3 (37.74–40.92)	33.0 (27.07–39.44)

See footnotes at end of Table 4e.

Table 4b. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health status for adults aged 18 and over, by household telephone status: United States, January–June 2011

	Household telephone status
Health status	Landline¹	Wireless-only	Phoneless
	Percent (95% confidence interval)
Health status described as excellent or very good⁵	58.8 (57.39–60.15)	61.7 (59.86–63.42)	50.6 (44.26–56.86)
Experienced serious psychological distress in past 30 days⁶	3.2 (2.77–3.72)	4.1 (3.57–4.70)	6.1 (3.90–9.32)
Obese (adults aged 20 and over)⁷	29.5 (28.43–30.53)	29.1 (27.58–30.63)	30.2 (24.61–36.48)
Asthma episode in past year⁸	3.7 (3.27–4.14)	4.2 (3.65–4.90)	5.7 (3.23–9.83)
Ever diagnosed with diabetes⁹	10.2 (9.54–10.85)	6.0 (5.28–6.82)	7.3 (4.62–11.28)

See footnotes at end of Table 4e.

Table 4c. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health care service use for adults aged 18 and over, by household telephone status: United States, January–June 2011

	Household telephone status
Health care service use	Landline¹	Wireless-only	Phoneless
	Percent (95% confidence interval)
Received influenza vaccine during past year¹⁰	42.8 (41.46–44.12)	28.0 (26.54–29.41)	26.4 (21.20–32.42)
Ever been tested for HIV¹¹	31.4 (30.20–32.65)	44.9 (43.28–46.62)	49.2 (42.22–56.30)

See footnotes at end of Table 4e.

Table 4d. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals) for selected measures of health care access for adults aged 18 and over, by household telephone status: United States, January–June 2011

	Household telephone status
Health care access	Landline¹	Wireless-only	Phoneless
	Percent (95% confidence interval)
Has a usual place to go for medical care¹²	89.0 (88.16–89.78)	74.5 (72.98–76.05)	74.2 (68.59–79.15)
Failed to obtain needed medical care in past year due to financial barriers¹³	6.8 (6.29–7.42)	13.4 (12.35–14.50)	12.7 (9.19–17.30)
Currently uninsured (adults aged 18–64)¹⁴	16.8 (15.81–17.87)	27.5 (25.86–29.28)	32.5 (26.60–38.93)

See footnotes at end of Table 4e.

Table 4e. Number of adults in survey sample, by household telephone status: United States, January–June 2011

	Household telephone status
	Landline¹	Wireless-only	Phoneless
Number of adults in survey sample (unweighted)	10,726	5,912	360

¹Includes 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 Defined as a person who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime and now smokes 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 and over because the Healthy People 2020 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 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).

¹²Does 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).

¹⁴A 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).

NOTE: Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

DATA SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, January–June 2011.

Table 5

Table 5a. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Total	14.4	15.4	16.2	16.3	17.7	17.4	18.2	17.43–19.01

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5b. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by race/ethnicity and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Race/ethnicity	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Hispanic or Latino, any race(s)	16.0	15.9	18.0	16.9	19.7	17.2	16.3	14.92–17.73
Non-Hispanic white, single race	14.2	14.9	15.6	16.1	17.2	17.2	18.4	17.43–19.46
Non-Hispanic black, single race	13.3	14.7	15.0	16.2	17.5	16.2	18.4	16.80–20.13
Non-Hispanic Asian, single race	16.4	20.3	19.6	18.5	20.8	22.5	21.0	18.72–23.58
Non-Hispanic other, single race	*10.1	15.5	22.9	*16.1	*12.3	23.8	17.6	11.73–25.67
Non-Hispanic multiple race	17.7	24.2	22.5	18.2	21.0	20.7	16.1	12.66–20.28

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5c. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by age and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Age	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
18-24 years	19.2	18.8	20.0	19.9	21.4	18.7	20.1	17.93–22.52
25-29 years	17.3	18.3	17.7	16.4	17.4	16.8	16.3	14.58–18.24
30-44 years	18.2	19.0	20.3	19.5	21.2	21.6	21.9	20.65–23.14
45-64 years	13.8	15.4	16.5	17.5	19.0	18.9	19.8	18.75–20.92
65 years and over	4.4	4.9	5.3	6.3	7.0	7.1	8.9	8.06–9.93

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5d. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by sex and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Sex	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Male	14.9	15.4	16.2	16.5	18.1	17.8	18.5	17.60–19.44
Female	14.0	15.2	16.1	16.2	17.4	17.1	17.9	17.15–18.72

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5e. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by education and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Education	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Some high school or less	10.0	9.8	12.1	11.5	12.0	12.1	12.9	11.76–14.05
High school graduate or GED²	12.5	13.2	13.7	14.2	16.0	15.3	16.6	15.49–17.73
Some post-high school, no degree	17.0	18.6	17.7	18.1	20.1	18.9	20.0	18.74–21.43
4-year college degree or higher	17.1	18.0	19.7	19.7	20.3	21.3	21.1	19.78–22.42

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5f. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by employment status last week and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Employment status last week	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Working at a job or business	17.3	18.4	19.5	19.7	20.8	20.5	21.6	20.59–22.57
Keeping house	11.9	11.9	12.7	15.1	14.5	16.7	14.9	13.19–16.75
Going to school	25.2	21.5	21.1	21.7	23.5	24.4	23.5	17.62–30.56
Something else (incl. unemployed)	6.6	7.8	9.0	9.0	11.5	10.2	11.3	10.61–12.06

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5g. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by household structure and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household structure	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Adult living alone	10.1	12.2	10.0	10.6	10.1	9.5	10.2	9.27–11.24
Unrelated adults, no children	*15.4	21.3	13.9	15.5	13.4	13.4	*15.6	7.83–28.70
Related adults, no children	12.8	13.2	14.7	15.0	15.7	15.8	17.2	16.08–18.28
Adult(s) with children	18.1	19.2	20.5	20.2	23.3	22.7	22.8	21.56–24.10

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5h. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by household poverty status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Household poverty status³	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Poor	10.8	9.5	11.0	10.0	11.0	10.2	10.5	8.55–12.73
Near poor	10.3	11.3	12.0	12.7	12.6	13.8	13.3	11.93–14.83
Not poor	17.1	18.2	18.8	19.2	20.8	20.4	21.6	20.53–22.65

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5i. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by geographic region and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Geographic region⁴	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Northeast	13.8	12.0	15.3	14.9	17.1	18.5	19.5	17.51–21.58
Midwest	12.6	13.2	14.6	14.7	17.5	16.3	17.7	15.95–19.50
South	14.6	16.2	16.7	17.3	18.1	17.2	18.0	16.77–19.28
West	16.4	18.7	17.7	17.7	17.8	18.0	18.1	16.62–19.71

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5j. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by metropolitan statistical area status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Metropolitan statistical area status	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Metropolitan	15.0	15.8	16.9	16.8	18.0	17.8	18.4	17.57–19.32
Not metropolitan	12.1	13.4	13.5	14.5	16.5	16.1	17.3	15.64–19.18

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5k. Percentage of adults living in wireless-mostly households, by home ownership status and calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
Home ownership status⁵	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011	95% confidence interval¹
	Percent
Owned or being bought	14.7	15.9	17.2	17.5	19.6	19.4	20.0	19.01–20.95
Renting	13.9	13.0	13.9	13.6	13.9	13.0	13.9	12.83–14.98
Other arrangement	14.8	24.6	13.8	15.8	10.8	15.6	20.0	11.75–31.93

See footnotes at end of Table 5l.

Table 5l. Number of adults in survey sample who live in landline households with wireless telephones, by calendar half-years: United States, January 2008–June 2011

	Calendar half-year
	Jan–Jun 2008	Jul–Dec 2008	Jan–Jun 2009	Jul–Dec 2009	Jan–Jun 2010	Jul–Dec 2010	Jan–Jun 2011
Number of adults in survey sample who live in landline households with wireless telephones (unweighted)	18,664	14,816	14,886	24,904	20,610	18,357	21,626

* Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 30% and does not meet NCHS standards for reliability or precision.

¹Refers to the time period January through June 2011.

²GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

⁴In 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.

⁵For 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.

NOTE: Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

DATA SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, January 2008–June 2011.