United States: number of phones, radios and TVs 1876-1986| ��ƽ��

Number of telephones in use and households with radio and television sets in the United States from 1876 to 1986 (in 1,000s)

Characteristic	Telephone (total)	Radio (households)	TV (households)
1986	-	90,000	87,000
1985	-	88,000	86,000
1984	-	87,000	85,000
1983	-	87,000	84,000
1982	176,391	85,000	83,000
1981	181,892	83,000	82,000
1980	180,424	81,000	80,000
1979	175,535	79,000	76,000
1978	169,027	77,000	74,000
1977	162,072	75,000	73,000
1976	155,173	74,000	71,000
1975	149,008	73,000	70,000
1974	143,979	71,000	70,000
1973	138,286	69,000	69,000
1972	131,108	67,000	67,000
1971	125,142	65,000	65,000
1970	120,218	64,000	63,000
1969	115,222	61,000	58,000
1968	109,256	59,000	57,000
1967	103,752	58,000	55,000
1966	98,787	57,000	54,000
1965	93,656	55,000	53,000
1964	88,793	54,000	52,000
1963	84,453	52,000	50,000
1962	80,969	51,000	49,000
1961	77,422	51,000	47,000
1960	74,342	50,000	46,000
1959*	70,820	49,000	44,000
1958	66,645	49,000	42,000
1957	63,624	48,000	39,000
1956	60,190	47,000	35,000
1955	56,243	46,000	31,000
1954	52,806	45,000	26,000
1953	50,373	45,000	20,000
1952	48,056	43,000	15,000
1951	45,636	42,000	10,000
1950	43,004	41,000	3,900
1949	40,709	39,000	940
1948	38,205	38,000	172
1947	34,867	36,000	14
1946	31,611	34,000	8
1945	27,867	33,000	-
1944	26,859	32,500	-
1943	26,381	30,800	-
1942	24,919	30,600	-
1941	23,521	29,300	-
1940	21,928	28,500	-
1939	20,831	27,500	-
1938	19,953	26,667	-
1937	19,453	24,500	-
1936	18,433	22,869	-
1935	17,424	21,456	-
1934	16,869	20,400	-
1933	16,628	19,250	-
1932	17,341	18,450	-
1931	19,602	16,700	-
1930	20,103	13,750	-
1929	19,970	10,250	-
1928	19,256	8,000	-
1927	18,446	6,750	-
1926	17,680	4,500	-
1925	16,875	2,750	-
1924	16,015	1,250	-
1923	15,316	400	-
1922	14,294	60	-
1921	13,817	-	-
1920	13,273	-	-
1919	12,669	-	-
1918	12,078	-	-
1917	11,717	-	-
1916	11,241	-	-
1915	10,524	-	-
1914	10,046	-	-
1913	9,543	-	-
1912	8,730	-	-
1911	8,349	-	-
1910	7,635	-	-
1909	6,996	-	-
1908	6,484	-	-
1907	6,119	-	-
1906	4,933	-	-
1905	4,127	-	-
1904	3,353	-	-
1903	2,809	-	-
1902	2,371	-	-
1901	1,801	-	-
1900	1,356	-	-
1899	1,005	-	-
1898	681	-	-
1897	515	-	-
1896	404	-	-
1895	340	-	-
1894	285	-	-
1893	266	-	-
1892	261	-	-
1891	239	-	-
1890	228	-	-
1889	212	-	-
1888	195	-	-
1887	181	-	-
1886	167	-	-
1885	156	-	-
1884	148	-	-
1883	124	-	-
1882	98	-	-
1881	71	-	-
1880	48	-	-
1879	31	-	-
1878	26	-	-
1877	9	-	-
1876	3	-	-

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Release date

1993

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Region

United States

Survey time period

1876 to 1986

Supplementary notes

Figures for telephones refer to the total number of telephones in use across the United States, whereas figures for radio and TV refer to the number of households with sets.
Figures for radio and TV are mid-year totals until 1969, and end of year totals from 1970 on.
*Includes Alaska and Hawaii from 1959 on.

Citation formats

In the United States, the expansion of communication technology in the 20^th century transformed everyday life for American citizens. The patent for the telephone was granted in 1876, and by the end of the century there were over a million units operational across the country. Radio technology was also developed in the late 19^th century, but its commercial application was not in effect until the 1920s - however, as radio transmissions were wireless they required less infrastructural investment, and more individual households owned a radio in the 1930s than the total number of telephones in use across the country.

It was not until after the Second World War that TV ownership became widespread in the U.S., and it was the most quickly-adopted of the three major technologies, with ownership reaching a similar level to radio ownership by the 1960s. In 1962, there were 53 million households in the U.S., 50 million owned a radio, while 46 million owned a TV.