The big picture: Arbitron maps US cell-onlys

Population estimates are based on the company’s own survey data from 151 markets where it uses a diary-based method of measuring radio listening habits. This data is combined with information from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) – the latest figures from which suggest one in five US homes have ditched landline telephones.

Arbitron estimates that cellphone-only penetration rates vary from as low as 5% in Hamptons-Riverhead, New York, to as high as 38% in Bryan-College Station, Texas. NHIS has previously mapped penetration rates at the state level.

Download a high-res version of Arbitron’s map here. And click here to listen to our recent podcast discussing the impact rising numbers of cell-only households are having on the telephone research process.