The Average U.S. Household Spends $1,141 Per Year on Cable & Internet Bills
doxo, the innovative web and mobile bill pay service, released its U.S. Cable & Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report for 2021, revealing that Americans spend $147 billion annually on Cable & Internet bills.
A statistical analysis of actual household payments toward Cable & Internet bills was used to size the market and amount spent per household across 37,000+ (90%) U.S. zip codes. The report found that 82% of U.S. households with a Cable & Internet bill spend $116 per month, or $1,392 per year – or $1,141 per year when averaging across all U.S. households. The report also breaks out the U.S. household spending market size; the percentage of households that pay each bill; and average monthly and annual bill pay costs by state, largest metro areas and cities based on population.
As many people worked from home over the past year, they needed to adjust the amount spent on Cable & Internet to meet their increased usage needs. doxoINSIGHTS’ U.S. Cable & Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report is particularly timely given the recent launch of the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which will provide a subsidy of up to $50 per month for Internet service for those who qualify. Given that the average household in the U.S. spends $116 per month on Cable & Internet, this benefit could cut consumers’ monthly bill in half, saving them up to 43% per month and upwards of $600 per year.
How the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Will Help Reduce Consumer Spend on Monthly Cable & Internet Bills
Average Household Spendper Month on Cable/Internet |
Adjusted Average SpendWith $50 EmergencyBroadband Benefit |
Percentage Saved Per Monthwith Emergency BroadbandBenefit |
$116 |
$66 |
43% |
To learn how the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program will benefit consumer spending on monthly Cable & Internet Bills broken down by U.S. State and top 25 U.S. Metro area, please see here.
“doxoINSIGHTS’ Cable & Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report leverages our proprietary dataset to help make the U.S. bill pay economy transparent and understandable for all,” said Jim Kreyenhagen, VP of Marketing and Consumer Services at doxo. “Alongside our app—which simplifies the task of staying on top of bills to help improve financial health—these reports support doxo’s ongoing mission to empower our consumer users, billers, and financial service providers alike to make better decisions.”
The doxo Report Findings:
doxoINSIGHTS leverages doxo’s unique, aggregate, anonymized bill pay data comprised of actual bill payment activity to confirm household service providers across the country. The U.S. Cable & Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report breaks out the household spending market size; the percentage of households that pay each bill; and average monthly and annual bill pay costs by state, largest metro areas and cities based on population. Key findings include the following:
- Total Market Size: $147 billion spent per year
- Average Monthly/Annual Cost: $116 spent per month; $1,392 spent per year
- Percent of Households: 82% of U.S. households pay Cable & Internet bills
- Average Annual Cost per U.S. Household: $1,141 per year*
- Percent of Annual Income: Cable & Internet bills amount to 2% of consumers’ income per year
States with the Highest Cable & Internet Bills
State |
Monthly Amount |
Yearly Amount |
% of Households w/ Bill |
Alaska |
$148 |
$1,776 |
78% |
New Hampshire |
$147 |
$1,762 |
84% |
Vermont |
$141 |
$1,689 |
69% |
New York |
$132 |
$1,580 |
72% |
New Jersey |
$130 |
$1,562 |
65% |
Access Cable & Internet Household Bill Pay Data for all 50 states here.
Metro Areas With the Highest Cable & Internet Bills
Metro Area |
Monthly Amount |
Yearly Amount |
% of Households w/ Bill |
New York |
$133 |
$1,593 |
67% |
Boston |
$129 |
$1,552 |
66% |
St. Louis |
$125 |
$1,503 |
89% |
Los Angeles |
$123 |
$1,479 |
84% |
Kansas City |
$121 |
$1,448 |
79% |
Access Cable & Internet Household Bill Pay Data for the Top 25 Metro Areas here.
For more information, or to view the entire report, visit www.doxo.com/insights/.
*Average Monthly Bill x % of Households with Bill x 12 months per year = Average Annual Cost per U.S. Household.