Landlines were once an essential way for Americans to communicate with each other. These days, cell phones are a more convenient and versatile option, meaning many homes are completely forgoing a landline.
This infographic from Ooma shows us just how drastic this change is. They show us which states have the most and least landlines and track the change in number of landlines by decade. Data starts in 1960 and takes us up to 2018.
Following the peaks and valleys of the graph, it becomes clear that the number of landlines took a sharp dive between 2000 and 2010. This directly correlates with the number of cellphones in use.
The infographic also reveals that the Northeast and Midwest use landlines the most and have done so since they emerged in the 60s. Landlines were easiest to install in these dense population areas. Arkansas and Mississippi were the last states to implement landlines and have always had the lowest number.
[Click here for full size version]
