Consumer technology reference
Consumer Technology Statistics
Eight dated figures on internet access, smartphone ownership, home broadband, and electronic waste. Built for writers, researchers, and shoppers who need a clean source to cite.
U.S. figures describe adults. E-waste figures are global and labeled separately.
At a glance
Technology is everyday infrastructure.
Phones, home connections, and small electronics shape how people work, travel, communicate, and shop. These figures give the bigger picture behind the gear people use every day, with direct links to the original data for every number.
96%
of U.S. adults use the internet
Pew Research Center's 2025 reading held steady from 2024.
Pew Research Center, 202591%
of U.S. adults own a smartphone
Smartphones remain the most broadly owned personal technology device in the survey.
Pew Research Center, June 18, 202578%
of U.S. adults subscribe to home broadband
Home broadband ownership was measured in Pew's June 2025 survey.
Pew Research Center, June 18, 202516%
rely on a smartphone without home broadband
These adults own a smartphone but do not subscribe to broadband at home.
Pew Research Center, 202527%
of adults ages 18 to 29 fit that smartphone-dependent group
The share is higher for younger adults than for any other age group measured.
Pew Research Center, 202540 pts
separate home broadband use at the highest and lowest income levels
Pew recorded 94% among adults in households earning $100,000 or more, versus 54% below $30,000.
Pew Research Center, June 18, 202562M
metric tons of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2022
The Global E-waste Monitor reports this was 82% higher than the amount generated in 2010.
ITU and UNITAR, Global E-waste Monitor 202422.3%
of 2022 e-waste was documented as collected and recycled
The rest was not documented as formally collected and recycled.
ITU and UNITAR, Global E-waste Monitor 2024What the figures show
Connection is widespread. Access still differs by circumstance.
Internet use and smartphone ownership are near-universal among U.S. adults, but the way people connect is not uniform. Home broadband use differs substantially by income, and a meaningful share of people rely on a smartphone without a home broadband subscription.
That context matters when choosing everyday tech. A reliable charger, cable, backup battery, or compact adapter can support the device someone already depends on. It also makes responsible replacement and recycling worth considering when electronics reach the end of their useful life.
Browse power essentials ↗Sources and methodology
Numbers with a clear trail back to the data.
Pew Research Center, Internet and Broadband Fact Sheet. U.S. adult survey figures from 2025, including internet use, smartphone ownership, home broadband, smartphone dependency, and income comparisons.
ITU and UNITAR, The Global E-waste Monitor 2024. Global e-waste figures for 2022, published in 2024.
Figures are presented as published by their original sources. The page is reviewed regularly, and each statistic keeps a stable link so it can be cited directly.
Gizmo Gadgets. “Consumer Technology Statistics: U.S. Ownership and E-Waste Data.” Updated September 18, 2026. https://gizmozone.shop/consumer-tech-statistics