Cable and Internet Consumer Spending Plateaus Despite Cross-Category Rise in U.S. Household Spending
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–doxo, the innovative web and mobile bill payment service, today released its report on U.S. cable and internet market size and household spending for 2022, revealing the relative stability of U.S. consumer spending on cable and internet despite overall rise in U.S. goods and services, and average consumer household spending in major categories – up 6% year-over-year according to recent data from doxoINSIGHTS. doxoINSIGHTS’ statistical analysis of actual household payments for cable and internet bills across 97% of U.S. ZIP codes provided overall market sizing, revealing that Americans spend $146 billion annually on cable bills and the Internet. The report also found that 82% of US households with cable and internet bills spend $114 per month, or $1,368 per year, or $1,122* per year on average for all US households. The report details the size of the US household spending market; percentage of households that pay each bill; and average monthly and annual bill-paying costs by state, largest metropolitan areas, and cities based on population.
Compared to Doxo’s 2021 analysis of the $147 billion cable and internet market (resulting in consumers paying $116 per month, $1,141 per year), 82% of US households that have this bill posted fixed year-over-year cable and internet spending, in stark contrast to surging consumer spending on streaming services1 and mobile content2. As the availability of over-the-top (OTT) platforms continues to explode, consumers continue to cut the cord, opting for streaming services to consume content, with 93% of consumers planning to increase their options streaming (or nothing to change their existing plans). Moreover, while the “stagflation” of the American economy is driving up the overall price of goods and services for Americans, on the whole, cable and Internet providers do not see consumer spending up to par. of this global trajectory.
“Consumption of streaming content has never been higher, driven in large part by over-the-top (OTT) platforms and content offering more choice and increased consumer appetite and consumption,” said said Jim Kreyenhagen, vice president of marketing and consumer services at doxo. “While our recent doxoINSIGHTS United States of Bill Pay report showed an increase in consumer spending in nearly every other category in line with the overall inflation rate, cable and internet spending has not kept pace. rhythm. While the decline in consumer spending is not a complete surprise given the intense competition from OTT content, what is a little surprising is that it is one of the only categories of bills not affected by the current rate of inflation.
The Potential Impact of the Affordable Connectivity Program on Cable and Internet Bills
Despite slowing growth, increased telecommuting and remote learning during the pandemic, increased stress on US broadband and US wallets. The FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit was launched to subsidize increased cable and internet usage and related bills. The Biden administration has since extended that subsidy through the Affordable Connectivity Program, a $14 billion program aimed at alleviating these hardships, with up to $30 per month for internet service for eligible households (and up to $75 per month for households on eligible tribal lands). ) and a one-time rebate of up to $100 for the purchase of a laptop, desktop or tablet from participating vendors if they contribute a fixed amount to the purchase price. Given that the average U.S. household spends $1,122 per year on cable and Internet service, this assistance of up to $360 per year for each eligible household to offset cable, represents a savings of 32% for the average home cable .
“DoxoINSIGHTS Cable and Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report leverages our proprietary data set to help make the U.S. bill payment economy transparent and understandable to everyone,” continued Jim Kreyenhagen, vice president of marketing and consumer services at doxo. “Along with 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, service provider and financial service provider users to take better decisions.”
Findings from the 2022 doxoINSIGHTS report on U.S. cable and internet market size and household spending
doxoINSIGHTS leverages unique, aggregated and anonymized bill payment data from doxo, comprised of actual bill payment activity to confirmed household service providers across the country. U.S. Cable and Internet Market Size and Household Spending Report decomposes the market size of household expenditure; percentage of households that pay each bill; and average monthly and annual bill-paying costs by state, the 50 largest US cities by number of households, and cities with 40,000 or more residents. Key findings include the following:
- Total market size: $146 billion spent per year
- Average monthly/annual costyou: $114 spent per month; $1,368 spent per year
- Percentage of households: 82% of US households pay cable and internet bills
- Average annual cost per US household: $1,122 per year*
- Percentage of annual income: Cable and internet bills account for 2% of consumer income annually
States with the Highest Cable and Internet Bills
State |
Monthly amount |
Annual average |
% of households with bill |
New Hampshire |
$140 |
$1,433 |
85% |
Maine |
$134 |
$1,394 |
87% |
Alaska |
$130 |
$1,204 |
77% |
Delaware |
$129 |
$1,096 |
71% |
Maryland |
$126 |
$940 |
62% |
Access household cable and internet bill payment data for all 50 states here.
The largest US cities with the highest cable and internet bills
American city |
Monthly amount |
Annual average |
% of households with bill |
New York |
$146 |
$1,122 |
64% |
San Diego |
$137 |
$1,363 |
83% |
San Antonio |
$135 |
$1,436 |
89% |
San Francisco |
$128 |
$1,270 |
83% |
birmingham |
$125 |
$1,396 |
93% |
Access household cable and internet bill payment data for the 50 largest US cities here.
For more information or to view the full report, visit www.doxo.com/insights/.
*Average monthly bill x % of households with bill x 12 months per year = average annual cost per US household.
About doxoINSIGHTS
doxoINSIGHTS provides direct insight into household financial health and spending activity by leveraging consumer surveys and doxo’s unique global bill payment dataset, including actual bill payment activity to confirmed household service providers across the country. Doxo’s data brings together the largest data set available to analyze actual household bill-paying activity, drawing on more than 7 million paying consumers across more than 97% of U.S. ZIP codes. The doxo payment network covers more than 120,000 billers in 45 different service categories and allows payments using bank accounts, credit cards or debit cards. This unique and broad statistical base powers doxoINSIGHTS reports – revealing key trends in household financial health and bill-paying behavior.
About Doxo
doxo provides simple and secure all-in-one bill payment to any biller, with any payment method, on any device. A doxoPLUS subscription adds free bank payments and five essential financial protections that improve household financial health. Through these services, doxo currently serves more than seven million users who can make payments to more than 120,000 local and national businesses, making doxo the largest bill payment directory in the country. Billers on the network are paid directly, quickly and free of charge – and consumers have complete bill-paying independence of when and how they pay their bills. Doxo investors include MDV, Sigma Partners and Bezos Expeditions. doxo is based in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.doxo.com.
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1 Watercraft, 2020 |
2 Statistics, 2022 |