SEATTLE—U.S. households spend $164 billion annually on cable and internet services, which represents approximately 4% of the total $4.55 trillion spent on household bills each year, according to a new study released by Doxo.
Through a statistical analysis of actual household consumer payments across 97% of U.S. zip codes, the doxoINSIGHTS “Cable & Internet Market Size and Household Spend Report for 2025” found 73% of U.S. households pay a cable and internet bill, spending a median amount of $121 per month, or $1,452 per year. When factoring in market share, this amounts to a median annual spend of $1,063 per U.S. household.
The doxoINSIGHTS analysis is based on actual household payments for cable and internet bills nationwide (bill payments on Doxo span more than 97% of U.S. ZIP codes) to determine the overall market size. The report details household spending, the percentage of households paying each bill, and median monthly and annual bill costs by state, as well as in the 50 largest U.S. cities and those with populations of 40,000 or more.
“High-speed connectivity is more essential than ever for consumers—driven by remote work, streaming, and smart home innovations—and is a foundational household expense,” Doxo co-founder and CEO Steve Shivers said. “As we look ahead, we anticipate increases in cable and internet pricing may occur for consumers due to potential tariff impacts on cable and broadband equipment. However, some of this is expected to be counterbalanced by increased competition from wireless broadband options.”
doxoINSIGHTS utilizes aggregate, anonymized bill payment data to offer a detailed analysis of actual consumer payment data on a rolling 12-month basis with monthly updates. For the latest analysis of U.S. household bill expenses, visit doxo.com/w/explore and select a state, to view state, county, and city data.
Key findings of the report include:
- Total Cable and Internet Consumer Market Size: $164 billion
- Median Monthly Cable and Internet bill payment: $121
- Share of Households: 73% of U.S. households pay Cable & Internet bills
- Share of Household Bill Pay Expense: Cable & Internet bills amount to 4% of consumers' household bill pay costs
Top five states with the highest cable and internet bills:
- Delaware, with a monthly media bill of $157 (70% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,313.
- Rhode Island, with a monthly media bill of $150 (61% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,091.
- South Dakota, with a monthly media bill of $147 (75% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,315
- Tennessee, with a monthly media bill of $143 (76% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,310.
- Alaska. with a monthly media bill of $143 (71% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,211.
Top five largest U.S. cities with the highest cable and internet bills:
- Pittsburgh, with a monthly media bill of $221 (57% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,508
- Milwaukee. with a monthly media bill of $192 (83% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,913.
- Denver, with a monthly media bill of $186 (70% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,492.
- Portland, Oregon, with a monthly media bill of $170 (72% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,463
- Charlotte, North Carolina, with a monthly media bill of $165 (81% of households have a cable and internet bill) and the annual spend for those services is $1,599.
For more information, or to view the entire report, visit https://www.doxo.com/w/insights/.
