Nielsen: 61 Percent of Mobile Subscribers Own a Smartphone

A new study from Nielsen reveals that more than three out of five (61 percent) mobile subscribers in the U.S. owned a smartphone between March and May 2013. This is an increase of more than 10 percent from 2012.

Android came out as the top U.S. smartphone operating system by market share, with 53 percent of consumers opting for Android OS handsets during the March to May 2013 period. But Apple kept its lead as the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S., with 40 percent of consumers owning iPhones, up 7 percentage points from 2012. BlackBerry came in a distant third for operating system with 3 percent, and Windows Phone came in fourth at 2 percent.

Image via Nielsen

Smartphone ownership is still highest among the younger generations, with Millennials accounting for 78 percent, and three out of four mobile users between the ages of 18 and 24 owning smartphones. Ownership was lowest among the 55-plus age group, but that number has almost doubled from 2012.

According to the Nielsen study, women make up the majority of smartphone owners in the U.S., with more than three out of five using one.

The study also found that smartphone usage varies by ethnicity. Asian Americans had the highest rate of smartphone ownership at 75 percent, while ownership increased among Caucasians the most over the past year.