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SALT LAKE CITY — Landline phones are a dying breed, especially in the Intermountain West.
Just 26.6% of Utahns — 578,088 people — still have landlines, according to a recent Chamber of Commerce study.
Utah and other Western states have been quick to abandon landlines in favor of wireless-only options. More than half of Utah residents had already dropped their landlines by the end of 2014, the study says.
Idaho takes the top spot for residents without landlines at 78.6%, followed by Oklahoma (77.5%), Wyoming (77.2%) and New Mexico (76.5%).
On the other side of the country, landlines are more common. New York leads with the most adults with landline phones at 52.4%, and other Northeastern states follow suit. However, even among dogged landline fans, the overwhelming majority also have wireless phones.
Landlines are most popular among people 65 years or older — 50.5% of senior citizens nationwide maintain their landlines. On the flip side, Americans between the ages of 30 and 34 are least likely to have a landline.
Linda Roskelley, of Provo, said she has had the same landline phone number for 55 years, and she and her husband don't have plans to cancel the line anytime soon.
"It's all that we need," she said.
For an annual payment of $120, they can make long-distance calls to their nine children.
"This is comfortable for us. … Why change?" she asked.
