Average U.S. home has more TVs than people

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The average U.S. household has about three television sets (2.86, to be absurdly precise), according to a report released this morning by the Nielsen Co. That’s more than the average number of people in U.S. homes, estimated at 2.5.

OK, it’s ridiculous to have 0.5 of a person or 0.86 of a TV. But the numbers are interesting because they show that America’s appetite for TV sets is still growing, though more slowly than in the past. The chart above shows that the number of households with three or more sets grew two percentage points, from 52% last year to a projected 54% this year, according to Nielsen. The number of homes with just one set seems to have settled over the last several years at 18%, or just less than 1 in 5 homes.

About 114.5-million U.S. homes are estimated to have a TV this year, up from 112.8 million last year. That number has been climbing steadily since 1970, when Nielsen counted 60 million homes with TV sets.

If these numbers fascinate you, or if there’s nothing good to watch on TV tonight, Nielsen has made its full report on the U.S. television audience available for download.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.