Average U.S. Broadband Consumer's Monthly Data Use Surged 27% in 2019 to 340 GB

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OpenVault’s latest report also predicts median usage will surpass 250 gigs for the first time this year

(Image credit: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images)

The average amount of internet usage by U.S. broadband homes surged 27.3% in 2019, reaching 344 gigabytes, according to a new report published by telecom industry consultancy OpenVault. 

The latest surge in broadband usage correlates with an aggregate increase in provisioned internet speed, which jumped from an average of 103.1 Mbps in 2018 to 128.3 Mbps last year. 

(And as OpenVault noted in a report released in November, it’s also driven by cord cutting—those who ditched traditional pay TV averaged 520 GB of data usage a month, according to that earlier report.)

Related: Cord Cutters Now Averaging 520GB of Monthly Data Usage: Research Report

Meanwhile, OpenVault is predicting that median U.S. internet usage will surge past 250 GB for the first time this year, a 25% uptick over 2019. 

And so-called “power users”—those that consume 1 terabyte or more of data each month—grew by 60% last year and now account for 12% of all wireline broadband users. 

Notably, what we’ll call “super” power users—those who consume 2 TB or more—now account for 1.4% of the market. 

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!