America's Got Texting Fever: Census

Text messaging has taken the nation by storm, with the number of messages sent doubling between 2007 and 2008, according to a new Census Bureau report. Americans hit send 110 billion times in December 2008, up from 48 billion in December 2007, the bureau says in its annual “statistical abstract” of the country, which relies on data from a trade group that surveys wireless carriers.

Teens are the biggest texters, but 65% of adults send or receive texts as well, reports the Los Angeles Times. At the same time, the average call duration has been on a steady decline, falling to 2.27 minutes in 2008, as people send more information via text. The craze hasn't exactly peaked; the trade group says its June 2009 data shows a 71% jump from the previous year. (More Census Bureau stories.)