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TV screens in U.S. homes have shifted toward larger sizes, but the available figures do not establish one exact national average diagonal across the years. The latest household size-band comparison cited here is from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS): 16% of the two most-used TVs in homes were at least 60 inches, up from 7% in 2015. That is a share in a defined size band—not an average TV size.
What is the average TV size in America?
There is no single, current national average screen size established by the household figures cited here. The EIA reports the shares of TVs in size bands, rather than a precise mean diagonal. Its 2020 RECS comparison covers the two most-used televisions in households, not every TV owned or sold.
That distinction matters: “average” might mean the mean size of TVs in homes, the size of a household’s main TV, or the average size of sets shipped to retailers. Those measures have different populations and cannot be treated as interchangeable.
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EIA household data show a clear movement toward larger screens between 2015 and 2020. In the two most-used TVs in households, the share measuring 60 inches or larger rose from 7% to 16%. Meanwhile, the share of screens measuring 39 inches or smaller fell from 46% to 31%. These are survey-reported shares, not a calculation of the average diagonal. EIA’s 2022 account of the 2020 RECS describes the comparison.
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The underlying 2020 RECS sample included 18,496 responding households. Questionnaires were completed in late 2020 and early 2021. EIA’s final release also provides separate counts for the most-used, second-most-used, and third-most-used televisions, reinforcing that household screen-size patterns depend on which set is being counted. See the final 2020 RECS tables.
A timeline of larger screens and more TVs per home
| Year | What the evidence measures | Reported finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Television ownership in U.S. households | Most households had one TV, according to EIA’s historical summary. |
| 2009 | Number of TVs per average household | 2.5 televisions per household; more than 45% of homes had at least one screen measuring 37 inches or larger. |
| 2015 | Most-used TV in U.S. homes | 58.1 million homes had a set in the 40–59-inch band, and 9.9 million had a set at least 60 inches. |
| 2015 to 2020 | Two most-used TVs in U.S. households | The share at least 60 inches rose from 7% to 16%; the share 39 inches or smaller fell from 46% to 31%. |
| Prior 15 years, as reported in 2024 | Flat-panel TVs shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers | CTA senior director Rick Kowalski said shipped screen sizes grew an average of one inch per year. |
The 2009 context comes from EIA’s 2010 discussion of household electronics. The 2015 home counts come from EIA’s 2017 report on the 2015 RECS. The 2015 and 2020 percentage comparison uses a different measure and should not be read as a continuation of those home counts.
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Why shipment averages are not household averages
In a 2024 Associated Press report, Kowalski said, “In the past 15 years, the size of flat-panel TVs that were shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers grew an average of one inch a year.” This is a market-side observation about shipped flat-panel products. It does not show the size distribution of TVs already installed in U.S. homes, nor does it supply a national household average. Read the AP report.
What the trend means if you are choosing a TV
The historical figures show that larger screens have become more common in homes and in retailer shipments. They do not identify an ideal size for a particular room, and a 55-inch TV should not be described as the national average on the basis of these sources. For an individual purchase, screen diagonal is only one consideration; room layout, viewing distance, price, and features also matter.
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