Program Data
USAC relies on the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate the rate at which Lifeline-eligible households participate in the Lifeline Program.
Lifeline Participation
The chart below outlines the total number of Lifeline subscribers for the specified time period, the estimated number of households eligible for the Lifeline benefit based on the most recent ACS data available, and Lifeline’s estimated participation rate.
The subscriber count is based on:
- The number of subscribers enrolled in the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) in NLAD states, and
- The number of subscribers reported to USAC by NLAD opt-out state administrators (in CA, OR, and TX).
For more details on the methodology used to calculate Lifeline’s participation rate, review the Lifeline Participation Rate Excel file.
| State | October 2020 Subscriber Count | 2019 Lifeline Eligible Households Based on ACS Data | Estimated 2020 Lifeline Participation Rate |
| Alabama | 91,515 | 578,459 | 16% |
| Alaska | 21,078 | 57,283 | 37% |
| Arizona | 177,690 | 709,792 | 25% |
| Arkansas | 86,090 | 388,413 | 22% |
| California | 1,728,639 | 3,630,292 | 48% |
| Colorado | 67,320 | 471,049 | 14% |
| Connecticut | 80,095 | 358,909 | 22% |
| Delaware | 15,110 | 89,493 | 17% |
| District of Columbia | 20,471 | 74,775 | 27% |
| Florida | 415,566 | 2,149,002 | 19% |
| Georgia | 286,548 | 1,041,073 | 28% |
| Hawaii | 8,210 | 106,189 | 8% |
| Idaho | 11,468 | 153,461 | 8% |
| Illinois | 224,343 | 1,230,176 | 18% |
| Indiana | 140,564 | 659,545 | 21% |
| Iowa | 52,058 | 321,824 | 16% |
| Kansas | 39,223 | 260,220 | 15% |
| Kentucky | 152,954 | 556,392 | 28% |
| Louisiana | 205,746 | 617,966 | 33% |
| Maine | 20,478 | 151,320 | 14% |
| Maryland | 144,442 | 491,941 | 29% |
| Massachusetts | 116,745 | 699,692 | 17% |
| Michigan | 261,933 | 1,083,636 | 24% |
| Minnesota | 73,571 | 474,591 | 16% |
| Mississippi | 76,049 | 387,431 | 20% |
| Missouri | 97,351 | 629,730 | 16% |
| Montana | 2,181 | 118,504 | 2% |
| Nebraska | 4,544 | 172,462 | 3% |
| Nevada | 73,140 | 311,571 | 24% |
| New Hampshire | 7,342 | 98,005 | 8% |
| New Jersey | 142,053 | 689,548 | 21% |
| New Mexico | 80,987 | 286,525 | 28% |
| New York | 548,309 | 2,264,170 | 24% |
| North Carolina | 156,449 | 1,095,902 | 14% |
| North Dakota | 5,171 | 72,403 | 7% |
| Ohio | 359,224 | 1,265,486 | 28% |
| Oklahoma | 183,900 | 431,969 | 43% |
| Oregon | 63,976 | 457,786 | 14% |
| Pennsylvania | 330,590 | 1,356,096 | 24% |
| Puerto Rico | 491,172 | 784,579 | 63% |
| Rhode Island | 24,028 | 110,519 | 22% |
| South Carolina | 119,334 | 537,352 | 22% |
| South Dakota | 6,168 | 76,379 | 8% |
| Tennessee | 128,386 | 739,002 | 17% |
| Texas | 400,450 | 2,588,885 | 16% |
| Utah | 22,621 | 189,841 | 12% |
| Vermont | 9,258 | 66,511 | 14% |
| Virginia | 116,493 | 639,449 | 18% |
| Washington | 138,075 | 668,106 | 21% |
| West Virginia | 67,895 | 250,853 | 27% |
| Wisconsin | 129,267 | 539,011 | 24% |
| Wyoming | 361 | 49,994 | 1% |
| Total | 8,226,631 | 33,233,562 | 25% |
Additional Data and Statistics
Download Lifeline’s Data and Statistics Excel file for information on:
- The total support amount disbursed to Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) versus Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (CETCs),
- Historical data on distribution of support, and
- The percentage of subscribers who qualify through each Lifeline qualifying government assistance program and the percentage of subscribers who qualify through their income.
This file is updated annually.
Lifeline Disbursement Data
Through Lifeline’s Funding Disbursement tool, users can search for payment data for any month beginning in January 2004. Use Lifeline’s Disbursements Open Data tool to search for the total dollar amount disbursed to each ETC and the total number of subscribers claimed by each ETC, every month and year since January 2018.
