Microwave statistics describe ownership, reported weekly use, modeled energy demand, and cooking-fire involvement in U.S. homes. The household figures below are 2020 EIA estimates, while the energy series includes modeled estimates and projections and the fire figure covers 2014–2016.
Key Microwave Statistics
The most useful microwave statistics in the supplied evidence are:
- In 2020, 118.65 million U.S. primary-residence housing units had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 4.88 million U.S. primary-residence housing units did not have a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 113.18 million U.S. primary-residence housing units had exactly one microwave oven.
- In 2020, 38.14 million U.S. primary-residence housing units reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- In 2020, 75.13 million single-family detached U.S. homes had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 21.18 million apartments in U.S. buildings with five or more units had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 27.23 million single-family detached U.S. homes reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- In 2020, 43.84 million two-person U.S. households had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 14.94 million two-person U.S. households reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- In 2020, 23.02 million U.S. households with annual income of $20,000–$39,999 had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 8.85 million U.S. households with annual income of $60,000–$99,999 reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- In 2020, 40.92 million U.S. homes in the very-cold/cold climate region had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 6.71 million U.S. homes in the hot-humid climate region reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- In 2020, 26.18 million homes in the Midwest Census region had a microwave oven.
- In 2020, 8.71 million homes in the Midwest Census region reported microwave use at least 15 times per week.
- The modeled U.S. residential microwave installed base was 124.642 million units in 2020.
- Modeled active microwave power draw was 1,230 watts per unit while active in 2020.
- Modeled unit energy consumption was 108 kilowatt-hours per microwave per year in 2020.
- The modeled installed base is projected at 155.190 million units in 2050.
- Microwaves were involved in igniting 4% of nonconfined residential cooking fires in the United States during 2014–2016.
Contents
- Key Microwave Statistics
- U.S. ownership and weekly use
- Microwave statistics by housing type
- Microwave statistics by household size
- Microwave statistics by household income
- Climate and Census-region microwave data
- Microwave energy demand and efficiency outlook
- Microwave cooking-fire statistics
U.S. ownership and weekly use
The EIA defines a microwave oven as a household cooking appliance with a compartment designed to cook or heat food by microwave energy. Its 2020 RECS figures are estimated counts of primary-residence housing units, reported in millions rather than percentages.
| Measure | Estimated housing units, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Had a microwave oven | 118.65 million |
| Did not have a microwave oven | 4.88 million |
| Exactly one microwave oven | 113.18 million |
| Two or more microwave ovens | 5.47 million |
Reported weekly use also varied across the survey bands.
| Reported use | Estimated housing units, 2020 |
|---|---|
| 0 times per week | 1.41 million |
| 1–3 times per week | 9.05 million |
| 4–7 times per week | 38.95 million |
| 8–14 times per week | 31.10 million |
| 15 or more times per week | 38.14 million |
The table measures estimated housing-unit counts, not the percentage of all homes or the percentage within a subgroup. Source: EIA, Table HC3.1, Appliances in U.S. homes, by housing unit type, 2020.
Microwave statistics by housing type
In 2020, microwave ownership covered 75.13 million single-family detached homes, 7.15 million single-family attached homes, 8.54 million apartments in 2–4-unit buildings, 21.18 million apartments in buildings with five or more units, and 6.65 million mobile homes.
| Housing type | Homes with a microwave, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 75.13 million |
| Single-family attached | 7.15 million |
| Apartments in 2–4-unit buildings | 8.54 million |
| Apartments in buildings with 5+ units | 21.18 million |
| Mobile homes | 6.65 million |
An estimated 1.66 million apartments in buildings with five or more units did not have a microwave oven. High-frequency use—15 or more times per week—occurred in 27.23 million single-family detached homes and 4.87 million apartments in buildings with five or more units.
These are counts of primary-residence housing units, so they do not establish adoption rates within each housing type. Source: EIA, Table HC3.1, Appliances in U.S. homes, by housing unit type, 2020.
Microwave statistics by household size
Microwave ownership covered 31.52 million one-person households, 43.84 million two-person households, and 10.48 million households with five or more members in 2020.
| Household size | Selected measure, 2020 |
|---|---|
| One-person households with a microwave | 31.52 million |
| Two-person households with a microwave | 43.84 million |
| Households with 5+ members and a microwave | 10.48 million |
| One-person households without a microwave | 2.07 million |
| Two-person households with 2+ microwaves | 1.99 million |
| One-person households using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 6.63 million |
| Two-person households using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 14.94 million |
| Households with 5+ members using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 4.46 million |
The ownership, multiple-oven, and high-frequency-use measures describe different attributes of each household-size group. They are estimated housing-unit counts and should not be read as percentages without category denominators.
Source: EIA, Table HC3.4, Appliances in U.S. homes, by number of household members, 2020.
Microwave statistics by household income
The 2020 EIA income table reports microwave ownership in several annual household-income bands. Ownership covered 4.07 million households below $5,000, 23.02 million households at $20,000–$39,999, and 26.80 million households at $60,000–$99,999.
| Income band | Selected measure, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Below $5,000 with a microwave | 4.07 million |
| $20,000–$39,999 with a microwave | 23.02 million |
| $60,000–$99,999 with a microwave | 26.80 million |
| Below $5,000 without a microwave | 0.41 million |
| $40,000–$59,999 without a microwave | 0.70 million |
| Below $5,000 using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 0.94 million |
| $60,000–$99,999 using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 8.85 million |
| $150,000+ reporting zero weekly use | 0.09 million |
The largest count in an income band is not necessarily the highest prevalence because the supplied values are counts, not within-band rates. The income categories describe annual household income bands and do not measure individual earnings or operating costs.
Source: EIA, Table HC3.5, Appliances in U.S. homes, by household income, 2020.
Climate and Census-region microwave data
Microwave ownership covered 40.92 million homes in the very-cold/cold climate region, 35.29 million in the mixed-humid region, and 6.42 million in the marine region in 2020. The marine region had an estimated 0.44 million homes without a microwave oven.
| Climate region | Selected measure, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Very-cold/cold with a microwave | 40.92 million |
| Mixed-humid with a microwave | 35.29 million |
| Marine with a microwave | 6.42 million |
| Marine without a microwave | 0.44 million |
| Very-cold/cold using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 13.82 million |
| Hot-humid using a microwave 15+ times weekly | 6.71 million |
The separate Census-region table reports microwave ownership in 20.61 million Northeast homes and 26.18 million Midwest homes. It also reports 8.71 million Midwest homes using a microwave at least 15 times per week and 2.03 million Northeast homes using one 1–3 times per week.
Climate regions and Census regions are different geographic groupings, so these measures should not be combined as though they were one series. Sources: EIA, Table HC3.6, Appliances in U.S. homes, by climate region, 2020 and EIA, Table HC3.7, Appliances in U.S. homes in the Northeast and Midwest regions, 2020.
Microwave energy demand and efficiency outlook
A DOE-sponsored Miscellaneous Electric Load Consumption Characterization series models the residential microwave installed base, power draw, active use, and unit energy consumption. Its 2015 and 2020 values are modeled estimates, while 2030–2050 values are projections rather than observed sales counts.
| Year | Modeled installed base |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 118.629 million units |
| 2020 | 124.642 million units |
| 2030 projection | 136.994 million units |
| 2050 projection | 155.190 million units |
Modeled active power draw was 1,230 watts per unit while active in 2020. Standby/off power draw was 3.4 watts in 2015 and 2.3 watts in 2020, with a projected 1.1 watts in 2030.
The model assigns 71 active hours per unit per year across the 2015–2050 series. Unit energy consumption was 116 kilowatt-hours per microwave per year in 2015 and 108 kilowatt-hours per microwave per year in 2020.
Power draw, active hours, and annual unit energy consumption are different modeled measures. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Miscellaneous Electric Load Consumption Characterization 2021 Update, Appendix A.
Microwave cooking-fire statistics
The U.S. Fire Administration estimated that microwave ovens were involved in igniting 4% of nonconfined residential cooking fires in the United States during 2014–2016.
This is a share of nonconfined residential cooking fires involving ignition, based on NFIRS 5.0 estimates. It is not a share of all residential fires, a microwave failure rate, or a probability that a microwave will cause a fire.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration, Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings (2014–2016).