According to comScore, the fasting growing user base of the iPhone are people with lower income who are using the device in order to cut down on other internet and entertainment sources. ComScore found that 43 percent of iPhone owners make more that $100,000 a year, with the strongest growth in users being in the $25,000 and $50,000 range.

Between June and August 2008, iPhone owners in the lower income bracket jumped by 48 percent, increasing the figures to about 3 times as many as those making more than $100,000 a year. The iPhone user base, overall, has grown 21 percent. Mark Donovan of comScore said, “this data indicates that lower income mobile subscribers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, e-mail and their music collections,” “Smartphones and the iPhone, in particular, are appealing to a new demographic and are satisfying demand for a single device for communication and entertainment, even as consumers weather the economy by cutting back on gadgets.”

The study shows that with the low cost of the iPhone, it moves from being a luxury item to a means of saving money by replacing multiple devices. It appears that the witch in the iPhone user base points directly to the cost of the phone itself. The early iPhone was at least $600 making it only available to those who had a higher income. With the iPhone 3G, now starting at $200, it will now be accessible to a larger audience.

[Via MocoNews]