Honolulu is one of the top metropolitan markets for text messaging, according to a new ranking by Scarborough Research.

Half of cell phone subscribers here 18 or older use their phones to send text messages, according to the report. That ties Honolulu for seventh place with Phoenix; San Diego; Houston; Philadelphia; Albuquerque, N.M.; New York; and San Antonio.

Scarborough, a consumer and media research firm, said youth and cultural diversity are two shared demographic traits of texters.

The firm said that focusing on texters could be appealing to marketers wanting to reach people in the right place at the right time. Texters also tend to be avid technology shoppers and more likely to shop online.

Scarborough said texters spend an average of $87 monthly on their cellular bill, compared to the average subscriber's $75.

El Paso, Texas, is the top market for texters, with 57 percent of cell phone subscribers using text messaging.

Fort Myers, Fla.; Charleston, W.Va. (36 percent each); and Grand Rapids, Mich. (35 percent) are the local markets least likely to text message.