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EXPLORING THE DIGITAL NATION

Computer and Internet Use at Home 

Prepared by

Economics and Statistics Administration

and

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

November 2011

Exploring the Digital Nation:

Computer and Internet Use at Home

Foreword

The Internet is an extraordinary platform for innovation, economic growth, and social

communication. High-speed Internet services delivered over broadband networks are

critical to maintaining the United States’ competitiveness in a global economy. A

strong correlation exists between broadband (both deployment and adoption) and indices of

economic growth, such as increases in Gross Domestic Product, employment, and property

values. The Administration recognizes the importance of broadband to improve health care,

enhance education, and provide essential job training and employment assistance for Americans

seeking work. President Obama recently reiterated his long-standing commitment to ensuring

broadband’s role in the nation’s future, stating: 

I will not sacrifice the core investments that we need to grow and create jobs.

We will invest in medical research. We will invest in clean energy technology.

We will invest in new roads and airports and broadband access. We will invest

in education. We will invest in job training. We will do what we need to do to

compete, and we will win the future.

—Remarks by President Obama on Fiscal Policy in Washington, DC, April 13, 2011

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provides a down

payment on needed investments to extend the nation’s broadband infrastructure, expand

public computer center capacity, and promote broadband adoption. The National

Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provides approximately

$4 billion to fund 229 projects under the Recovery Act’s Broadband Technology Opportunities

Program (BTOP). These investments, combined with the Department of Agriculture’s

Broadband Initiatives Program, total approximately $7 billion, and they are beginning to pay

dividends. BTOP grantees have installed or upgraded over 18,000 miles of new broadband

networks, added or upgraded more than 16,000 computer workstations, and reported over

110,000 new subscribers as of June 30, 2011. The projects are stimulating the deployment

and adoption of broadband in communities across the United States and we expect that they

will continue to do so for years to come. In addition, NTIA recently launched

DigitalLiteracy.gov in partnership with nine Federal agencies to create an online resource for

improving digital literacy.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

i
Government efforts, private sector investment, and increased demand for Internet services and

applications all play a key role in facilitating the steady growth in households’ computer and

Internet use. For its part, the Department of Commerce is a leader in analyzing broadband

access and adoption in America. In October 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau within the

Economics and Statistics Administration, in collaboration with NTIA, significantly expanded

the Current Population Survey (CPS) to include new questions on computer and Internet use.

The Census Bureau surveyed about 54,300 households, and through statistical methods

extrapolated the survey results to represent 119.5 million American households.

The CPS data revealed that 68 percent of households used broadband Internet access service,

up from 64 percent the previous year. Despite this improvement, demographic and geographic

disparities demonstrate a persistent digital divide among certain groups. For example, rural

low-income minorities’ broadband adoption at home lagged significantly behind that of other

groups. In addition, almost one-third of Americans are not accessing broadband service at

home. The Administration has made it a priority to evaluate the effectiveness of existing

programs, develop new programs as needed, and work collaboratively with industry to design

new strategies to ameliorate the digital divide. Our ongoing analysis highlights that there is no

simple “one size fits all” solution to resolve the adoption disparities among broadband users.

The Administration will continue to encourage Congress, state and local officials, and the

private sector to find ways to promote broadband deployment and adoption so that we

continue to create jobs, prepare the workforce for the rapidly developing Internet economy,

and increase the nation’s competitiveness.

Rebecca M. Blank

Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce 

and

Under Secretary for Economic Affairs

Economics and Statistics Administration

Lawrence E. Strickling

Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

ii
Exploring the Digital Nation:

Computer and Internet Use at Home

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

iii

ECONOMICS & STATISTICS 

ADMINISTRATION

Rebecca M. Blank

Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce

and 

Under Secretary for Economic Affairs

ESA

Mark Doms, Chief Economist 

Robert Rubinovitz, Deputy Chief Economist

Beethika Khan, Economist 

Rebecca Lehrman, Economist

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Robin Anderson, Research Economist

Demographic Surveys Division

Technologies Management Office

Demographic Statistical Methods Division

Housing and Household Economics Statistics 

Division: Population Division

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS

& INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Lawrence E. Strickling

Assistant Secretary for Communications

and Information

NTIA

John S. Morabito, Deputy Associate

Administrator for Policy Analysis

and Development

James McConnaughey, Chief Economist

Maureen Lewis, Director of Minority

Telecommunications Development

Rafi M. Goldberg, Telecommunications

Policy Analyst

Agatha Cole

The Project Team would like to thank Joanne Caldwell, Sabrina Montes, Cassandra Ingram,

David Beede, George McKittrick, and Jane Callen of the Economics and Statistics Administration;

Anna Gomez, Angela Simpson, Marsha MacBride, Rochelle Cohen, Kathy Smith, Josephine Arnold,

Tim Sloan, and Percia Safar of NTIA; David Johnson, Hyon Shin, Kurt Bauman, Gregory Weyland,

and Tiffany Julian of the Census Bureau; Patricia Buckley of the Office of the Secretary;

Thomas C. Power and Daniel J. Weitzner of the White House Office of Science and Technology

Policy; Peter Stenberg and Christopher Chapman of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and

Education, respectively; and Craig Peters of the Council of Economic Advisers, for their

contributions to this report.

JOINT PROJECT TEAM

Exploring the Digital Nation:

Computer and Internet Use at Home

Executive Summary

This report updates and expands last year’s report, Exploring the Digital Nation: Home

Broadband Internet Adoption in the United States, based on data from the Census

Bureau’s most recent Current Population Survey (CPS) School Enrollment and Internet

Use Supplement. The report also provides additional information augmenting the February

2011 research preview, Digital Nation: Expanding Internet Usage, and includes new findings on

computer and Internet use in the United States. For example, we use regression analysis to help

explain some of the disparities in broadband Internet adoption that exist between demographic

and geographic groups. The analysis reveals that, by holding constant certain factors such as

household income, education, or age, the adoption disparities may decrease significantly.

Below is a summary of our final review of the 2010 CPS results. These findings may assist

policymakers as they consider ways to promote broadband deployment and adoption in the

United States.1

Summary of the 2010 CPS Results

■ As of October 2010, more than 68 percent of households used broadband Internet

access service, up from 64 percent one year earlier (Section 1, Figure 1). Approximately

80 percent of households had at least one Internet user, either at home or elsewhere

(Section 3.1, Figure 3).

■ Cable modem (32 percent) and DSL (23 percent) ranked as the most commonly used

broadband technologies (Section 3.1, Figure 3). Other technologies, including mobile

broadband, fiber optics, and satellite services, accounted for a small, but growing, segment

of households with broadband Internet access service.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

v

1 In this report, we examine Internet access service from the demand side based on the Census Bureau’s survey of

households. We use the terms “adoption,” “use,” “utilization,” “access,” and “connection” interchangeably to indicate

that a household reported having Internet access service. The term “Internet access service” includes both the provision

of dial-up Internet access service and broadband Internet access service. Similarly, the CPS survey inquires about

households’ ownership or use of a home computer to examine whether they have access to the devices necessary to

access the Internet. The report describes such access as “ownership” or “use” and employs the terms interchangeably.
■ Dial-up use at home – the preferred form of residential Internet access through the mid

2000s – continued to decline from five percent in October 2009 to three percent one year

later (Section 3.1, Figure 3).

■ Over three-fourths (77 percent) of households had a computer – the principal means by

which households access the Internet – compared with 62 percent in 2003 (Section 1,

Figure 1). Low computer use correlates with low broadband adoption rates.

■ Broadband Internet adoption, as well as computer use, varied across demographic and

geographic groups. Lower income families, people with less education, those with

disabilities, Blacks, Hispanics, and rural residents generally lagged the national average in

both broadband adoption and computer use. For example, home broadband adoption

and computer use stood at only 16 percent and 27 percent, respectively, among rural

households headed by a Black householder without a high school diploma (Section 4.2,

Table 4). Also, households with school-age children exhibited higher broadband adoption

and computer use rates than other households (Section 4.1, Figure 7).

■ The differences in socio-economic attributes do not entirely explain why some groups

lagged in adoption. Broadband Internet adoption disparities decrease when regression

analysis holds constant certain household characteristics, such as income, education, race,

ethnicity, foreign-born status, household composition, disability status, or geographic

location. For example, the gap with respect to broadband Internet adoption associated

with disabilities decreases from 29 to six percentage points when controlling for income,

education, age, and other attributes (Section 4.3, Figure 18). 

■ The most important reasons households without broadband Internet or dial-up service

gave for not subscribing were: (1) lack of need or interest (47 percent); (2) lack of

affordability (24 percent); and (3) inadequate computer (15 percent) (Section 5,

Figure 19).

■ Households reporting affordability as the major barrier to subscribing to broadband

service cited both the fixed cost of purchasing a computer and the recurring monthly

subscription costs as important factors (Section 5, Figure 21). Our analysis of the

expanded CPS data suggests that work, school, public libraries, and someone else’s house

were all popular alternatives for Internet access among those with no home broadband

Internet access service (Section 6, Figure 23). Not surprisingly, individuals with no home

broadband Internet access service relied on locations such as public libraries (20 percent)

or other people’s houses (12 percent) more frequently than those who used broadband

Internet access service at home.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

vi
Exploring the Digital Nation:

Computer and Internet Use at Home

Table of Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. Household Computer Use, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3. Household Internet Adoption, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3.1 Types of Household Internet Adoption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3.2 Mobile Broadband Internet Use at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4. Computer and Home Internet Use by Household Demographic

Characteristics and Geography, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4.1 Demographic and Geographic Gaps in Computer and Internet Use . . . . . . . . . . 11

4.2 A Detailed Look at Computer and Broadband Internet Use by 

Demographic Characteristics and Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4.3 Marginal Effects of Household Characteristics on the Likelihood 

that a Household Uses Broadband Internet Access Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

5. Non-Adoption of Internet Access Services at Home, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

6. Internet Use Outside the Home, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

7. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Appendix A: Data and Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Appendix B: Statistical Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

vii

Exploring the Digital Nation:

Computer and Internet Use at Home

1. Introduction

The Internet has transformed our social and economic environment by providing an important

platform for innovation, economic growth, and social communication. Residential use of

broadband Internet access services has risen dramatically during the past decade, demonstrating

that the Internet plays a key role in the everyday lives of many people.

Figure 1: Overview of Household Adoption Rates by Technology

Percent of U.S. Households

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations. “Digital Nation: Expanding Internet Usage,” National Telecommunications and

Information Administration, February 2011.

Note: Internet adoption depicted above combines broadband and dial-up Internet access services. 2001-2010 computer

and Internet use data employ 2000 Census-based weights, and earlier years use 1990 Census-based weights.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

1

37

42

51

56

62

77

19

26

42

50

55

62

69 71

4

9

20

51

64

68

94 94 94 95 95 95 96

96

Oct 97

Nov 97Nov 98

Dec 98

Jul 00

Aug 00 Sep 01

Nov 01

Oct 03

Nov 03

Oct 07

Nov 07

Oct 09

Nov 09Mar 10

Oct 10

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Computer Internet Broadband Internet Telephone
Nonetheless, as Figure 1 illustrates, not everyone uses a computer or the Internet. Today, there

exists a substantial gap between these technologies’ adoption rates (77 and 71 percent,

respectively) and that of telephone service (96 percent); broadband Internet access (68 percent)

trails as well. However, the differentials have decreased significantly between very mature

telephone subscribership and growing digital technologies. For example, in 2003 computer use

lagged by approximately 33 percentage points and broadband by almost 75 percentage points.

While telephone diffusion has plateaued for more than two decades, nascent computer and

Internet adoption rates have continued to climb, albeit at a slower pace than earlier in the

decade. In contrast, broadband Internet’s rise has remained sharp and robust, as dial-up

adoption plunged from 37 percent in 2000 to three percent in 2010.

In February 2011, NTIA released Digital Nation: Expanding Internet Usage, a research preview

that provided a first look at data from the October 2010 School Enrollment and Internet Use

Supplement to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. The preview relied on several

statistical tables that the Census Bureau released shortly after it began processing the survey

data. These tables provided us with certain information about disparities in broadband

adoption based on demographic characteristics such as income, race, and population density.

The preliminary CPS data, however, limited our analysis until the Census Bureau made

available a public use dataset for the survey, which facilitated a more detailed examination

of the data. 

Armed with complete survey results, ESA and NTIA produced custom statistics on adoption of

Internet access services by demographics and geography, and reasons for non-adoption. In

addition to calculating statistics not listed in the summary tables that NTIA used for the 2011

research preview, such as information on computer ownership, we employed regression analysis

to estimate the effects of different variables, such as income or race, on such outcomes as

broadband adoption when holding other factors constant. In other words, it allowed us to

estimate how much of the digital divide remains attributable to population density or

geography (for example) if we control for characteristics like education and income. 

This report, therefore, draws on the October 2010 CPS data to provide new insights from the

survey’s expanded questions on computer use and Internet adoption.2 These additional

questions enabled us to study home computer use, identify the types of broadband Internet

access services used at home, and determine the locations from which people used the Internet

outside the home. In addition, one of the main findings of the 2011 preview was that

affordability played a large role in a household’s decision not to subscribe to broadband services.

The expanded questionnaire allowed us to identify the types of costs that concerned households,

including fixed costs, such as the cost of computer equipment and Internet service installation,

and recurring costs, such as monthly Internet access subscription fees. 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

2

2 Please see Appendix A for a detailed description of the data and methodology employed in this report. 
2. Household Computer Use, 2010

More than three-quarters (77 percent) of all American households had a computer at home

in 2010, up from 62 percent in 2003.3,4 Figure 2 shows that the majority of U.S. households

(58 percent) used a desktop, laptop, netbook, or notebook computer only (personal computer),

while 17 percent used a handheld device (which includes smartphones and other Internetcapable devices of similar functionality) in addition to a personal computer. Handheld devices

appear to be complementary to personal computers since the substantial majority of households

with handheld devices also used a personal computer. Only two percent of households reported

having just a handheld device. 

A significant segment of the population, almost one-fourth (23 percent) of all American

households, did not own or use a computer at home in 2010.

Figure 2: Household Computer Use by Type of Computer, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations. 

Note: Handheld devices include smartphones and other Internet-capable devices of similar size and functionality.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

3

3 For the 2010 household-level estimate of computer usage based on the total sample, the margin of error at the

90 percent confidence level is plus or minus 0.35 percentage points based on a standard error (SE) of 0.21 percentage

points. See Appendix B, Table B2 for estimates of computer use and standard errors for population subgroups. The last

time the CPS included data on computer use was in 2003. 

4 All comparisons referenced in this paper have been tested for statistical significance, and are significant at the

90 percent confidence level. 

Personal computer

only (Desktop,

laptop,

netbook, or

notebook computer) 

58%

Handheld

device only

2%

No computer

23%

Handheld device 

and personal 

computer

17%
The finding that a relatively small share of the population owned handheld devices raises the

question whether households with handheld devices differ in their demographic characteristics

from others. Table 1 shows demographic information for three groups: households that owned

a handheld device (alone or in addition to a personal computer), those with a personal

computer only, and those with no computer of any type. Handheld devices were more

prevalent in higher-income households – almost one-third of households (31 percent) with a

handheld device had family incomes exceeding $100,000 in 2010, compared to 16 percent of

households with a personal computer only, and three percent of households with no computer.

In general, households that reported using a handheld device had younger and more educated

householders than those without a handheld device or computer.5

Table 1. Household Characteristics by Type of Computer at Home, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations. 

Note: Handheld devices include smartphones and other Internet-capable devices of similar functionality. 

*These are attributes of the householder.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

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Personal computer 

Handheld device only (Desktop,

alone or in laptop, netbook,

combination or notebook) No computer

Mean Age* (years) 42 49 57

Income < $25,000 14% 23% 57%

Income > $100,000 31% 16% 3%

High school diploma* 18% 28% 42%

College degree or more* 48% 33% 10%

Urban 89% 83% 79%

Rural 10% 16% 21%

5 The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents the housing unit where the subject household

resides, or, if there is no such person, any adult member, excluding roomers, boarders, or paid employees.
3. Household Internet Adoption, 2010

3.1 Types of Household Internet Adoption

In 2010, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of all American households utilized broadband

Internet access services, up four percentage points (64 percent) from the previous year.6 Figure

3 shows that cable modem and DSL were, by far, the leading broadband technologies for

residential Internet access, with 32 percent and 23 percent of households, respectively, utilizing

these services.7 Other broadband technologies, such as mobile broadband, fiber optics, and

satellite technologies, accounted for a small segment of household Internet connections.

A shrinking share of home Internet users – about three percent of households in 2010 – used

dial-up to access the Internet, down from five percent in 2009. By combining the percentages

of households with broadband Internet access and those with dial-up services, we note that

seven out of every ten (71 percent) American households had home Internet access service in

2010. Another nine percent of households had Internet users who only accessed the Internet

outside the home. Together, these figures suggest that 80 percent of American households in

2010 had at least one Internet user, up three percentage points from the previous year. 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

5

6 A household with at least one of the following high-speed, high capacity, two-way Internet services is considered to

have broadband: DSL, cable modem, fiber optics, satellite, mobile broadband, or some other non-dial-up Internet

connection. The CPS did not ask about the speed of the particular broadband service a household uses because of the

difficulty of gathering the information. The household-level estimate on broadband Internet access based on the total

sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.38 percentage points, based on a standard of error of 0.23 percentage

points. See Appendix B, Table B2 for estimates of Internet access and standard errors for population subgroups. 

7 The shares of households with DSL, cable modem, fiber optics, and satellite technologies shown in Figure 3 include

households that reported having only that specific type of technology. The vast majority of households with these

technologies had only one type of Internet technology. In contrast, the six percent of households with mobile

broadband includes households that reported having mobile broadband, either alone or in addition to other types of

technologies. The category “Other broadband services” includes unspecified technology types, or any other

combination of listed technology types excluding mobile broadband. For example, the total share of households with

DSL was 24.6 percent, including 23.4 percent with DSL alone, 0.8 percent with DSL and mobile broadband, and 0.4

percent with DSL and other broadband service. Similarly, the total share of households with cable modem was 33.9

percent, with 32.0 percent with cable modem alone, 1.4 percent with cable modem and mobile broadband, and 0.5

percent with cable modem and other broadband service. 
Figure 3: Household Internet Adoption

by Type of Technology, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Other broadband services include unspecified service types, or any other combination of listed service types

excluding mobile broadband. 

3.2 Mobile Broadband Internet Use at Home

The explosive growth of wireless technologies in recent years reflects Americans’ desire to carry

portable devices that provide communications capabilities they previously could only access at

home or work. Mobile broadband services offer Internet access utilizing service providers’

cellular networks. Mobile broadband is unique in its ability to function wherever radio signals

are available, rather than at a fixed location (or, where Wi-Fi routers are used, a small range of

locations). This feature supports a continuous Internet connection using mobile devices, and

enables the use of location-aware online services. Smartphones with “data plans” represent the

most common way people obtain mobile broadband service. In addition, mobile users may

access mobile broadband services with cards, adapters, and base stations that connect computers

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

6

Mobile broadband 

only or with other 

Internet services

6%

Satellite

2%

Dial-up

3%

Outside home 

Internet use only

9%

No Internet use

20%

Other broadband 

services

2%

Fiber optics

3%

Cable modem

32%

68% have some type of

broadband Internet service 

at home

DSL

23%
and other Internet-ready devices.8 CPS data suggest that a small share of households (six

percent) utilized mobile broadband services at home in 2010 (Figure 3).9

Home mobile broadband adoption was more widespread in households reporting use of a

handheld device. Figure 4 compares Internet use between two groups - households that

reported owning a handheld device (alone or in addition to a personal computer) and

households that did not own any handheld device but reported owning a personal computer.

According to Figure 4, approximately one in five households (21 percent) with a handheld

device used mobile broadband (Figure 4, right panel), compared to only four percent of

households with personal computers (Figure 4, left panel). 

In addition to having a stronger preference for mobile broadband Internet access, users of

handheld devices were also more likely than their counterparts using only personal computers to

subscribe to fiber optic broadband services and less likely to subscribe to DSL services. Six

percent of households with a handheld device reported fiber optics use, compared to three

percent of households with no handheld device but with a personal computer; DSL was used in

23 percent of households with a handheld device versus 33 percent of households with only a

personal computer. 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

7

8 For purposes of the CPS, mobile broadband does not refer to Wi-Fi networks, which ultimately rely on a different

transmission mode (e.g., one might have a cable modem at home that is connected to a Wi-Fi base station for wireless

Internet access at home, but from the provider’s perspective it is a cable connection). It also does not include satellite

connections.

9 Note that Figure 3 refers only to mobile broadband adoption at home. This differs from our finding that 19 percent

of households used a handheld device (see Figure 2), which alone does not indicate mobile broadband use inside the

home. The higher mobile broadband adoption rates reported in some other studies measure activities that are not

strictly limited to the use of a mobile broadband device at home. For example, an OECD study found mobile

broadband subscriptions to be 44.4 per 100 people in the United States (OECD, 2010). This number includes both

home and “business” subscriptions. Also, a Pew study found that 40 percent of American adults use their cell phones to

access the Internet, email, or instant messaging, regardless of whether the cell phones are used inside or outside the

home (Smith, 2010). Similarly, a working paper from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found that

30 percent of American adults used their cell phones to send emails, access web pages, or download applications

(FCC, 2010). 
Figure 4: Internet Connection Technology by Home Computer Type, Households, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement, October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

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Fiber optics

3%

Other

broadband 

services

2%

Mobile

broadband

4%

Satellite

2%

Connection Type, Personal Computer Users Connection Type, Handheld Device Users 

(alone or in combination) 

No Internet

8%

DSL

33% Cable modem

43%

Dial-up

4%

Fiber optics

6%

Other

broadband 

services

3%

Mobile

broadband

21%

Satellite

2%

No Internet

4%

DSL

23%

Cable modem

39%

Dial-up

1%
Figure 5 compares Internet use for urban and rural households. Note that this report uses

metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas as proxies for urban and rural areas, respectively.10

Home mobile broadband penetration in 2010 was similar among urban (7 percent) and rural

households (6 percent). Both urban and rural households report cable modem and DSL as the

leading broadband technologies for residential broadband Internet access. Urban households,

however, were more likely to use fiber optics and cable modem connections, and less likely to

utilize DSL and dial-up services than their rural counterparts.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

9

10 The geographic variable for identifying a household’s location as urban or rural is not available in the CPS public use

files. This report uses the terms “urban” and “rural” to refer to metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, respectively.

The definition of a metropolitan area (effective since 2000) is based on “core based statistical area” (CBSA), which

includes both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. According to the 2000 standards, each CBSA must have

at least one urban area with at least 10,000 inhabitants. Each metropolitan statistical area must contain at least one

urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more. Each micropolitan statistical area must contain at least one urban

cluster with population of between 10,000 and 50,000. As of June 6, 2003, there are 362 metropolitan statistical areas

and 560 micropolitan statistical areas in the United States. For more information, see U.S. Census Bureau (2010a) and

Office of Management and Budget (2010).
Figure 5: Internet Connection Type by Urban and Rural Location, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement, October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

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Rural Households

Cable modem

39%

 Mobile

broadband

only or with other

Internet services

7%

Urban Households

Fiber optics

4%

Other

broadband 

services

2%

Satellite

1%

No Internet

use

18%

Dial-up

2%

DSL

23%

Cable modem

35%

 Mobile

broadband

only or with other

Internet services

6%

DSL

27%

Cable modem

19%

Outside

home

Internet

use only

11%

Outside

home

Internet

use only

9%

Dial-up

5%

Fiber

optics

1%

Satellite

3%

No Internet

use

28%

Other

broadband 

services

1%
4. Computer and Home Internet Use by Household

Demographic Characteristics and Geography, 2010

This section studies how computer use and home Internet adoption vary across households with

different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. It also examines the impact of

geographic location on computer ownership and home Internet access. The results are useful to

identify groups that lagged – or led – in adoption of these technologies in 2010. Sections 4.1

and 4.2 look at Internet adoption rates by demographic attributes and geography. Section 4.3

utilizes regression analysis to evaluate specifically broadband Internet adoption among

comparable households. 

The results indicate that households with lower incomes and less education, as well as Blacks,

Hispanics, people with disabilities, and rural residents were less likely to have home Internet

access service. However, differences in socio-economic attributes do not entirely explain why

certain racial and ethnic groups or rural residents lagged in adoption. Further, households

without computers comprised the vast majority of non-adopters of home broadband Internet

access services. Predictably, the majority of computer users also utilized broadband at home. 

4.1 Demographic and Geographic Gaps in Computer and Internet Use

Figure 6 shows that home computer use and Internet adoption are strongly associated with

income. Almost half (46 percent) of the households in the lowest-income category did not have

a computer, compared to only four percent of the highest-income households.

Focusing on broadband, adoption exhibited a similar relationship with income. Less than half

(43 percent) of all households with annual household incomes below $25,000 in 2010 reported

having broadband Internet access at home, compared with the vast majority (93 percent) of

households with incomes exceeding $100,000. Dial-up service, however, accounted for a very

small segment of households with Internet access irrespective of income (ranging from one

percent to three percent of all households depending on income).

The total share of households with computers, as shown by the blue segments of each vertical

bar in Figure 6, consists of households with broadband, dial-up, and those that reported having

a computer, but no Internet access. The vast majority of this computer-using group had

broadband Internet access at home. Moreover, this pattern was visible across income groups,

suggesting that broadband adoption was more consistent among computer users than among all

households across income groups. Almost four-fifths (79 percent) of households with computers

and incomes below $25,000 used broadband at home, compared to 96 percent of computerusing households with incomes exceeding $100,000.11

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

11

11 These percentages are based on calculations set forth in Appendix B, Table B2.
Figure 6: Computer and Internet Use

by Household Income, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Figure 7 illustrates home Internet access and computer ownership by presence of school-age

children (between 6 and 17 years of age). Households with one or more children between 6 and

17 years of age were more likely to own a computer (86 percent) and to have home broadband

Internet access services (78 percent) than households with no school-age children (computer

and broadband adoption rates were 74 percent and 65 percent, respectively).12 Dial-up Internet

access service was also less prevalent among households with school-age children (2 percent)

than those without children (3 percent).

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

12

12 Percentages in this paragraph are based on calculations of the actual numbers (see Appendix B, Table B2) and may not

precisely equal the sum of the percentages shown in the accompanying figure due to rounding.

43%

66%

81%

88%

93% 3%

3%

3%

2% 1%

8%

7%

4%

3%

2%

46%

24%

12%

7% 4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Less than 

$25,0000

$25,000-

$50,000

$50,000-

$75,000

$75,000-

$100,000

$100,000

or more

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

Broadband
Figure 7: Computer and Internet Use

by Presence of School-Age Children, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

We find a similar relationship between home computer use and broadband adoption. The

substantial majority of households with computers had broadband Internet access. Among

computer owners, 91 percent of households with one or more school-age children, and 88

percent of households with no school-age child, utilized broadband (see Appendix B, Table B2).

Figure 8 shows home computer use and Internet adoption by householder age. Older

householders, particularly those ages 65 and older, were less likely than their younger

counterparts to live in a home with a computer (55 percent) or have broadband Internet access

service at home (45 percent). Unsurprisingly, the differences in broadband adoption across age

categories were much less pronounced among computer owners. Among households with

computers, 91 percent of householders ages 16 to 44 years had broadband service, compared to

82 percent of their older counterparts, 65 years and older (see Appendix B, Table B2). 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

13

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

78% Broadband

65%

2%

3%

6%

6%

14%

27%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Households with 

school-age children

Households without 

school-age children
Figure 8: Computer and Internet Use

by Householder Age, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Figure 9 displays the data by race and ethnicity. Asian households exhibited the highest rates of

home computer ownership (86 percent) and broadband service (81 percent), followed by White

households (80 percent owned a computer and 72 percent had home broadband Internet

services).13 Hispanic households and Black households lagged behind – only about two-thirds

of Black households and Hispanic households (65 percent and 67 percent, respectively) had a

computer at home, and only slightly more than half of all Black and Hispanic households (55

percent and 57 percent, respectively) had broadband service.14 Households headed by American

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

14

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

Broadband 77%

72%

45%

2% 3%

4%

6%

5%

6%

16% 20%

45%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

16-44 years 45-64 years 65 years and older

13 As described in the Data and Methodology section (Appendix A), the data on race and ethnicity (as well as education,

age, disability status, and foreign-born status) are for the householder. As a result, “White households” (for example)

refer to households headed by a White person. The same definition applies to Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American

Indian or Alaska Native households. Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not

include people of Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

14 Percentages in this paragraph are based on calculations of the actual numbers (see Appendix B, Table B2) and may not

precisely equal the sum of the percentages shown in the accompanying figure due to rounding.
Indian or Alaska Native householders also had computer use (66 percent) and broadband

adoption (52 percent) rates that trailed the national average (see Appendix B, Table B2).15

Figure 9: Computer and Internet Use

by Householder Race and Ethnicity, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Data for only computer-using households show a less pronounced race- and ethnicity-related

gap in broadband adoption. Among households using computers, broadband Internet adoption

rates were 94 percent for Asians, 90 percent for Whites, and 86 percent for both Black and

Hispanic households (see Appendix B, Table B2). This again suggests that computer use is

strongly correlated with broadband Internet access at home.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

15

15 Figure 9 does not include data on American Indian and Alaska Native householders due to data limitations for this

group by Internet connection technology.

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

81% Broadband

72%

55% 57%

2%

3%

2% 2%

4%

5%

7% 7%

14%

20%

35% 33%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Asian, Hispanic

non-Hispanic

White, 

non-Hispanic

Black, 

non-Hispanic
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

16

Figure 10 shows home computer use and Internet adoption by householder’s disability status.16

Almost half of all households headed by someone with a disability did not have a computer at

home (46 percent), compared to a much smaller segment (20 percent) of homes where the

householder had no disability. Households headed by people with disabilities were also much

less likely to subscribe to broadband service than those with no disability. 

Figure 10: Computer and Internet Use

by Householder Disability Status, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Among computer-using households, 80 percent of homes headed by someone with a disability

used broadband at home, compared to 90 percent of those headed by someone with no

disability (see Appendix B, Table B2). 

16 In the CPS, a civilian adult is considered to have a disability if he or she reported having at least one of the following

conditions: (1) hearing impairment; (2) blindness or impaired vision despite wearing glasses; (3) physical, mental, or

emotional condition that impairs the ability to concentrate, remember, or make decisions; (4) difficulty walking or

climbing stairs; (5) difficulty dressing or bathing; or (6) physical, mental, or emotional condition that impairs the

ability to do errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping (Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census

Bureau, 2010). 

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

Broadband

43%

72%

3%

3%

8%

46% 5%

20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Householder with a disability Householder with no disability
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

17

The next three figures show household computer ownership and Internet use data by

geographic location. Figure 11 demonstrates that one out of five urban households (22 percent)

did not own a computer in 2010, compared to roughly one out of three (30 percent) rural

households. Urban (metropolitan) dwellers also were more likely than their rural (nonmetropolitan) counterparts to have broadband Internet access at home (70 percent compared

to 57 percent). Rural residents were more likely to utilize dial-up services to go online – five

percent of rural households utilized dial-up services, compared with two percent of urban dwellers. 

Figure 11: Computer and Internet Use

by Urban and Rural Location, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Among computer owners, 90 percent of urban households and 82 percent of rural households

used broadband services (see Appendix B, Table B2). 

Figure 12 shows computer and Internet use by state. Proportions of households without a

computer at home ranged from about one-third of households (33 percent) in Mississippi to

13 percent of households in Utah. Average broadband adoption in 2010 varied by state from

No computer

Computer, 

no Internet 

Dial-up

Broadband

70%

57%

2%

5%

5%

8%

22%

30%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Urban (Metropolitan) Rural (Non-metropolitan) 
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

18

about half (52 percent) of all households in Mississippi to 80 percent in Utah. Broadband

Internet access service was the leading mode for residential Internet access, while dial-up service

accounted for a small segment of online households regardless of state.17

Figure 12: Computer and Internet Use by State, 2010

(by Household Broadband Adoption Rate)

17 Note that states are ordered by estimated average household broadband usage rate for ease of understanding and not

as a specific ranking. Rates for broadband, Internet, and computer use should be understood in the context of their

associated confidence intervals, set forth in Appendix B, Tables B5 and B6.

69%

69%

70%

70%

71%

71%

71%

71%

72%

72%

72%

73%

73%

73%

73%

74%

74%

74%

75%

75%

75%

76%

77%

78%

80%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Hawaii

Vermont

Virginia

Florida

Wisconsin

Minnesota

Rhode Island

North Dakota

Colorado

District of Columbia

Idaho

Wyoming

California

New Jersey

Alaska

Maryland

Arizona

Nevada

Kansas

Oregon

Connecticut

Massachusetts

Washington

New Hampshire

Utah

Broadband Dial-up Computer, no Internet No Computer
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

19

Figure 12: Computer and Internet Use by State, 2010, cont’d

(by Household Broadband Adoption Rate)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations. 

Note: Because of sampling variability, average adoption rates for two states may not be different from one another in a

statistically significant way. Tables B5 and B6 in Appendix B provide the 90 percent confidence interval for each state.

Broadband Dial-up Computer, no Internet No Computer

52%

52%

56%

58%

58%

59%

59%

59%

60%

60%

61%

62%

64%

64%

65%

66%

66%

67%

67%

67%

67%

68%

69%

69%

69%

69%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Mississippi

Arkansas

Alabama

New Mexico

Kentucky

Indiana

West Virginia

Tennessee

South Carolina

Louisiana

Montana

Oklahoma

Ohio

Missouri

North Carolina

South Dakota

Michigan

Texas

Maine

Pennsylvania

Iowa

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Nebraska

New York
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

20

The pattern of generally higher broadband adoption in urban compared to rural areas occurred

across states. Figure 13 shows the share of urban and rural households with broadband service

by state. The urban-rural gap in broadband adoption varied from zero percent in California

(that is, average broadband adoption rates were practically the same in urban and rural areas of

California) to 26 percent in Mississippi, where the average broadband adoption rates ranged

from 67 percent in urban areas to 41 percent in rural areas.18

18 Id. See Appendix B, Tables B7, B8.
Figure 13: Broadband Internet Use in Urban and Rural Locations,

by State, 2010

(by Overall Household Broadband Adoption Rate)

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

21

58%

59%

64%

64%

64%

49%

60%

65%

65%

64%

62%

71%

73%

66%

64%

64%

67%

66%

69%

68%

72%

70%

75%

69%

71%

81%

73%

71%

72%

72%

78%

78%

78%

73%

77%

75%

76%

79%

77%

75%

77%

81%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Illinois

Nebraska

New York

Hawaii

Vermont

Virginia

Florida

Wisconsin

Minnesota

North Dakota

Idaho

Wyoming

California

Alaska

Maryland

Arizona

Kansas

Oregon

Connecticut

Washington

New Hampshire

Urban Rural
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

22

Figure 13: Broadband Internet Use in Urban and Rural Locations,

by State, 2010, cont’d

(by Overall Household Broadband Adoption Rate)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: The following states were not included in this figure due to data limitations for rural areas in the CPS: Colorado,

Louisiana, Nevada, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Utah. The District of Columbia had no rural areas.

In 2010, the average broadband adoption rates for the urban areas in these states were as follows: Colorado - 71 percent,

Louisiana - 63 percent, Nevada - 75 percent, Rhode Island - 71 percent, Massachusetts - 76 percent, New Jersey - 73

percent, and Utah - 79 percent. Because of sampling variability, average adoption rates for two states may not be

different from one another in a statistically significant way. Tables B7 and B8 in Appendix B provide the 90 percent

confidence interval for each state.

Urban Rural

41%

46%

47%

48%

49%

55%

52%

46%

50%

57%

50%

57%

49%

58%

59%

60%

60%

61%

66%

60%

59%

49%

67%

56%

59%

61%

65%

61%

64%

64%

64%

69%

68%

66%

69%

69%

72%

68%

68%

74%

68%

73%

71%

72%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Mississippi

Arkansas

Alabama

New Mexico

Kentucky

Indiana

West Virginia

Tennessee

South Carolina

Montana

Oklahoma

Ohio

Missouri

North Carolina

South Dakota

Michigan

Texas

Maine

Pennsylvania

Iowa

Delaware

Georgia
4.2 A Detailed Look at Computer and Broadband Internet Use by 

Demographic Characteristics and Geography 

This section provides a more detailed analysis of the survey results with respect to demographic

characteristics and geography. The previous section identified the households exhibiting low

and high levels of computer use and Internet access service adoption, and separately, their urban

or rural locations. This section combines the “who” and “where” in our identification of low

and high adopters. 

Table 2 shows computer use and broadband Internet adoption by race, ethnicity, income, and

education within urban and rural areas. Households headed by someone without a high school

diploma had particularly low home computer use and broadband service adoption, while rural

households displayed slightly lower rates than their urban counterparts. Among households

headed by someone without a high school diploma, 39 percent of rural households and

46 percent of urban households used a computer; and 26 percent of rural households and

35 percent of urban households had broadband service. Compared to the national average of

68 percent, broadband Internet adoption was also particularly low among rural households with

incomes less than $25,000 (35 percent), and rural households headed by someone of American

Indian or Alaska Native background (31 percent). 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

23
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

24

Table 2: Household Computer Use and Broadband Internet Adoption

by Urban/Rural Location, Race, Ethnicity, Income, and Education, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

*These are attributes of the householder.

Broadband 

Household Characteristic Computer Use Adoption

Urban Rural Urban Rural

All Households 78% 70% 70% 57%

Race and Ethnicity*

White, non-Hispanic 82% 72% 75% 60%

Black, non-Hispanic 66% 53% 57% 41%

Hispanic 67% 57% 58% 46%

Asian, non-Hispanic 86% 85% 81% 83%

American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic 74% 52% 66% 31%

Household Income

Less than $25,0000 56% 49% 45% 35%

$25,000-$50,000 76% 74% 67% 60%

$50,000-$75,000 88% 87% 82% 76%

$75,000-$100,000 93% 91% 89% 82%

$100,000 or more 96% 94% 93% 87%

Education*

No high school diploma 46% 39% 35% 26%

High school diploma 68% 64% 59% 50%

Some college 84% 82% 75% 69%

College degree or more 93% 89% 88% 80%
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

25

Table 3 contains data on computer use and broadband Internet adoption by race, ethnicity,

family income, and urban or rural location. Rural Black and Hispanic households with family

incomes below $25,000 had the lowest rates of home computer use (44 percent for Blacks,

45 percent for Hispanics) and broadband Internet adoption (32 percent for Blacks, 30 percent

for Hispanics). 

Table 3: Household Computer Use and Broadband Internet Adoption

by Urban/Rural Location, Race, Ethnicity, and Income, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indians and

Alaska Natives are not included in this table due to small sample issues.

Table 4 displays a similar pattern of computer use and broadband Internet adoption by race and

educational attainment, and by urban or rural location. Households headed by a Black

householder without a high school diploma and living in rural areas exhibited the lowest levels

of home computer use (27 percent) and broadband Internet adoption (16 percent).

Broadband 

Race, Ethnicity, and Income Computer Use Adoption

Urban Rural Urban Rural

All Households 78% 70% 70% 57%

White, non-Hispanic

Less than $25,0000 60% 50% 49% 36%

$25,000-$50,000 78% 75% 69% 62%

$50,000-$75,000 89% 87% 83% 76%

$75,000 or more 96% 93% 92% 85%

Black, non-Hispanic

Less than $25,0000 49% 44% 39% 32%

$25,000-$50,000 70% 64% 60% 47%

$50,000-$75,000 83% 77% 76% 70%

$75,000 or more 90% 85% 84% 81%

Hispanic

Less than $25,0000 49% 45% 38% 30%

$25,000-$50,000 71% 60% 60% 53%

$50,000-$75,000 84% 85% 77% 79%

$75,000 or more 93% 86% 88% 76%
Table 4: Household Computer Use and Broadband Internet Adoption

by Urban/Rural Location, Race, Ethnicity, and Education 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indians and

Alaska Natives are not included in this table due to small sample issues.

4.3 Marginal Effects of Household Characteristics on the Likelihood that a

Household Uses Broadband Internet Access Service 

The finding that socio-economic characteristics, as well as race, ethnicity, and geographic

location are highly correlated with household technology usage patterns might be misleading, as

these household attributes are themselves correlated with each other. For instance, income and

education are likely to be higher in urban areas if employment opportunities requiring high

levels of skill and specialization are disproportionately located in urban areas. As a result, it is

not clear from the tabulations how much of the urban-rural gap in home broadband adoption

results from socio-economic differences between urban and rural residents. The same issue

applies for the tabulations by race and ethnicity.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

26

Computer Broadband 

Householder Characteristic Use Adoption

Urban Rural Urban Rural

All Households 78% 70% 70% 57%

White, non-Hispanic

No high school diploma 47% 42% 37% 27%

High school diploma 70% 65% 62% 52%

Some college 86% 83% 78% 70%

College degree or more 93% 90% 89% 80%

Black, non-Hispanic

No high school diploma 36% 27% 27% 16%

High school diploma 57% 50% 47% 38%

Some college 74% 73% 64% 56%

College degree or more 87% 82% 81% 75%

Hispanic

No high school diploma 47% 38% 35% 28%

High school diploma 65% 59% 56% 45%

Some college 83% 81% 74% 73%

College degree or more 90% 83% 84% 72%
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

27

By utilizing regression analysis, we can estimate the marginal or “isolated” association between

technology usage and a particular household characteristic.19 For example, one way of

estimating the marginal effect of living in an urban area on broadband adoption is by

comparing broadband adoption among urban and rural households that are otherwise similar

with respect to key determinants of broadband adoption, such as income, education, race,

ethnicity, age, state of residence, and other factors. In other words, the marginal effect of living

in an urban rather than a rural location is the gap in average broadband adoption between

urban and rural households, after accounting for differences in socio-economic and

demographic characteristics. 

The rest of this section utilizes regression analysis to estimate the relationship between selected

demographic and geographic characteristics and home broadband Internet adoption. The

factors for which we control in this analysis include household income, education, age, race,

ethnicity, foreign-born status, household composition (total number of persons in a household

and whether a related school-age child lives there), disability status, and geographic location

(urban-rural location and state). For characteristics like education, race, ethnicity, age, disability

status, and foreign-born status, we use information for the householder. 

Note that the CPS data do not provide information on availability and price of Internet access

services in a household’s immediate location, both of which are important determinants of

adoption. Even though we are unable to control directly for price and availability, the

regression analysis accounts for a household’s geographic location (urban or rural location, the

population size of a household’s urban area, and state) and therefore would capture some of the

variation in price and availability along these geographic dimensions.20 

We present the results from this regression analysis in Table B4 of Appendix B. Figures 14-18

graphically present the gaps in broadband adoption. Each figure uses a pair of bars to display

the adoption gap between two groups of households. Within each pair, the left bar (which is

also the longer bar) shows the simple gap in average adoption before controlling for other

household attributes. The right bar (which is also the shorter bar) shows the remaining

adoption gap which is unexplained by our model, that is, it is the remaining gap after

accounting for differences in household demographic, socio-economic, and geographic

characteristics. Within each figure, the left panel (or pair of bars) presents the adoption gap

information based on data for all households, and the right panel shows the information based

on the sample of computer owners only. 

19 Household characteristics include income, education, age, race, disability status, citizenship status, presence of

children, and population density. See Table B4 in Appendix B for more detail.

20 The results presented in Appendix B, Table B4 show the urban-rural gap by urban area size. 
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

28

Figure 14 shows the adoption gaps between urban and rural households. According to Figure

11 from the previous section, 70 percent and 57 percent of urban and rural households,

respectively, reported having broadband service at home, identifying a 13 percentage point gap

in broadband adoption between urban and rural households (represented by the left bar in the

left panel of Figure 14). After we account for socio-economic and demographic differences

between urban and rural households, the remaining adoption gap is five percentage points

(represented by the right bar in the left panel of Figure 14). 

The right panel of Figure 14 shows the urban-rural adoption gap among computer users only.

Ninety percent of urban households with computers and 82 percent of rural households with

computers reported having broadband at home, indicating an eight percentage point gap.

After accounting for socio-economic and demographic attributes, the gap declines to five

percentage points. This suggests that, even among computer owners of similar income,

education, age, and other demographic characteristics, urban dwellers were on average five

percentage points more likely than their rural counterparts to adopt home broadband service.

The variation in price and availability of broadband services could account for part of this

unexplained urban-rural gap. 
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

29

Figure 14: Broadband Internet Adoption Gap

between Urban and Rural Households, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Turning to the data by race and ethnicity, Figure 9 showed that Asian households displayed the

highest rates of broadband adoption (81 percent), followed by White (72 percent), Hispanic (57

percent), and Black (55 percent) households. This suggests that Asian households on average

were nine percentage points more likely to have broadband Internet access services than White

households. In addition, White households were 17 percentage points and 15 percentage points

more likely than Black and Hispanic households, respectively, to have home broadband Internet

access. Once we control for socio-economic and geographic differences, the broadband

adoption gap between Asians and Whites disappears (Figure 15), whereas the gap between

White and Black households, and between White and Hispanic households both decline to

11 percentage points (left panels, Figures 16 and 17). An important topic for future research

13

8

5 5

0

5

10

15

20

Percentage Point Gap in Adoption

Gap in average adoption Gap in average adoption after

controlling for household

characteristics

Broadband adoption at home

(all households)

Broadband adoption at home

(computer-using households only)
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

30

would be the persistence of broadband adoption gaps between the latter groups even after

accounting for demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors.

Computer users, on the contrary, displayed much less disparate broadband adoption rates across

race and ethnicity. Ninety-four percent of Asian households, 90 percent of White households,

86 percent of Black households, and 86 percent of Hispanic households with computers used

broadband at home, implying adoption gaps of four percentage points between Asian and

White, White and Black, and White and Hispanic households. Controlling for demographic

characteristics and geography erases the Asian and White difference, and reduces both the

White-Black and White-Hispanic gaps to three percentage points. 

Figure 15: Broadband Internet Adoption Gap

between non-Hispanic Asian and White Households, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

9

4

0 0

0

5

10

15

20

Percentage Point Gap in Adoption

Broadband adoption at home

(all households)

Broadband adoption at home

(computer-using households only)

Gap in average adoption Gap in average adoption after

controlling for household

characteristics
Figure 16: Broadband Internet Adoption Gap

between non-Hispanic White and Black Households, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

31

16

4

11

3

0

5

10

15

20

Percentage Point Gap in Adoption

Broadband adoption at home

(all households)

Broadband adoption at home

(computer-using households only)

Gap in average adoption Gap in average adoption after

controlling for household

characteristics
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

32

Figure 17: Broadband Internet Adoption Gap

between non-Hispanic White and Hispanic Households, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Turning to the data by disability status, Figure 10 showed 43 percent of households headed by

someone with a disability used broadband, compared to 72 percent of households headed by

someone with no disability, implying a 29 percentage point gap in broadband Internet access.

Once we control for income, education, age, and other key attributes, the gap in broadband

Internet access declines to six percentage points or about one-fifth of the original gap (see left

panel, Figure 18). Looking at computer owners exclusively shows smaller differences (10

percentage point difference before and three percentage point difference after controlling for

demographic factors and geography, as shown in Figure 18, right panel). This suggests that

differences in demographic and socio-economic attributes and geography explain a substantial

portion of the disability-related broadband gap, even among computer owners. 

15

4

11

3

0

5

10

15

20

Percentage Point Gap in Adoption

Broadband adoption at home

(all households)

Broadband adoption at home

(computer-using households only)

Gap in average adoption Gap in average adoption after

controlling for household

characteristics
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

33

Figure 18: Broadband Internet Adoption Gap

between Householders with no Disability and with Disability, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

The regression results presented in this section suggest that income and education are strongly

associated with broadband Internet access at home, but are not the sole determinants. Other

factors, such as race, ethnicity, and urban-rural location are also independently associated with

technology usage patterns. The adoption gaps are less pronounced among computer users, that

is, computer use and broadband adoption strongly correlate, perhaps because both exhibit

strong associations with demographic and socio-economic attributes. 

The CPS data do not provide information on price and availability of broadband Internet access

in a household’s immediate location, which is why we are unable to directly account for these

factors. Consequently, we are unable to distinguish how much of the variation across socioeconomic and geographic dimensions results from factors related to demand as opposed to

supply considerations. Lower demand for broadband Internet access or lack of affordability

may partially explain why some households decline to adopt broadband Internet access service,

but other reasons may include lack of supply or availability of residential broadband services. 

29

10

6

3

0

5

10

15

20

35

30

25

Percentage Point Gap in Adoption

Broadband adoption at home

(all households)

Broadband adoption at home

(computer-using households only)

Gap in average adoption Gap in average adoption after

controlling for household

characteristics
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

34

5. Non-Adoption of Internet Access Services at Home, 2010

The CPS Supplement asked households using dial-up Internet access services (hereafter referred

to as “dial-up households”) to state their main reason for not having broadband Internet service

at home (tabulations shown on the left panel of Figure 19). In addition, the CPS asked

households without Internet service or a home computer to state their main reason for not

having home Internet access (tabulations shown on the right panel of Figure 19). The reasons

for non-adoption are likely to have significant policy implications. For example, if lack of

availability of broadband services is the main impediment to broadband adoption at home, then

policies to expand usage may require attracting broadband providers to offer service. However,

if there is a lack of information about broadband service availability, or a perceived lack of need

or interest in broadband, then policies may incorporate public awareness campaigns. 

Note that households’ responses on the main reason for not using broadband Internet at home

reflect their subjective opinions since the survey respondent may not have adequate information

on pricing, availability, or the value of Internet access services. For instance, one may believe

that broadband Internet access is not available in the area, but be misinformed. As a result, we

caution that any comparison across households, while informative, requires careful analysis. 

The left panel of Figure 19 shows that expense, lack of need, and lack of availability were the

main impediments to broadband adoption for dial-up households. One-third of dial-up users

reported “lack of need” (33 percent), about one-third reported “too expensive” (34 percent),

and about one-fourth (27 percent) reported “lack of availability.” Note that dial-up households

accounted for three percent of American households in 2010.

In contrast, almost half (47 percent) of households without a computer or home Internet access

stated lack of need as their main reason for not having home Internet services (right panel of

Figure 19). About one-fourth (24 percent) reported affordability, and 15 percent reported

inadequate computer as the primary reason for no home Internet access. Note that those

households reporting no Internet access or home computer were a much larger group (29

percent) than the collective dial-up households (representing about three percent of American

households). 
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

35

Figure 19: Main Reason for Not Having Home Internet Access Service, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Figure 20 tabulates the main reason for no Internet access at home separately for those

households with, and those without, a computer at home. Among households that owned a

computer but did not have home Internet access, expense was the most commonly provided

reason (37 percent), followed by lack of need (28 percent). On the contrary, among households

that did not own a computer, lack of need or demand dominated (52 percent). 

33%

47%

34%

24%

5%

27%

1%

2%

15%

4% 7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Other reasons

No computer/computer inadequate

Not available in area

Can use it somewhere else

Too expensive

Don't need it, not interested

Main reason for no broadband 

Internet, as reported by Dial-up users 

(Number of households = 3.4 million)

Main reason for no Internet at all, 

as reported by those with no home 

Internet access and/or no computer 

(Number of households = 34.6 million)

2%
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

36

Figure 20: Main Reason for Not Having Home Internet Access Service,

by Household Computer Ownership, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

The CPS asked households that responded “too expensive” as their main reason for not having

home Internet service to indicate what costs most concerned them – the fixed costs of

purchasing a computer or installing home Internet access services, or the recurring monthly

subscription costs. Figure 21 tabulates these responses. The left panel of Figure 21 shows that,

among dial-up households stating expense or affordability as their main reason for not having

broadband, the cost of monthly Internet access service was a more serious concern than fixed

costs. The vast majority (75 percent) of these households cited the monthly service cost and

another 10 percent reported both the monthly service cost and fixed costs as their main

impediments to adopting broadband Internet access at home. These responses are not

surprising. Since dial-up users likely have already incurred the fixed costs of computers and

equipment, the monthly subscription costs outweighed the fixed costs of computers and

installation as the primary obstacle to home broadband service.

28%

52%

37%

21%

9%

3% 4% 0.3%

8%

17%

16%

5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Computer, no Internet 

(Number of households = 6.8 million) 

 No computer

(Number of households = 27.8 million)

Other reasons

No computer/computer inadequate

Not available in area

Can use it somewhere else

Too expensive

Don't need it, not interested
Among households that reported affordability as their main reason for not having any Internet

access, both the fixed costs of purchasing a computer and equipment, as well as the monthly

subscription costs were important (shown on the right panel of Figure 21). One-third of these

households (33 percent) reported both monthly subscription and fixed costs, slightly more than

one-fourth (27 percent) reported monthly cost alone, and almost one-third (30 percent)

reported the fixed cost of a computer and equipment as their primary obstacle to having

Internet access. 

Figure 21: Detailed Reasons Why Internet Access Service

Was Too Expensive

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

37

4%

30%

9%

8%

75% 27%

10%

33%

1% 2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Dial-up households listing "too 

expensive" as main reason for 

no broadband use

Households with no Internet 

access listing "too expensive"

as main reason for no Internet

Unspecified reason

Fixed cost and monthly

Internet service

Monthly Internet service

Fixed cost (computer/hardware)

Fixed cost (installation of internet 

service alone or in combination 

with computer)
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

38

6. Internet Use Outside the Home, 2010

This report demonstrates that persistent differences exist in the adoption rate for broadband

Internet access services across demographic groups, and that socio-economic and geographic

factors, as well as demand or need, affordability, and availability all play significant roles in

household adoption decisions. The variation in broadband Internet access across demographic

groups points to an important area of investigation – do people who lack home broadband

Internet access services use the Internet at locations outside the home and, if so, where do they

access it? The expanded questions of the October 2010 CPS allow us to take a closer look at

this topic. 

Section 3 showed that more than two-thirds of American households (68 percent) utilized home

broadband Internet access in 2010. According to Figure 22, the majority of these broadband

households also used the Internet outside the home. Forty-three percent of American

households had broadband Internet access at home and used the Internet outside the home,

while 25 percent of households had broadband at home but did not use the Internet outside the

home. Three percent of American households used dial-up at home – almost two percent of

households had dial-up and did not use the Internet outside the home, and one percent of

households both used dial-up and found additional locations outside the home from which they

connected to the Internet. 

Figure 22: Household Distribution of Internet Access Points, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

No Internet use

20% No Internet at home, 

Internet outside the 

home

9%

Dial-up at home and 

no Internet outside

the home

2%

Dial-up at home and 

Internet outside the

home

1%

Broadband at home

and no outside

Internet access

25%

Broadband 

at home

and Internet 

outside home

43%
Figure 23 shows the tabulation results for locations outside of the home where people reported

accessing the Internet. In general, those without broadband Internet access at home depended

more heavily on public libraries or someone else’s house for Internet access than those with

broadband service. The left bar of Figure 23 shows that residents of households with no

broadband primarily accessed the Internet at work, school, or the public library. Those with

broadband Internet access at home (showed by the right bar) primarily connected to the

Internet at work or school, but relied less heavily on public libraries or someone else’s house.

Only four percent of broadband households reported accessing the Internet at a public library,

compared to 20 percent of those without broadband Internet access at home. About two

percent of broadband households also accessed the Internet at someone else’s house, compared

to 12 percent of non-broadband households.

Figure 23: Internet Access Outside the Home,

by Home Broadband Adoption, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Respondents could select up to seven different locations where they accessed the Internet outside of home. We

developed mutually exclusive categories for Figure 23. “Work” includes households that accessed the Internet at work

only, as well as households that accessed the Internet at work and some other location (other than school). “School”

includes households that accessed the Internet at school only or in combination with some other location (other than

work). “Public libraries” include households that accessed the Internet at public libraries only or in combination with

locations other than work or school. “Someone else’s house” includes households who accessed the Internet at someone

else’s house only or in combination with other places aside from work, school, or a public library. “Other places”

include community centers, Internet cafés/coffee shops, or unspecified places. 

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

39

34%

50% 52%

21%

20% 8% 13%

11% 24%

20%

9%

4% 12%

5%

2%

5% 4% 5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

No broadband at home Dial-up at home Broadband at home

Other places

Someone 

else's house

School and work 

School

Work

Public Libraries
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

40

7. Conclusion

President Obama is dedicated to “connecting every part of America to the digital age” (NTIA,

2011). For policymakers, that commitment means ensuring that households have access to

broadband services to give them the opportunity to participate in the information economy. As

demonstrated in this report, while broadband adoption continues to grow, disparities persist.

Households in certain demographic and geographic groups are less likely than their peers to use

broadband services and, more importantly, these gaps remain to varying degrees even after

socio-economic and geographic factors have been taken into account. The data and analyses

provide policymakers with empirical evidence to help them address such disparities and find

ways to enable all Americans to embrace the digital age.
References

Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of the Census. “CPS Record Layout for Basic Labor

Force Items, Standard Public Use Files.” Current Population Survey, January 2010, Accessed

June 12, 2011. http://smpbff2.dsd.census.gov/pub/cps/basic/201001-/jan10dd.txt

Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunications and Information

Administration. “Exploring the Digital Nation: Home Broadband Internet Adoption in the

United States.” November 2010, Accessed May 26, 2011. http://www.esa.doc.gov/Reports/

exploring-digital-nation-home-broadband-Internet-adoption-united-states

Federal Communications Commission. “Broadband Adoption and Use in America.” OBI

Working Paper Series No. 1, February 2010, Accessed September 7, 2011.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296442A1.pdf

National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “Digital Nation: Expanding

Internet Usage.” February 2011, Accessed May 26, 2011. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2011/

digital-nation-expanding-internet-usage-ntia-research-preview

National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Digital Nation: 21st Century

America’s Progress Toward Universal Broadband Internet Access, February 2010, Accessed

June 15, 2011.

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_internet_use_report_february_2011.pdf

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OECD Broadband

Statistics. “Table 1d (2): OECD Terrestrial mobile wireless broadband subscriptions per 100

inhabitants, by technology, June 2010.” Accessed May 26, 2011.

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/21/35/39574709.xls

Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB Bulletin No. 04-03, “Update of Statistical

Area Definitions and Additional Guidance on Their Uses.” Accessed June 23, 2010.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins_fy04_b04-03/

Smith, Aaron. “Mobile Access 2010.” Pew Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research

Center, July 7, 2010, Accessed September 7, 2011.

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Mobile-Access-2010.aspx

U.S. Bureau of the Census. “School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement File Technical

Documentation, CPS-09.” Current Population Survey, October 2009, Accessed September 7,

2011. http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsoct09.pdf

U.S. Bureau of the Census (a). “Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas.” Accessed

September 7, 2011. http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/aboutmetro.html

White House Office of the Press Secretary. Remarks by the President on Fiscal Policy in

Washington, DC April 13, 2011, Accessed September 21, 2011.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/13/remarks-president-fiscal-policy

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

41
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

42

21 This report analyzes data from the most recent survey conducted in October 2010, the ninth such Internet survey

conducted since the early 1990s. For a more detailed description of the survey, see Bureau of Labor Statistics and

U.S. Census Bureau, 2010.

22 The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents the housing unit, or, if there is no such

person, any adult member, excluding roomers, boarders, or paid employees. 

23 Detailed data on computer use and broadband adoption both at the household and individual level are presented in

Appendix B, Tables B1, B2, and B3.

Appendix A: Data and Methodology

This report uses data from the October 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly

survey of a representative sample of the U.S. noninstitutional population that provides data on

labor force participation, income, and demographic characteristics of households. In addition,

this report analyzes data from the most recent (October 2010) CPS School Enrollment and

Internet Use Supplement, a special supplement to the CPS that periodically gathers information

on Internet use.21

The October 2010 School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement asked each surveyed

household whether someone in that household used or owned a computer, used the Internet,

and the locations from which they accessed the Internet (home, office, school, library, and other

places). In addition, the survey asked the household which of the following technologies

members utilized to connect to the Internet from home: dial-up service, DSL, cable modem,

fiber optics, satellite, mobile broadband, or some other Internet connection technology. Using

these data, it is possible to determine whether a household owned a personal computer (i.e.,

desktop, laptop, netbook, or notebook) or a handheld device, as well as the type of broadband

technology (i.e., DSL, cable modem, fiber optics, satellite, or mobile broadband) members

utilized to connect to the Internet. The survey also asked those households that did not access

Internet services to state their main reason for not doing so. 

Our sample consists of all households where the head of the household or “householder” is at

least 16 years of age.22 About 54,300 household records comprise our sample, representing

119.5 million American households. We analyze computer ownership and broadband Internet

use at the household level and its association with household-level characteristics, such as

income, size and composition, and geographic location.23 For characteristics like education,

race, ethnicity, age, disability status, and foreign-born status, we use information for the

householder. In this report we use the words “adoption,” “use,” “utilization,” and “access”

interchangeably to indicate that a household reported having Internet access. 

Data on computer use, as well as the types of broadband technology that online households

utilized, have not been available since the early 2000s. The supply and demand for both mobile

devices and residential Internet access services have changed enormously during this period.

The data from the October 2010 CPS make it possible to identify the preferred or most

common types of computers and access technologies used for residential Internet access,

including the prevalence of mobile broadband technologies and handheld devices. 
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

43

Appendix B: Statistical Tables

Table B1: Computer Ownership by Demographic Characterisitics, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Desktop, laptop, Handheld mobile 

Total netbook or notebook device alone or

only (no handheld) in combination No Computer

All households 119,516,167 57.8% 18.3% 23.3%

(standard error) (328,675) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Household Income

Less than $25,0000 34,509,443 45.1% 8.9% 45.6%

(245,038) (0.4%) (0.2%) (0.4%)

$25,000 to $50,000 32,961,706 62.1% 13.5% 24.0%

(240,331) (0.4%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

$50,000 to $75,000 21,228,025 66.5% 20.8% 12.2%

(197,966) (0.5%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

$75,000 to $100,000 12,472,081 66.6% 25.9% 6.9%

(154,594) (0.6%) (0.6%) (0.3%)

$100,000 or more 18,344,912 58.3% 36.5% 4.0%

(185,178) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.2%)

Householder Education

No High School Diploma 14,150,347 38.0% 6.2% 55.6%

(157,219) (0.6%) (0.3%) (0.6%)

High School Diploma 34,946,796 55.0% 11.6% 33.1%

(235,012) (0.4%) (0.2%) (0.3%)

Some College 34,167,814 64.1% 19.0% 16.4%

(232,836) (0.4%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

College Degree or More 36,251,210 62.5% 28.9% 7.7%

(238,567) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

Householder Race and Ethnicity

White, Non-Hispanic 83,598,462 60.1% 19.3% 20.0%

(315,569) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Black, Non-Hispanic 14,853,701 50.2% 14.3% 35.1%

(130,599) (0.5%) (0.4%) (0.5%)

American Indian and 730,295 53.4% 12.2% 34.4%

Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic (34,336) (2.4%) (1.6%) (2.3%)

Asian, Non-Hispanic 4,667,055 61.2% 24.8% 13.6%

(76,205) (0.9%) (0.8%) (0.7%)

Hispanic 14,137,933 52.2% 14.0% 33.5%

(159,699) (0.7%) (0.5%) (0.7%)

Householder Sex

Male 60,041,712 58.5% 20.0% 20.8%

(287,815) (0.3%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Female 59,474,455 57.2% 16.6% 25.8%

(286,923) (0.3%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Householder Age

Average Age (years) 49.9 49.4 42.3 57.4

(0.3) (0.3) (.05) (0.6)

Householder Disability Status

Has a disability 16,381,088 45.2% 8.3% 46.1%

(168,292) (0.5%) (0.3%) (0.5%)

Does not have a disability 102,746,723 59.9% 19.8% 19.7%

(326,579) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Household Geographic Location

Metropolitan area 99,413,612 57.8% 19.7% 21.9%

(325,338) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Non-metropolitan area 19,236,331 58.0% 11.4% 30.3%

(221,876) (0.6%) (0.4%) (0.6%)
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

44

Table B2: Computer Use, Internet and Broadband Adoption at the Household

Level, by Demographic Characteristics and Geographic Locations, 2010

Computer use Internet use Broadband adoption

All All All Computer-using

Total households households households households

All households 119,516,167 76.7% 71.1% 68.2% 88.9%

(standard error) (328,675) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.1%)

Household Income

Less than $25,0000 34,509,443 54.4% 45.9% 42.9% 78.8%

(245,038) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

$25,000 to $50,000 32,961,706 76.1% 69.3% 65.8% 86.6%

(240,331) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

$50,000 to $75,000 21,228,025 87.8% 83.7% 80.7% 91.9%

(197,966) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

$75,000 to $100,000 12,472,081 93.1% 90.1% 87.8% 94.4%

(154,594) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

$100,000 or more 18,344,912 96.0% 94.1% 92.6% 96.4%

(185,178) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

Householder Education

No High School Diploma 14,150,347 44.5% 35.7% 33.1% 74.6%

(157,219) (0.6%) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.7%)

High School Diploma 34,946,796 66.9% 60.3% 56.9% 85.0%

(235,012) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

Some College 34,167,814 83.6% 77.4% 74.3% 88.9%

(232,836) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

College Degree or More 36,251,210 92.3% 89.2% 87.2% 94.5%

(238,567) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Householder Race and Ethnicity

White, Non-Hispanic 83,598,462 80.0% 74.9% 71.8% 89.7%

(315,569) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Black, Non-Hispanic 14,853,701 64.9% 57.8% 55.5% 85.5%

(130,599) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.5%)

American Indian and Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic 730,295 65.6% 56.8% 52.3% 79.6%

(34,336) (2.3%) (2.4%) (2.4%) (2.4%)

Asian, Non-Hispanic 4,667,055 86.4% 82.8% 80.9% 93.7%

(76,205) (0.7%) (0.7%) (0.7%) (0.5%)

Hispanic 14,137,933 66.6% 59.1% 56.9% 85.5%

(159,699) (0.7%) (0.7%) (0.7%) (0.6%)

Householder Sex

Male 60,041,712 79.2% 74.0% 71.2% 89.9%

(287,815) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

Female 59,474,455 74.2% 68.1% 65.3% 87.9%

(286,923) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

Householder Age

16 to 44 years 47,979,027 84.4% 78.3% 76.7% 90.8%

(266,130) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

45 to 64 years 46,162,699 80.4% 75.3% 72.0% 89.5%

(262,325) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

65 years and older 25,374,441 55.4% 49.6% 45.5% 82.1%

(205,050) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

Household Type

Households with school-age children 29,996,963 86.3% 80.4% 78.1% 90.5%

(220,445) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.3%) (0.2%)

Households without school-age children 89,519,204 73.5% 67.9% 64.9% 88.3%

(319,994) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)
Table B2: Computer Use, Internet and Broadband Adoption at the Household

Level, by Demographic Characteristics and Geographic Locations, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

45

Computer use Internet use Broadband adoption

All All All Computer-using

Total households households households households

Householder Disability Status

Has a disability 16,381,088 54.0% 46.4% 43.1% 79.8%

(168,292) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.6%)

Does not have a disability 102,746,723 80.3% 74.9% 72.2% 89.9%

(326,579) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.1%)

Household Citizenship Status

Citizens (including foreign-born) 111,737,231 77.3% 71.8% 68.9% 89.1%

(328,557) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.1%)

Non-citizen 7,778,937 68.0% 60.7% 58.3% 85.7%

(134,834) (0.8%) (0.9%) (0.9%) (0.7%)

Urban-Rural Status

Metropolitan Area 99,413,612 78.1% 72.8% 70.4% 90.1%

(325,338) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Non-metropolitan Area 19,236,331 69.7% 62.0% 57.3% 82.1%

(221,876) (0.6%) (0.6%) (0.6%) (0.6%)

Metropolitan Area (CBSA) Size

Less than 1,000,000 32,045,595 76.5% 70.8% 67.9% 88.9%

(277,640) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

1,000,000 to 2,499,999 20,735,483 77.5% 72.2% 69.8% 90.0%

(187,425) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

2,500,000 to 499,999,999 20,540,004 82.2% 77.3% 75.0% 91.2%

(186,626) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.3%)

5,000,000 or more 22,272,392 77.5% 73.0% 71.2% 91.8%

(193,541) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

Sample Size 54,269

Population 119,516,167
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

46

Computer Internet Broadband

Total use use adoption

All people age 3 and older 292,065,057 81.4% 65.0% 63.0%

(standard error) (298,963) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Household Income

Less than $25,0000 71,475,861 59.6% 40.6% 38.4%

(472,342) (0.4%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

$25,000 to $50,000 77,222,903 79.3% 60.0% 57.4%

(482,761) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

$50,000 to $75,000 54,694,545 89.6% 73.5% 71.3%

(432,720) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

$75,000 to $100,000 34,663,881 93.9% 80.1% 78.3%

(362,174) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.5%)

$100,000 or more 54,007,868 96.9% 86.2% 85.1%

(430,771) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Education

No High School Diploma 41,927,111 64.2% 43.9% 42.1%

(271,156) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

High School Diploma 71,043,770 73.4% 56.5% 53.7%

(325,529) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Some College 65,686,166 87.1% 77.0% 74.4%

(318,033) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

College Degree or More 63,715,654 93.3% 87.1% 85.4%

(315,025) (0.1%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Race and Ethnicity

White, Non-Hispanic 190,266,571 85.3% 71.4% 69.1%

(590,558) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Black, Non-Hispanic 35,096,831 70.2% 52.5% 50.7%

(321,363) (0.6%) (0.7%) (0.7%)

American Indian and Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic 1,750,907 68.7% 51.2% 47.1%

(104,476) (2.9%) (3.1%) (3.1%)

Asian, Non-Hispanic 13,413,301 90.3% 70.6% 69.3%

(197,574) (0.7%) (1%) (1%)

Hispanic 46,368,897 71.3% 47.5% 46.0%

(189,554) (0.7%) (0.8%) (0.8%)

Sex

Male 142,927,723 82.0% 65.0% 63.1%

(602,891) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Female 149,137,334 80.8% 65.1% 62.9%

(604,465) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Age

3 to 15 years 53,674,951 84.8% 53.0% 51.8%

(456,464) (0.3%) (0.5%) (0.5%)

16 to 44 years 118,971,154 85.7% 75.3% 73.5%

(587,627) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

45 to 64 years 80,541,611 82.7% 69.2% 66.6%

(529,334) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

65 years and older 38,877,341 61.0% 41.6% 38.5%

(399,433) (0.5%) (0.5%) (0.5%)

Household Type

Households with school-age children 122,429,615 86.4% 67.2% 65.5%

(590,756) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Households without school-age children 169,635,442 77.8% 63.5% 61.1%

(602,859) (0.2%) (0.3%) (0.3%)

Table B3: Computer Use, Internet and Broadband Adoption at the Individual

Person Level, by Demographic Characteristics and Geographic Location, 2010
Table B3: Computer Use, Internet and Broadband Adoption at the Individual

Person Level, by Demographic Characteristics and Geographic Location, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Data for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives do not include people of Hispanic

origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

47

Computer Internet Broadband 

Total use use adoption

Disability Status

Has a disability 26,615,113 60.6% 40.7% 38.3%

(337,816) (0.6%) (0.7%) (0.6%)

Does not have a disability 215,757,587 83.3% 71.3% 69.0%

(559,451) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Citizenship Status

Citizens (including foreign-born) 271,072,746 82.2% 66.3% 64.2%

(410,258) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Non-citizen 20,992,311 71.1% 48.6% 47.1%

(345,420) (0.8%) (0.9%) (0.9%)

Urban-Rural Status

Metropolitan Area 244,464,515 82.4% 66.4% 64.7%

(499,361) (0.2%) (0.2%) (0.2%)

Non-metropolitan Area 45,509,222 75.8% 57.6% 53.9%

(522,832) (0.5%) (0.6%) (0.6%)

Metropolitan Area (CBSA) Size

Under 1,000,000 78,090,127 80.9% 65.1% 63.0%

(641,721) (0.4%) (0.5%) (0.5%)

1,000,000 to 2,499,999 49,326,079 82.2% 67.2% 65.5%

(441,243) (0.4%) (0.5%) (0.5%)

2,500,000 to 499,999,999 51,180,606 85.8% 70.2% 68.4%

(447,875) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

5,000,000 and over 56,773,520 82.0% 64.7% 63.5%

(466,636) (0.3%) (0.4%) (0.4%)

Sample Size 129,494

Population 292,065,057
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

48

Table B4: Marginal Effects: Regression Broadband Adoption on Demographic

and Geographic Characteristics, 2010 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement, October

2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: Standard errors in parentheses, *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1. The marginal effects presented in the report are

from the first and third columns. The columns labeled (2) include controls for urban (metropolitan) area size. State of

residence is included in the regression. Data for Whites, Blacks, and Asians do not include people of Hispanic origin.

Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Having home broadband 

Linear probability models Having home broadband (among computer owners)

(1) (2) (1) (2)

Household Income: Less than $25,0000 Omitted Omitted Omitted Omitted

Household Income: $25,000-$50,000 0.1368*** 0.1366*** 0.0582*** 0.0581***

(0.006) (0.006) (0.006) (0.006)

Household Income: $50,000-$75,000 0.2156*** 0.2153*** 0.0927*** 0.0926***

(0.007) (0.007) (0.006) (0.006)

Household Income: $75,000-$100,000 0.2403*** 0.2395*** 0.1029*** 0.1023***

(0.007) (0.007) (0.006) (0.006)

Household Income: $100,000 or more 0.2460*** 0.2441*** 0.1083*** 0.1072***

(0.007) (0.007) (0.006) (0.006)

Education: No High School Diploma Omitted Omitted Omitted Omitted

Education: High School Diploma 0.1320*** 0.1317*** 0.0746*** 0.0745***

(0.008) (0.008) (0.010) (0.010)

Education: Some College 0.2465*** 0.2460*** 0.1001*** 0.0999***

(0.008) (0.008) (0.010) (0.010)

Education: College Degree or More 0.3048*** 0.3035*** 0.1262*** 0.1254***

(0.008) (0.008) (0.010) (0.010)

Age 0.0093*** 0.0094*** 0.0031*** 0.0031***

(0.001) (0.001) (0.001) (0.001)

Age squared -0.0001*** -0.0001*** -0.0000*** -0.0000***

(0) (0) (0.000) (0.000)

White, Non-Hispanic Omitted Omitted Omitted Omitted

Black, Non-Hispanic -0.1099*** -0.1126*** -0.0280*** -0.0299***

(0.007) (0.007) (0.007) (0.007)

Hispanic -0.1096*** -0.1113*** -0.0281*** -0.0294***

(0.008) (0.008) (0.007) (0.007)

Asian, Non-Hispanic -0.0052 -0.0078 0.0080 0.0063

(0.01) (0.01) (0.007) (0.007)

Other, Non-Hispanic -0.0529*** -0.0534*** -0.0337** -0.0337**

(0.014) (0.014) (0.014) (0.014)

Disability -0.0634*** -0.0629*** -0.0328*** -0.0323***

(0.007) (0.007) (0.007) (0.007)

Disability-not identified 0.1065*** 0.1074*** 0.0636*** 0.0650***

(0.02) (0.02) (0.010) (0.010)

Foreign-born non-citizen -0.0473*** -0.0487*** -0.0208** -0.0217**

(0.01) (0.01) (0.009) (0.009)

Total number of persons in household 0.0470*** 0.0472*** 0.0129*** 0.0130***

(0.002) (0.002) (0.002) (0.002)

Has related school-age children 0.1217*** 0.1224*** 0.0174 0.0182

(0.014) (0.014) (0.012) (0.012)

Total number of persons in household for households -0.0396*** -0.0398*** -0.0085*** -0.0087***

with related school-age children (interaction) (0.004) (0.004) (0.003) (0.003)

Rural (Nonmetropolitan) Omitted Omitted Omitted Omitted

Urban (Metropolitan) 0.0528*** 0.0490***

(0.006) (0.006)

Metropolitan Area not identified 0.0617*** 0.0211

(0.023) (0.022)

Metropolitan size: Less than 1,000,000 0.0492*** 0.0464***

(0.007) (0.006)

Metropolitan size: 1,000,000 to 2,499,999 0.0529*** 0.0543***

(0.008) (0.007)

Metropolitan size: 2,500,000 to 499,999,999 0.0676*** 0.0555***

(0.008) (0.008)

Metropolitan size: 5,000,000 or more 0.0661*** 0.0593***

(0.009) (0.008)

Metropolitan area size not identified 0.0287*** 0.0234**

(-0.011) (0.010)

Constant 0.0641** 0.0665** 0.5704*** 0.5712***

(0.026) (0.026) (0.028) (0.028)

Sample Size 54,269 54,269 41,844 41,844

Estimated Number of Households 119,516,167 119,516,167 91,702,117 91,702,117

R-squared 0.276 0.277 0.073 0.073
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

49

Table B5: Internet and Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

Broadband Adoption Dial-up Only

90 Percent 90 Percent 

Confidence Interval Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound Percent Bound Bound

Alabama 1,924,324 55.5% 52.9% 58.2% 4.5% 3.4% 5.6%

Alaska 266,132 73.4% 70.8% 75.9% 5.3% 4.0% 6.6%

Arizona 2,552,907 74.1% 72.1% 76.2% 1.3% 0.8% 1.8%

Arkansas 1,205,789 52.4% 49.7% 55.1% 6.4% 5.1% 7.7%

California 12,932,685 73.1% 72.2% 74.0% 2.7% 2.4% 3.1%

Colorado 2,051,111 71.6% 69.2% 74.0% 3.1% 2.2% 4.1%

Connecticut 1,355,754 74.8% 72.3% 77.3% 1.7% 0.9% 2.4%

Delaware 347,772 68.4% 65.7% 71.0% 3.4% 2.3% 4.4%

District of Columbia 288,297 71.7% 69.2% 74.2% 1.7% 1.0% 2.4%

Florida 7,631,514 70.2% 69.0% 71.4% 1.8% 1.5% 2.2%

Georgia 3,846,149 68.6% 66.8% 70.4% 1.8% 1.3% 2.3%

Hawaii 461,347 69.2% 66.5% 71.8% 1.9% 1.1% 2.7%

Idaho 584,409 72.0% 69.5% 74.4% 3.6% 2.5% 4.6%

Illinois 5,057,694 68.7% 67.2% 70.3% 2.0% 1.6% 2.5%

Indiana 2,589,632 58.9% 56.6% 61.1% 2.4% 1.7% 3.2%

Iowa 1,229,080 67.4% 64.8% 70.1% 3.2% 2.2% 4.3%

Kansas 1,152,298 74.6% 72.2% 77.1% 1.7% 1.0% 2.5%

Kentucky 1,750,335 57.8% 55.0% 60.6% 3.5% 2.5% 4.6%

Louisiana 1,755,129 60.5% 57.7% 63.2% 2.3% 1.5% 3.2%

Maine 545,320 67.4% 64.4% 70.3% 6.0% 4.5% 7.5%

Maryland 2,214,385 74.1% 71.9% 76.4% 2.2% 1.5% 3.0%

Massachusetts 2,501,199 76.0% 73.9% 78.0% 1.6% 1.0% 2.2%

Michigan 3,956,678 66.3% 64.5% 68.1% 3.4% 2.7% 4.1%

Minnesota 2,135,427 70.6% 68.2% 72.9% 3.1% 2.2% 4.0%

Mississippi 1,135,683 51.7% 48.8% 54.5% 6.0% 4.6% 7.3%

Missouri 2,401,597 64.4% 62.0% 66.7% 3.5% 2.6% 4.4%

Montana 440,582 61.4% 58.8% 64.0% 4.0% 2.9% 5.0%

Nebraska 712,266 68.9% 66.3% 71.6% 2.3% 1.5% 3.2%

Nevada 1,012,500 74.2% 71.7% 76.7% 2.4% 1.5% 3.2%

New Hampshire 526,105 77.8% 75.3% 80.3% 3.2% 2.1% 4.2%

New Jersey 3,221,652 73.2% 71.4% 75.1% 1.5% 1.0% 2.0%

New Mexico 809,399 57.7% 54.9% 60.5% 4.9% 3.7% 6.1%

New York 7,739,363 69.0% 67.7% 70.3% 2.0% 1.7% 2.4%
Table B5: Internet and Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

50

Broadband Adoption Dial-up Only

90 Percent 90 Percent 

Confidence Interval Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound Percent Bound Bound

North Carolina 3,674,129 65.1% 3.1% -1.9% 4.2% 3.4% 5.0%

North Dakota 274,856 70.9% 68.3% 73.4% 2.2% 1.4% 3.1%

Ohio 4,681,232 63.9% 62.2% 65.6% 3.6% 2.9% 4.2%

Oklahoma 1,505,684 62.5% 59.7% 65.2% 3.7% 2.7% 4.8%

Oregon 1,554,311 74.7% 72.2% 77.2% 3.6% 2.5% 4.7%

Pennsylvania 5,129,874 67.4% 65.8% 68.9% 2.9% 2.3% 3.4%

Rhode Island 429,097 70.8% 68.1% 73.4% 1.3% 0.7% 2.0%

South Carolina 1,804,505 59.5% 56.8% 62.3% 4.3% 3.1% 5.4%

South Dakota 331,836 65.5% 63.0% 68.0% 3.5% 2.5% 4.5%

Tennessee 2,562,953 59.5% 57.2% 61.8% 3.8% 2.9% 4.7%

Texas 8,997,268 66.9% 65.7% 68.1% 2.7% 2.3% 3.1%

Utah 950,913 79.7% 77.5% 81.8% 2.6% 1.8% 3.5%

Vermont 263,979 69.2% 66.4% 72.0% 5.5% 4.1% 6.8%

Virginia 2,935,158 69.5% 67.5% 71.5% 3.5% 2.7% 4.3%

Washington 2,781,539 76.7% 74.8% 78.6% 3.0% 2.2% 3.8%

West Virginia 737,127 59.1% 56.5% 61.7% 6.0% 4.7% 7.2%

Wisconsin 2,339,106 70.5% 68.3% 72.8% 3.2% 2.3% 4.0%

Wyoming 228,089 72.9% 70.4% 75.5% 1.5% 0.8% 2.2%
Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

51

Table B6: Computer Use by State, 2010

Computer, No Internet No Computer

90 Percent 90 Percent 

Confidence Confidence

Total Lower Upper Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound Percent Bound Bound

Alabama 1,924,324 8.5% 7.0% 10.0% 31.5% 29.0% 34.0%

Alaska 266,132 6.9% 5.4% 8.4% 14.4% 12.4% 16.5%

Arizona 2,552,907 4.8% 3.8% 5.8% 19.8% 17.9% 21.7%

Arkansas 1,205,789 8.8% 7.3% 10.3% 32.5% 29.9% 35.0%

California 12,932,685 5.3% 4.8% 5.8% 18.8% 18.0% 19.7%

Colorado 2,051,111 4.6% 3.5% 5.7% 20.6% 18.5% 22.8%

Connecticut 1,355,754 4.5% 3.3% 5.8% 19.0% 16.7% 21.3%

Delaware 347,772 4.5% 3.3% 5.7% 23.8% 21.4% 26.3%

District of Columbia 288,297 3.0% 2.0% 4.0% 23.6% 21.2% 26.0%

Florida 7,631,514 4.6% 4.0% 5.2% 23.4% 22.2% 24.5%

Georgia 3,846,149 6.0% 5.1% 6.9% 23.6% 21.9% 25.2%

Hawaii 461,347 3.5% 2.4% 4.6% 25.4% 22.9% 27.9%

Idaho 584,409 5.8% 4.5% 7.1% 18.7% 16.5% 20.8%

Illinois 5,057,694 4.2% 3.5% 4.9% 25.0% 23.6% 26.5%

Indiana 2,589,632 8.2% 6.9% 9.5% 30.5% 28.4% 32.6%

Iowa 1,229,080 6.1% 4.7% 7.4% 23.3% 20.9% 25.7%

Kansas 1,152,298 4.8% 3.6% 6.1% 18.8% 16.6% 21.0%

Kentucky 1,750,335 7.0% 5.6% 8.5% 31.6% 29.0% 34.2%

Louisiana 1,755,129 5.6% 4.3% 6.9% 31.6% 29.0% 34.2%

Maine 545,320 5.6% 4.2% 7.0% 21.1% 18.5% 23.6%

Maryland 2,214,385 3.7% 2.7% 4.7% 20.0% 17.9% 22.0%

Massachusetts 2,501,199 2.7% 1.9% 3.5% 19.7% 17.8% 21.6%

Michigan 3,956,678 6.6% 5.7% 7.6% 23.6% 22.0% 25.2%

Minnesota 2,135,427 5.5% 4.3% 6.6% 20.9% 18.8% 23.0%

Mississippi 1,135,683 9.8% 8.1% 11.5% 32.5% 29.9% 35.2%

Missouri 2,401,597 8.2% 6.9% 9.6% 24.0% 21.9% 26.1%

Montana 440,582 10.2% 8.6% 11.8% 24.5% 22.2% 26.8%

Nebraska 712,266 7.6% 6.1% 9.1% 21.2% 18.8% 23.5%

Nevada 1,012,500 4.3% 3.2% 5.5% 19.1% 16.9% 21.3%

New Hampshire 526,105 5.1% 3.8% 6.4% 13.9% 11.8% 15.9%

New Jersey 3,221,652 3.4% 2.6% 4.2% 21.9% 20.1% 23.6%

New Mexico 809,399 8.9% 7.3% 10.5% 28.5% 25.9% 31.0%

New York 7,739,363 4.0% 3.5% 4.6% 24.9% 23.7% 26.1%
Table B6: Computer Use by State, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home

52

Computer, No Internet No Computer

90 Percent 90 Percent 

Confidence Confidence

Total Lower Upper Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound Percent Bound Bound

North Carolina 3,674,129 4.5% 3.6% 5.3% 27.1% 25.4% 28.9%

North Dakota 274,856 4.2% 3.1% 5.3% 22.7% 20.3% 25.0%

Ohio 4,681,232 6.8% 5.9% 7.7% 25.7% 24.2% 27.3%

Oklahoma 1,505,684 6.3% 4.9% 7.6% 27.5% 25.0% 30.0%

Oregon 1,554,311 6.3% 4.9% 7.7% 15.4% 13.3% 17.4%

Pennsylvania 5,129,874 4.7% 4.0% 5.4% 25.1% 23.7% 26.6%

Rhode Island 429,097 5.3% 3.9% 6.6% 22.7% 20.2% 25.2%

South Carolina 1,804,505 6.4% 5.0% 7.7% 29.9% 27.3% 32.4%

South Dakota 331,836 7.2% 5.8% 8.5% 23.8% 21.6% 26.0%

Tennessee 2,562,953 7.0% 5.8% 8.2% 29.7% 27.6% 31.9%

Texas 8,997,268 7.2% 6.6% 7.9% 23.2% 22.2% 24.3%

Utah 950,913 4.4% 3.3% 5.5% 13.3% 11.4% 15.1%

Vermont 263,979 5.7% 4.3% 7.1% 19.6% 17.2% 22.0%

Virginia 2,935,158 6.8% 5.7% 7.9% 20.2% 18.5% 22.0%

Washington 2,781,539 6.8% 5.7% 8.0% 13.5% 11.9% 15.0%

West Virginia 737,127 8.7% 7.2% 10.2% 26.2% 23.8% 28.5%

Wisconsin 2,339,106 4.7% 3.7% 5.7% 21.6% 19.6% 23.6%

Wyoming 228,089 7.1% 5.6% 8.5% 18.6% 16.3% 20.8%
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Table B7: Urban Area Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

Broadband Adoption

90 Percent 

Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound

Alabama 1,394,515 58.8% 55.7% 61.9%

Alaska 182,990 76.9% 73.9% 79.9%

Arizona 2,238,063 75.6% 73.4% 77.8%

Arkansas 774,343 56.1% 52.8% 59.4%

California 12,670,211 73.1% 72.2% 74.0%

Colorado 1,801,148 71.2% 68.6% 73.8%

Connecticut 1,289,322 75.1% 72.5% 77.7%

Delaware 273,617 70.9% 67.9% 73.9%

District of Columbia 288,297 71.7% 69.2% 74.2%

Florida 7,287,051 70.7% 69.4% 72.0%

Georgia 3,269,179 72.1% 70.2% 74.0%

Hawaii 325,395 71.1% 68.0% 74.2%

Idaho 365,668 78.2% 75.3% 81.1%

Illinois 4,407,181 70.3% 68.7% 71.9%

Indiana 1,862,332 60.5% 57.8% 63.2%

Iowa 688,449 73.0% 69.6% 76.4%

Kansas 707,374 79.2% 76.3% 82.1%

Kentucky 961,503 65.1% 61.5% 68.7%

Louisiana 1,505,052 62.5% 59.6% 65.4%

Maine 273,340 73.7% 69.8% 77.6%

Maryland 2,126,207 74.5% 72.2% 76.8%

Massachusetts 2,431,918 75.6% 73.5% 77.7%

Michigan 3,307,369 67.6% 65.7% 69.5%

Minnesota 1,556,618 72.4% 69.7% 75.1%

Mississippi 469,103 66.8% 62.6% 71.0%

Missouri 1,867,125 68.6% 66.0% 71.2%

Montana 149,610 69.1% 64.9% 73.3%

Nebraska 434,971 75.0% 71.8% 78.2%

Nevada 867,609 75.4% 72.8% 78.0%

New Hampshire 321,621 81.2% 78.2% 84.2%

New Jersey 3,221,652 73.2% 71.3% 75.1%

New Mexico 592,076 61.4% 58.2% 64.6%

New York 7,085,604 69.5% 68.2% 70.8%
Table B7: Urban Area Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement,

October 2010, and ESA calculations.

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Broadband Adoption

90 Percent 

Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound

North Carolina 2,440,415 69.0% 66.8% 71.2%

North Dakota 129,583 78.3% 75.0% 81.6%

Ohio 3,589,034 66.0% 64.1% 67.9%

Oklahoma 1,034,283 68.1% 64.9% 71.3%

Oregon 1,181,748 77.3% 74.6% 80.0%

Pennsylvania 4,215,756 67.7% 66.0% 69.4%

Rhode Island 429,097 70.7% 68.0% 73.4%

South Carolina 1,213,534 63.9% 60.6% 67.2%

South Dakota 161,230 71.9% 68.5% 75.3%

Tennessee 1,877,190 64.5% 61.8% 67.1%

Texas 7,968,051 67.8% 66.5% 69.1%

Utah 729,619 79.5% 77.0% 81.9%

Vermont 82,160 81.1% 76.9% 85.3%

Virginia 2,526,293 72.9% 70.8% 75.0%

Washington 2,566,102 77.4% 75.4% 79.4%

West Virginia 442,531 63.9% 60.6% 67.2%

Wisconsin 1,765,333 72.4% 69.9% 74.9%

Wyoming 65,142 77.5% 73.0% 82.0%
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Table B8: Rural Area Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

Broadband Adoption

90 Percent 

Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound

Alabama 529,809 47.0% 40.8% 53.2%

Alaska 83,143 65.5% 59.4% 71.6%

Arizona 314,844 63.6% 55.7% 71.5%

Arkansas 431,446 45.6% 40.1% 51.1%

California 262,475 72.8% 64.7% 80.9%

Connecticut 66,432 69.0% 54.1% 83.9%

Delaware 74,155 59.0% 51.5% 66.5%

Florida 344,463 59.9% 52.3% 67.5%

Georgia 576,970 48.9% 42.9% 54.9%

Hawaii 135,952 64.4% 58.1% 70.7%

Idaho 218,741 61.6% 56.3% 66.9%

Illinois 650,512 58.4% 52.8% 64.0%

Indiana 727,300 54.5% 49.2% 59.8%

Iowa 540,631 60.3% 55.2% 65.4%

Kansas 444,925 67.3% 62.0% 72.6%

Kentucky 788,832 49.0% 43.8% 54.2%

Maine 271,980 61.0% 55.7% 66.3%

Maryland 88,178 63.6% 48.4% 78.8%

Michigan 649,310 59.8% 54.2% 65.4%

Minnesota 578,809 65.5% 59.8% 71.2%

Mississippi 666,580 41.1% 36.6% 45.6%

Missouri 534,472 49.4% 43.0% 55.8%

Montana 290,972 57.4% 53.4% 61.4%

Nebraska 277,295 59.3% 53.7% 64.9%

New Hampshire 204,484 72.5% 67.3% 77.7%

New Mexico 217,324 47.6% 41.0% 54.2%

New York 653,759 63.8% 58.2% 69.4%
Table B8: Rural Area Broadband Adoption by State, 2010

(cont’d)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement, October

2010, and ESA calculations.

Note: The following states were not included in this figure due to data limitations for rural areas: Colorado, Louisiana,

Nevada, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah. The District of Columbia had no rural areas.

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Broadband Adoption

90 Percent 

Confidence Interval

Total Lower Upper

State Households Percent Bound Bound

North Carolina 1,233,714 57.6% 53.5% 61.7%

North Dakota 145,273 64.3% 59.8% 68.8%

Ohio 1,092,197 57.1% 52.7% 61.5%

Oklahoma 471,401 50.0% 43.9% 56.1%

Oregon 372,564 66.5% 59.7% 73.2%

Pennsylvania 914,118 65.7% 61.1% 70.3%

South Carolina 590,971 50.5% 44.5% 56.4%

South Dakota 170,606 59.5% 55.1% 63.8%

Tennessee 685,763 45.8% 40.3% 51.3%

Texas 1,029,217 59.9% 55.4% 64.4%

Vermont 181,819 63.8% 59.5% 68.1%

Virginia 408,865 48.5% 41.3% 55.7%

Washington 215,436 68.4% 59.1% 77.7%

West Virginia 294,595 52.0% 46.9% 57.1%

Wisconsin 573,773 64.6% 58.8% 70.4%

Wyoming 162,947 71.1% 67.3% 74.9%


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