DOI: 10.7910/dvn/ukxpzx
title: U.S. Current Population Survey & American Community Survey Geographic Estimates of Internet Use, 1997-2014

description: This data provides estimates of Internet, broadband, and mobile use at the subnational level from 1997-2014. While the U.S. Bureau of the Census has collected data on Internet use over the years, estimates below the state level did not exist until the introduction of the new American Community Survey in 2013. The datasets here fill these gaps with estimates over time for cities, counties, metropolitan areas and states. They also provide demographic breakdowns for the 2013 and 2014 American Community Survey data, beyond what is available on the census website. 

The datasets can be used to draw comparisons across geographic locations and across time, to track inequality, change, and the impact of Internet use. Collectively, they show major differences across cities, as well as between urban and rural counties. Time series data indicate the flattening of growth in recent years, leading to the persistence of inequalities across places and demographic groups.

Multilevel models are used to estimate the percentage of Internet use across counties, principal cities, and metropolitan areas with the CPS and ACs data. A group of random intercept logistic regressions (a type of multilevel model) are constructed for each of the Internet-related variables, namely, home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully-connected household (with broadband and mobile). Estimates are based on the U.S. Bureau of the Census Current Population Survey data for 1997, 2998, 200, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 and the U.S. Bureau of the Census American Community Survey 2013 and 2014, with estimates for missing years imputed via linear interpolation. Estimates for home Internet access are available for 1997-2014, home broadband use for 2000-2014, and mobile use and fully-connected Internet use for 2011-2014. Data available for different geographies is described below. Current Population Survey Data, 1997-2012: Internet use time series, three-year averages, time series for rate of change in Internet use, three-year averages for the rate of change, and yearly summary statistics are available for approximately 330 counties (with some variation over years), the 50 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), principal cities in the 50 largest MSAs, and the 50 states. American Community Survey Data, 2013-2014: Using Summary Tables of the American Community Survey available in FactFinder, estimates for home Internet access and home broadband are provided by race, ethnicity, education, age, and employment status for 50 states, 817 counties, 381 MSAs, 383 principal cities in 2013 and 387 principal cities in 2014. Using microdata, estimates are developed for home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully connected households broken down by race, ethnicity, education, age, family income, and language skill. The microdata estimates are available for 50 states, 417 counties, 260 MSAs and 102 principal cities in 2013. 

See Codebook for a more complete description of the datasets, data sources, survey questions, and methods. 

See the Center for Policy Informatics at Arizona State University website at policyinformatics.asu.edu/broadband-data-portal/home for visualization (maps and graphs) and for further information about this project.