Even more troubling, it is widening in many cases. For example, income plays a significant role in the level of access to computers and the Internet. Those in rural areas, across all income levels, are lagging behind households of similar incomes in urban areas and central cities. A low-income household in a rural area has a less than one in thirty chance of having Internet access at home. A rural Black household has less than a one in thirteen chance of having home Internet access.
Education also makes a real difference.
Another significant factor in Internet access is the family make-up. A child with two parents is far more likely to have Internet access than a child with one parent. If you are Black or Hispanic, your chance of having Internet access at home is less than one in ten . The disparities between races are significant, and they are growing. In the meantime, there is an urgent need for continued efforts to connect all Americans.