The percentage of adults with Internet access in each state. The number of people online is probably the most basic indication of a state's progress toward the digital economy. The average income of Internet users is dropping, as is the average education level. Both trends suggest that the online population is looking more and more like the American population in general.
States differ significantly in the degree to which their residents are online.
As of the end of 1998, approximately one-third of the U.S. population was online. This reflected a range from 52 percent in Alaska and 47 percent in Colorado to 19 percent in Arkansas and 17 percent in Mississippi. In general, residents of Southern and Plains states are less likely to be online, while residents of Pacific, Mountain, and Northeast states are more likely.