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Digest of Education Statistics
2001 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 427. Access to home computers, by selected characteristics of students and other users: October 1997

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                     |Percent   | Number  |Percent   |        Distribution of frequency          |  Percent of persons whose home computer
                     |with      |  using  |using     |        of use per week for persons        |     has specific capabilities\1\
      Selected       |compu-    |computers|computers |         using computers in home           |
   characteristics   |ters      |at home, |at home   |___________________________________________|___________________________________________
                     |at home   |home, in |          |6 or      |4 or      |2 or      |1 day     |CD-ROM    |Printer   |Modem     |Internet
                     |          |thousands|          |7 days    |5 days    |3 days    |or less   |drive     |          |          |
_____________________|__________|_________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
          1          |  2       |    3    |  4       |  5       |  6       |  7       |  8       |  9       | 10       | 11       | 12
_____________________|__________|_________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
Total, all persons ..|43.0 (0.2)|  81,013 |30.3 (0.2)|23.4 (0.2)|20.1 (0.2)|32.6 (0.2)|24.0 (0.2)|71.3 (0.2)|85.5 (0.2)|71.1 (0.2)|52.1 (0.3)
                     |__________|_________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
         Sex         |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Male ................|44.3 (0.2)|  41,260 |31.6 (0.2)|27.1 (0.2)|20.1 (0.2)|30.6 (0.2)|22.2 (0.2)|72.1 (0.3)|85.5 (0.2)|71.7 (0.3)|52.9 (0.3)
Female ..............|41.7 (0.2)|  39,753 |29.1 (0.2)|19.6 (0.2)|20.0 (0.2)|34.6 (0.2)|25.8 (0.2)|70.6 (0.3)|85.6 (0.2)|70.5 (0.3)|51.2 (0.3)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
   Race/ethnicity    |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
White, non-Hispanic .|49.2 (0.2)|  68,026 |35.5 (0.2)|23.5 (0.2)|20.2 (0.2)|32.1 (0.2)|24.3 (0.2)|72.4 (0.3)|87.1 (0.2)|72.8 (0.3)|53.7 (0.3)
Black, non-Hispanic .|22.8 (0.4)|   4,943 |14.7 (0.3)|20.8 (0.7)|20.5 (0.7)|37.6 (0.8)|21.2 (0.7)|58.2 (1.0)|75.2 (0.9)|57.7 (1.0)|40.3 (1.0)
Hispanic ............|22.2 (0.5)|   4,081 |13.5 (0.4)|23.3 (0.8)|17.3 (0.7)|36.4 (0.9)|23.1 (0.8)|69.1 (1.1)|78.2 (1.0)|60.8 (1.2)|44.4 (1.2)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
         Age         |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Under 5 .............|39.0 (0.6)|   1,675 | 8.5 (0.3)|12.2 (0.5)|16.3 (0.5)|38.1 (0.7)|33.5 (0.7)|71.9 (0.8)|83.3 (0.7)|74.5 (0.8)|53.8 (0.9)
5 to 9 ..............|46.4 (0.6)|   7,599 |37.1 (0.6)|11.8 (0.4)|17.6 (0.5)|44.2 (0.6)|26.4 (0.6)|74.7 (0.7)|83.8 (0.6)|71.5 (0.8)|50.5 (0.8)
10 to 14 ............|55.1 (0.6)|   9,500 |48.7 (0.6)|21.1 (0.5)|21.8 (0.5)|38.0 (0.6)|19.1 (0.5)|75.5 (0.7)|87.9 (0.5)|70.6 (0.7)|50.3 (0.8)
15 to 19 ............|53.0 (0.6)|   8,395 |43.1 (0.5)|24.7 (0.5)|22.4 (0.5)|32.4 (0.6)|20.5 (0.5)|73.7 (0.7)|88.0 (0.5)|69.9 (0.7)|52.3 (0.8)
20 to 24 ............|41.2 (0.6)|   4,975 |28.5 (0.6)|28.3 (0.8)|20.2 (0.7)|28.9 (0.8)|22.6 (0.7)|69.5 (1.0)|83.4 (0.8)|69.8 (1.0)|53.0 (1.1)
25 to 29 ............|39.3 (0.6)|   5,963 |31.7 (0.6)|26.1 (0.7)|22.3 (0.6)|30.0 (0.7)|21.7 (0.6)|70.1 (0.9)|80.4 (0.8)|75.8 (0.9)|58.4 (1.0)
30 to 39 ............|47.0 (0.4)|  15,393 |35.8 (0.4)|24.2 (0.4)|20.6 (0.4)|32.0 (0.4)|23.2 (0.4)|71.9 (0.5)|84.5 (0.4)|72.8 (0.5)|53.5 (0.6)
40 to 49 ............|54.0 (0.4)|  15,346 |38.3 (0.4)|24.3 (0.4)|18.8 (0.3)|30.3 (0.4)|26.6 (0.4)|73.9 (0.5)|87.4 (0.4)|73.0 (0.5)|54.4 (0.6)
50 to 59 ............|44.2 (0.5)|   7,679 |28.5 (0.5)|26.6 (0.5)|19.8 (0.5)|28.0 (0.5)|25.7 (0.5)|66.5 (0.7)|86.2 (0.5)|67.6 (0.7)|50.7 (0.8)
60 to 69 ............|27.5 (0.6)|   3,162 |16.2 (0.5)|29.7 (0.8)|17.5 (0.7)|24.1 (0.8)|28.6 (0.8)|61.0 (1.2)|86.8 (0.8)|63.5 (1.1)|42.3 (1.2)
70 or older .........|13.2 (0.4)|   1,327 | 5.9 (0.3)|29.4 (1.1)|17.8 (1.0)|25.4 (1.1)|27.5 (1.1)|59.0 (1.6)|86.1 (1.1)|60.4 (1.5)|38.6 (1.5)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
    Family income    |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Less than $5,000 ....|19.4 (0.6)|   1,517 |13.3 (0.5)|31.1 (1.3)|16.7 (1.1)|26.8 (1.3)|25.3 (1.3)|63.2 (1.8)|81.9 (1.4)|66.2 (1.8)|44.6 (1.8)
$5,000 to $9,999 ....|12.1 (0.4)|   1,575 | 8.1 (0.3)|24.8 (1.2)|19.6 (1.1)|29.4 (1.3)|26.1 (1.3)|59.6 (1.8)|81.0 (1.4)|56.7 (1.8)|40.5 (1.8)
$10,000 to $14,999 ..|15.6 (0.4)|   2,197 | 9.7 (0.3)|26.2 (1.1)|17.7 (0.9)|31.4 (1.1)|24.8 (1.0)|55.9 (1.5)|74.5 (1.3)|54.7 (1.5)|38.7 (1.4)
$15,000 to $19,999 ..|18.4 (0.5)|   2,084 |12.0 (0.4)|25.9 (1.1)|20.4 (1.0)|29.9 (1.1)|23.8 (1.1)|60.5 (1.5)|77.8 (1.3)|60.0 (1.5)|42.7 (1.5)
$20,000 to $24,999 ..|25.5 (0.5)|   3,645 |17.1 (0.4)|25.1 (0.8)|18.9 (0.7)|31.4 (0.9)|24.5 (0.8)|59.9 (1.2)|80.9 (0.9)|58.1 (1.2)|38.8 (1.2)
$25,000 to $29,999 ..|31.4 (0.6)|   4,174 |21.0 (0.5)|23.3 (0.7)|19.3 (0.7)|33.3 (0.8)|24.1 (0.8)|62.2 (1.1)|77.6 (0.9)|61.0 (1.1)|42.0 (1.1)
$30,000 to $34,999 ..|38.3 (0.6)|   5,003 |25.7 (0.5)|22.5 (0.7)|20.5 (0.6)|32.9 (0.7)|24.1 (0.7)|66.4 (1.0)|82.6 (0.8)|64.1 (1.0)|43.7 (1.0)
$35,000 to $39,999 ..|43.6 (0.6)|   5,367 |29.1 (0.6)|22.7 (0.6)|18.5 (0.6)|34.1 (0.7)|24.7 (0.6)|65.9 (0.9)|84.3 (0.7)|66.3 (0.9)|46.1 (1.0)
$40,000 to $49,999 ..|51.1 (0.5)|   9,627 |35.4 (0.5)|22.2 (0.5)|19.5 (0.4)|33.3 (0.5)|25.1 (0.5)|68.2 (0.7)|86.0 (0.5)|67.6 (0.7)|46.4 (0.7)
$50,000 to $74,999 ..|62.3 (0.4)|  21,685 |44.6 (0.4)|22.1 (0.3)|20.2 (0.3)|32.5 (0.4)|25.1 (0.3)|73.9 (0.4)|87.2 (0.3)|74.3 (0.4)|53.9 (0.5)
$75,000 or more .....|77.6 (0.4)|  24,138 |58.0 (0.4)|24.1 (0.3)|21.1 (0.3)|32.8 (0.3)|22.0 (0.3)|80.9 (0.4)|89.8 (0.3)|81.1 (0.4)|64.5 (0.5)
                     |==========|=========|==========|==========|==========|==========|==========|==========|==========|==========|==========
Total, all students .|54.6 (0.3)|  32,459 |45.1 (0.3)|21.7 (0.2)|21.2 (0.2)|36.3 (0.3)|20.8 (0.2)|74.6 (0.3)|86.9 (0.3)|71.9 (0.4)|52.9 (0.4)
                     |__________|_________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
  Preprimary ........|45.2 (0.9)|   2,493 |29.6 (0.8)|10.8 (0.6)|17.7 (0.8)|41.2 (1.0)|30.3 (0.9)|74.8 (1.2)|85.4 (0.9)|73.4 (1.2)|53.5 (1.3)
  1st to 8th grade ..|50.7 (0.5)|  14,056 |43.4 (0.5)|16.5 (0.4)|19.9 (0.4)|41.5 (0.5)|22.1 (0.4)|75.2 (0.6)|86.0 (0.4)|71.0 (0.6)|50.3 (0.6)
  9th to 12th grade .|55.7 (0.6)|   7,699 |48.8 (0.6)|23.9 (0.5)|22.8 (0.5)|33.6 (0.6)|19.6 (0.5)|74.6 (0.7)|88.6 (0.5)|70.2 (0.8)|51.5 (0.8)
  Undergraduate .....|64.7 (0.7)|   6,179 |49.8 (0.7)|30.8 (0.7)|22.3 (0.6)|29.0 (0.7)|17.9 (0.6)|73.3 (0.9)|86.9 (0.7)|73.6 (0.9)|57.6 (1.0)
  Graduate ..........|75.3 (1.2)|   2,032 |67.2 (1.3)|34.1 (1.2)|25.4 (1.1)|26.9 (1.1)|13.6 (0.9)|73.6 (1.5)|89.4 (1.0)|78.9 (1.4)|65.1 (1.6)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
         Sex         |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Male ................|54.8 (0.4)|  16,213 |45.2 (0.4)|24.4 (0.4)|21.1 (0.3)|35.1 (0.4)|19.4 (0.3)|75.5 (0.5)|86.5 (0.4)|72.3 (0.5)|53.4 (0.6)
  Preprimary ........|46.5 (1.3)|   1,308 |30.3 (1.2)|13.4 (0.9)|20.1 (1.1)|37.1 (1.3)|29.4 (1.3)|74.3 (1.6)|83.3 (1.4)|72.3 (1.6)|53.6 (1.8)
  1st to 8th grade ..|50.9 (0.6)|   7,257 |43.6 (0.6)|18.0 (0.5)|20.8 (0.5)|41.2 (0.7)|20.1 (0.5)|75.1 (0.8)|85.6 (0.6)|70.8 (0.8)|50.2 (0.9)
  9th to 12th grade .|56.1 (0.9)|   3,971 |49.3 (0.9)|27.3 (0.8)|21.8 (0.7)|31.4 (0.8)|19.6 (0.7)|76.4 (1.0)|88.7 (0.7)|71.9 (1.0)|53.0 (1.1)
  Undergraduate .....|66.6 (1.0)|   2,841 |51.3 (1.0)|36.9 (1.1)|20.4 (0.9)|26.9 (1.0)|15.8 (0.8)|76.9 (1.3)|87.2 (1.0)|76.1 (1.3)|60.8 (1.5)
  Graduate ..........|73.8 (1.9)|     834 |64.1 (2.0)|40.3 (1.9)|24.5 (1.7)|25.4 (1.7)| 9.8 (1.2)|74.2 (2.2)|88.3 (1.7)|77.8 (2.1)|63.7 (2.5)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Female ..............|54.4 (0.4)|  16,246 |44.9 (0.4)|19.0 (0.3)|21.3 (0.3)|37.4 (0.4)|22.3 (0.4)|73.7 (0.5)|87.3 (0.4)|71.6 (0.5)|52.4 (0.6)
  Preprimary ........|43.9 (1.3)|   1,185 |28.8 (1.2)| 8.0 (0.8)|15.0 (1.0)|45.6 (1.4)|31.4 (1.3)|75.5 (1.7)|87.7 (1.3)|74.7 (1.7)|53.4 (1.9)
  1st to 8th grade ..|50.5 (0.7)|   6,799 |43.3 (0.7)|15.0 (0.5)|18.9 (0.5)|41.7 (0.7)|24.3 (0.6)|75.3 (0.8)|86.4 (0.6)|71.3 (0.8)|50.4 (0.9)
  9th to 12th grade .|55.2 (0.9)|   3,728 |48.1 (0.9)|20.3 (0.7)|23.9 (0.8)|36.1 (0.8)|19.7 (0.7)|72.6 (1.1)|88.5 (0.8)|68.4 (1.1)|49.9 (1.2)
  Undergraduate .....|63.1 (0.9)|   3,337 |48.6 (0.9)|25.7 (0.9)|23.9 (0.9)|30.7 (0.9)|19.7 (0.8)|70.4 (1.2)|86.7 (0.9)|71.7 (1.2)|55.0 (1.3)
  Graduate ..........|76.5 (1.6)|   1,197 |69.6 (1.7)|29.7 (1.5)|26.0 (1.4)|28.0 (1.5)|16.3 (1.2)|73.2 (1.9)|90.2 (1.3)|79.7 (1.7)|66.0 (2.1)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
   Race/ethnicity    |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
White, non-Hispanic .|65.4 (0.3)|  26,229 |54.9 (0.4)|21.4 (0.3)|21.4 (0.3)|35.8 (0.3)|21.4 (0.3)|76.4 (0.4)|89.1 (0.3)|74.1 (0.4)|55.2 (0.4)
  Preprimary ........|56.9 (1.1)|   2,080 |38.4 (1.1)|11.2 (0.7)|17.4 (0.8)|41.8 (1.1)|29.6 (1.0)|77.1 (1.3)|87.3 (1.0)|74.9 (1.3)|54.9 (1.5)
  1st to 8th grade ..|62.0 (0.6)|  11,340 |54.4 (0.6)|16.0 (0.4)|20.3 (0.4)|41.1 (0.5)|22.6 (0.4)|77.2 (0.6)|88.5 (0.5)|74.0 (0.6)|53.2 (0.7)
  9th to 12th grade .|68.7 (0.7)|   6,265 |60.9 (0.7)|23.9 (0.6)|23.0 (0.6)|32.8 (0.6)|20.3 (0.5)|76.3 (0.8)|90.6 (0.5)|72.1 (0.8)|53.5 (0.9)
  Undergraduate .....|71.3 (0.7)|   4,927 |55.1 (0.8)|31.1 (0.8)|22.1 (0.7)|27.9 (0.8)|18.9 (0.7)|74.6 (1.0)|89.0 (0.7)|75.4 (1.0)|59.9 (1.1)
  Graduate ..........|78.9 (1.3)|   1,617 |70.3 (1.5)|33.0 (1.3)|25.8 (1.2)|27.1 (1.2)|14.0 (1.0)|74.3 (1.6)|90.5 (1.1)|78.6 (1.5)|65.2 (1.8)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Black, non-Hispanic .|28.2 (0.7)|   2,330 |21.1 (0.6)|20.3 (1.0)|21.9 (1.0)|41.1 (1.2)|16.6 (0.9)|57.8 (1.5)|75.3 (1.3)|58.6 (1.5)|39.1 (1.5)
  Preprimary ........|17.8 (1.5)|     139 | 9.8 (1.2)|11.3 (2.4)|19.8 (3.0)|31.0 (3.5)|37.8 (3.7)|55.5 (4.7)|80.5 (3.8)|62.0 (4.6)|43.0 (4.7)
  1st to 8th grade ..|26.8 (0.9)|   1,078 |20.6 (0.8)|19.7 (1.3)|17.2 (1.3)|47.3 (1.7)|15.8 (1.2)|58.3 (2.0)|74.0 (1.8)|55.4 (2.0)|34.8 (1.9)
  9th to 12th grade .|26.6 (1.4)|     534 |21.0 (1.3)|19.9 (2.1)|27.6 (2.4)|38.4 (2.6)|14.1 (1.8)|56.2 (3.1)|73.8 (2.8)|57.5 (3.1)|39.4 (3.1)
  Undergraduate .....|37.8 (2.0)|     394 |25.6 (1.8)|19.2 (2.7)|26.4 (3.0)|38.4 (3.3)|16.0 (2.5)|56.2 (4.1)|73.1 (3.6)|61.3 (4.0)|40.3 (4.0)
  Graduate ..........|63.0 (4.4)|     185 |56.3 (4.5)|34.4 (4.3)|24.7 (3.9)|26.5 (4.0)|14.3 (3.2)|67.0 (5.5)|87.6 (3.8)|75.6 (5.0)|61.0 (5.7)
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Hispanic ............|27.2 (0.8)|   1,944 |21.1 (0.7)|22.2 (1.1)|18.7 (1.1)|41.1 (1.4)|18.0 (1.1)|72.8 (1.6)|77.9 (1.5)|60.8 (1.7)|45.2 (1.8)
  Preprimary ........|21.2 (1.5)|     134 |11.2 (1.1)| 9.6 (1.9)|17.3 (2.4)|43.3 (3.1)|29.9 (2.9)|65.8 (3.7)|74.7 (3.4)|67.4 (3.7)|46.0 (3.9)
  1st to 8th grade ..|24.0 (0.8)|     863 |18.6 (0.7)|18.0 (1.1)|17.3 (1.1)|44.2 (1.5)|20.4 (1.2)|72.8 (1.7)|75.7 (1.6)|57.7 (1.9)|43.6 (1.9)
  9th to 12th grade .|25.8 (1.7)|     458 |21.6 (1.6)|25.0 (2.5)|19.3 (2.3)|37.1 (2.8)|18.6 (2.2)|73.2 (3.3)|81.0 (2.9)|58.0 (3.7)|41.0 (3.7)
  Undergraduate .....|45.8 (2.6)|     430 |37.3 (2.5)|29.1 (2.9)|21.1 (2.6)|38.7 (3.1)|11.2 (2.0)|74.4 (3.6)|81.1 (3.2)|65.0 (3.9)|50.9 (4.1)
  Graduate ..........|(\2\) --- |   (\2\) |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) --- |(\2\) ---
                     |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
    Family income    |          |         |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
Less than $5,000 ....|29.5 (1.2)|     812 |22.6 (1.1)|30.7 (1.7)|16.7 (1.4)|31.2 (1.7)|21.4 (1.5)|66.8 (2.3)|86.1 (1.7)|69.3 (2.2)|49.5 (2.4)
$5,000 to $9,999 ....|20.8 (0.9)|     790 |15.8 (0.8)|27.0 (1.7)|18.9 (1.5)|32.7 (1.8)|21.5 (1.6)|63.6 (2.3)|81.4 (1.9)|58.7 (2.4)|43.3 (2.4)
$10,000 to $14,999 ..|23.7 (0.9)|   1,004 |18.4 (0.8)|26.2 (1.6)|17.0 (1.3)|37.0 (1.7)|19.7 (1.4)|58.6 (2.1)|74.0 (1.9)|54.2 (2.2)|39.5 (2.1)
$15,000 to $19,999 ..|27.1 (1.1)|     854 |20.7 (1.0)|28.6 (1.7)|21.1 (1.5)|35.7 (1.8)|14.5 (1.3)|63.9 (2.2)|77.5 (1.9)|62.0 (2.3)|45.6 (2.3)
$20,000 to $24,999 ..|36.8 (1.0)|   1,541 |30.5 (1.0)|26.3 (1.3)|19.8 (1.1)|33.0 (1.3)|20.8 (1.2)|61.8 (1.8)|82.4 (1.4)|60.2 (1.8)|39.9 (1.8)
$25,000 to $29,999 ..|44.2 (1.1)|   1,649 |34.6 (1.1)|21.2 (1.1)|23.0 (1.2)|35.3 (1.3)|20.5 (1.1)|62.8 (1.7)|76.6 (1.4)|60.6 (1.7)|41.5 (1.7)
$30,000 to $34,999 ..|48.6 (1.1)|   2,014 |38.7 (1.0)|20.3 (1.0)|21.4 (1.0)|37.3 (1.2)|20.9 (1.0)|69.6 (1.4)|83.4 (1.2)|62.8 (1.5)|44.5 (1.5)
$35,000 to $39,999 ..|55.5 (1.1)|   2,187 |44.1 (1.1)|22.8 (1.0)|18.8 (0.9)|36.4 (1.1)|22.0 (0.9)|68.9 (1.4)|86.3 (1.0)|67.2 (1.4)|45.8 (1.5)
$40,000 to $49,999 ..|61.4 (0.9)|   3,801 |50.6 (0.9)|18.8 (0.7)|21.3 (0.7)|39.0 (0.9)|20.9 (0.7)|71.2 (1.0)|86.9 (0.8)|69.0 (1.1)|45.5 (1.2)
$50,000 to $74,999 ..|73.0 (0.6)|   8,577 |61.7 (0.6)|19.1 (0.5)|22.0 (0.5)|36.3 (0.6)|22.6 (0.5)|78.4 (0.6)|89.6 (0.5)|75.7 (0.7)|55.2 (0.8)
$75,000 or more .....|86.7 (0.5)|   9,231 |74.2 (0.6)|22.2 (0.5)|21.9 (0.5)|36.4 (0.5)|19.6 (0.4)|85.2 (0.6)|91.6 (0.4)|82.7 (0.6)|66.7 (0.7)
_____________________|__________|_________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________

---Not available.
\1\Data are for the most recently purchased computer for families with more than one computer. Percent based on persons who have a computer in their home.
\2\Sample size too small for reliable results.

NOTE: Data are based on a sample survey of households and are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, October 1997, unpublished data. (This table was prepared November 1998.)


2001 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest