Indicator 7: Household Computer and Internet Access by State

In 2015, about 87 percent of U.S. households owned or used a computer at home and 77 percent of U.S. households had access to the Internet. The percentage of households with computer access ranged from 79 percent in Mississippi to 93 percent in Utah. The percentage of households with internet access ranged from 62 percent in Mississippi to 85 percent each in New Hampshire and Washington.

The U.S. Census Bureau has asked questions in the Current Population Survey (CPS) about computer use since 1984 and internet access since 1997. Starting in 2013, the Census Bureau began including questions about computer and internet access in the American Community Survey (ACS). While these historical estimates from the CPS are presented in other indicators included earlier in this section, the inclusion of computer and internet questions in the ACS provides estimates at more detailed levels of geography. This indicator is different from other indicators presented in this report as it focuses on all U.S. households and not households with children. 

This indicator uses the ACS to examine the percentage of U.S. households who own or use computers and the percentage of households with internet access by state. In 2015, about 87 percent of households owned or used a computer at home and 77 percent of households had internet access; however, household computer use and internet access varied across states. In this indicator, households with computer access include all households whose members own or use a desktop, laptop, netbook, or notebook computer; handheld computer, smart mobile phone, or other handheld wireless computer; or some other type of computer. Households with internet access include households whose members access the Internet with a subscription to an internet service.

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Figure 7.1. Percentage of households with computer access, by state: 2015

NOTE: Data in this figure are from the American Community Survey (ACS); estimates may differ from those shown in other sources obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population living in households. Households exclude vacant units and institutionalized or noninstitutionalized group quarters. "Households with computer access" include all households whose members own or use a desktop, laptop, netbook, or notebook computer; handheld computer, smart mobile phone, or other handheld wireless computer; or some other type of computer.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.60.

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In 2015, the percentage of households with computer access across the 50 states and the District of Columbia ranged from 79 percent in Mississippi to 93 percent in Utah. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia had higher percentages of household computer access than the national average (87 percent). Among these states, three were higher than the national average by 5 percentage points or more (Alaska, Utah, and Washington). Fourteen states had percentages that were not measurably different than the national average. Seventeen states had lower percentages of household computer access than the national average. Among these states, seven were lower than the national average by 5 percentage points or more (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and West Virginia).

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Figure 7.2. Percentage of households with internet access, by state: 2015

NOTE: Data in this figure are from the American Community Survey (ACS); estimates may differ from those shown in other sources obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Data are based on sample surveys of the noninstitutionalized population living in households. Households exclude vacant units and institutionalized or noninstitutionalized group quarters. "Households with internet access" include households whose members access the Internet with a subscription to an internet service. Households that reported home internet use without a subscription are not included.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.60.

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Similarly, in 2015 the percentage of households with internet access ranged from 62 percent in Mississippi to 85 percent each in New Hampshire and Washington. Twenty states had higher percentages of household internet access than the national average (77 percent). Among these states, eleven were higher than the national average by 5 percentage points or more (Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington). Eleven states and the District of Columbia had percentages that were not measurably different than the national average. Nineteen states had lower percentages of household internet access than the national average. Among these states, ten were lower than the national average by 5 percentage points or more (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia).

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