Census Bureau: Home PCs on The Rise

Sept. 6, 2001 -- Who's got computers and Internet access at home? According to the latest government figures, it's a growing number of households.

A report expected to be released by the United States Census Bureau today shows that 54 millions households, or 51 percent of all U.S. homes, had one or more computers as of August 2000, the last time the bureau collected such data. By comparison, only 42 percent of U.S. homes had a computer in December 1998, says the report, titled Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000.

The report also showed marked gains in the area of Internet access. Nearly 42 percent of households with computers, or 94 million people, also claimed to have access to the Net. In 1998, only 57 million people accessed the Net from home. (See graphic.)

While the steady growth in home computers and Internet use may seem like good news, the report does point out some hints that a so-called digital divide may be forming.

For example, among homes with annual incomes of $75,000 or more, over 88 percent claim to have one or more PCs and 79 those homes used the Net. However, among families with making less than $25,000, only 28 percent had a computer and 19 percent had Internet access.

Schools Offer Level Ground

That disparity among "digital haves" and "digital have-nots" is also apparent in measuring children's access to computers and the Net. According to the report, some 94 percent of school-aged children (ages 6 to 17) in families that earn $75,000 or more have access to computer at home. But, only 35 percent of kids in families that make less than $25,000 annually can make the same claim.

While that may mean a nearly 60-point gap in home computer use among kids from high-income families versus low-income families, "Schools are doing this amazing job in giving computer access," says Eric Newburger, the analyst and author of the Census Bureau's report.

Newburger says data in the report shows some 72 percent of kids from low-income families use a computer at school. That's only a 15-point difference among the 87 percent of students from high-income families who reported using a computer at school. "Schools have this very strong leveling effect," says Newburger.

The data used in Newburger's report was collected in August 2000 as part of the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey — a door-to-door survey of 50,000 homes that typically collects employment data for the Department of Labor. However, Newburger says that with more government agencies, such as the National Center for Education Statistics, becoming interested in tracking consumer computer usage data, the Census Bureau plans to make computer and Internet survey questions a yearly study.