Income Money and Poverty Status - Computer Access

In the area of communications, the term "universal service" refers to the goal that all Americans should have affordable telephone service. Because today's society dictates that people have to access, accumulate, and assimilate information, the federal government has expanded the measure of universal service to include computers and modems.

Computer and Internet use rose among most racial groups between 1997 and 2001. Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) had the highest computer usage rate in 2001, with 71.2 percent using computers. Whites had the second highest rate with 70.7 percent, followed by African-Americans with 55.7 percent. Hispanics had a less than 50 percent rate. Approximately 60.4 percent of APIs used the Internet, compared with 59.9 percent of whites, 39.8 percent of African-Americans, and 31.6 percent of Hispanics. (See Figure 5.5 and Table 5.9.)

The annual growth rate of the number of Hispanics who used computers between 1997 and 2001 was 6.6 percent. For African-Americans, the annual growth rate was 6.5 percent, while the rates for APIs and whites were lower, at 5.6 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively. A possible reason for the slower rate of growth among whites and APIs is the larger proportion of these demographics using computers already. (See Table 5.10.)

African-Americans had the highest growth rate of people logging onto the Internet between 1998 and 2001, at 31 percent. Hispanics had the second highest growth rate with 26 percent, followed by APIs with 21 percent and whites with 19 percent. (See Table 5.11.)

TABLE 5.5
2002 poverty thresholds by size of family and number of related children under 18 years
(Dollars)

	Related children under 18 years
Size of family unit	None	One	Two	Three	Four	Five	Six	Seven	Eight or more
One person (unrelated individual):
Under 65 years	9,359
65 years and over	8,628
Two people:
Householder under 65 years	12,047	12,400
Householder 65 years and over	10,874	12,353
Three people	14,072	14,480	14,494
Four people	18,556	18,859	18,244	18,307
Five people	22,377	22,703	22,007	21,469	21,141
Six people	25,738	25,840	25,307	24,797	24,038	23,588
Seven people	29,615	29,799	29,162	28,718	27,890	26,924	25,865
Eight people	33,121	33,414	32,812	32,285	31,538	30,589	29,601	29,350
Nine people or more	39,843	40,036	39,504	39,057	38,323	37,313	36,399	36,173	34,780
SOURCE: Bernadette D. Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, "Poverty Thresholds in 2002 by Size of Family and Number of Related Children under 18 Years," in Poverty in the United States: 2002, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, September 2003 [Online] http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p60-222.pdf [accessed March 11, 2004]

In 2001 most Americans who used the Internet used it to send e-mail—86.4 percent of whites, 86.8 percent of APIs, 72.9 percent of African-Americans, and 71.2 percent of Hispanics. Besides e-mail, however, Americans differed in the other ways they used the Internet. Whites (42 percent) and APIs (39.8 percent) were more likely than African-Americans (24.7 percent) and Hispanics (26.2 percent) to buy products and services online. (See Figure 5.6.)

TABLE 5.6
Number in poverty and poverty rate by race and Hispanic origin, 2001 and 2002
(Numbers in thousands)

	2001				2002			Change in poverty (2002 less 2001)1
		Below poverty level				Below poverty level
Race and Hispanic origin	Total	Number	Percent	Race and Hispanic origin	Total	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
All races	281,475	32,907	11.7	All races	285,317	34,570	12.1	1,663	0.4
White	229,675	22,739	9.9	White alone or in combination	234,584	24,074	10.3	1,335	0.4
				White alone2	230,376	23,466	10.2	727	0.3
White, not Hispanic	194,538	15,271	7.8	White alone, not Hispanic	194,144	15,567	8.0	296	0.2
Black	35,871	8,136	22.7	Black alone or in combination	37,207	8,884	23.9	748	1.2
				Black alone3	35,678	8,602	24.1	466	1.4
Asian and Pacific Islander	12,465	1,275	10.2	Asian alone or in combination	12,487	1,243	10.0	−32	−0.2
				Asian alone4	11,541	1,161	10.1	−114	−0.1
				Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, either alone or in combination	13,498	1,378	10.2	103	–
				Asian and/or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander5	12,338	1,271	10.3	−4	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	37,312	7,997	21.4	Hispanic (of any race)	39,216	8,555	21.8	558	0.4
–Represents zero.
1Details may not sum to totals because of rounding.
2The 2003 Current Population Survey asked respondents to choose one or more races. White alone refers to people who reported White and did not report any other race category.
The use of this single-race population does not imply that it is the preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The Census Bureau uses a variety of approaches. Information on people who reported more than one race, such as "White and American Indian and Alaska Native" or "Asian and Black or African American," is available from Census 2000 through American FactFinder. About 2.6 percent of people reported more than one race in 2000.
3Black alone refers to people who reported Black and did not report any other race category
4Asian alone refers to people who reported Asian and did not report any other race category.
5Asian and/or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander refers to people who reported either or both of these categories, but did not report any other category.
SOURCE: Adapted from Bernadette D. Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, "Table 1. Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2001 and 2002," in Poverty in the United States: 2002, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, September 2003 [Online] http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p60-222.pdf [accessed March 11, 2004]

FIGURE 5.3
Number in poverty and poverty rate, 1959–2002
Numbers in millions, rates in percent

FIGURE 5.4
People living below the poverty level by detailed Hispanic origin, 2001
(In percent)

TABLE 5.7
Percentage of related children¹ under age 18 living below selected poverty levels by age, family structure, race, and Hispanic origin, selected years 1980–2001

Characteristic	1980	1985	1990	1995	1996	1997	1998	19992	20002	20012
Under 100 percent of poverty
Children in all families
Related children	18	20	20	20	20	19	18	17	16	16
White, non-Hispanic	–	–	12	11	10	11	10	9	9	9
Black	42	43	44	42	40	37	36	33	31	30
Hispanic3	33	40	38	39	40	36	34	30	28	27
Related children under age 6	20	23	23	24	23	22	21	18	18	18
Related children ages 6–17	17	19	18	18	18	18	17	16	15	15
Children in married-couple families
Related children	–	–	10	10	10	10	9	9	8	8
White, non-Hispanic	–	–	7	6	5	5	5	5	5	5
Black	–	–	18	13	14	13	12	11	9	10
Hispanic3	–	–	27	28	29	26	23	22	21	20
Related children under age 6	–	–	12	11	12	11	10	9	9	9
Related children ages 6–17	–	–	10	9	9	9	9	8	8	7
Children in female-householder families, no husband present
Related children	51	54	53	50	49	49	46	42	40	39
White, non-Hispanic	–	–	40	34	35	37	33	29	28	29
Black	65	67	65	62	58	55	55	52	49	47
Hispanic3	65	72	68	66	67	63	60	52	50	49
Related children under age 6	65	66	66	62	59	59	55	51	50	49
Related children ages 6–17	46	48	47	45	45	45	42	39	36	35
All children4	18	21	21	21	21	20	19	17	16	16
Under 50 percent of poverty
Children in all families
Related children	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	6	6	7
White, non-Hispanic	–	–	4	3	4	4	4	3	3	3
Black	17	22	22	20	20	20	17	15	15	16
Hispanic3	–	–	14	16	14	16	13	11	9	10
Under 150 percent of poverty
Children in all families
Related children	29	32	31	32	31	30	29	28	26	27
White, non-Hispanic	–	–	21	19	19	19	18	17	16	17
Black	57	59	57	56	56	51	52	48	45	46
Hispanic3	–	–	55	59	57	56	52	49	47	46
–not available
1A related child is a person under age 18 who is related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption, but is not the householder or the householder's spouse.
2Data for 1999, 2000, and 2001 use Census 2000 population controls. Data for 2000 and 2001 are from the expanded CPS sample.
3Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
4Includes children not related to the householder.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, estimates refer to children under age 18 who are related to the householder. The poverty level is based on money income and does not include noncash benefits, such as food stamps. Poverty thresholds reflect family size and composition and are adjusted each year using the annual average Consumer Price Index level. The average poverty threshold for a family of four was $18,104 in 2001. The levels shown here are derived from the ratio of the family's income to the family's poverty threshold.
SOURCE: "Table ECON1.A. Child Poverty: Percentage of Related Children under Age 18 Living below Selected Poverty Levels by Age, Family Structure, Race, and Hispanic Origin, Selected Years 1980–2001," in America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2003, Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, Washington, DC, July 2003 [Online] http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/childstats/report2003_5.pdf [accessed March 11, 2004]

TABLE 5.8
People and families in poverty by selected characteristics, 2001 and 2002
(Numbers in thousands)

	2001 below poverty level		2002 below poverty level		Change in poverty (2002 less 2001)*
Characteristic	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
People
Total	32,907	11.7	34,570	12.1	1,663	0.4
Family status
In families	23,215	9.9	24,534	10.4	1,319	0.4
Householder	6,813	9.2	7,229	9.6	416	0.4
Related children
under 18	11,175	15.8	11,646	16.3	472	0.5
Related children
under 6	4,188	18.2	4,296	18.5	108	0.3
In unrelated subfamilies	466	39.8	417	33.7	−48	−6.1
Reference person	172	36.4	167	31.7	−6	−4.6
Children under 18	292	44.6	241	35.4	−51	−9.2
Unrelated individual	9,226	19.9	9,618	20.4	392	0.5
Male	3,833	17.3	4,023	17.7	190	0.4
Female	5,393	22.3	5,595	22.9	203	0.6
Age
Under 18 years	11,733	16.3	12,133	16.7	400	0.4
18 to 64 years	17,760	10.1	18,861	10.6	1,101	0.5
65 years and over	3,414	10.1	3,576	10.4	163	0.3
Nativity
Native	27,698	11.1	29,012	11.5	1,314	0.4
Foreign born	5,209	16.1	5,558	16.6	349	0.6
Naturalized citizen	1,186	9.9	1,285	10.0	99	0.1
Not a citizen	4,023	19.7	4,273	20.7	250	1.1
Region
Northeast	5,687	10.7	5,871	10.9	184	0.2
Midwest	5,966	9.4	6,616	10.3	650	0.9
South	13,515	13.5	14,019	13.8	505	0.3
West	7,739	12.1	8,064	12.4	325	0.3
Residence
Inside metropolitan areas	25,446	11.1	27,096	11.6	1,649	0.5
Inside central cities	13,394	16.5	13,784	16.7	390	0.2
Outside central cities	12,052	8.2	13,311	8.9	1,259	0.7
Outside metropolitan
areas	7,460	14.2	7,474	14.2	14	–
Families
Total	6,813	9.2	7,229	9.6	416	0.4
Type of Family
Married-couple	2,760	4.9	3,052	5.3	292	0.5
Female householder, no
husband present	3,470	26.4	3,613	26.5	143	0.1
Male householder, no
wife present	583	13.1	564	12.1	20	1.1
–Represents zero.
*Details may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: Adapted from Bernadette D. Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, "Table 2. People and Families in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 2001 and 2002," in Poverty in the United States: 2002, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, September 2003 [Online] http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p60-222.pdf [accessed March 11, 2004]

FIGURE 5.5
Internet use anywhere by race/Hispanic origin, percent of persons age 3 and older, 1997–2001

TABLE 5.9
Internet use from any location by individuals age 3 and older, October 1997, December 1998, August 2000, and September 2001

	Oct. 1997 (thousands)	Dec. 1998 (thousands)	Aug. 2000 (thousands)	Sept. 2001 (thousands)	Internet use (percent)
	Internet users	Total	Internet users	Total	Internet users	Total	Internet users	Total	Oct. 1997	Dec. 1998	Aug. 2000	Sept. 2001
Total population	56,774	255,689	84,587	258,453	116,480	262,620	142,823	265,180	22.2	32.7	44.4	53.9
Gender
Male	30,311	124,590	43,033	125,932	56,962	127,844	69,580	129,152	24.3	34.2	44.6	53.9
Female	26,464	131,099	41,555	132,521	59,518	134,776	73,243	136,028	20.2	31.4	44.2	53.8
Race/origin
White	46,678	184,295	69,470	184,980	93,714	186,439	111,942	186,793	25.3	37.6	50.3	59.9
Black	4,197	31,786	6,111	32,123	9,624	32,850	13,237	33,305	13.2	19.0	29.3	39.8
Asian Amer. & Pac. Isl.	2,432	9,225	3,467	9,688	5,095	10,324	6,452	10,674	26.4	35.8	49.4	60.4
Hispanic	3,101	28,233	4,897	29,452	7,325	30,918	10,141	32,146	11.0	16.6	23.7	31.6
Employment status
Employed2	37,254	130,857	56,539	133,119	76,971	136,044	88,396	135,089	28.5	42.5	56.6	65.4
Not employed2,3	9,012	72,911	14,261	73,891	21,321	73,891	28,531	77,268	12.4	19.5	28.9	36.9
Family income
Less than $15,000	4,069	44,284	5,170	37,864	6,057	32,096	7,848	31,354	9.2	13.7	18.9	25.0
$15,000 - $24,999	3,760	32,423	5,623	30,581	7,063	27,727	8,893	26,650	11.6	18.4	25.5	33.4
$25,000 - $34,999	5,666	33,178	8,050	31,836	11,054	31,001	12,591	28,571	17.1	25.3	35.7	44.1
$35,000 - $49,999	8,824	38,776	13,528	39,026	16,690	35,867	20,587	36,044	22.8	34.7	46.5	57.1
$50,000 - $74,999	13,552	41,910	19,902	43,776	25,059	43,451	30,071	44,692	32.3	45.5	57.7	67.3
$75,000 & above	16,276	36,572	24,861	42,221	36,564	52,189	44,547	56,446	44.5	58.9	70.1	78.9
Educational attainment
Less than high school1	516	29,114	1,228	29,039	2,482	28,254	3,506	27,484	1.8	4.2	8.8	12.8
High school
diploma/GED1	5,589	57,487	10,961	57,103	17,425	56,889	22,847	57,386	9.7	19.2	30.6	39.8
Some college1 10,548		42,544	16,603	43,038	24,201	44,628	28,321	45,420	24.8	38.6	54.2	62.4
Bachelors degree1 11,503		27,795	16,937	28,990	21,978	30,329	24,726	30,588	41.4	58.4	72.5	80.8
Beyond bachelors
degree1	7,195	13,863	9,635	14,518	12,104	15,426	13,633	16,283	51.9	66.4	78.5	83.7
Age group (and labor force)
Age 3–8	1,748	24,445	2,680	24,282	3,671	23,962	6,637	23,763	7.2	11.0	15.3	27.9
Age 9–17	11,791	35,469	15,396	35,821	19,579	36,673	25,480	37,118	33.2	43.0	53.4	68.6
Age 18–24	7,884	24,973	11,356	25,662	15,039	26,458	17,673	27,137	31.6	44.3	56.8	65.0
Age 25–49	27,639	101,853	41,694	101,836	56,433	101,946	65,138	101,890	27.1	40.9	55.4	63.9
Male	14,679	50,177	20,889	50,054	27,078	50,034	30,891	50,020	29.3	41.7	54.1	61.8
Female	12,960	51,676	20,806	51,781	29,356	51,913	34,247	51,871	25.1	40.2	56.5	66.0
Age 50 +	7,712	68,949	13,669	70,852	21,758	73,580	27,895	75,272	11.2	19.3	29.6	37.1
Male	4,560	31,252	7,356	32,248	10,989	33,561	13,757	34,438	14.6	22.8	32.7	39.9
Female	3,152	37,697	6,313	38,604	10,769	40,019	14,138	40,834	8.4	16.4	26.9	34.6
Geographic location of household
in which the individual lives
Rural	n/a	n/a	19,274	65,828	28,889	67,980	35,751	67,642	n/a	29.3	42.5	52.9
Urban	n/a	n/a	65,313	192,625	87,591	194,640	107,072	197,537	n/a	33.9	45.0	54.2
Urban not central city	n/a	n/a	41,881	116,091	56,773	118,641	69,342	120,724	n/a	36.1	47.9	57.4
Urban central city	n/a	n/a	23,432	76,534	30,818	75,999	37,730	76,813	n/a	30.6	40.6	49.1
Household type in which the
individual lives
Married couple
w/children <18 years old	27,664	103,791	41,462	110,295	57,122	112,920	64,714	104,337	26.7	37.6	50.6	62.0
Male householder
w/children <18 years old	1,143	6,284	1,995	7,866	2,825	8,186	3,389	7,400	18.2	25.4	34.5	45.8
Female householder
w/children <18 years old	4,041	27,327	6,219	27,877	9,866	30,034	13,140	29,032	14.8	22.3	32.9	45.3
Family household without
children years old <18	15,240	77,612	21,660	72,155	29,199	70,521	41,397	81,996	19.6	30.0	41.4	50.5
Non-family household	8,293	39,381	13,220	40,199	17,442	40,884	20,136	42,333	21.1	32.9	42.7	47.6
1Age 25 and older.
2Age 16 and older.
3Both people who are unemployed and people not in the labor force.
SOURCE: "Table 2-2. Internet Use from Any Location by Individuals Age 3 and Older, October 1997, December 1998, August 2000, and September 2001," in ANation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration, Washington, DC, 2002

TABLE 5.10
Computer use from any location by individuals age 3 and older, October 1997 and September 2001

	Oct. 1997		Sept. 2001		Percent of people who are computer users		Growth in use rate (annual rate)
	Computer Users (thousands)	Total (thousands)	Computer Users (thousands)	Total (thousands)	Oct. 1997	Sept. 2001	Oct. 1997 to Sept. 2001
Total population	136,900	255,689	174,051	265,180	53.5	65.6	5.3
Gender
Male	66,978	124,590	84,539	129,152	53.8	65.5	5.2
Female	69,921	131,099	89,512	136,028	53.3	65.8	5.5
Race/origin
White	105,957	184,295	130,848	186,793	57.5	70.0	5.2
Black	13,854	31,786	18,544	33,305	43.6	55.7	6.5
Asian Amer. & Pac. Isl.	5,306	9,225	7,600	10,674	57.5	71.2	5.6
Hispanic	10,729	28,233	15,690	32,146	38.0	48.8	6.6
Employment status
Employed1	80,687	130,857	98,819	135,089	61.7	73.2	4.5
Not employed 1, 2	18,074	72,911	31,487	77,268	24.8	40.8	13.5
Family income
Less than $15,000	13,182	44,284	11,681	31,354	29.8	37.3	5.9
$15,000 - $24,999	12,115	32,423	12,464	26,649	37.4	46.8	5.9
$25,000 - $34,999	16,360	33,178	16,495	28,571	49.3	57.7	4.1
$35,000 - $49,999	23,440	38,776	25,233	36,044	60.4	70.0	3.8
$50,000 - $74,999	30,043	41,910	35,465	44,692	71.7	79.4	2.6
$75,000 & above	29,542	36,572	49,672	56,446	80.8	88.0	2.2
Educational attainment
Less than high school3	2,331	29,114	4,672	27,484	7.9	17.0	21.5
High school diploma / GED3	19,256	57,487	27,118	57,386	33.5	47.3	9.2
Some college3	24,595	42,544	31,551	45,420	57.8	69.5	4.8
Bachelors degree3	20,640	27,795	25,965	30,588	74.3	84.9	3.5
Beyond bachelors degree3	10,970	13,863	14,151	16,283	79.1	86.9	2.4
Age group
Age 3–8	14,412	24,445	16,877	23,763	59.0	71.0	4.9
Age 9–17	30,188	35,469	34,356	37,118	85.1	92.6	2.2
Age 18–24	14,528	24,973	19,361	27,137	58.2	71.3	5.3
Age 25–49	58,745	101,853	71,491	101,890	57.7	70.2	5.1
Male	27,577	50,177	33,647	50,020	55.0	67.3	5.3
Female	31,168	51,676	37,844	51,871	60.3	73.0	5.0
Age 50 +	19,026	68,949	31,965	75,272	27.6	42.5	11.6
Male	9,654	31,252	15,547	34,438	30.9	45.1	10.2
Female	9,372	37,697	16,418	40,834	24.9	40.2	13.1
Household type in which the individual lives4
Married couple w/children <18 years old	68,855	103,791	81,897	104,337	66.3	78.5	4.4
Male householder w/children <18 years old	3,163	6,284	4,632	7,400	50.3	62.6	5.7
Female householder w/children <18 years old	14,288	27,327	19,160	29,032	52.3	66.0	6.1
Family household without children <18 years old	33,001	77,612	46,400	81,996	42.5	56.6	7.6
Non-family household	16,589	39,381	21,913	42,333	42.1	51.8	5.4
1Age 16 and older.
2Unemployed and not in the labor force.
3Age 25 and older.
4Excludes group quarters, such as dorms and military barracks.
SOURCE: "Table 2-1. Computer Use from Any Location by Individuals Age 3 and Older, October 1997 and September 2001," in A Nation Online: How Americans are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration, Washington, DC, 2002

TABLE 5.11
Percent difference and growth rates, internet use from any location by individuals age 3 and older, October 1997, December 1998, August 2000, and September 2001

	Internet use (percent)				Percentage point difference				Growth in use rate (annual rate)
	Oct. 1997*	Dec. 1998	Aug. 2000	Sept. 2001	1997 to 1998*	1998 to 2000	2000 to 2001	1998 to 2001	1997 to 1998*	1998 to 2000	2000 to 2001	1998 to 2001
Total population	22.2	32.7	44.4	53.9	n/a	11.7	9.5	21.2	n/a	20	20	20
Gender
Male	24.3	34.2	44.6	53.9	n/a	10.4	9.3	19.7	n/a	17	19	18
Female	20.2	31.4	44.2	53.8	n/a	12.8	9.7	22.5	n/a	23	20	22
Race/origin
White	25.3	37.6	50.3	59.9	n/a	12.7	9.7	22.4	n/a	19	18	19
Black	13.2	19.0	29.3	39.8	n/a	10.3	10.5	20.7	n/a	30	33	31
Asian Amer. & Pac. Isl.	26.4	35.8	49.4	60.4	n/a	13.6	11.1	24.7	n/a	21	21	21
Hispanic	11.0	16.6	23.7	31.6	n/a	7.1	7.9	15.0	n/a	24	30	26
Employment Status
Employed2	28.5	42.5	56.6	65.4	n/a	14.1	8.9	23.0	n/a	19	14	17
Not Employed2,3	12.4	19.5	28.9	36.9	n/a	9.4	8.1	17.4	n/a	27	26	26
Family Income
Less than $15,000	9.2	13.7	18.9	25.0	n/a	5.2	6.2	11.4	n/a	21	30	25
$15,000 - $24,999	11.6	18.4	25.5	33.4	n/a	7.1	7.9	15.0	n/a	22	28	24
$25,000 - $34,999	17.1	25.3	35.7	44.1	n/a	10.4	8.4	18.8	n/a	23	22	22
$35,000 - $49,999	22.8	34.7	46.5	57.1	n/a	11.9	10.6	22.5	n/a	19	21	20
$50,000 - $74,999	32.3	45.5	57.7	67.3	n/a	12.2	9.6	21.8	n/a	15	15	15
$75,000 & above	44.5	58.9	70.1	78.9	n/a	11.2	8.9	20.0	n/a	11	12	11
Educational attainment
Less than high school1	1.8	4.2	8.8	12.8	n/a	4.6	4.0	8.5	n/a	55	41	49
High school diploma/
GED1	9.7	19.2	30.6	39.8	n/a	11.4	9.2	20.6	n/a	32	27	30
Some college1	24.8	38.6	54.2	62.4	n/a	15.7	8.1	23.8	n/a	23	14	19
Bachelors degree1	41.4	58.4	72.5	80.8	n/a	14.0	8.4	22.4	n/a	14	11	13
Beyond bachelors degree1	51.9	66.4	78.5	83.7	n/a	12.1	5.3	17.4	n/a	11	6	9
Age group (and labor force)
Age 3–8	7.2	11.0	15.3	27.9	n/a	4.3	12.6	16.9	n/a	22	74	40
Age 9–17	33.2	43.0	53.4	68.6	n/a	10.4	15.3	25.7	n/a	14	26	19
Age 18–24	31.6	44.3	56.8	65.0	n/a	12.6	8.5	21.0	n/a	16	13	15
Age 25–49	27.1	40.9	55.4	63.9	n/a	14.4	8.6	23.0	n/a	20	14	18
Male	29.3	41.7	54.1	61.8	n/a	12.4	7.6	20.0	n/a	17	13	15
Female	25.1	40.2	56.5	66.0	n/a	16.4	9.5	25.8	n/a	23	15	20
Age 50 +	11.2	19.3	29.6	37.1	n/a	10.3	7.5	17.8	n/a	29	23	27
Male	14.6	22.8	32.7	39.9	n/a	9.9	7.2	17.1	n/a	24	20	23
Female	8.4	16.4	26.9	34.6	n/a	10.6	7.7	18.3	n/a	35	26	31
Geographic location of household in which the individual lives
Rural	n/a	29.3	42.5	52.9	n/a	13.2	10.4	23.6	n/a	25	22	24
Urban	n/a	33.9	45.0	54.2	n/a	11.1	9.2	20.3	n/a	19	19	19
Urban not central city	n/a	36.1	47.9	57.4	n/a	11.8	9.6	21.4	n/a	18	18	18
Urban central city	n/a	30.6	40.6	49.1	n/a	9.9	8.6	18.5	n/a	18	19	19
Household type in which the individual lives
Married couple
w/children <18 years old	26.7	37.6	50.6	62.0	n/a	13.0	11.4	24.4	n/a	20	21	20
Male householder
w/children <18 years old	18.2	25.4	34.5	45.8	n/a	9.1	11.3	20.4	n/a	20	30	24
Female householder
w/children <18 years old	14.8	22.3	32.9	45.3	n/a	10.5	12.4	23.0	n/a	26	34	29
Family household without
children <18 years old	19.6	30.0	41.4	50.5	n/a	11.4	9.1	20.5	n/a	21	20	21
Non-family household	21.1	32.9	42.7	47.6	n/a	9.8	4.9	14.7	n/a	17	11	14
*The October 1997 question on Internet use was worded considerably differently than the questions used in the following years. The use rates calculated from the October 1997 data are likely correct in terms of their order of magnitude. Growth rates have, however, not been calculated because the implied precision of the year-to-year comparisons would be inaccurate.
1Age 25 and older.
2Age 16 and older.
3Both people who are unemployed and people not in the labor force.
SOURCE: "Table 2-3. Percent Difference and Growth Rates, Internet Use from Any Location by Individuals Age 3 and Older, October 1997, December 1998, August 2000, and September 2001," in A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration, Washington, DC, 2002

FIGURE 5.6
Selected online activity by race/Hispanic origin as a percent of internet users, persons age 3 and older, 2001