Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021

Access to the internet via computer or smartphone is an important part of many Americans’ day-to-day lives. People use the internet for completing personal and professional tasks and for interacting with others across vast geographic distances. From browsing social media to paying bills online and countless other activities in between, access to the internet is nearly essential for many Americans. Data from the US Census Bureau—which routinely surveys millions of households across the country on a variety of social and economic topics—provide a unique opportunity to study these differences as they develop and at multiple levels of geography. This report explores data on computer and internet use in the United States from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS). Highlights from the survey include:

• Among all households in 2021, 95 percent had at least one type of computer, and 90 percent had a broadband internet subscription.
• Characteristics associated with lower internet subscription rates were a householder who rented rather than owned a home, householders with limited English proficiency, and households with at least one person with a disability.
• “Smartphone-only” households, which accessed the internet only through mobile broadband, were more likely to make $25,000 or less annually, be headed by someone 65 years and over, or have a Black or Hispanic householder.