New NTIA Data Show 13 Million More Internet Users in the U.S. in 2023 than 2021

Results from the latest National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Internet Use Survey point to significant progress toward achieving Internet for All, as 13 million more people used the Internet in the United States in 2023 compared with just two years earlier. Working to achieve digital equity in the United States has long been at the core of NTIA’s mission. NTIA is committed to enabling widespread use of the Internet for communicating, learning, sharing ideas, and growing the economy. To reach this goal, we need solid, evidence-backed research to inform policies and programs. While we have data from dozens of questions to explore, we have found much to celebrate in our initial analysis:

• 83 percent of people ages 3 and older in the United States used the Internet in some fashion in 2023, compared with 80 percent in 2021. That’s the largest increase since the 2015-2017 period.
• These gains came in large part from segments of the population that historically have been more likely to find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. For example, 83 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives used the Internet in 2023, up from 75 percent in 2021.  
• Internet adoption also increased among those in lower-income households, from 69 percent in 2021 to 73 percent in 2023 among those in households making less than $25,000 per year (see Figure 2).
• 72 percent of people lived in households with both fixed and mobile Internet connections in 2023, up from 69 percent in 2021.
• Just 12 percent of people lived in households without any Internet connection in 2023, compared with 14 percent in 2021.