U.S. Census Bureau: almost half of U.S. still doesn't have broadband in the home

Only 50.8 percent of American householders have a broadband Internet connection in their home, according to a 2007 survey completed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Householders with broadband make up 82 percent of Americans with Internet in the home. The remainder connect through dial-up. These findings are consistent with the results of the Pew Internet and American life surveys.

In 2007, 62 percent of the American population had some form of Internet connection at all in their home - a significant increase from 1997 when only eighteen percent of Americans did. Most of the households without access in their home are poor families in urban or rural areas; the same people who could benefit from the resources of the Internet the most.

The most active users of broadband in the home are college graduates (73.9%). Only seventeen percent of people who did not attain a high school diploma, 36.8% percent of high school graduates and 56% percent of people who attended "some college" have a high-speed Internet connection in their home. Educational achievement is considered a good indicator of income.

These socioeconomic inequities are spread throughout the United States and referred to as the digital divide.

Inequalities also apply to age and racial distinctions. 37.5% of households aged 55 or older use broadband at home, compared to 61.4% of those middle aged (age 35-44), 51.9% (under 25 yrs), 58.3% (25-34 yrs), and 57.9% (45-55 yrs). Only 35.2% of Hispanics and 36.8% of African Americans have broadband access in their homes, whereas 52.2% of Caucasians have high-speed Internet connections.

Internet Use Triples in Decade, Census Bureau Reports

Pew study finds high speed internet growth slowed last year (Speed Matters)