Contents
- Household computer access statistics: U.S. household access and device types
- Household computer access statistics by age, race and household composition
- Household computer access statistics by income and education
- Household computer access statistics across U.S. urban, rural and regional communities
- Household computer access statistics and home internet access
- Household computer access statistics over time
- Household computer access statistics in Spain and Montenegro
- Sources
Household computer access statistics: U.S. household access and device types
In the United States, 95.0% of households had any computer type in 2021, according to the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates. The category is broad: the report counts smartphones and other selected computing technologies in its computer definition. A separate device category groups desktop and laptop computers together, so its 80.5% figure cannot be read as laptop ownership alone. Smartphones were reported by 90.0% of households, and tablets by 63.8%. These percentages describe households with each device type; the categories can overlap. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4
| U.S. household measure | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Any computer type | 95.0% |
| Desktop or laptop computer | 80.5% |
| Smartphone | 90.0% |
| Tablet | 63.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1, p. 4. Percentages are of U.S. households in the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates.
The distinction between “any computer type” and “desktop or laptop” matters for readers interested specifically in a conventional computer. The first measure is the broader indicator; the second combines two device types and does not separate desktops from laptops. Smartphone and tablet percentages provide additional context, but neither should be treated as a substitute for a personal-computer measure. The figures are a snapshot of household presence, not a count of devices per household, use frequency, or whether a device is available to every household member. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1 and definition notes
Household computer access statistics by age, race and household composition
Householder age is associated with different reported levels of access in the 2021 U.S. table. Any computer type was present in 98.9% of households whose householder was aged 15–34, 98.7% for ages 35–44, and 96.8% for ages 45–64. The reported level was 87.5% for households with a householder aged 65 or older. These are household categories defined by the householder’s age, not computer access rates for individuals in those age ranges. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4
| Household category | Any computer type, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Householder aged 15–34 | 98.9% |
| Householder aged 35–44 | 98.7% |
| Householder aged 45–64 | 96.8% |
| Householder aged 65 or older | 87.5% |
| With member(s) under 18 | 98.9% |
| Without members under 18 | 93.4% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1, p. 4. Each row is a separate household classification.
The age-of-householder series should not be conflated with the separate household-composition comparison. Any computer type was reported by 98.9% of households with at least 1 member under 18 and 93.4% of households without members under 18. These figures describe the presence of younger household members, not the age of the person who owns or uses the computer. The table does not establish why the categories differ. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4
The Census table also reports computer access by the race and Hispanic origin of the householder. Any computer type was reported by 95.0% of households with a White, non-Hispanic householder, 93.2% with a Black, non-Hispanic householder, and 98.0% with an Asian, non-Hispanic householder. For households with a Hispanic householder of any race, the reported figure was 95.6%. These categories are those printed in the report; they are not a mutually exclusive racial classification in every case, because Hispanic origin can be of any race. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4
Disability status is another household-level distinction. The measure was 96.7% among households with no member with a disability, compared with 90.5% among households where at least 1 member had a disability. This is a comparison of households, not a rate for disabled individuals, and it does not indicate which household members had access to a computer. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4
Household computer access statistics by income and education
The 2021 U.S. household figures vary across the educational-attainment categories for the householder. Any computer type was present in 83.8% of households where the householder had less than a high school education, 90.7% where the householder was a high school graduate (including equivalency), 96.8% with some college or an associate degree, and 98.6% with a bachelor’s degree or higher. The measure concerns household computer presence, classified by the householder’s education; it does not measure individual educational use of computers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 5
Income categories show a similarly ordered set of reported percentages. Any computer type was reported by 85.1% of households with income below $25,000, 93.4% in the $25,000–$49,999 bracket, and 97.6% in the $50,000–$99,999 bracket. The rate was 98.9% for households earning $100,000–$149,999 and 99.3% for those earning $150,000 or more. These are the report’s household income brackets and its 2021 estimates. They do not show the number or type of computers owned, nor do they establish that income itself caused the differences. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 5
| Householder or household classification | Any computer type, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Less than high school graduate | 83.8% |
| High school graduate, including equivalency | 90.7% |
| Some college or associate degree | 96.8% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 98.6% |
| Household income less than $25,000 | 85.1% |
| Household income $25,000–$49,999 | 93.4% |
| Household income $50,000–$99,999 | 97.6% |
| Household income $100,000–$149,999 | 98.9% |
| Household income $150,000 or more | 99.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1, p. 5. Percentages represent U.S. households in the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates.
The table places the full education and income series together for reference, but the classifications are independent dimensions. A household may belong to an education category and an income bracket simultaneously. The listed figures are percentages within each category, not shares of all households and not percentages of people. The categories also have different boundaries: income is grouped into 5 ranges, while education reflects the highest attainment category shown for the householder. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 5
Household computer access statistics across U.S. urban, rural and regional communities
In 2021, any computer type was present in 95.5% of U.S. urban-area households and 93.1% of rural-area households. The report defines urban and rural categories using 2010 Census delineations. For the desktop-or-laptop combination specifically, 76.4% of rural-area households had one of these devices. The Census data supplied here do not provide a separate rural laptop percentage, so the combined measure should be retained as printed. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 5
Regional figures for any computer type were 94.5% in the Northeast, 94.4% in the Midwest, 94.9% in the South, and 96.4% in the West. These are broad regional household comparisons. They should not be used to infer a ranking among individual states or local communities; the values here refer to the report’s 4 U.S. regions and 2021 ACS estimates. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 5
Household computer access statistics and home internet access
Computer presence and internet subscription are related but distinct household measures. In the 2021 U.S. ACS, 90.3% of households had any internet subscription and 90.1% had a broadband subscription. The computer measure was 95.0% for any computer type. A household may therefore be counted in a computer-access measure without being counted as having the specified subscription; the statistics should not be treated as interchangeable. The report’s broadband category follows its stated subscription definitions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, Table 1, p. 4 and broadband definition notes
The supplied Spanish and Montenegrin figures focus on internet access and connections rather than general computer ownership. Spain reported internet access in 96.8% of households in 2024. The covered population is households with at least 1 member aged 16–74. Montenegro reported internet access for 84.5% of interviewed households in 2024; its survey target population is households with at least 1 member aged 16–74. These are country-specific survey measures with stated population scopes, so they are not direct counterparts to every U.S. ACS household measure. Source: Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), Living Conditions, 2024, p. 24; Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro (MONSTAT), ICT usage in households and by individuals, 2024, p. 1
Montenegro’s 2024 report provides access by settlement and type of connection. Internet access from home was reported by 87.6% of households in urban settlements and 78.2% in rural settlements. Fixed broadband connections, including DSL, ADSL, VDSL, cable, optical fiber, satellite, and Wi-Fi as described in the release, were used by 84.8% of households. Mobile broadband via mobile phone network at 3G or above was used by 71.6%. The connection types may overlap; the report does not present them as mutually exclusive alternatives. Source: MONSTAT, ICT usage in households and by individuals, 2024, pp. 2–3
Household computer access statistics over time
The U.S. report gives rounded historical household figures for computer presence and internet subscriptions. Any type of computer was reported by 84% of households in 2013, 89% in 2016, and 95% in 2021. Internet subscription was reported by 74% in 2013, 82% in 2016, and 90% in 2021. These are the rounded values in the report’s trend narrative, not the more precise 2021 table percentages. In particular, the trend narrative’s 95% for computer presence and 90% for subscription are rounded; Table 1 reports 95.0% and 90.3% for the corresponding 2021 measures. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, p. 3 trend narrative and Table 1, p. 4
| U.S. household measure | 2013 | 2016 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any type of computer | 84% | 89% | 95% |
| Internet subscription | 74% | 82% | 90% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, trend narrative, p. 3. These are rounded historical narrative figures.
The trend points indicate that both reported measures were higher in each cited later year than in the earlier observation. The report notes that questions were introduced in 2013 and that the questionnaire was revised in 2016; these details matter when reading the series. The supplied report does not print an exact value for the 2018 chart point, so no value is estimated from the plotted mark. The figures above are historical observations, not current-year estimates. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021, p. 3
Household computer access statistics in Spain and Montenegro
Spain’s 2024 household ICT table reported that 83.0% of households had any type of computer and 96.8% had internet access. The survey population for the figures is households with at least 1 member aged 16–74. A separate 2025 INE release reported that 83.8% of Spanish main family homes had some type of computer, including desktop, laptop, tablet, and other listed types. The release states that the 2025 figure was 0.8 points above 2024; its population is homes inhabited by at least 1 person aged 16–74. The two observations come from distinct annual releases and should be described with their stated scopes. Source: INE, Living Conditions, 2024, p. 24; Source: INE, Survey on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Households. Year 2025, p. 1
For Montenegro, the reported 2024 household access figures describe devices used to connect to the internet, not ownership of those devices in general. A personal computer was used for internet connection by 32.3% of households; a laptop, netbook, or tablet by 67.6%; and a mobile phone by 99.5%. The categories can overlap, since a household may use more than 1 kind of device to connect. These figures complement the access and connection statistics above but should not be read as household computer-ownership rates. Source: MONSTAT, ICT usage in households and by individuals, 2024, p. 2, Table 1