Computer and Internet Use

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey has been conducted for more than 50 years. Data on computers and Internet use have been asked sporadically since 1984 in the CPS.

For CPS definitions and explanations, visit the Current Population Survey Web site.

Data Tables, Products and Reports

Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2010 

• Detailed Tables

Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2009 

• Detailed Tables

Computer and Internet Use in the United States: October 2007  includes data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2005

• Detailed Tables

Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2003 

• Report [PDF - 720K]  (P23-208)
• Detailed Tables
• Source and Accuracy Statement [PDF - 11K]

Computer and Internet Use in the United States: September 2001 

• Detailed Tables

Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000 

• Report [PDF - 242K]  (P23-207)

Computer Use in the United States: October 1997 

• Report [PDF - 108K]  (P20-522)
• Detailed Tables

Computer Use in the United States: October 1993 

• Detailed Tables

Computer Use in the United States: 1989 

• Report [PDF - 11K]  (P23-171)
• Detailed Tables

Computer Use in the United States: 1984 

• Report [PDF - 11K]  (P23-155)
• Detailed Tables

Historical Time Series Table

Households With a Computer and Internet Use: 1984 to 2009 [XLS - 11K]

Other Technical and Analytic Reports

The Growing Use of Computers [PDF - 11K]  (Statistical Brief 91-11)

Who Uses a Computer? [PDF - 11K]  (Statistical Brief 88-2)

Related Papers and Presentations

Access Denied: Changes in Computer Ownership and Use: 1984-1997 [PDF - 11K] , by Robert Kominski and Eric Newburger. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL, August 1999.

Computer Use in the United States: The Bureau of the Census Surveys [PDF - 11K] , by Robert Kominski. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science, Pittsburgh, PA, October 26-29, 1992.