State Data

Please cite use of this data as:

Tolbert, Caroline, and Mossberger, Karen, 2015, “U.S. Current Population Survey & American Community Survey Geographic Estimates of Internet Use, 1997-2014.”

While state-level estimates have been available from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Department of Commerce over the years, the data provided on this page offers unique estimates for State Internet use by race, ethnicity, education, age, family income, employment status, family income, and language.

The methods used to derive the State estimates here are consistent with those used for estimating county, metro, and city Internet use.  The state estimates provide a context for observing the variation within states, and variation across different scales.

State Internet use is estimated from the Current Population Survey (1997-2012) and American Community Survey (ACS, 2013 and 2014).   A group of random intercept logistic regressions (a type of multilevel model) are constructed for each of the Internet-related variables, namely, home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully-connected household (with broadband and mobile).  Estimates are based on the U.S. Bureau of the Census Current Population Survey data for 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 and the U.S. Bureau of the Census American Community Survey 2013 and 2014, with estimates for missing years imputed via linear interpolation.

Using Summary Tables of the 2013 and 2014 American Community Survey available in FactFinder, State estimates were created for home Internet access and home broadband by race, ethnicity, education, age, and employment status.

Using microdata from the 2013 American Community Survey, State estimates were developed for home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully connected households broken down by race, ethnicity, education, age, family income, and language skill. 

See Codebook here for a more complete description of the datasets, sources of data, survey questions, and methods.  CodebookMethodsNSF_BB.pdf

Summary figures (graphs) for states are available here.  These show by state and by overall state averages three-year moving averages, one-year time series estimates, and rates of change for Internet access, broadband at home, mobile use, and fully-connected households.  State_Figures.pdf 

Time series graphs of internet access across states, metros and central cities 1998-2014.  Box and whiskers plot shows range of internet access across selected geography, with the shaded box centered on the median and bounded by hte 25th and 75th percentiles.  On the Tableau links, users can move the mouse over the graphs to identify states, MSAs, or principal cities.  Data from 1997-2012 is derived from CPS; 2013-2014 is drawn from the ACS and all are shown as three-year moving averages.

Interactive graphics on access (user selected for State, County, MSA, or City level in graphs):

U.S. Internet Access by Geography, 1998-2013

Tableau interactive map access - choices include broadband access and home access for total population, white, black, Latino, Asian, education, age, employed/unemployed

U.S. Internet Access by State 2013

DATA

 StateTimeseries.xls

This State Time Series data set contains the yearly estimates of the percentage of Internet use in the 50 U.S. states along with their populations in 2014. The percentage of home Internet access goes back to 1997 from 2014, home broadband to 2000 from 2014, and mobile Internet and fully connected household to 2011 from 2014.

The CPS data is disaggregated with household weights to create the Internet estimates for 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The ACS summary tables of metropolitan areas from American FactFinder provide the Internet estimates for 2013 and 2014 and the estimates for the missing years are imputed via linear interpolation.

 StateThreeYearAverage.xls

This State Three Year Average data set takes the three-year moving average of the Internet estimates. The data set contains the yearly estimates of the percentage of Internet use in the 50 U.S. states. The percentage of home Internet access is estimated between 1998 and 2013, and home broadband between 2001 and 2013. Because of the very short time series, three-year moving averages are not estimated for mobile Internet and fully-connected household.

 StateTimeSeriesChangeRate.xls

This State Time Series Change Rate data set is based on stateTimeSeries.xls, and it estimates the yearly rate of change in the percentage of home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully-connected households in the 50 U.S. states.

 StateThreeYearAverageChangeRate.xls

This State Three Year Average Change Rate data set is based on stateThreeYearAverage.xls, and it estimates the yearly rate of change in the percentage of home Internet access and home broadband in the 50 U.S. states.

 StateYearlySummaryStatistics.xls

This State Yearly Summary Statistics data contains the summary statistics of the percentage of Internet use in states across years. It summarizes home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, fully connected household for single-year state estimates (stateTimeSeries.xls), and home Internet access and home broadband for three-year moving averages (stateThreeYearAverage.xls).

 State2013ACSfactfinder.xls

This State 2013 ACS Fact Finder data set contains the 2013 estimates of the percentage of Internet use in the 50 U.S. states along with their 2013 populations. It is based on summary tables of the 2013 American Community Survey from American FactFinder. For home Internet access and home broadband, the estimates are broken down by race, ethnicity, education, age, and employment status.

 State2013ACSmicrodata.xls

This State 2013 ACS Microdata data set contains the 2013 estimates of the percentage of Internet use in the 50 U.S. states. The estimates are generated by disaggregating the 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Public Use Microdata Sample which was obtained through Minnesota Population Center. For home Internet access, home broadband, mobile Internet, and fully connected household, the estimates are broken down by race, ethnicity, education, age, family income, and language skill.

 State2014ACSfactfinder.xls

This State 2014 ACS Fact Finder data set contains the 2014 estimates of the percentage of Internet use in the 50 U.S. states along with their 2014 populations. It is based on summary tables of the 2014 American Community Survey from American FactFinder. For home Internet access and home broadband, the estimates are broken down by race, ethnicity, education, age, and employment status.