Personal computing now spans desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, home Internet subscriptions, and the broader ability to go online. The statistics below distinguish household measures from individual surveys and separate U.S. computer ownership from related global mobile-connectivity indicators.
Key Personal Computing Statistics
These highlights cover the most broadly useful measures across ownership, access, behavior, and geography:
- In 2021, 95.0% of U.S. households had at least one computer of any type.
- In 2021, 80.5% of U.S. households had a desktop or laptop computer.
- In 2021, 90.0% of U.S. households had a smartphone.
- In 2021, 90.1% of U.S. households had a broadband subscription.
- In 2021, about 121.2 million U.S. households had a computer.
- In 2021, about 6.32 million U.S. households reported no computer.
- In 2013, 84% of U.S. households had a computer.
- In 2023, 95% of U.S. adults said they used the Internet.
- In 2023, 90% of U.S. adults said they had a smartphone.
- In 2023, 80% of U.S. adults said they subscribed to high-speed Internet at home.
- In 2021, 98.9% of households headed by someone aged 15–34 had a computer.
- In 2021, 87.5% of households headed by someone aged 65 or older had a computer.
- In 2023, 15% of U.S. adults were smartphone-dependent under Pew’s definition.
- In 2023, 28% of adults in households earning under $30,000 were smartphone-dependent.
- In 2023, 73% of rural U.S. adults had home broadband.
- In 2023, 95% of U.S. adults in households earning at least $100,000 had home broadband.
- In 2024, 80% of the world’s population aged 10 and over owned a mobile phone.
- In 2024, 38% of Africa’s population used the Internet.
Contents
- Household computer and device ownership
- Personal computing adoption trends
- Personal computing by age and household status
- Personal computing by disability and language status
- Personal computing by income, race, and geography
- Global personal computing and mobile connectivity
Household Personal Computing Statistics: Devices and Internet Access
The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) measures devices at the household level. Its categories allow multiple selections, so the figures below describe presence in a household rather than exclusive ownership by one person.
| Household measure | 2021 result | Population and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Any computer type | 95.0% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
| Desktop or laptop | 80.5% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
| Smartphone | 90.0% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
| Tablet | 63.8% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
| Any Internet subscription | 90.3% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
| Broadband subscription | 90.1% | U.S. ACS 1-year households |
In the 2021 ACS, about 121.2 million U.S. households had any computer, while about 6.32 million reported no computer. The no-computer category means no reported desktop or laptop, smartphone, tablet or portable wireless computer, or other computer.
The Census source notes that any Internet subscription is broader than broadband, while the ACS broadband definition includes qualifying fixed and mobile subscription types. Device figures measure household possession and do not show usage frequency. Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021 provides the ACS tables and definitions.
Personal Computing Adoption Trends: Computers Versus Internet Access
The historical ACS series shows rising household access, but the Census Bureau revised its computer and Internet questions in 2016. That change limits direct comparisons across the full period.
| Year | Households with a computer | Households with Internet access |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 84% | 74% subscribed to any Internet service |
| 2016 | 89% | 82% subscribed to Internet service |
| 2021 | 95% | 90% subscribed to any Internet service |
From 2013 to 2021, the reported household computer-ownership measure rose from 84% to 95%, while household Internet subscription rose from 74% to 90%. These are simple comparisons of the reported values, but questionnaire revisions affect comparability; the ACS 2020 estimates were omitted from the report because of COVID-19 impacts.
The 2021 device mix also shows why “computer access” is not synonymous with desktop or laptop access: smartphones were present in 90.0% of households, compared with 80.5% for desktop or laptop computers. The categories overlap, so one household may appear in several device groups. Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021 is the source for the historical and 2021 ACS measures.
Pew Research Center’s survey of U.S. adults, conducted May 19–September 5, 2023, provides an individual rather than household perspective. 95% of adults said they used the Internet, 90% said they had a smartphone, 80% said they subscribed to high-speed Internet at home, 41% said they used the Internet almost constantly, and nine in ten said they went online every day.
Pew’s high-speed-home-Internet wording differs from the ACS broadband measure, and its figures are self-reported survey estimates. Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband reports the 2023 adoption and frequency measures.
Personal Computing Statistics by Age and Household Composition
Householder age and the presence of children are associated with different levels of reported household computer ownership in the 2021 ACS.
| Household subgroup | Any-computer ownership, 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% |
| Member under 18 present | 98.9% |
| No member under 18 | 93.4% |
| Owner-occupied household | 95.8% |
| Renter household | 93.6% |
The lowest age-group result in this comparison was 87.5% among households headed by someone 65 or older. In that same subgroup, smartphone ownership was 75.4% and desktop/laptop ownership was 69.8%.
Pew’s 2023 adult survey measures online intensity rather than household device presence. 62% of adults aged 18–29 said they were online almost constantly, compared with 15% of adults aged 65 and older.
These age measures use different populations and questions from the ACS household figures, so they should not be treated as direct equivalents.
Personal Computing Access by Disability and Language Status
The 2021 ACS also identifies household differences connected with disability and limited-English-speaking status. These are household subgroup measures, not individual rates of computer skill, accessibility, or language proficiency.
- Households with at least one member with a disability had 90.5% any-computer ownership in 2021.
- Households with no member with a disability had 96.7% any-computer ownership in 2021.
- Households with limited-English-speaking status had 89.6% any-computer ownership in 2021.
- Households without limited-English-speaking status had 95.3% any-computer ownership in 2021.
The ACS definition matters: limited-English-speaking status is a subgroup classification for households, not an individual language-proficiency rate. The disability comparison likewise describes whether a household included at least one member with a disability. Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021 contains the relevant subgroup measures.
Pew also reports a related access condition. In 2023, 15% of U.S. adults were smartphone-dependent, defined as owning a smartphone without high-speed home broadband; the comparable figure was about 8% in Pew’s 2013 survey.
The historical comparison has limitations because survey mode and question context differ between the waves.
Personal Computing Statistics by Income, Race, and Geography
Income differences are especially visible in the relationship between smartphone access, home broadband, and smartphone dependency in Pew’s September 2023 U.S. adult survey.
| Household income group | Smartphone ownership | Home broadband | Smartphone-dependent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | 79% | 57% | 28% |
| At least $100,000 | 98% | 95% | 4% |
Among adults in households earning under $30,000, 28% were smartphone-dependent, compared with 4% among adults in households earning at least $100,000. Smartphone ownership was 79% and home broadband was 57% in the lower-income group, versus 98% and 95%, respectively, in the higher-income group.
Geography also shows variation in home broadband subscription:
- Home broadband was reported by 73% of rural U.S. adults in 2023.
- Home broadband was reported by 86% of suburban U.S. adults in 2023.
- Home broadband was reported by 77% of urban U.S. adults in 2023.
Pew’s race and ethnicity estimates were 84% home broadband among Asian adults, 83% among White adults, 75% among Hispanic adults, and 68% among Black adults. The Asian estimate represents English speakers only, and all of these figures are self-reported survey estimates.
The source for the income, geography, and race comparisons is Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband. Its survey estimates should be read as measures of reported adult access, not as ACS household counts.
Global Personal Computing and Mobile Connectivity Statistics
Internationally comparable personal-computer ownership data are not represented by the final measures here. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) figures are related digital-access indicators focused on mobile phones, Internet use, and network coverage.
| 2024 ITU indicator | Result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-phone ownership | 80% | World population aged 10 and over |
| Mobile-phone ownership | 66% | Africa’s population aged 10 and over |
| Internet use | 38% | Africa’s population |
| Female mobile-phone ownership | 77% | World females aged 10 and over |
| Male mobile-phone ownership | 82% | World males aged 10 and over |
| 5G coverage | More than half | World population |
In Africa, mobile-phone ownership exceeded Internet use by 29 percentage points in 2024. The corresponding gap was 14 percentage points in the Arab States and 11 percentage points in Asia-Pacific; these comparisons use ITU regional indicators that may not share identical age scopes.
Globally, the ITU estimated that 77% of females aged 10 and over and 82% of males aged 10 and over owned a mobile phone in 2024. The mobile-phone ownership gender parity score was 0.93, women were about 7% less likely than men to own a mobile phone, and women outnumbered men by 31% among people who did not own mobile phones.
More than half of the world’s population was covered by 5G in 2024. Coverage is a network measure, not a measure of device ownership, personal-computer use, or actual Internet participation. Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2024 is the ITU source for these global estimates.