Overall broadband penetration in US homes grew to 63% in March 2009, despite a rise in average monthly rates. Broadband growth appears to be fueled largely by low-usage groups such as seniors and low-income Americans, according to a survey by Pew Internet. Meanwhile, US broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 94.65% in May.
US Broadband Penetration Grows to 63% at Home
Overall broadband penetration across all US homes grew to 63% in March 2009, according to a survey by Pew Internet (see Figure 1). Broadband penetration grew 8 percentage points from 55% in April 2008 to 63% in March 2009. Dial-up users decreased from 10% to 7% during the same time period. Broadband growth in US homes grew mainly from low-usage groups, including seniors and low-income Americans. Overall, people living in homes with annual household incomes
below $30,000 experienced a 34% growth in home broadband adoption from 2008 to 2009.
During the same time period, the average monthly bill for broadband service grew from $34.50 in May 2008 to $39 in April 2009. Broadband users with only one provider (21% of home high-speed users) paid more, with an average montly bill of $44.70, while broadband users with more than one provider (69% of high-speed users) paid less, with an average monthly broadband bill of $38.30.
Figure 1: US Internet Connection Trends – June 2000 to March 2009
Source: Pew Internet & America Life Surveys (used by permission)
Home Connectivity in the US
US broadband penetration grew to 94.65% in May 2009. Dial-up users connecting at 56Kbps or less now make up 5.35% of active Internet users (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Web Connection Speed Trends – Home Users (US)
Source: Nielsen Online
Broadband Growth Trends in the US
In May 2009, broadband penetration among active Internet users in US homes grew to 94.65%, up 1.21 percentage points from 93.44% in April 2009 (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Broadband Adoption Growth Trend – Home Users (US)
Extrapolated from Nielsen Online data
Work Connectivity
As of May 2009, 96.91% of US workers connected to the Internet with broadband, down 0.24 percentage points from the 97.15% share in April. At work, 3.09% connect at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Web Connection Speed Trends – Work Users (US)
Source: Nielsen Online
Further Reading
- Nielsen Online
- Provided the US broadband penetration data for active Internet users for the Bandwidth Report.
- Pew Internet
- Provided the overall US broadband data for US homes for the Bandwidth Report. From “Home Broadband Adoption 2009,” by John Horrigan, June 2009.