Census Bureau Documents Computer Revolution

The Census Bureau first collected data on household computer ownership in 1984 and internet use in 1997. This is how the figures have changed since then...

Percentage of households with a computer (desktop, laptop, or handheld)
2015: 79%
2000: 51%
1984: 8%

Percentage of households that use the internet
2015: 73%
2007: 62%
1997: 18%

Source: Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2015

Who Owns Multiple Digital Devices?

Most Americans own multiple digital devices, according to a Pew survey. Fully 66 percent of adults own at least two devices (smartphone, tablet, and laptop/desktop computer) and 36 percent own all three. By age, this is who owns all three devices...

Own smartphone, tablet, and laptop/desktop computer
Aged 18 to 29: 41%
Aged 30 to 49: 51%
Aged 50 to 64: 27%
Aged 65-plus: 16%

Source: Pew Research Center, Smartphone, Computer or Tablet? 36% of Americans Own All Three

Computer Ownership, 2013

Nearly nine out of ten Americans live in a household with a computer: 88 percent of the population has a computer at home—83 percent have a desktop or laptop computer and 71 percent own what the Census Bureau calls a "handheld computer," such as a smartphone.

For some, a handheld device is their only computer. Here is the percentage of households by age of householder that have only a handheld computer...

Aged 15 to 34: 9.5%
Aged 35 to 44: 5.8%
Aged 45 to 64: 3.9%
Aged 65-plus: 2.5%

Source: Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Access in the United States: 2013

Men Playing Games

Young men spend a lot of time playing computer games, according to the American Time Use Survey. Everyone knows this, but here are the facts.

Teenagers are most likely to play games. On an average day in 2013, a substantial 35 percent of boys aged 15 to 19 spent time playing games. The time use category "playing games" includes computer games as well as card games (bridge, poker) and board games (Monopoly). There's no doubt most are playing computer games. Teenage boys who play games on an average day devote more than half (54 percent) of their leisure time to games—2.65 of their 4.93 hours of leisure.

It gets worse. Although men aged 20 to 24 are less likely than 15-to-19-year-olds to play games on an average day (24 versus 35 percent), those who do devote a larger 3.73 hours to game playing—fully 77 percent of their leisure time. No wonder the nation's fertility rate is at a record low.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, detailed tables from the 2013 American Time Use Survey

Appliances and Electronic Goods Owned by Renters

Percentage of the nation's renters who have...

Television: 97%
Cell phone: 87%
Air conditioning: 84%
Computer: 69%
Clothes washer: 63%
Dishwasher: 52%
Landline phone: 51%

Source: Census Bureau, Well-Being