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Data Central

Data Explorer

Data Explorer enables easy tracking of metrics about computer and Internet use over time.

Research Center

One-stop shop for downloading datasets and sample code, and for learning best practices in analyzing CPS Supplement data.

Welcome to Data Central, home to NTIA data and analysis on computer and Internet use in the United States. NTIA first commissioned the U.S. Census Bureau to collect data on Americans’ use of computers in November 1994. Since that time, NTIA has periodically sponsored data collections on Internet use and the devices Americans use to go online as a supplement to the Census Bureau’s annual Current Population Survey (CPS); analyzed the data; and reported the findings. In recent years, NTIA has also linked to the raw datasets on the Census Bureau website.

To facilitate the public’s access to the CPS Internet use data, NTIA is now making these data available here, and has developed an important tool to help site visitors find information quickly. Our Data Explorer tool enables users to select from dozens of metrics tracked over time, as well as a number of demographic characteristics, and charts the requested data. NTIA invites your feedback at data@ntia.gov as we continually improve Data Central.

Related content

Request for Comments on Internet Use Survey Questionnaire Development

August 18, 2020
Docket Number
200813–0218

NTIA is seeking comments and recommendations for possible revisions to questions asked on the NTIA internet Use Survey. This long-running survey of individuals and households covers a range of topics related to digital inclusion and other internet policy issues, including the adoption of different types of devices and internet access technologies, locations of internet use, online activities, and challenges preventing some Americans from taking full advantage of the internet.

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Data Central

NTIA Data Reveal Shifts in Technology Use, Persistent Digital Divide

June 10, 2020

Today, NTIA is releasing results of its latest NTIA Internet Use Survey, which show that nearly 4 out of 5 Americans were using the Internet by November 2019, and are increasingly using a larger and more varied range of devices. Even as seniors and other demographic groups reported encouraging increases in Internet use, the data show that a persistent digital divide still exists based on income levels, age groups, and race, among other factors.

This is the fifteenth edition of the survey—the product of a partnership between NTIA and the U.S. Census Bureau that spans a quarter century—and it includes over 50 detailed questions about computer and Internet use administered to approximately 50,000 households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The NTIA Internet Use Survey is a vital data source for policymakers, researchers, and advocates seeking to understand critical questions related to Internet use and help bridge the digital divide.

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Data Central

NTIA Celebrates 25 Years of Internet Use Survey Research

December 2, 2019

We’re excited to celebrate the quarter-century birthday of our partnership with the Census Bureau on a survey about consumer use of computers and the Internet! Last month, across all fifty states and the District of Columbia, Census interviewers talked to 52,000 households for this comprehensive survey, which collects data every two years on who goes online, what computing devices and technologies people use, and what challenges prevent some Americans from taking full advantage of the digital age.

The NTIA Internet Use Survey is unique among national household surveys in this field due to its combination of in-depth questions, a large sample size that enables demographic and state-by-state estimates, and use of Census Bureau expertise and resources.

The Census Bureau administers the NTIA Internet Use Survey as a supplement to its Current Population Survey (CPS), which serves as a source of some of our nation’s official labor force statistics, including the monthly national unemployment rate. The Census Bureau has been conducting the CPS every month since the 1940s. The CPS survey will help NTIA’s researchers gain insights on a range of demographic and labor force information in each of the surveyed households, in addition to the information yielded from the supplemental Internet Use Survey questions.

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Data Central
Internet Policy
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