Home » Bandwidth Report » US Broadband Penetration Grows to 63% – US Broadband Penetration Jumps to 94.7% Among Active Internet Users – June 2009 Bandwidth Report

US Broadband Penetration Grows to 63% – US Broadband Penetration Jumps to 94.7% Among Active Internet Users – June 2009 Bandwidth Report

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.

us internet connections trends

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).

Web Connection Speed Trends May 2009 - U.S. home users

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).

Broadband Penetration Growth Trend - May 2009 - U.S. home users

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).

connect_wk_0906_484x315

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.