Census: Americans embrace technology

Abstract finds gains across age groups

JONATHAN SIDENER, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Originally published February 4, 2002

Last year, nearly 110 million people in the United States used a cellphone, 113 million adults had Internet access and baby boomers bought more CDs than any other age group.

This snapshot of Americans as technology consumers comes from the Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001.

Census numbers show how rapidly technology is changing the American way of life. The abstract, published every year since 1878, features a growing section on information and communications.

In 1982, vinyl albums ruled the music world, with sales of $1.9 billion. CDs were not yet on the bureau's radar.

By 1985, the new, digital recording medium accounted for almost $390 million in sales, while vinyl record sales fell to $1.3 billion. By 1990, the coup was complete.

CD sales hit $3.4 billion while vinyl sales slumped to $86 million. In 2000, the latest year detailed by the census, CD sales were $13.2 billion, while vinyl hovered around $28 million.

In 1990, teenagers 15 to 19 bought 18 percent of all recorded music, the most of any age group. Ten years later, adults 45 and older became the largest consuming segment, with 24 percent of sales.

Cellphone use exploded between 1990 and 2000. At the beginning of the decade, there were 5.3 million mobile phone subscribers in the country.

The wireless phones quickly became a staple of American life, with seemingly everyone from teenagers to grandparents packing one by the end of the '90s.

In 2000, there were 109.4 million Americans with cellphones, according to the Census. A bureau spokesman attributed the rise to falling costs.

"Over the decade, the average monthly cellphone bill decreased from $81 to $45," said Lars Johanson, technical coordinator of the annual publication. "Another indicator of the spectacular growth of the industry was the jump in its employees, from about 21,000 to 185,000."

While cellphones quickly became ubiquitous, the Internet arrived even faster. In 1998, 26 percent of Americans had Internet access at home. By 2000, that number jumped to 42 percent.

Contrary to the popular perception that Web surfers are predominantly white teen-age boys, the census found a more diverse demographic. In 2000, men held only a slight edge over women; 50.7 percent to 49.3 percent. The largest group of Internet users, 47 percent, were 35 to 54 years old, followed by 18 to 34 year olds, 40 percent. About 12 percent were 55 and older.

Within various ethnic groups, Asian households had the highest percentage of Internet access, 57 percent; followed by white households, 46 percent; and black and Hispanic households with about 23 percent each.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to main Census 2000 index