According to just-released U.S. Census data, in 2003 some 62 million U.S. households - or 55 percent of the total - had a computer connected to the web, reports ClickZ. In 2001, that proportion was 50 percent, and in 1997 it was18 percent. About 95 percent of households earning over $100,000 per year own at least one computer, and 92 percent have web access; among households with less than $40,000 income, only 41 percent have web access.

Computer ownership and online use rates are lower in households composed of seniors, African-Americans, Hispanics, and those with less than a high school education.

Some 55 percent of households used the web for email or instant messaging in 2003, up from 12 percent 10 years earlier; also, 18 percent banked online; 12 percent looked for a job; nearly half sought product/service information and 32 percent purchased online - compared with 2.1 percent in 1993.

Of the 45 percent of households without online access in 2003, the most common reasons cited for not being connected were "don't need it/not interested (39 percent), "costs too much" or "no computer/computer inadequate" (each 23 percent). Privacy, child safety and security concerns were rarely cited (each about 1 percent).