Internet access by income statistics
Published September 27, 2026 · StatsGalore
U.S. adults with annual household income less than $30,000 (NPORS) who say they use the internet in 2025 [1]
Internet access by income, in this reference, means the share of U.S. adults in household-income groups who say they use the internet. Pew Research Center reports this as a percentage of U.S. adults, not as visits, subscriptions, accounts, households, or devices. The 2025 income data show high internet use in every listed income category, while still showing that the lowest-income group is below the highest-income group. The same source also documents the longer historical rise in internet use by income from 2000 through 2025. [1]
The numbers
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All U.S. adults who say they use the internet, 2025 | 96% | [1] |
| Less than $30,000 (NPORS), 2025 | 91% | [1] |
| $30,000-$69,999 (NPORS), 2025 | 96% | [1] |
| $70,000-$99,999 (NPORS), 2025 | 98% | [1] |
| $100,000+ (NPORS), 2025 | 99% | [1] |
| Less than $30,000, 2000 | 34% | [1] |
| $75,000+, 2000 | 81% | [1] |
Current income pattern
In 2025, Pew Research Center reports that 91% of U.S. adults in households with annual income less than $30,000 said they use the internet. The corresponding 2025 figures were 96% for $30,000-$69,999, 98% for $70,000-$99,999, and 99% for $100,000+ in the NPORS income categories.
This means the income pattern remains visible even when internet use is widespread. The data describe people: the unit is U.S. adults who say they use the internet. They do not count internet sessions, website visits, access lines, paid accounts, or the number of devices in a household.
[1]Historical change by income
The income table begins in 2000 with much lower internet use in every listed income category. In that year, 34% of adults in households under $30,000 said they used the internet, while 58% of those in $30,000-$49,999, 72% of those in $50,000-$74,999, and 81% of those in $75,000+ did so.
By 2021, before the NPORS income categories shown for recent years, the table reports 86% for less than $30,000, 91% for $30,000-$49,999, 98% for $50,000-$74,999, and 99% for $75,000+. The historical figures should be read with attention to the source’s mode note and changes in question wording over time.
[1]How to read the income groups
The table labels the measure as the percent of U.S. adults who say they use the internet, by annual household income. Earlier rows use categories such as less than $30,000, $30,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, and $75,000+. Recent NPORS-labeled columns use less than $30,000, $30,000-$69,999, $70,000-$99,999, and $100,000+.
Because those category labels differ, the 2025 $100,000+ figure should not be treated as the same category as the earlier $75,000+ figure. The figures are useful for describing income-group internet use as reported, but the category change limits simple one-to-one comparisons at the top of the income distribution.
[1]Survey and interpretation limits
The 2025 survey was conducted among 5,022 U.S. adults from Feb. 5 to June 18, 2025. Pew says the survey was weighted to represent the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education, and other categories. The source also says that surveys fielded before 2023 were conducted by phone.
The chart note says polls from 2000-2021 were conducted by phone, the 2023 poll was conducted by web and mail, and the 2024 and 2025 polls were conducted by web, mail and phone. It also says respondents who did not give an answer are not shown, and that data for each year are based on pooled analysis of all surveys conducted during that year.
[1]Sources & notes
Figures are percentages of U.S. adults who say they use the internet, grouped by annual household income. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Income categories differ between earlier columns and NPORS-labeled recent columns. The source notes mode changes across 2000-2025 and says data for each year are based on pooled analysis of all surveys conducted during that year.
Source review: 2026-09-27. Article publication and underlying data dates are separate. How we use statistics · Suggest a correction