Six percent may not sound like a lot – but in a steady market and a demographic that many have suggested will be difficult to coerce into adopting, it’s great to see Connect Minnesota announce a 6 percent increase in broadband adoption across Minnesota…

Connect Minnesota today released new data showing that broadband adoption in Minnesota is increasing, with 78% of households now subscribing to broadband service, up from 72% in 2011. That represents 3.2 million adults statewide with broadband service at home. One of the biggest jumps was in mobile broadband usage, which increased by 12 percentage points.

Here are some other specifics from the research…

• 369,000 Minnesotans who do not subscribe to home broadband service say they do not subscribe because they don’t feel that broadband is relevant to them, or they don’t believe they would benefit from having broadband at home.
• Rural computer owners are more likely to have said good-bye to their desktop computers – In Minnesota, 41% of rural computer owners only have a laptop or tablet compared to 31% in non-rural Minnesota.
• Within the past year mobile Internet usage has increased from 39% to 51% across the state. The freedom to access the Internet while away from home is the main reason why Minnesotans are subscribing to mobile broadband service on their cell phones.
• Only 1% of Minnesotans who do not subscribe to mobile broadband on their cell phones cite concerns about mobile data limitations (or “data caps”) as the main reason why they don’t subscribe; among Minnesotans who have mobile plans that include data caps, nearly one in three say they went over their cap in the previous 12 months (32%).

Interesting to look at the growing interest in mobility – from the shift away from desktop computers in rural areas, to increase in mobile Internet access to one third of mobile users bumping into data cap issues.

Also it would be interesting to know what has spiked the growth. Is it a growing interest in mobile? Has it been digital literacy programs, such as those deployed in MIRC communities? Are the non-adopters “aging out”? Are the discount pricing options reaching more people?