Understanding how and why we use the internet is vital to making sense of today’s world, and we’ve seen enormous changes over the last few decades. In 2024, more than 97% of Americans say they use the internet—that’s 333.1 million people, up by 51 million since 2015. Still, about 9.78 million Americans don’t use the internet, and more than 5 million households don’t have a computer.
The report is interesting. It’s the sort of thing folks loved when they had to talk to their community about “why we need broadband” or talk a relative into getting online. What you find interesting depends on your day and needs but are some interesting points from the report:
Our readers check their actual internet speeds using our proprietary tools an average of 45,000 times a day, and here’s what we clocked in 2024:
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The average download speed in the U.S. is 209.01Mbps.
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The average upload speed in the U.S. is 61.98Mbps.
How long can you live without the internet?
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23% said they can go only four hours or less without needing internet access.
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19% said they can go only 24 hours or less without needing internet access.
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19% of people said 24 hours is the longest they’ve ever gone without accessing the internet
