Internet Stats Today

comScore released on August 19,2009 a study on broadband growth in rural, micropolitan and metropolitan areas in the United States. The results of the analysis indicate that while broadband penetration is much higher in the metropolitan and micropolitan areas, broadband has experienced the most significant gains in rural areas during the past two years.

“Across the country we have witnessed growth in broadband adoption driven by greater price competition and increased consumer demand, as bandwidth-intense activities like video streaming and peer-to-peer sharing continue to grow,” said Brian Jurutka, vice president of telecommunications at comScore. “With low-speed DSL priced at about the same level as dial-up in many areas, there is little incentive for households to remain on dial-up.”

Broadband Adoption Increases in Rural America but Remains Below Overall U.S. Level

Rural markets (defined as having a population less than 10,000) in the U.S. experienced a 16-percentage point increase in broadband penetration from Q2 2007 to Q2 2009, making it the fastest growing geographic market segment in the nation. Comparatively, micropolitan areas (population between 10,000-50,000) grew 14 percentage points during the same period, while metropolitan areas (population 50,000+) grew 11 percentage points.

Broadband Penetration* Based on Geographic Area** Q2 2007 – Q2 2009 Total U.S. Source: comScore, Inc.
Geographic Area	Q2 2007	Q2 2008	Q2 2009	Point Change Q2 2009 vs. Q2 2007
Metropolitan	81%	87%	92%	11
Micropolitan	69%	76%	83%	14
Rural	59%	66%	75%	16

*Number of homes with broadband as percent of all homes with an Internet connection
**Metropolitan defined as area with 50,000+ population, Micropolitan defined as area with 10,000-50,000 population.

Visit United States Internet for further data.