• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 19, 2006

According to new research by The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number and 94.3 percent access the Internet during an average month. From 2004 to 2005 the percent of affluent working women making five or more purchases on the Internet increased from 54.1 percent to 56.6 percent. The percent making 12 or more purchases in the same years increased from 30.0 percent to 32.2.

Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc., said "From 2004 to 2005 affluent working women increased from 8.7 percent to 9.2 percent of the 137 million adults in the (markets surveyed)... (and) have also made some rather dramatic changes in their media habits."

"The percentage of working women that spent at least 430 minutes a week on the Internet (heavy users) jumped from 48.6 percent in 2004 to 50.8 percent in 2005," says Jordan. "Heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail all declined within this group. The collective Internet changes for this group are significant, and other media is... paying the price"

Among all adults, just 35.2 percent have homes valued at more than $200,000. Among affluent working women the percentage is 63.9; 31.0 percent have homes valued at $400,000 or more. "These are mostly college educated (58.1 percent) two income (69.0 percent) families," says Jordan.

The 10 markets with the highest percentages of affluent working women are:

• Washington, DC, 14.7
• Southern New Hampshire, 13.0
• San Jose, 12.5
• Hartford, 12.3
• Minneapolis-St Paul, 11.9
• Little Rock, 11.7
• Omaha-Council Bluffs, 11.7
• San Francisco, 11.6
• Baltimore, 11.4
• Madison, 11.3

On the other hand, Jordan pointed out that a community may not be "poor" even with a low percentage of affluent working women. As an example he noted that even Daytona Beach, which has the lowest percent of affluent working women (3.6 percent) of the markets surveyed, ... is ninth among the 87 markets in percentages (13.9 percent) of affluent empty nesters with household incomes of $50,000 or more."

For more, go to The Media Audit here.