• by Masha Geller , July 12, 2001

The gap between the country's online and general population is narrowing, and quickly.

At least that's according to InsightExpress, a firm that helps companies conduct market research via the Web. IE says that the profile of the average adult American Internet user looks more and more like the profile of the average American, which was not the case just five years ago.

According to IE's comparison of their own survey findings to the 2000 Census figures, women (51%) outnumber men (49%) both online and in real life. That's quite a change from 62% male to 38% female ratio 5 years ago.

Additionally, household income of the online crowd averages $49,800, compared to $40,816 for the general population. Advertiser darlings - adults ages 18-49 - comprise 76% of the online compared to 63% of the general population. Adults 50+ make up 24% of the online and 37% of general populace.

Five years ago the average web user was anything but an average American. Typically young, relatively wealthy, and predominantly male, the Internet user was an attractive market primarily for users of technology products. Today, though Internet users still have a moderately higher average household income, the Internet has been adopted by nearly every segment of the U.S. population.

"The most common criticism of the Internet as a marketing vehicle is that it does not reach the average consumer," said Lee Smith, COO of InsightExpress. "Our profile of the online consumer should silence that notion as it demonstrates the online consumer is now very similar to the average American."

IE says that this demographic shift -- from early adopters of new technology to average Americans -- is important as it validates the Internet as a mainstream marketing, research, and advertising platform.