• by Masha Geller , October 3, 2003

We've long known that higher-income households are more likely to be avid Internet users and this week comScore provides more proof that online advertising may just be the best way to sell them your wares.

According to comScore data, nearly 26 million Americans with a household income of $100,000 or more are spending an average of 27.6 hours online - more than any other income segment. Internet users living in affluent households consumed an average of nearly 3,000 pages in August, almost 300 pages more than the average user.

And they're not just surfing, they're buying. Nearly 84% of Internet users with a household income of $100,000 or more visited a Retail site in August. Total consumer online sales totaled $1.650 billion for the third week of September alone, up 27% versus the same week last year, and non-travel sales were $944 million.

comScore stats spell the best news for travel advertisers. These wealthy surfers are 20% more likely to visit a travel site than the average Internet user. In August, 54% of affluent Internet users visited a travel site, compared to 47% of the total Internet population. Interestingly, these people are 25% more likely to be members of frequent traveler programs than the average Internet user, which could explain why they are disproportionately more likely to visit branded travel supplier sites (such as Delta.com or Hilton.com) than the average Internet user. In fact, when the 30 largest travel sites are ranked by percent of site visitors with household incomes of $100,000 or more, the top 10 sites are all airline or hotel supplier properties.

Where on the Web can you find these people? News sites. comScore data confirms yet again that news sites provide a compelling advertising and consumer acquisition opportunity - in August, 61% of Internet users with household incomes of $100,000 or more visited a site in the General News category. In fact, affluent Internet users are 10% more likely to visit news sites than the average Internet user.