• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 17, 2004

Online Population Passes 200 Million For The First Time

Nielsen//NetRatings reports that nearly 75 percent or 204.3 million Americans have access to the Internet from home. In comparison, Internet access penetration hovered around 66 percent in February 2003, rising nine percentage points year-over-year.

"In just a handful of years, online access has managed to gain the type of traction that took other mediums decades to achieve," said Kenneth Cassar, director of strategic analysis, Nielsen//NetRatings.

Internet Access Penetration (U.S., Home)

	Persons with Web Access (000)	Total Persons in U.S. (000)	Internet Penetration %
Population (Ages 2+)	204,307	272,810	74.9%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings Enumeration Study, February 2004

Women represent a higher proportion of Web surfers, with eighty-two percent or 34.6 million women between the ages of 35-54 accessing the Internet at home. Men in this age group posted an 80 percent access penetration rate, accounting for nearly 32.4 million surfers. Seventy-seven percent of females in the 25-34 age group are Web surfers, while 75.6 percent of males in this age bracket have Internet access.

"Women make the majority of purchases and household decisions, so it's no surprise that they are utilizing the Internet as a tool for daily living," said Cassar.

Internet Access Penetration (U.S., Home), Age/Gender

		Persons with Web Access (000)	Total Persons in U.S. (000)	Internet Penetration %
Females	35-54	34,614	42,350	81.70%
Males	35-54	32,388	40,370	80.20%
Females	25-34	14,114	18,340	77.00%
Males	25-34	13,859	18,320	75.60%
M / F	2 - 17	49,078	63,270	77.60%
M / F	18 - 24	20,177	26,900	75.00%
M / F	55+	40,077	63,260	63.40%
Total		204,307	272,810	74.90%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings Enumeration Study, February 2004

For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com.