87% of U.S. households have an internet service at home

87% of U.S. Households Get an Internet Service at Home

DURHAM, NH — New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that 87% of U.S. households get an Internet service at home, compared to 83% in 2016 and 69% in 2006. Broadband accounts for 98% of households with an Internet service at home, and 85% of all households get a broadband Internet service – an increase from 81% in 2016 and 42% in 2006.

Overall, 60% of broadband subscribers are very satisfied (8-10 on a 1-10 scale) with their Internet service at home, while 7% are not satisfied (1-3). Similarly, 68% of broadband subscribers agree (8-10) that their Internet service meets the needs of their household, while 4% disagree (1-3).

These findings are based on a survey of 2,000 households from throughout the United States and are part of a new LRG study, Broadband Internet in the U.S. 2021. This is LRG’s nineteenth annual study on this topic.

Other related findings include:

• 63% of broadband subscribers rate the speed of their Internet connection 8-10 (with 10 being excellent), while 7% rate it 1-3 (with 1 being poor)
• 45% of broadband subscribers do not know the download speed of their service – compared to 59% in 2016
• 69% reporting Internet speeds of 100+ Mbps are very satisfied with their service, compared to 53% with speeds <50 Mbps, and 58% that don’t know their speed
• 60% of adults with an Internet service at home watch video online daily – compared to 50% in 2019, 41% in 2016, and 5% in 2006
• 87% of households use at least one laptop or desktop computer – 95% of this group get an Internet service at home
• 68% of those that do not use a laptop or desktop computer are not online at home – accounting for 67% of all that do not have an Internet service at home

“The percentage of households getting an Internet service at home, including high-speed broadband, continued to increase over the past year, and is now higher than in any previous year,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Broadband subscribers generally remain satisfied with their service, with 60% reporting that they are very satisfied, compared to 57% in 2016.”