Mission Statement

Our mission is to use technology to create a better life for the people we serve.

The Need

Only 19.2% of families earning below $15,000 annually have computer access. Only 12.7% of families earning below $15,000 annually have Internet access.

Income level is a strong determinant of a person or household's Internet access. While a predictor of overall Internet use, income level also influences where and how a person uses the Internet. Persons with incomes of less than $35,000 more often use the Internet outside the home, while those making over $75,000 predominantly use the Internet at home.

Urban households earning incomes over $75,000 are over twenty times more likely to have home Internet access than rural households at the lowest income levels.

While a significant majority of Americans (58.9%) making over $75,000 frequent the Internet from any location, many fewer persons (16.0%) at the lower end of the payscale ($5,000-$10,000) use the Internet.

The "digital divide" for home Internet access between those at the highest and lowest income levels widened 29% from 1997 to 1998.

Those earning under $20,000 and using the Internet outside the home are twice as likely (2.12 times) to get access through a public library or community center than those earning more than $20,000.

Persons making under $25,000 generally cite cost as the primary reason for not using the Internet at home, while those earning more than $25,000 are more likely to say they "don't want it."