This report utilizes data from the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Census Bureau, taken from the Census Bureau’s September 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) of approximately 57,000 sample households.  The survey took place during the week of September 16-22, 2001, and generated response rates of 93.5 percent for the basic CPS and 92.1 percent for the Internet and Computer Use Supplement.

The households surveyed were selected from the 1990 Decennial Census files with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The sample is continually updated to account for new residential construction.  The Census divided the United States into 2,007 geographic areas, each typically comprised of a county or several contiguous counties.  A total of 754 geographic areas were selected for the 2001 CPS survey.

For each household, Census Bureau interviewers spoke to a person (called the “respondent”) who was at least 15 years old and was considered knowledgeable about everyone in the household.  For purposes of collecting data at the household level (such as type of connection to the Internet), the respondent provided information pertaining to the “householder” or “reference person,” who is an adult in the household who either owns or has signed for the rent on the residence.  For purposes of collecting data at an individual level, the respondent provided responses for him or herself and proxy responses for all other members of that household.  The survey, therefore, provided information on 137,259 individuals (age 3 and older).

The Census Bureau cross‑tabulated the information gathered from the CPS according to specific variables, such as income, race, education level, household type, and age as well as by geographic categories, such as rural, urban, and central city, plus state and region.  The Census Bureau determined that some of the data were statistically insignificant for meaningful analysis because the sample from which they were derived was too small.

All statistics are subject to sampling error, as well as non-sampling error such as survey design flaws, respondent classification and reporting errors, data processing mistakes and undercoverage.  The Census Bureau has taken steps to minimize errors in the form of quality control and edit procedures to reduce errors made by respondents, coders, and interviewers.  Ratio estimation to independent age-race-sex-Hispanic population controls partially corrects for bias attributable to survey undercoverage.  However, biases exist in the estimates when missed people have characteristics different from those of interviewed people in the same age-race-sex-Hispanic group.

The data used in this report are freely available in a Public Use File maintained by the Census Bureau. See www.census.gov.