How Many People Use the Internet in the United States?
The number of internet users worldwide currently stands at 5.16 billion, after a 1.98% annual increase. But how many of them are in the United States, a country with one of the highest internet speeds?
Here’s a look at how many people use the internet in the United States, broken down by year.
US internet statistics: highlights
- There are 331 million internet users in the US in 2024.
- The number of internet users in the US has risen every year since at least 2014.
- The number of internet users in the US is set to surpass 343 million by 2029.
- 97.1% of the US population uses the internet in 2024.
- The average American spends more than seven hours a day online.
How many people use the internet in America in 2024?
|
Year |
No. of internet users in the US |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
234 million |
|
2015 |
241 million |
|
2016 |
279 million |
|
2017 |
287 million |
|
2018 |
293 million |
|
2019 |
298 million |
|
2020 |
324 million |
|
2021 |
326 million |
|
2022 |
328 million |
|
2023 |
329 million |
|
2024 |
331 million |
Recent United States internet statistics show there are 331 million people using the internet in the US in 2023. This is a 0.5% increase (2 million) from the previous year. Despite the fractional increase, it is one of the smallest annual growth from the past decade.
The number of Americans using the internet has been growing every year over the past decade. In 2014, there were 234 million internet users. This number rose by 3% in 2015 to hit 241 million.
In 2016, the number of internet users in the US surged by 15.6%, the biggest increase registered from 2013 to 2023, to a total of 279 million. This figure continued to rise, and in 2020, internet users exceeded 300 million for the first time, reaching 324 million, after an 8.7% increase.
Growth has been relatively slower over the past few years. From 2020 to 2024, the number of internet users in the US grew at an average rate of 0.6% per year.
Number of internet users in the US: 2025–2029 forecast
|
Year |
No. of internet users in the US (forecast) |
|---|---|
|
2025 |
328.16 million |
|
2026 |
332.51 million |
|
2027 |
336.6 million |
|
2028 |
340.46 million |
|
2029 |
343.48 million |
The number of internet users in the US is forecast to continue rising. In 2025, it’s projected at 328.16 million. By 2029, experts predict that there will be 343.48 million people going online in the US. This represents an average annual growth rate of 1.1% from 2025 to 2029.
What percentage of people use the internet in the US?
|
Year |
Percentage of the US population using the internet |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
73.0% |
|
2015 |
74.6% |
|
2016 |
85.5% |
|
2017 |
87.3% |
|
2018 |
87.3% |
|
2019 |
87.3% |
|
2020 |
87.0% |
|
2021 |
90.0% |
|
2022 |
89.4% |
|
2023 |
91.8% |
|
2024 |
97.1% |
In 2014, fewer than three in four of the US population were internet users. With the exception of 2020, this number has risen every year since, and is expected at 97.1% in 2024. In other words, nearly all individuals in the US access the internet.
American internet use: time spent and top devices
Knowing how many people use the internet in America isn’t enough to build an effective marketing plan targeting buyers there. You also need to know how they’re accessing the internet and for how long.
- The average internet user in the US spends seven hours and three minutes online every day. Of this, more than half (51.8%) is done on mobile phones, and the remaining on computers and/or tablets.
- Smartphones are US consumers’ favorite devices to use to go online. 94.6% of the population go online via smartphones. This is followed by laptops and/or desktops, used by three in four internet users (72.8%), and connected televisions, used by 42.5%.