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Rural Communities & Digital Device Ownership – Download

Digital Divide Rural Communities

Research shows that internet access and use increases rural economic and community development.

Barriers & Opportunities

Research shows that internet access and use increases rural economic and community development. However, rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to providing and supporting device ownership.

The purpose of this brief is to raise awareness of the difficulties rural communities face when trying to address the device ownership issue. Register below. Then, click the download button to receive this report.

Download “Rural Communities & Digital Device Ownership“

Rural Communities & Digital Device Ownership-COVER

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Digitunity and AT&T Partner to Expand Digital Navigator Services and Computer Ownership in Rural Communities

Digitunity is proud to announce a new collaboration with AT&T, which will connect more than 13,000 people across rural Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with the tools they need to fully participate in today’s digital world. Through $725,000 in support from AT&T, this 12-month initiative will strengthen community-based organizations by equipping them with resources to expand computer ownership, digital skills training, and affordable internet access. Why This Matters Nearly 1 in 4 households in these three

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Previously Unpublished Data Highlights Persistent U.S. Computer Ownership Gap in Detail

In Digitunity’s new report, we uncover who is most affected by the computer ownership gap – and why smartphones alone are not enough. A limited amount of  public data focuses only on large-screen computer ownership. Most national data combines computer and internet access, making it difficult to determine the actual need for computers. This report analyzes previously unpublished Census data on people who either have no computer at all or rely only on a smartphone

A U.S. map shows 2024 state percentages of households without large-screen computers, with higher rates concentrated in the South and lower rates in the West and Northeast.

The United States’ Computer Ownership Gap Persists

In September 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) data offering insights of important national and state-level digital divide trends. Digitunity identified and analyzed two data points illustrating the (1) number of households without any type of computing device and (2) households that rely solely on a smartphone to go online. Together, these data points yield the statistic we call households without a large screen computer. The National Snapshot: 17.7

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