Usage of Appliances in U

The number of personal computers (PCs) in U.S. households has risen from zero in 1976, when the first 200 Apple I PCs were manufactured, to nearly 43 million in 1997, when 35 percent of all U.S. households had at least one PC.

Not long ago, a household that used even one personal computer (PC) was considered an affluent one, with much discretionary income. By 1997, 17 percent of the 35.6 million U.S. households using a computer used two or more of them. Usage of a PC is clearly a function of household income, particularly for those households using two or more. Still, 10 percent of the lowest-income households (those with an annual income under $10,000) used at least one PC.

The use of personal computers in homes has led to the acquisition of related appliances that expand the usefulness of the computer but also result in increased energy consumption. In addition to having a PC, higher-income households were also more likely to have modems and laser printers. In particular, 64 percent of the households with an annual income of $50,000 or more used a PC, 41 percent used a modem with their PC, and 25 percent used a laser printer. Despite their low annual household income, 10 percent of the households with an income of less than $10,000 had a PC, 5 percent had a modem, and 3 percent used a laser printer. Illustrating the importance of telecommunications in the United States and the rise of the Internet, a majority, 58 percent, of the 35.6 million households using a PC had it connected to telephone lines using a modem.

Twenty-eight percent of the households that used a PC were heavy users, that is, they used their PCs for 16 or more hours per week. As shown in the figure, there was no consistent relationship between heavy PC usage and household income. Although there appear to be some differences by income groups as to how PCs are used by heavy users, most of the differences are not statistically significant. One reason for the lack of significance is the relatively small number of low-income users. Six percent of the households that used a PC used that computer to telecommute. That is, they worked (conducted business) at home while the PC was connected to a central business office location. Virtually none of the households with an annual income of less than $10,000 engaged in telecommuting, while 5 to 7 percent of all other households did so.

The number of meals cooked and the use of ovens increased with the number of members in the household. Of the single-member households, 22 percent reported that they cooked two or more meals each day and 15 percent used their oven at least once a day. In contrast, of the households with 4 or more persons, 46 percent cooked two or more meals each day and 40 percent used their oven at least once a day. The relationship between household size and use of a microwave oven to cook most or all the household’s food was just the reverse. Single-member households were more likely to use their microwave to cook most or all their food than were households with 4 or more members.

Not surprisingly, the likelihood of a household using either a clothes washer or a clothes dryer in their homes increased with household income. Of the households with annual incomes of less than $10,000, 53 percent used a clothes washer and 36 percent used a clothes dryer. In contrast, among the households with incomes of $50,000 or more, 93 percent used a clothes washer and 92 percent used a clothes dryer.

Among households with a clothes washer, the percentage that also have a clothes dryer increases with annual household income. Of the households with an annual income less than $10,000, 68 percent used both a washer and dryer, while 99 percent of the households with an annual income of $50,000 or more used both appliances. Across income levels, there was little difference in the frequency with which the clothes dryer was used every time clothes were washed. Among households with an annual income of less than $10,000, 79 percent used their dryer to dry every load of wash, compared with 82 percent amount the household with annual incomes of $50,000 or more.

File Last Modified: August 19, 1998

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U.S. Households Usage of Appliances in 1997

U.S. Households Usage of
Appliances in 1997