NDOL Reports on Computer Ownership Trends

According to a recent article by Jodie Meyer, Research Analyst for the Nebraska Department of Labor (dol.nebraska.gov/trends), there are several key trends in computer ownership that would be of interest to businesses statewide.

“Among the data collected by the US Census Bureau is information on ownership of different types of computers. The number of people reporting owning a desktop or laptop alone went down in every state between 2013 and 2014 according to the American Community Survey. In Nebraska, the number of people owning just a desktop or laptop decreased by 25.3 percent, slightly more than nationally.

Not surprisingly, the use of handheld computers is increasing. According to the Census, overall ownership of smart phones and other handheld wireless computers went up in every state and increased nationally by 10.9 percent. The rates ranged from 6.0 percent in the District of Columbia to 16.2 percent in Wyoming. Nebraska ranked 5th with an increase of 13.9 percent.

The fastest increase in ownership occurred for those indicating owning a handheld computer only. Nationally, the rate of increase from 2013 to 2014 was 31.9 percent. Ownership went up in every state, with the slowest rate of increase occurring in South Dakota at 14.4 percent to the fastest in Hawaii with a rate of 75.1 percent. Nebraska’s rate of change was 41.2 percent, faster than the national average.”

For similar articles from the Nebraska Department of Labor, check out the Nebraska Workforce Trends online magazine at dol.nebraska.gov/trends.