When You Turn 50, Good to be No. 1

For celebrants for Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood, today's release by the U.S. Census that it is actually #1 - in an unexpected category, deserves attention.

While Alaska ranks second among states for rate (78%) of home Internet access, Alaska led the nation in people who actually access the Internet from any location (home, work, public access), at 76.1%. By comparison, Washington state was fourth (75.7%) in the first category and third (73.4%) in the second category. The national average was 67% for home Internet access.

These figures come from the 2007 Internet and Computer Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Look there for a much more extensive database on computer and Internet usage.