39 percent of U.S. homes have PCs

Nearly 39 percent of American homes now have personal computers, up from 33 percent a year ago, according to a survey released today by Computer Intelligence InfoCorp.

Based on interviews with 11,500 PC users, this year's CII Consumer Technology Index report again indicates that consumers who have a PC at home tend to be middle-aged, in a higher income bracket, better educated, and more likely to have children than those without a PC.

But an increasing number of homes with incomes below the average of $35,000 a year are also buying computers; in fact, PC usage in this segment is up 20 percent, according to the survey. The change reflects the fact that 57 percent of homes that earn more than $40,000 already have PCs.

Other findings indicate that nearly 30 percent of 1995 first-time buyers bought used PCs, a significant increase over 19 percent in 1994.

In 1993, the first year of the survey, only 25.7 percent of U.S. homes had PCs.