Laptop ownership statistics show how personal-computer access differs by time, age, income, education, race, household structure, location, and device lifecycle. The measures below distinguish laptop ownership from broader computer ownership, internet use, connectivity, and disposal behavior.
Key Laptop Ownership Statistics
The most useful figures span U.S. ownership surveys and European access and reuse measures:
- In September 2010, 52% of U.S. adults owned a laptop.
- From April 2006 to September 2010, U.S. adult laptop ownership increased from 30% to 52%.
- In 2021, 64% of U.S. households owned at least one laptop or desktop computer.
- In 2021, 90% of U.S. households had an internet subscription.
- In September 2010, 72% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 owned a laptop.
- In August–September 2010, 61% of U.S. adults aged 35–46 owned a laptop.
- In August–September 2010, 10% of U.S. adults aged 75 and older owned a laptop.
- In 2021, more than 99% of U.S. households earning $150,000 or more had some computing device.
- In 2021, 85% of U.S. households earning under $25,000 had some computing device.
- In 2021, 99% of U.S. households whose householder had a bachelor’s degree or higher had some computer.
- In 2021, 84% of U.S. households whose householder had less than a high-school education had some computer.
- In 2021, 80% of White U.S. adults reported owning a desktop or laptop computer.
- In 2021, 69% of Black U.S. adults reported owning a desktop or laptop computer.
- In 2021, 67% of Hispanic U.S. adults reported owning a desktop or laptop computer.
- In 2021, 99% of U.S. households with children under 18 had some computer.
- In 2023, 60% of EU city residents aged 16–74 used a laptop to access the internet.
- In 2023, 49% of EU rural residents aged 16–74 used a laptop to access the internet.
- In 2024, 34% of EU individuals aged 16–74 kept an old laptop or tablet at home.
- In 2024, 69% of EU individuals aged 16–74 considered price important when buying a laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
Contents
- U.S. laptop ownership levels and trends
- Laptop ownership by age and life stage
- Laptop and computer ownership by income and education
- Ownership by race, ethnicity, and household structure
- EU laptop use across urban, suburban, and rural areas
- Laptop replacement, reuse, and purchasing in Europe
U.S. Laptop Ownership Statistics: Levels and Long-Term Trends
The clearest laptop-only trend in the supplied U.S. evidence comes from Pew Research Center surveys of adults. Laptop ownership rose from 30% in April 2006 to 52% in September 2010, while desktop ownership moved in the opposite direction, from 68% in 2006 to 59% in 2010. Pew Research Center, “Americans and their gadgets”
| U.S. measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Adults owning a laptop | April 2006 | 30% |
| Adults owning a laptop | September 2010 | 52% |
| Adults owning a desktop | 2006 | 68% |
| Adults owning a desktop | 2010 | 59% |
These are separate survey measures, not a count of physical devices. The 2010 Pew report also found that 76% of U.S. adults owned either a desktop or laptop computer; the combined measure should not be substituted for laptop-only ownership.
A later Pew comparison reported that 73% of U.S. adults owned a desktop or laptop in 2015, after a cited historical peak of 80% in 2012. Pew Research Center, “American Demographics of Digital Device Ownership”
The 2021 American Community Survey estimated that 64% of U.S. households owned at least one laptop or desktop computer. The same source estimated that 90% had an internet subscription and 56% had a laptop or desktop, smartphone, tablet, and broadband connection together. U.S. Census Bureau, “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021”
Those figures describe different levels of access: a traditional computer, an internet subscription, and a combined technology-and-connectivity bundle. In 2015, Pew found that 36% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone, computer, and tablet simultaneously, up from 15% in 2012. Pew Research Center, “Smartphone, computer or tablet? 36% of Americans own all three”
Laptop Ownership Statistics by Age and Life Stage
Pew’s September 2010 age comparisons show a strong age gradient in laptop ownership. Among U.S. adults aged 18–29, 72% owned a laptop, compared with 49% of younger Boomers aged 47–56, 43% of older Boomers aged 57–65, 30% of Silent Generation adults aged 66–74, and 10% of adults aged 75 and older. Pew Research Center, “Americans and their gadgets”
| U.S. population | Period | Laptop ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Adults aged 18–29 | September 2010 | 72% |
| Gen X adults aged 35–46 | August–September 2010 | 61% |
| Younger Boomers aged 47–56 | August–September 2010 | 49% |
| Older Boomers aged 57–65 | August–September 2010 | 43% |
| Silent Generation adults aged 66–74 | August–September 2010 | 30% |
| Adults aged 75+ | August–September 2010 | 10% |
The same survey reported that 56% of adults aged 18–29 owned a desktop, while 61% of Gen X adults aged 35–46 owned one. This illustrates why a broad computer measure can conceal different mixes of portable and stationary equipment.
Device ownership also extended beyond computers. In September 2010, the typical U.S. adult under 45 owned four of seven surveyed gadgets, while the typical adult aged 55–64 owned two of seven.
The basket included more than laptops, so these are device-breadth measures rather than laptop counts.
The 2021 Census estimate used households rather than individual adults. Households with a householder aged 65 or older had 88% ownership of some type of computer, while every other householder age group had computer ownership above 96%. U.S. Census Bureau, “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021”
Laptop and Computer Ownership by Income and Education
Income and education are associated with broad computing access, but the available figures do not isolate laptops in every comparison. In September 2010, more than 90% of U.S. households earning at least $50,000 contained a computer of some kind.
Around 10% of households earning at least $75,000 owned a tablet PC or e-reader, compared with fewer than 5% among households earning under $50,000. Pew Research Center, “Americans and their gadgets”
The 2021 Census estimates show a similarly wide range in computing-device access:
- More than 99% of U.S. households with annual income of $150,000 or more had some computing device.
- 85% of U.S. households with annual income under $25,000 had some computing device.
- 82% of households earning $150,000 or more had a desktop or laptop, smartphone, tablet, and broadband together.
- 29% of households earning under $25,000 had that same combined set of devices and broadband.
The combined measure is not standalone laptop ownership, and “some computing device” is broader than a laptop. These definitions matter when comparing the income groups because smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, and connectivity are not interchangeable.
Education differences were also substantial in 2021. 99% of U.S. households whose householder had a bachelor’s degree or higher had some computer, compared with 84% where the householder had less than a high-school education.
The all-three-devices-and-broadband measure was 72% for the bachelor’s-degree-or-higher group and 30% for households whose householder lacked a high-school diploma. U.S. Census Bureau, “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021”
Laptop Ownership by Race, Ethnicity, and Household Structure
Pew’s 2015 figures measured desktop-or-laptop ownership among U.S. adults: 79% of White adults, 63% of Hispanic adults, and 45% of Black adults reported owning one. These are combined traditional-computer measures, not laptop-only rates. Pew Research Center, “American Demographics of Digital Device Ownership”
Pew’s January 25–February 8, 2021 survey reported 80% for White adults, 69% for Black adults, and 67% for Hispanic adults. In the same survey, 42% of White adults and 40% of Black adults had a smartphone, broadband, desktop or laptop, and tablet; the comparable Hispanic figure was 35%, and the difference from the other groups was not statistically significant. Pew Research Center, “Black, Hispanic adults less likely to have broadband or traditional PC than White adults”
The 2021 survey also found that 25% of Hispanic adults were smartphone-only internet users, compared with 12% of White adults, while 17% of Black adults were smartphone-dependent internet users. These are connectivity-context measures, not laptop ownership.
Household structure adds another distinction. In 2021, 99% of U.S. households with children under 18 had any type of computer, and 96% had a broadband subscription.
Computer ownership was 96% for owner-occupied households and 94% for renter households. U.S. Census Bureau, “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2021”
EU Laptop Use Statistics Across Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas
Eurostat’s 2023 figures measure laptop use to access the internet among people aged 16–74, not laptop ownership. Laptop use reached 60% in EU cities, 52% in towns and suburbs, and 49% in rural areas. Eurostat, “Access to internet in urban and rural areas in 2023”
| EU area | Laptop use for internet access, 2023 | Household internet access, 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Cities | 60% of people aged 16–74 | 95% |
| Towns and suburbs | 52% of people aged 16–74 | 93% |
| Rural areas | 49% of people aged 16–74 | 91% |
Other device-use measures show the same geography but a different activity. Smartphone or mobile-phone internet access was 89% in cities and 82% in rural areas, while tablet internet access was 33% in cities and 25% in rural areas.
The city-to-rural household internet-access gap narrowed from 9.7 percentage points in 2013 to 4.4 points in 2023. That derived comparison concerns internet access, not ownership of a laptop or any other device.
Laptop Replacement, Reuse, and Purchasing Statistics in Europe
Eurostat’s 2024 EU survey combined laptops and tablets when asking what people did with an old device that was no longer in use. 34% of individuals aged 16–74 kept one at home, 11% recycled it, 12% gave it away or sold it, and 1% threw it away without recycling. Eurostat, “Green ICT – digital devices in households”
Country results varied for reuse and recycling. Greece had the highest reported recycling share at 20%, followed by Denmark at 19%.
Croatia had the highest reported share giving away or selling an old laptop or tablet, at 29%, while Romania reported 18%.
| 2024 EU measure | Geography | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled old laptop or tablet | Greece | 20% |
| Recycled old laptop or tablet | Denmark | 19% |
| Gave away or sold old laptop or tablet | Croatia | 29% |
| Gave away or sold old laptop or tablet | Romania | 18% |
The purchase decision is broader than laptops alone. In 2024, 69% of EU individuals aged 16–74 considered price important when buying a laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
The survey therefore describes device purchasing priorities across several categories, not a laptop-only price measure.
Across these statistics, ownership, use, connectivity, and disposal answer different questions. U.S. Census figures are household-level 2021 American Community Survey estimates, Pew figures are adult surveys that often combine desktops and laptops, and Eurostat measures generally cover people aged 16–74 and may combine laptops with tablets or measure internet access rather than ownership.