Access to the Internet via broadband has now spread to 94 percent of Americans, a jump of two percentage points over last year and a huge leap from the 15 percent who had such access just a decade ago.

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Access to the Internet is essential in today's increasingly networked economy and culture, says Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, an independent research organization that has tracked the social impact of the Internet for the past 12 years.

“People use the Internet to access alternative business options and to become more informed consumers,” says Mr. Rainie, author of “Networked: The New Social Operating System.” “People get high-quality health information so they can take care of themselves in better and smarter ways.”

The 19 million who have no broadband access includes one-fourth of people living in rural counties and one-third of people living on tribal lands, areas where infrastructure is often nonexistent. That's 7 million fewer than last year.

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