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U.S. Census Bureau Releases Computer Facts

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Jun 10, 2004, News Report

The U.S. Census Bureau recently issued the following Facts for Features Special Edition on the 53rd anniversary of the UNIVAC computer:

UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, was unveiled, demonstrated and dedicated in Philadelphia on June 14, 1951. Designed for the U.S. Census Bureau to help process the 1950 census, UNIVAC was the first electronic computer used by a civilian government agency.

This edition of Facts for Features examines how ingrained the computer has become in American society.

In the workplace:

  • 72.3 million -- The number of employed people age 16 and over who used a computer on the job in 2001 -- about 54 percent of all workers.


  • 7-in-10 -- The ratio of employees who used their work computer to access the Web or send e-mail in 2001. About 2-in-3 used a computer for word processing.


  • 25 percent -- The average annual change in productivity in the computer and peripheral equipment industry between 1987 and 2001.


  • $89 billion -- The estimated revenues of software publishers in 2002.


    • The "techies":

  • 653,000 -- The projected number of computer systems analysts who will be employed in the United States in 2012, an increase of about 40 percent over 2002.


  • 42,000 -- The number of bachelor's degrees in computer and information sciences awarded in 2001, up sharply from 2,388 such degrees in 1971.


  • $47,107 -- The average beginning salary in 2003 for people with a bachelor's degree in computer science. A master's degree-holder could start at $62,806 a year.


  • $29.48 -- The average hourly earnings of the 1.1 million people who worked in computer systems design and related services in 2003.


    • The state of computers:

  • 2-in-3 -- The ratio of children ages 3 to 17 with access to a computer in their home in 2000. Less than 1 in 3 used the Internet at home.


  • 99 percent -- The percentage of schools with Internet access in 2002, up from only 50 percent in 1995.


  • 58 percent -- The percentage of Americans age 18 and over that accessed the Internet in 2002.


    • And e-commerce:

  • $156 billion -- Estimated online retail sales in the United States for 2003.


  • 50 million -- The estimated number of people who purchased books online in 2003. About 41 million bought music through the Internet.


    • Additional data is available online.

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