While Texas leads the nation in exports and the production of oil, cattle, sheep, cotton and minerals, the state’s rank in Internet usage does not earn a ranking nearly that lofty.
Texas falls to the bottom 10 percent of states in a recent study of Internet usage.
The U.S. Census Bureau released a survey that ranks Internet usage by age, race, gender, education level, employment status, region and state.
The surveys on states were separated into two categories, Internet access at home and Internet access from some location, which was defined as access at or outside of the home.
The rankings by region, Northeast, Midwest, South and West, place the South at fourth, but Texas’ percentage still falls below its region.
Texas ranked above seven states in the category of Internet access at home, but the state leads only West Virginia and Mississippi in Internet access from some location.
The limited reach of the Internet compared to other states places Texas in unwanted company.
In both categories, Texas falls in the bottom 10 percent with states such as West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky.
Finding the reason for the Lone Star State’s low ranking proves difficult.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center showed that Internet usage in the U.S. has actually declined in the past year, likely a byproduct of the economic recession.
While the state suffered from the recent turndown, Texas fared better than most states in the union, making a recent slide an unlikely reason for the low percentage of Internet usage.
The high rankings in the production of livestock and cotton prove the state has an agricultural background, but agrarian lifestyles should not exclude this important technology.
The Internet has become a part of most Americans’ daily lives, and a state that leads the nation in as many categories as Texas does should not lag so many other states in terms of the adoption of this revolutionary technological tool.
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