Consistent access to a computer and high-speed internet is essential in today’s economy, but our new Center for an Urban Future report reveals that hundreds of thousands of Bronx residents remain cut off from these basic tools of modern life.

While there are significant digital gaps across the city, our new report, Understanding and Overcoming the Bronx Digital Divide, reveals that Bronx residents face the greatest barriers of any borough. 22.4 percent of households in the Bronx lack broadband at home, compared to 18 percent in Queens and 12.5 percent in Manhattan. The Bronx also has the lowest rate of device ownership, with one in three households—or over 184,000 homes—lacking access to a computer. The disparities are even starker at the neighborhood level: 35 percent of households in Melrose, Mott Haven, and Hunts Point lack a computer, compared to 19 percent in Riverdale and Kingsbridge.

There are also troubling gaps in digital literacy and access to tech education. Today, just 11.5 percent of Bronx students are enrolled in a computer science class—the lowest share of any borough.

Our research, made possible thanks to a grant from The Bronx Community Foundation, calls on city and state policymakers to implement a Bronx Digital Divide Equity plan that includes major new investments across three key areas: broadband adoption, device access, and digital literacy and tech education.

To learn more and read our recommendations for policymakers, see the full report here.

Also check out coverage of the report in The City: Bronx Lags in Digital Access and Education, Report Finds.

 

About the Center for an Urban Future (CUF)

The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) is a leading think tank focused on building a stronger and more equitable economy in New York City, and expanding economic opportunity for all New Yorkers. CUF receives general operating support from The Clark Foundation and the Altman Foundation. We are also grateful for support from Fisher Brothers Foundation for the Center for an Urban Future’s Middle Class Jobs Project, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.

 

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