1 in 4 Americans Now Use AI — Census Data Reveals Who
The 2026 Census HTOPS survey shows 24.07% of Americans use AI tools. Here's who they are and what they're doing with it.
The U.S. Census Bureau's Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS), conducted in March 2026, reveals that 24.07% of Americans now report using artificial intelligence tools in the past two months. Meanwhile, 55.84% say they have not used AI, and 20.08% are not sure — suggesting actual usage may be even higher as AI becomes embedded in everyday products.
Who Uses AI?
Age is a significant factor in AI adoption. Adults aged 25–39 lead with a 27.95% usage rate, followed closely by the 55–64 age group at 26.89%. The 40–54 bracket comes in at 24.65%. Perhaps surprisingly, the youngest adults (18–24) trail at 20.69%, though this may reflect the survey's small sample size for that cohort (n=144). Americans 65 and older have the lowest adoption at 18.84%.
Income also plays a clear role. Those earning $100K–$150K have the highest AI usage at 26.89%, while those earning under $25K use AI at just 18.83%. The $25K–$35K bracket bucks the trend at 29.28%, suggesting price-sensitive early adopters or heavy phone-based AI use. Americans earning $150K+ come in at 25.08%.
Education level correlates strongly with AI adoption. Bachelor's degree holders lead at 28.62%, followed by associate degree holders at 28.31% and graduate degree holders at 27.59%. Those with some high school education show 17.88% adoption, and those with less than a high school diploma report 0% — though the sample is very small (n=15).
What AI Is Used For
Among AI users, the most popular application is finding factual information (n=2,983 respondents, representing approximately 90.5 million Americans). This is followed by brainstorming and idea generation (n=1,924), work projects (n=1,889), integrated product features (n=1,725), and creative tasks (n=1,555).
For purposes, entertainment tops the list with roughly 61 million weighted users, followed by creative projects (43.5M), communication (35.2M), shopping (33.2M), and work/productivity (31.2M).
What Concerns Americans About AI
Privacy and data security is the dominant concern, cited by an estimated 83.7 million Americans (n=2,187 respondents). Bias and discrimination follows at 52.8 million, then impact on children (41.7M), job displacement (41.6M), dependence on AI (39.6M), and misinformation (37.9M).
Regional Differences
AI adoption varies significantly by Census division. New England leads at 33.79%, driven by the Boston-area tech corridor. The West North Central region (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota) surprises with 30.43%. The Middle Atlantic trails at 19.27%, and the West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) has the lowest adoption at 22.16%.
The data is clear: AI is no longer a niche technology. With nearly one in four Americans already using AI tools, and one in five unsure whether they are, artificial intelligence has crossed into mainstream American life.
*See who is lobbying to regulate AI at theailobby.com. Explore which jobs face the most AI exposure at aiexposure.org.*
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau HTOPS, March 2026.