Social Usage analysis of NTIA · United States
Social-network use by metropolitan status
How does participation compare inside and outside metropolitan areas—and is that the same as urban versus rural use?
Data: November 2023 · Analysis checked: 2026-10-07
of internet users aged 15+ outside a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) were reported as using social networks at least occasionally during the prior six months, compared with 76.4% in an MSA.
People · U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population · Internet users aged 15+ within each household metropolitan-status group · November 2023
Source: NTIA Analyze Table, Nov 2023 / socialNetworkUser / adultInternetUser, metroNoProp and metroYesProp. These are MSA classifications, not a precise urban/rural residence split. The descriptive difference is 0.2 percentage points; no significance or equivalence finding is made.
Both identified groups round to about 76%
The common question is whether people use social networks at least occasionally. It does not measure daily activity, hours spent, a particular platform or the share of all residents using social media.
U.S. internet users aged 15+ · November 2023 · Prior six months
Source: NTIA Analyze Table, retained row 769. Original Social Usage graphic. Source standard errors: outside an MSA 0.6037 and in an MSA 0.2898 percentage points. The scale starts at zero; similar rounded bars do not establish statistical equivalence.
View all three categories and source standard errors
| Household classification | Share (%) | Source SE (pp) |
|---|---|---|
| Outside an MSA | 76.2001 | 0.6037 |
| In an MSA | 76.3721 | 0.2898 |
| Metropolitan status unidentified | 78.5231 | 1.5418 |
Source: original aggregate CSV, metroNo, metroYes and metroUnknown Prop / PropSE columns. Source proportions and their standard errors are each multiplied by 100. An SE is not a confidence interval or margin of error. Unidentified status is shown for completeness, not ranked as a third kind of locality.
Each percentage has its own group denominator. The outside-MSA estimate does not mean 76.2% of social-network users live outside metropolitan areas. These rates cannot be added to describe the audience’s geographic makeup.
Why “urban versus rural” needs a definition
NTIA’s Data Explorer labels these categories “Rural (Not in MSA)” and “Urban (MSA)”. Its table dictionary defines the actual split by whether the household is within a metropolitan statistical area. This report uses “outside an MSA” and “in an MSA” to keep that distinction visible.
The selected cells do not identify a person’s precise urban/rural residence classification or local population density. They should not be used as a city-versus-countryside split, a neighborhood comparison or a rural-by-state estimate. A more specific question needs evidence with that specific classification.
Sources: NTIA table dictionary, section 9: metro; official Data Explorer category labels; November 2023 tabulation code, line 47.
Inspect the source’s category coding
The CPS household variable GTMETSTA is recoded by NTIA as follows:
- Source code 2: Non-Metropolitan Area → Outside an MSA.
- Source code 1: Metropolitan Area → In an MSA.
- Source code 3: Unknown → Metropolitan status unidentified.
The published columns are separate marginal breakdowns. They do not provide metropolitan-status-by-age, income, state or platform intersections.
Unidentified location does not mean no social-network use
The third source category contains households whose metropolitan status is not identified in the public-use data. NTIA’s dictionary explains that Census withholds this geographic information where disclosure could risk de-anonymization.
Among internet users aged 15+ in that category, the reported participation estimate is 78.5%, with source SE 1.5418 percentage points. That is a participation rate within the unidentified group—not the share of the sample with unidentified locations, missing activity answers or nonusers.
We retain this group in the full table and do not assign it to either identified category. It is not a third locality to rank above metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas.
Sources: NTIA dictionary, section 9; metroUnknownProp and metroUnknownPropSE.
Read the difference with its limits
The 0.2-point difference describes two weighted estimates at one time. It does not adjust for age, income or other characteristics, identify why people participate, or measure change. Similar rounded values alone do not prove equivalence.
The table supplies separate standard errors. It does not supply the full joint sampling information needed here to calculate uncertainty for the difference. We calculate no gap confidence interval or significance test. Group sample sizes and confidence intervals remain unspecified in this selected record.
Exact calculation and original columns
76.3721 − 76.2001 = 0.1720 percentage points. Subtract the full-precision in-MSA and outside-MSA percentages before rounding; this is not percent change.
Locate Nov 2023 / socialNetworkUser / adultInternetUser in the NTIA aggregate CSV, retained row 769 including its header. Row position may change in a later file. Multiply each selected proportion and proportion SE by 100.
| Classification | Value column | SE column |
|---|---|---|
| Outside an MSA | metroNoProp | metroNoPropSE |
| In an MSA | metroYesProp | metroYesPropSE |
| Metropolitan status unidentified | metroUnknownProp | metroUnknownPropSE |
Source input: retained full NTIA table, SHA-256 c9b744849847775cf9419c8565553830b9fa374f62bbd674d4f22888521fd10a. The site’s existing 75-observation NTIA dataset does not include these newly selected metropolitan-status cells; the original table linked above does.
Question, population and survey method
The activity sequence asks about activities done at least occasionally during the past six months. The SOCIAL question is: “What about using social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?” Its named platforms are examples, not separate platform estimates.
One randomly selected internet user aged 15+ per household; skip the activity questions when every internet user is under 15. Household proxy responses are permitted. The eligible population is civilian noninstitutionalized internet users aged 15+, not all adults aged 18+ or all residents. NTIA publishes weighted estimates and standard errors from the Census Current Population Survey supplement; we use aggregate cells and process no individual responses.
Sampling errors do not capture every source of survey error. Nonresponse, reporting, imputation and coverage error may remain.
Source: November 2023 technical documentation, PDF page 148 / Attachment 8, questionnaire page 6.
Dates, review and reuse
- Fieldwork
- 12–18 November 2023
- Source publication
- 2024-06-06
- Retained source retrieval
- 2026-10-01 (UTC)
- Classification retrieval
- 2026-10-01 (UTC)
- Analysis checked
- 2026-10-07 · Assisted evidence and calculation review
The evidence was retained previously; no new current-year estimate or independent human editorial approval is implied. Selected federal aggregate facts support this attributed editorial presentation and original graphic. This report offers no new CSV, image export or embed. No agency logo, third-party artwork or individual response is reproduced.
U.S. federal statistical work; 17 U.S.C. § 105. Original rights verification: 2026-10-01. Source: National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Internet Use Survey, November 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey. Selection and presentation by SocialUsage; no agency endorsement implied.