THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, May 27, 1996                  TAG: 9605250416
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY         PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG BUSINESS NEWS 
                                            LENGTH:   27 lines

PC OWNERSHIP GREW IN 1995

The percentage of U.S. households using a personal computer rose to 39 percent at the end of 1995, as growth in purchases by lower-income households rose faster than more affluent homes, according to Computer Intelligence Infocorp.

That's up from 34 percent of U.S. households owning a PC at the end of 1994, the La Jolla, Calif.-based research firm said.

Computer Intelligence said homes with children were more likely to have a computer. Buyers also were likely to be middle-aged and more highly educated.

Among U.S. households with income below $35,000, sales rose 20 percent, much faster than the growth in higher income brackets, CII said.

A large number of affluent homes already have a PC. In U.S. households with incomes larger than $40,000, 57 percent own PCs.

First-time buyers increased to 30 percent of buyers, Computer Intelligence said. The company conducts the Consumer Technology Index, which is a survey of 17,500 households.

KEYWORDS: COMPUTER HOMES HOUSEHOLD by CNB