St. Louis Digital Divide

The future of the St. Louis region’s economy and workforce depends on our immediate action to begin to bridge the digital divide, ensuring that affordable, quality high-speed broadband, devices, digital literacy and tech support are accessible and affordable to all.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront just how important digital access is in order to fully participate in many aspects of modern life. From virtual learning, working from home, communicating with healthcare professionals via telemedicine, and beyond, digital connectivity has become central to our way of life. This heightened awareness also uncovered just how many people were lacking this necessary access.

Nearly half of all households in St. Louis City and County are affected by some aspect of the digital divide and will require investment to ensure adequate long-term connectivity. What was once considered primarily an issue of urban and rural divide has significant impact on urban and suburban families in our region.

The Center for Civic Research and Innovation (CCRI) and accounting firm EY (Ernst & Young) partnered to research these issues and aggregate key data points to outline ways to address the challenges our region faces.