Nearly three in four Utah households own a computer, a higher percentage than in any other state, according to a new census report.

Fifty-five percent of American households had access to the Internet at home in 2003, more than triple the percentage in 1997, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In Utah, there were computers in an estimated 596,000 households. Some 503,000 households, or 63 percent, were online — the nation’s fifth highest rate of Internet usage. That’s up from 14th in a 2001 census survey, said Robert Spendlove, manager of demographic and economic analysis for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.

Spendlove said Utah matches national trends of Internet usage, which increased with education, income and the presence of school-age children at home. It was lowest among adults who have not graduated from high school, the report found.

It helps to have a locally-based corporation like Novell leading core urban business in gifts to education.

Utah has the lowest median age, the largest household size and one of the highest educational attainments, Spendlove said.

“A lot of characteristics point to (Utah) having a tech-savvy population,” he said. “It positions Utah well for the future. . . . Things like biotech and genetics rely on a well-educated, tech-savvy work force.”

School-age children are most likely to use home computers to play games or do schoolwork, the report found. Adults are most likely to use home computers for e-mail, to search for information about products and services, and to read news, weather and sports information.

Advertisers are taking advantage of increased Internet use, said Stuart, who expects Internet advertising revenue to reach nearly $12 billion this year, more than double the amount from five years ago.

But even as Internet access increases, computer users are being more careful about sharing personal information online.

A survey released this week by Consumer Reports Webwatch found that 86 percent of computer users have changed their online behavior in some way because of concerns about identity theft. A little more than half stopped giving out personal information on the Web, while 25 percent said they stopped making online purchases.

People stopped making online purchases because of their fears? These must be the people who were buying flu vaccine for $125 a pop at a .ru site or bidding for Elvis’ motorcycle on eBay.