The typical user of AI tools in America is more likely to be Asian, earn a higher income and hold a college or graduate degree, according to USAFacts, a nonprofit founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
The report, based on the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, said 57% of all Americans use AI tools. The top uses were searching for information (35%), brainstorming (23%), assisting in work tasks (21%), doing creative tasks (19.6%) and helping with schoolwork (11.7%). Just 4.5% said they had used AI instead of hiring someone to perform a task, representing roughly 12 million Americans.
AI adoption varied sharply across demographic groups. Two-thirds of employed respondents reported household AI use. Usage also increased with income and education, reaching 76.7% among households earning at least $150,000 annually and 74.9% among adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Men were more likely than women to use AI, at 61.7% to 52.4%. Among ethnic groups, Asians were more likely to be users, at 78.3% of households. Caucasian households came in at 57.3%, Hispanic homes were at 50.3% and Black respondents at 46.6%.
Most users were in the 25 to 54 age range, followed by the 55 and over group. The survey didn’t have enough reliable data from the 18 to 24 age group because there weren’t enough responses.
Despite growing adoption, many users expressed reservations. Only 13.8% of AI users said they trust information generated by AI systems, while just 11% said they felt they controlled how their data is used by AI tools. Nearly one-quarter said they were concerned about AI’s impact on their careers, and only 23% felt prepared to use AI in the workplace.
At the same time, 42.3% of respondents said AI made them more productive, suggesting that many Americans are embracing the technology despite lingering concerns over privacy, accuracy and job disruption.
The Census Bureau survey, conducted June 16 to 25 in 2025, was released in April 2026.