Racial/Ethnic and Income Disparities in Neighborhood-Level Broadband Access in 766 US Cities, 2017- 2019 (preprint)

Broadband access is an essential social determinant of health, the importance of which has increased due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Using data from the City Health Dashboard and American Community Survey, we found that in 2017, 30% of urban households in 766 large US cities still had no access to high-speed broadband internet. After controlling for household income, broadband access in majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods was 10-15% lower than in White or Asian majority neighborhoods. In 2019, lack of broadband access in urban households decreased to 28%, but substantial broadband disparities still persist in these cities.