Urban counties leave rural ones behind in the technology race

Urban counties are leaving rural ones behind in the technology race, according to a study by the National Association of Counties.

The survey, released at NACo's Information Technology Policy Summit last week, incorporates comments from 501 county governments to see how they are using information technology. It concludes that the nation's smallest counties, particularly those under 50,000 people, are least likely to provide interactive services on the Internet and least likely to have policies governing Internet use.

"As the nation experiences this phenomenal technological growth, it is important to find out which counties are leading the way and which ones are left behind," NACo President C. Vernon Gray said in a news release.

The survey also reveals that counties are continuing to develop technology policies. Of survey respondents, 83 percent said that every department in the county had computers, while 49 percent said every employee in general government had a personal computer. Ninety percent of the counties said employees had access to e-mail.