Microsoft's AI adoption map reveals Texas ahead of California, with college towns as surprising leaders and a stark urban-rural divide

Microsoft's U.S. AI Diffusion Report tracks AI user share across all 50 states and more than 3,100 counties. Texas ranks fourth nationally at 35.4%, ahead of California at 34.1% and New York at 32.9%; the District of Columbia leads at 40.6%, followed by Maryland at 36.5% and Utah at 35.9%.

At the county level, the top AI-using county is Williamsburg, Virginia (home to the College of William & Mary) at 73.7% AI user share, followed by Harrisonburg, Virginia at 67.9% and Madison, Idaho at 67.7%. Counties where more than 10% of the population is aged 18–24 average 28.8% AI user share, versus 20.5% elsewhere.

A significant urban-rural divide persists: AI use averages 33% in metropolitan areas, 22% in micropolitan ones, and 16.2% in rural counties—a 16.8 percentage point gap that remains even after controlling for age, income, and demographic composition.