The number of people looking online for information on a place to live has grown steadily during the last six years. Nearly two in five U.S. Internet users head to the Web for that purpose, an Internet researcher says.

That number translates into more than a quarter of the total number of U.S. adults, the Pew Internet & American Life Project, said in a recent report. Since 2000, the percentage of Internet users tapping the Web for housing information rose from 27% to 39% today.

The numbers increase considerably among the youngest adults. Some 51% of 18- to 29-year olds have searched online for housing information; 43% of users were 30 to 49 years old.

People who have been on the Internet the longest, and with broadband connections, also were more likely to look for a home online, but youth was the biggest factor related to using the Web for that purpose, Pew said.