According to data released today by the Newspaper Association of America, newspapers’ Web sites drew more than one-third all Internet users during the fourth quarter of 2009.

Thanks to custom stats generated for the NAA by Nielsen Online, the industry association learned that newspaper Web sites drew 72 million visitors during the quarter, or 37 percent of total Internet users. Newspaper Web site users also “generated more than 3.2 billion page views during the quarter, spending more than 2.4 billion minutes browsing the sites,” the NAA revealed today.

Said NAA president John F. Sturm:

“These strong and consistent audience figures come as newspaper publishers continue to transition their companies into multiplatform content providers to meet the needs of today’s audience. As the economy begins to stabilize, newspaper companies are in position to leverage their trusted brands to reach a highly engaged audience and deliver maximum value to advertisers.”

Read more: Press release with chart

Previously: Study: Newspapers Are Retaining Readers Despite Price Increases