El Dorado County

El Dorado County, California — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023 1-year; figures rounded)

Population

• Total population: ~196,000

Age

• Median age: ~46–47 years
• Under 18: ~20–21%
• 18–64: ~57–58%
• 65 and over: ~22–23%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~69–71%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~15–16%
• Asian (Non-Hispanic): ~5–7%
• Two or more races (Non-Hispanic): ~5–7%
• Black or African American (Non-Hispanic): ~1–1.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic): ~1–1.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic): ~0.2–0.4%

Households

• Total households: ~76,000–77,000
• Average household size: ~2.5–2.6
• Family households: ~66–69% of households
• Married-couple households: ~52–55% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26–30%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~75–78%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1-year estimates.

El Dorado County, CA has about 195–200k residents. Estimated email users: roughly 150,000 (about 75–80% of all residents; ≈90%+ of adults). This combines local age structure (older than state average) with U.S. email adoption rates.

Age distribution of email users (approx. share of users):

• Teens 13–17: 5–8%
• 18–29: 12–15%
• 30–49: 30–35%
• 50–64: 25–30%
• 65+: 18–22%

Gender split: essentially even (≈49–51% male/female); no meaningful usage gap by gender.

Digital access trends:

• About 89–91% of households have a broadband subscription; 96–98% have a computer or smartphone.
• 10–15% of households are smartphone-only.
• Email use is near-universal among connected adults (mid‑90%s for ages 18–64; high‑80%s for 65+), with seniors’ adoption rising year over year.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density ≈110–115 people per sq. mile (most residents cluster in the western third: El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville).
• Strong cable/fiber along the US‑50 corridor; eastern/rural Sierra and Tahoe Basin areas have patchier wireline service and greater reliance on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• 5G/mobile broadband widely available in population centers and transport corridors, improving access for smartphone‑only users.

El Dorado County mobile usage summary (what differs from California overall)

User estimates (2025, rounded, based on population ~195,000 and national/state adoption patterns)

• Unique mobile users: about 155,000–165,000 residents carry an active mobile phone.
• Smartphone users: roughly 145,000–155,000 (about 93–95% of mobile users), a touch lower than California’s big-metro average due to an older age profile.
• OS split: iOS likely 65–70% countywide (higher than the statewide mix), driven by higher incomes in El Dorado Hills/Cameron Park; Android share higher in the rural east/north.
• Prepaid vs postpaid: prepaid estimated 15–18% of lines countywide (lower than the state average near 20%); postpaid dominates in the suburban Highway 50 corridor.
• Multi-line households: above the state average in El Dorado Hills/Cameron Park (families, commuters, connected cars), below average in rural communities.

Demographic patterns influencing usage (compared with California)

• Older population: The county’s median age is higher than the state’s. Adoption among 65+ is strong but below younger cohorts (roughly 80–85% have smartphones), pulling overall smartphone penetration slightly below the California average.
• Higher-income suburban pockets: El Dorado Hills and adjacent areas skew toward newer iPhones, wearables, and in-car connectivity; data usage per line and 5G device share are above the state average for suburbs.
• Rural foothill and mountain communities: More mobile-only or mobile-first internet households than the state average, relying on hotspots or fixed wireless where cable/fiber are limited.
• Seasonal tourism: South Lake Tahoe and recreation areas add significant weekend/holiday “visitor demand,” producing short-term mobile traffic surges uncommon in most California counties.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • Highway 50 corridor (El Dorado Hills → Cameron Park → Shingle Springs → Placerville): strong multi-carrier LTE and mid-band 5G; densest site grid in the county.
  • Tahoe Basin and US-50 over Echo Summit: good corridor coverage but with terrain-driven dead zones off the main routes; capacity spikes during ski and summer peaks.
  • Rural north/east (Pollock Pines area, Georgetown Divide, Grizzly Flat, backcountry roads): patchier service; more LTE/low-band 5G, with pockets of limited or no signal in canyons and forested terrain.
• 5G deployment:
  • T-Mobile mid-band 5G broadly along Hwy 50 and in South Lake Tahoe.
  • AT&T and Verizon mid-band/C-Band concentrated around El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville, and resort/venue clusters at Tahoe; low-band 5G/LTE elsewhere.
  • mmWave is rare outside a few dense or venue-specific spots; far less prevalent than in large CA metros.
• Backhaul and siting:
  • Fiber follows main transportation and utility corridors; microwave backhaul is common on mountain sites.
  • Tahoe Basin and forested areas face tighter siting/environmental constraints, slowing new macro/small-cell builds compared with urban California.
• Resilience and power:
  • Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and wildfire events affect uptime more than the state average. Carriers use batteries, generators, and COWs/COLTs, but prolonged outages can still reduce availability in rural zones.
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is solid along primary corridors; off-corridor coverage is more variable.
• Home and community broadband interplay:
  • Cable (Xfinity) is widespread in the Hwy 50 suburban belt; South Lake Tahoe sees cable via Spectrum/other legacy operators; AT&T DSL/FTTN persists in pockets; limited fiber-to-the-home outside select neighborhoods/business parks.
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) from Verizon and T-Mobile is notably higher-adopted than the CA average in fringe and rural areas.
  • Starlink penetration is visibly higher than in urban counties, used by off-grid and remote households and small businesses.

How El Dorado differs from statewide trends

• Sharper urban–rural divide: Coverage and speed drop off more quickly outside the Hwy 50 corridor than in most California counties.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration due to an older age mix, but higher iOS share and premium device adoption in affluent suburbs.
• More mobile-first households in rural areas (hotspots/FWA/Starlink) than the statewide norm, reflecting gaps in wired broadband.
• Bigger seasonal demand swings (Tahoe tourism) that strain capacity episodically—less common in the state overall.
• Greater sensitivity to PSPS/wildfire disruptions than most urban counties, making backup power and roaming strategies more important for residents and businesses.
• Fewer dense small-cell deployments and less mmWave than large metros; investment is concentrated on mid-band 5G along travel and population corridors.

Practical implications

• Residents and businesses should favor carriers with mid-band 5G depth along their specific commute/recreation routes; roaming and Wi‑Fi calling matter for rural coverage gaps.
• Rural users benefit disproportionately from external antennas, repeaters (where permitted), FWA, or Starlink for primary or backup connectivity.
• Public safety and continuity planning should assume periodic PSPS-driven cellular degradation outside the main corridors and plan for alternate communications and power.

Below is a concise, county-specific snapshot using 2023–2024 U.S./California platform data (Pew, industry panels) adjusted for El Dorado County’s older, suburban-homeowner profile. Figures are estimates; exact county-level platform stats aren’t publicly reported.

Population base

• Residents: ~197,000; adults (18+): ~150–155k
• Active adult social media users: ~115–125k (≈75–82% of adults)
• Including teens adds ~32–36k users; total users countywide ≈150–160k

Most‑used platforms (share of adult residents, weekly)

• YouTube: ~72–78%
• Facebook: ~58–65%
• Instagram: ~35–42%
• Nextdoor: ~28–35% (high due to homeownership and HOA usage)
• TikTok: ~25–32%
• LinkedIn: ~24–30% (Sacramento/Folsom corridor commuters)
• Pinterest: ~22–28%
• WhatsApp: ~18–22%
• X (Twitter): ~14–18%
• Snapchat: ~14–19%
• Reddit: ~12–16%
• Facebook Messenger: ~45–52%

Age groups (approximate social media adoption and platform lean)

• 13–17: 90–95%; TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; Instagram
• 18–29: 95%+; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; Snapchat; lower Facebook
• 30–44: 88–92%; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube; growing TikTok; some Nextdoor
• 45–64: 75–82%; Facebook, YouTube, Nextdoor, Pinterest; LinkedIn for professionals
• 65+: 58–65%; Facebook, YouTube, Nextdoor; light Instagram; minimal TikTok

Gender breakdown (share of platform audiences in-county, est.)

• Overall users: ~51–52% women, ~48–49% men
• Women over‑indexed on: Facebook (55–60%), Instagram (55%), Pinterest (70–75%), Nextdoor (55–60%), TikTok (55–60%)
• Men over‑indexed on: X/Twitter (60–65%), Reddit (65–70%), YouTube slightly male‑tilted overall but varies by content
• LinkedIn: roughly balanced

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Hyper‑local info seeking: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor for wildfire updates, power shutoffs/PSPS, Hwy 50/89 road conditions, school and parks/recreation alerts
• Groups > Pages: HOA, buy/sell/trade, parent/booster, and neighborhood groups drive most comments and shares
• Seasonal spikes:
  • Summer: Lake Tahoe/Sierra recreation, boating, trail reports
  • Fall: Apple Hill traffic, farm visits, fire safety
  • Winter: snow/chain control updates, ski resort conditions
• Commerce/discovery: Facebook Marketplace for outdoor gear/vehicles; Instagram and TikTok for dining, wineries, breweries, and weekend plans; Google/YouTube for how‑to and trail/gear videos
• Civic engagement: High thread activity on land use, development, short‑term rentals, and evacuation planning (Nextdoor/Facebook)
• Content format: Short‑form vertical video performs best (Reels/TikTok), especially before weekend and during active incidents; geotags/hashtags tied to Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, South Lake Tahoe boost reach
• Timing: Engagement peaks 7–9am and 5–9pm; retirees add midday activity; incident-driven spikes override normal patterns
• Platform momentum: Facebook/Nextdoor stable and essential for local info; Instagram growing with 30–44; TikTok adoption rising but still secondary for older cohorts; X and Reddit niche

Notes/method

• Estimates derived by applying current U.S./California platform usage to El Dorado County’s demographics (older median age, higher homeownership, suburban/rural mix). For campaign planning, validate with page/group insights and platform ad reach tools targeted to ZIPs: 95672, 95682, 95762, 95667, 95682, 95726, 96150, etc.