San Francisco County

San Francisco County, California (city-county consolidated)

Population size

• 808,437 (July 1, 2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau). Down 7.5% from the 2020 Census count of 873,965.

Age

• Median age: ~38.3 years (ACS 2023)
• Under 18: ~13.4%
• 18–64: ~70.4%
• 65 and over: ~16.2%

Sex

• Male: ~52–53%
• Female: ~47–48% (ACS 2023)

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2023; Hispanic is of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~41%
• Asian: ~35–36%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~15–16%
• Black/African American: ~5–6%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~5–6%
• Other (American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): <1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023 range; most recent ACS)

• Households: ~364,000–366,000
• Average household size: ~2.25
• Family households: ~45% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~38%; renter-occupied: ~62%
• Households with children under 18: ~17%

Key insights

• Small household sizes and a renter-majority housing market
• Low share of children and relatively high share of older adults compared to many large U.S. cities
• Diverse population with large Asian and non-Hispanic White shares and a notable Hispanic/Latino community

• Estimated users: About 645,000 adult email users in San Francisco County. Basis: ~700,000 adults and ~92% adult email adoption.
• Age distribution (email adoption rates): 18–29: ~99%; 30–49: ~96%; 50–64: ~92%; 65+: ~86%. Given SF’s young, professional skew, overall adoption stays near the top of these ranges.
• Gender split: Email usage is essentially even by gender (men ~93%, women ~92%); because SF’s adult population is ~53% male, the active user base is roughly 53% male, 47% female.
• Digital access trends:
  • 95%+ of households have a computer; about 92–93% subscribe to broadband (ACS).
  • Nearly all addresses (>99%) have access to ≥100 Mbps fixed broadband via cable/fiber (FCC), and all public libraries provide free Wi‑Fi and computer access.
  • High smartphone penetration reinforces always-on email access; remaining gaps are concentrated among lower-income and senior households.
• Local density/connectivity context: San Francisco is among the densest U.S. counties (~18,600 people per square mile), supporting near-ubiquitous last‑mile broadband and extensive public Wi‑Fi, which sustains very high email adoption and engagement across working-age adults.

Overall: Email is effectively universal among working-age San Franciscans, with only modest drop‑off among seniors and minimal gender differences.

Mobile phone usage in San Francisco County, CA (2023–2024 snapshot)

User base and penetration

• Population and adult base: San Francisco County’s population is roughly 0.81 million; about 85% are adults (≈690,000).
• Smartphone users: Applying recent Pew Research smartphone adoption among U.S. adults (~90%) to the local adult base yields ≈620,000 adult smartphone users in the county.
• Any mobile phone users: Using ~97% adult cellphone ownership implies ≈670,000 adults use a mobile phone.
• Household-level subscriptions: ACS data indicate that more than 9 in 10 San Francisco households have an internet subscription and roughly 9 in 10 have a cellular data plan for a smartphone or mobile device. That pencils out to approximately 315,000–325,000 households with a cellular data plan out of roughly 355,000–360,000 households.
• Smartphone-only households: San Francisco’s share of households relying solely on a cellular data plan (no fixed home broadband) is low single digits to mid-single digits, translating to roughly 20,000–25,000 households. This is materially below California’s statewide smartphone-only share, which sits in the high single digits to low teens.

Demographic patterns

• Age: Smartphone adoption is effectively universal among adults under 50. Among seniors (65+), adoption remains high but trails younger cohorts; the small local “no-internet” and “mobile-only” gaps are concentrated among older and lower-income residents.
• Income and tenure: High household incomes and a high renter share produce two countervailing trends versus California overall: fewer smartphone-only homes (because fixed broadband and fiber are widely adopted) but very high multi-device, multi-line usage in professional households. Lower-income renters and residents of subsidized housing are overrepresented among smartphone-only users.
• Platform mix: The iOS share is notably higher than the California average, driven by the local tech workforce and higher device spending. That tilt shows up in app usage, payments, and BYOD enterprise profiles.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G footprint: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide 5G, with dense mid-band deployments (e.g., n41 and C-band n77) and long-standing mmWave nodes in the downtown core (Financial District, SoMa, around major venues). San Francisco was among the earliest mmWave launch markets and continues to have one of the state’s densest small-cell footprints per square mile in its urban core.
• Capacity and speeds: Typical median 5G download speeds in the city core are well into the triple digits (roughly 150–300 Mbps), with peaks far higher on mmWave. That is generally faster than the California statewide median, reflecting denser small-cell layers, abundant fiber backhaul, and heavy mid-band spectrum use.
• Small-cell density and backhaul: The city has permitted a large number of small cells (well over 1,000 across carriers) with extensive fiber backhaul, enabling high capacity in dense neighborhoods and business districts. This density materially exceeds most California counties on a per-square-mile basis.
• Public connectivity: The city operates extensive free Wi‑Fi in civic buildings, parks, and transit-adjacent corridors, and all 28 San Francisco Public Library branches provide free Wi‑Fi. This ambient Wi‑Fi availability further reduces reliance on smartphone-only connectivity compared with statewide patterns.
• Transit and venues: Major corridors, stadiums, and tourist districts have targeted capacity augments; coverage and throughput in these zones outperform the statewide average for similarly dense venues.

How San Francisco differs from California overall

• Lower smartphone-only dependence: A smaller share of households rely exclusively on mobile data (low-/mid-single digits in SF versus high single digits to low teens statewide). Most SF households pair mobile with fixed broadband, often fiber or high-tier cable.
• Higher performance: Urban small-cell density, early mmWave deployment, and robust fiber backhaul produce higher typical 5G speeds and capacity than the statewide median.
• Platform and plan mix: Higher iOS share, higher incidence of postpaid family and premium plans, and lower prepaid/MVNO share than the state average.
• Adoption at the margins: The county’s “no-internet” and “mobile-only” populations are smaller and more concentrated among seniors and low-income households than in California overall; targeted digital inclusion efforts have a proportionally bigger impact here.
• Network investment intensity: More small cells per square mile and earlier mid-band and mmWave rollouts versus most California counties, reflecting high traffic density and enterprise demand.

Key takeaways

• Approximately 620,000 adults in San Francisco use smartphones, and roughly 670,000 use some kind of mobile phone.
• Household mobile-data adoption is very high, but smartphone-only households are significantly less common than the California average because fixed broadband adoption is stronger.
• Network infrastructure is denser and faster than the statewide norm, with comprehensive 5G (mid-band plus mmWave), extensive small-cell deployment, and pervasive fiber backhaul enabling consistently high urban mobile performance.

Social media usage in San Francisco County, CA — concise snapshot

Core user stats

• Population base: ≈808,000 residents; ≈700,000 adults (ACS 2023).
• Active social media users: ≈620,000 adults (≈88% of adults; ≈77% of total population). Estimate aligns urban/tech-center adoption with 2024 U.S. benchmarks.

Age-group usage (share of each group using at least one platform)

• 18–29: ≈95%
• 30–49: ≈92%
• 50–64: ≈82%
• 65+: ≈68%

Gender breakdown

• Among adult social media users: ≈53% men, ≈47% women (reflects SF’s adult demographic mix). Platform skews: men over-index on LinkedIn, Reddit, X; women over-index on Instagram and Pinterest; TikTok is near-balanced.

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use the platform; SF estimates informed by 2024 Pew U.S. adoption, adjusted for SF’s tech-heavy profile)

• YouTube: ≈85%
• Facebook: ≈60%
• Instagram: ≈55%
• LinkedIn: ≈40%
• TikTok: ≈36%
• WhatsApp: ≈32%
• Reddit: ≈32%
• X (Twitter): ≈28%
• Pinterest: ≈30%
• Snapchat: ≈25%
• Nextdoor: ≈24%

Behavioral trends

• Multi-platform intensity: Typical user maintains 5–6 active platforms; heavy cross-posting between Instagram–TikTok–YouTube Shorts and X–Reddit for news/tech.
• Local-first utility: High reliance on Nextdoor, neighborhood Facebook Groups, and Reddit r/sanfrancisco for civic updates, safety, transit, and housing; event discovery is strong on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook Events.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn usage is materially above U.S. average, with strong daily engagement in tech/startup, biotech, and climate verticals; thought-leadership and hiring content perform notably well.
• Real-time information: X and Reddit are primary for breaking news, transit disruptions (Muni/BART), and emergency updates; posts with live visuals/maps earn higher engagement.
• Visual dining/arts culture: Short-form video drives restaurant, coffee, pop-up, gallery, and live-music discovery; creator and local micro-influencer recommendations move foot traffic.
• Messaging shift: WhatsApp and Instagram DMs dominate group coordination; community orgs and venues increasingly publish to Stories and broadcast channels, not just feeds.
• Privacy and ad sentiment: Above-average use of privacy settings, ad blockers, and alt accounts; ads that emphasize utility (promos, real-time availability, civic benefit) outperform generic brand creative.

Notes on methodology

• Adult population and sex mix from ACS 2023 for San Francisco City and County.
• Platform percentages estimated by anchoring to 2024 Pew Research U.S. adoption rates and adjusting for SF’s younger, higher-income, tech-oriented profile and known local platform strengths (LinkedIn, Reddit, X, Nextdoor). Figures represent best-available local estimates in the absence of platform-certified county-level reporting.