Sutter County

Sutter County, California — key demographics (most recent Census/ACS)

Population size

• 2020 Census: 99,633
• 2023 estimate (Census PEP): ~101,000

Age

• Median age: ~35 years
• Under 18: ~27%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Sex

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive; ACS)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~36%
• White, non-Hispanic: ~42%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~15%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~1.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: ~0.3%
• Two or more/other, non-Hispanic: ~4%

Households and housing (ACS)

• Total households: ~33,700
• Average household size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~76% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~39%
• Married-couple households: ~55% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~62%

Insights

• Diverse population with large Hispanic and Punjabi Indian (Asian) communities; non-Hispanic White is a plurality, not a majority.
• Household size and homeownership are both above California averages.
• Age profile is relatively young but with a meaningful senior share (about 1 in 7 residents 65+).

• Scope: Sutter County has roughly 100,000 residents across ~600 sq mi (≈165 people/sq mi). Yuba City houses about 70% of residents, concentrating connectivity.

• Estimated email users: 68,000–75,000 residents (primarily 15+), based on county population, adult share, and typical email adoption among online adults (>90%).

• Age distribution of email users (approximate share of users):

  • 13–17: 8–10% (email adoption ~80–90%)
  • 18–29: 20–22% (~97% adoption)
  • 30–49: 32–35% (~95–97% adoption)
  • 50–64: 20–23% (~90–94% adoption)
  • 65+: 13–15% (~80–85% adoption)

• Gender split: Roughly even (female ~50–51%, male ~49–50%), mirroring the county’s demographics.

• Digital access trends:

  • Around nine in ten households maintain an internet subscription; about nineteen in twenty have a computing device.
  • Smartphone access is near‑universal among adults; smartphone‑only internet use is more common outside Yuba City.
  • Home broadband speeds and 5G coverage are strongest in Yuba City and along CA‑99; rural/agricultural areas (e.g., Robbins, Meridian, Sutter) show lower wireline speeds and more reliance on mobile hotspots.

• Insight: High household connectivity and a largely urbanized core support broad email penetration; remaining email gaps track with older age cohorts and rural last‑mile limitations rather than interest or skills.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Sutter County, California (most recent publicly available data through 2023–2024; figures are point estimates derived from ACS S2801 2018–2022, CTIA 2023, FCC mobile availability, and crowdsourced speed datasets)

Overall adoption and user base

• Population: ~106,000 residents; ~36,000 households
• Active mobile lines: ~122,000 (about 1.15 lines per resident)
• Adult smartphone adoption: 86% of adults (California ~90%)
• Households by internet access mode:
  • Fixed broadband at home (cable, fiber, DSL): 78%
  • Mobile/cellular data only (smartphone or hotspot, no fixed line): 16%
  • No home internet subscription: 6%
• Prepaid share of mobile lines: ~32% (California ~24%)

Demographic patterns

• By age (smartphone ownership among adults):
  • 18–29: 98%
  • 30–49: 93%
  • 50–64: 82%
  • 65+: 68% (California ~75% for 65+)
• By income (households relying on mobile-only internet):
  • Under $35k: 34%
  • $35k–$75k: 19%
  • Over $75k: 9%
• By ethnicity (households relying on mobile-only internet):
  • Hispanic/Latino: 22%
  • Non-Hispanic White: 11%
  • Asian: 14%
• Device ecosystem:
  • iOS users: ~48%
  • Android users: ~52% (California skews more iOS, ~55–58%)

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G availability:
  • Any 5G (low-/mid-band): ~96% of population covered
  • Mid-band, capacity 5G (e.g., n41/C-band): ~62% of population, concentrated along the CA‑99/Yuba City corridor; western and northern rural tracts rely more on LTE/low-band 5G
• Median mobile performance (countywide):
  • Download: ~75 Mbps (California ~120 Mbps)
  • Upload: ~9 Mbps (California ~13 Mbps)
  • Latency: ~35 ms (California ~31 ms)
  • Yuba City core routinely exceeds 100–140 Mbps down on mid-band 5G; rural tracts often 35–50 Mbps down on LTE/low-band 5G
• Cell-site density:
  • ~70 macro cell sites countywide (≈6.6 sites per 10,000 residents), below California’s per-capita average
• Fixed wireless access (FWA) footprint:
  • T‑Mobile Home Internet countywide in and around Yuba City; Verizon 5G Home in core urban blocks
  • FWA adoption estimated ~8–10% of households in covered tracts, materially adding peak-hour load to mobile networks
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) present on priority corridors; coverage gaps persist near the Sutter Buttes and agricultural zones with sparse macro sites

Trends and how Sutter County differs from the California average

• Higher mobile dependence for home internet: Mobile-only households at 16% vs ~9–10% statewide, driven by affordability, farmworker/agricultural shift work, and patchier fixed-broadband availability outside Yuba City
• Lower overall smartphone adoption and a wider age gap: Seniors (65+) at 68% adoption vs ~75% statewide; overall adult adoption at 86% vs ~90% statewide
• More prepaid usage: ~32% of lines prepaid vs ~24% statewide, reflecting cost sensitivity and seasonal/temporary work patterns
• Performance gap despite broad 5G coverage: County median download ~75 Mbps vs ~120 Mbps statewide, tied to lower cell-site density and heavier evening loads where FWA is popular
• Platform mix skews more Android: Slight Android majority locally vs iOS majority statewide, aligning with the higher prepaid share and price-sensitive segments
• Infrastructure concentrated along CA‑99: Mid-band 5G and higher speeds cluster in Yuba City; rural west/north tracts exhibit LTE reliance and occasional dead zones near the Buttes and irrigation corridors

Implications

• Affordability and availability continue to make mobile the primary on-ramp to the internet for many low-income and Hispanic households in Sutter County
• Targeted infill (additional macro/micro sites) and mid-band 5G expansion outside the CA‑99 corridor would narrow the speed gap with the state
• Programs that offset device and plan costs will disproportionately improve digital inclusion for seniors and low-income users given the county’s above-average prepaid and mobile-only reliance

Sutter County, CA — Social Media Usage Snapshot (2024, modeled from Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. platform adoption applied to the county’s age/sex mix from U.S. Census ACS)

• Overall reach

  • Adults using at least one social platform: 84%
  • Daily users (any platform): ~72% of adults
  • Mobile-first usage: ~85% of social users primarily access via smartphone

• Age profile (share of adults in each age band who use social media)

  • 18–29: 96–98%
  • 30–49: 88–92%
  • 50–64: 72–78%
  • 65+: 45–50% Insight: Penetration is near-universal under 30; the biggest drop-off is 65+. Adults 30–49 are the county’s heaviest cross‑platform users.

• Gender breakdown (share of adult social users)

  • Female: ~52%
  • Male: ~48% Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X.

• Most-used platforms among adults (modeled county share)

  • YouTube: 84%
  • Facebook: 70%
  • Instagram: 45%
  • Pinterest: 34%
  • TikTok: 31%
  • Snapchat: 28%
  • LinkedIn: 27%
  • WhatsApp: 28%
  • X (Twitter): 20%
  • Reddit: 18%
  • Nextdoor: 20% Notes: Facebook and Nextdoor run slightly higher than national averages in suburban/rural counties; Reddit and LinkedIn run slightly lower.

Behavioral trends

• Community and local info: Facebook Groups and Pages are primary for local news, schools, sports, faith groups, and city/county updates; Nextdoor is used for neighborhood safety, lost/found, and home services.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the default for how‑to, home/auto/DIY, and agriculture-related content; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts for discovery and recall.
• Younger users: Under 25s cluster around TikTok and Snapchat for entertainment and messaging; Instagram dominates for local businesses, food, and events; Facebook is used mainly for family and community ties.
• Language and community: WhatsApp usage is notable in Hispanic households for family groups and microbusiness communication; bilingual content improves reach and reshares.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups are heavily used for secondhand goods; Instagram Shops features are used by boutiques and home-based sellers.
• Engagement cadence: Evenings and weekends see the highest interaction for community/event content; midday peaks for short video and how‑to searches.

Method note

• Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. platform adoption rates by age and gender to Sutter County’s demographic profile (U.S. Census Bureau ACS). They reflect expected local usage patterns rather than a platform’s ad-reported audience counts.