Ventura County

Ventura County, California — key demographics

Population size

• 843,843 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 38.6 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 23.2%
• 18–64: 60.4%
• 65 and over: 16.4%

Gender

• Female: 50.2%
• Male: 49.8% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 44.1%
• White alone, not Hispanic: 41.7%
• Asian alone: 7.6%
• Black or African American alone: 2.0%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.3%
• Two or more races: 4.5% (Note: Hispanic is an ethnicity and can be of any race.)

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: 274,814
• Persons per household: 3.03
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 64.7%
• Median household income (2022 dollars): $100,135

Insights

• Population is split between Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic White groups, with notable Asian representation.
• Larger-than-state-average household size and higher homeownership indicate family-oriented, owner-occupied communities.
• Age structure combines a strong working-age majority with an aging segment (16% 65+), sustaining demand for both schools and senior services.
• Overall population has remained relatively stable around the mid-800,000s since 2020.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

• Population base: ~846,000 residents; ~77% are adults ≈ 651,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023).
• Estimated email users: ~560,000 adults (≈86% of adults), derived from national internet-use (≈93%) and email-use (≈92% of online adults) benchmarks applied to Ventura County’s adult population (Pew Research).
• Age pattern (estimated adoption among adults, using national rates applied locally):
  • 18–29: ~96%
  • 30–49: ~95%
  • 50–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~85% Older adults are likelier to be intermittent users but remain majority adopters.
• Gender split: Near parity; email users mirror county demographics (~50% female, ~50% male).
• Digital access and trends (ACS, California):
  • ~92% of households have a broadband subscription; ~96% have a computing device (incl. smartphones).
  • ~7% of households are smartphone-only, indicating some mobile-reliant email use.
  • Continued growth in fiber and fixed‑wireless availability along urban corridors supports faster, more reliable email access; inland and mountain areas show more variability in speeds.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈460 residents/sq. mi.; the US‑101 corridor (Oxnard–Ventura–Camarillo–Thousand Oaks) concentrates most residents and highest broadband/5G availability, while Ojai Valley, Santa Paula, and foothill areas are less dense and more reliant on mixed technologies.

Ventura County, CA mobile phone usage summary (focus on county-specific patterns vs California)

Headline estimates (2024)

• Population: ≈840,000; adults (18+): ≈650,000; households: ≈280,000.
• Active smartphone users: 610,000–640,000 countywide (combining adults and teens), equal to roughly 92–94% of adult-and-teen residents. Basis: Pew’s 2023 smartphone adoption applied to Ventura’s age mix; teen ownership >90%.
• Households using cellular data for home internet as their only subscription: 13–16% (≈36,000–45,000 households), slightly higher than California’s ~11–13%.
• Households with no internet subscription at home: ~5–7% in Ventura, lower than California’s ~7–9%, indicating somewhat better overall connectivity but a sharper split between wired and mobile-only users.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Ethnicity/language
  • Hispanic/Latino residents: ~43% of county population (Spanish spoken at home ~33–35%). Mobile-only home internet and prepaid mobile plans are over-represented in Spanish-speaking, renter, and lower-income households relative to county averages.
  • Non-Hispanic White ~41%, Asian ~7–8%, Black ~2% (remaining multiracial/other). Asian and White households show higher rates of bundled home broadband plus mobile, while Hispanic households show higher mobile-only reliance than the county average.
• Age
  • 18–29: smartphone adoption ≈96–98%; 30–49: ≈94–97%; 50–64: ≈88–91%; 65+: ≈78–83%. Ventura seniors trail the state by about 1–3 percentage points due to more rural pockets and fixed-income households.
• Income/tenure
  • Median household income is higher than the state average (roughly low-$100Ks versus California’s low-$90Ks), and homeownership is higher (~60–65% vs California’s ~55%). Suburban owner-occupied areas (Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley, parts of Ventura) show strong dual adoption of wired broadband plus 5G, while renter- and farmworker-heavy areas (Oxnard Plain, Santa Clara River Valley) exhibit above-average mobile-only use.
• Workforce patterns
  • Agriculture, logistics, and service-sector workers show higher prepaid usage, hotspotting, and family plan concentration than the county average; commuters along US‑101 and SR‑118 display heavy peak-hour mobile data consumption and network load.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Coverage and spectrum
  • 5G mid‑band coverage (T‑Mobile n41; AT&T/Verizon C‑band n77) is continuous along the US‑101/CA‑23/CA‑118 corridor and in major cities (Oxnard, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Camarillo).
  • Low‑band 5G (600/700/850 MHz) provides broad geographic coverage into agricultural zones and foothills; LTE remains primary in canyons and forested terrain (SR‑33/150 and Los Padres National Forest front range).
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is widely deployed at public-safety sites after wildfire seasons, improving rural resiliency compared with many California counties.
• Performance and capacity
  • Populated corridors commonly see mid‑band 5G downlink in the low‑hundreds of Mbps, with capacity dips at rush hours near interchanges in Oxnard/Ventura and the Conejo Grade. Interior valleys and canyons often drop to LTE with lower throughput.
  • Small‑cell nodes augment capacity in commercial districts and campus/venue areas in Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Camarillo, and Oxnard; density is moderate compared with major California metros.
• Resilience and gaps
  • Terrain-driven shadow zones persist in the Topatopa and Santa Monica Mountains and along portions of SR‑33 and SR‑150; carriers have added backup power and microwave backhaul on vulnerable sites since the Thomas and Woolsey fires, producing better wildfire-season availability than several peer coastal counties.

Trends where Ventura County diverges from California

• Slightly higher mobile-only home internet: 13–16% of households versus ~11–13% statewide, driven by renter and agricultural communities despite above-average county income.
• More pronounced urban–rural split: Strong 5G experience along US‑101/118 and suburban cities coexists with terrain-limited pockets not as common in flatter urban counties.
• Higher home broadband plus mobile bundling in suburbs: Because homeownership and income run higher than the state, a larger share of suburban households maintain both wired broadband and robust 5G plans, reducing exclusive dependence on cellular in those areas.
• Public-safety hardening above the state norm: Post‑wildfire investments (backup power, FirstNet coverage, additional microwave paths) have improved uptime compared with many California counties with similar terrain risk.
• Prepaid and family-plan concentration is more visible in Oxnard Plain and Santa Clara River Valley than statewide averages for suburban counties, reflecting seasonal work patterns and multi‑generational households.

Method notes and sources

• Population, household, demographic mix: U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2022–2023.
• Smartphone adoption baselines: Pew Research Center 2023; teen adoption from recent national surveys applied to local age structure.
• Household internet modalities (cellular-only, no internet): ACS S2801 county-level patterns; Ventura consistently shows slightly lower “no internet” and slightly higher “cellular-only” than California overall.
• Network build status: FCC coverage filings and carrier public 5G buildouts through 2024; local performance characterized by published mid‑band deployments on the US‑101/118 corridor and field-measured patterns typical for Ventura’s terrain.

Implications

• Marketing and service design: Emphasize bilingual outreach, prepaid and family bundles, and hotspot-friendly plans in Oxnard Plain and river-valley communities; emphasize multi‑gig 5G and convergence offers in suburban owner markets.
• Infrastructure: Additional small cells and C‑band infill along interchanges and canyon mouths will yield outsized benefits; backup power and diverse backhaul remain essential for fire season.
• Equity: Targeted device and digital literacy programs for seniors and Spanish-speaking renters will narrow the last gaps in smartphone and app usage despite high overall penetration.

Social media in Ventura County, CA — concise snapshot (2024)

Scale and users

• Population: ~845,000 (ACS). Adults 18+: ~630,000.
• Adult social-media users: ~450,000–500,000 (about 70–75% of adults; aligns with Pew’s U.S. adult “any social media” rate).
• Household internet adoption: ~90% in CA (PPIC), consistent with Ventura County’s suburban profile.

Most-used platforms (share of U.S. adults who use the platform; Ventura County follows the same order and similar magnitudes)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 50%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• TikTok: 33%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 28%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19% (often higher in suburban, homeowner-heavy areas like Ventura County) Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024.

Age-group patterns (Ventura County mirrors national suburban trends)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube (93%), TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%), Instagram (62%) dominate; Facebook minimal. Source: Pew 2023.
• 18–29: Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube near-universal; Facebook comparatively low.
• 30–49: Broad mix; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube high; WhatsApp notable among bilingual/Latino users.
• 50–64 and 65+: Facebook and YouTube lead; Nextdoor adoption rises with homeownership; Instagram/TikTok lower but growing among 50–64.

Gender patterns (national directionally)

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Nextdoor; higher engagement with local groups, schools, and shopping.
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; stronger presence in sports, autos, finance, tech communities.

Behavioral trends specific to Ventura County

• Community and safety: Strong use of Facebook Groups and Nextdoor for neighborhood updates, wildfire/weather alerts, public safety, and local government notices.
• Local commerce: Facebook/Instagram for small-business discovery, dining, services, and events; Facebook Marketplace widely used for secondhand goods.
• Bilingual engagement: Large Hispanic/Latino population drives above-average WhatsApp use and Spanish-language Facebook/Instagram pages; local news outlets post bilingually.
• Schools and youth sports: Parents rely on Facebook Groups and Instagram; teens organize via Snapchat and Instagram.
• Outdoors and lifestyle: Instagram and YouTube content around surfing (Rincon/Oxnard), hiking/biking in the Santa Monicas, Channel Islands trips; TikTok drives food and weekend itineraries.
• Professional cluster: LinkedIn usage is meaningful in Thousand Oaks/Camarillo (biotech/medtech/defense), supporting recruiting and industry groups.

Notes on interpretation

• County-level platform shares are rarely published; the figures above use Pew’s 2024 national rates, Pew 2023 teen data, ACS demographics, and California internet adoption as the best available baselines. The platform ranking and behaviors are consistent with a suburban, bilingual Southern California county like Ventura.