Yuba County

Key demographics — Yuba County, California

Population size

• 81,575 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 2010–2020 change: +13% (approximate growth from ~72k to ~81.6k)

Age

• Median age: ~32 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~26%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~13%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; ACS 2018–2022)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~35%
• White, non-Hispanic: ~45%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~6%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~8%

Household and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~27,000; average household size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~69% of households; with children under 18: ~39%
• Homeownership rate: ~59% owner-occupied; ~41% renter-occupied
• Median household income: ~$66,000; poverty rate: ~16–17%

Insights

• Younger age structure than the California average and a high share of households with children
• Large Hispanic/Latino community (about one in three residents)
• Homeownership slightly above the state rate, with incomes below the state median

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

• Estimated email users: ~55,000–57,000 in Yuba County (≈90–93% of ~61,000 adults).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29: ~17%; 30–49: ~37%; 50–64: ~26%; 65+: ~20%. Adoption remains highest among 18–49, with slightly lower but substantial use among 65+.
• Gender split: ~51% male, ~49% female among users, mirroring the county’s slight male-leaning population.
• Digital access and devices:
  • Households with an internet subscription: ~88–91% (ACS Computer & Internet Use benchmarks for comparable CA counties).
  • Broadband (cable/DSL/fiber/cellular/satellite): ~86–89% of households; ~6–9% have no home internet.
  • Smartphone-only access: ~15–18% of households, above the California average, indicating mobile-dependent email use.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population ~84,000; ~27,000–28,000 households; population density ~125–135 people per square mile.
  • Highest fixed-wireline coverage in Marysville, Linda/Olivehurst, and Plumas Lake corridors; foothill communities (e.g., Brownsville–Oregon House area) rely more on fixed wireless/satellite.
  • Median fixed speeds in populated corridors trail California’s urban medians, but fiber and DOCSIS upgrades have expanded along the SR‑70 corridor, narrowing gaps. Insight: With near-universal adult adoption, email is effectively a default channel locally; mobile-first access is meaningful, so email design optimized for smartphones reaches a sizable share.

Mobile phone usage in Yuba County, California — 2024 snapshot

Headline estimates (users and households)

• Population and households: ~84,800 residents and ~27,200 households (2023 estimates).
• Smartphone users: ~63,800 residents (about 90% of those age 12+).
• Households with at least one smartphone: 91% (24,800 households).
• Households that rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet (“mobile-only”): 15% (4,100 households).
• Households with no internet subscription at all: 11% (3,000 households).

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • Teens (12–17): ~95% smartphone adoption, reflecting near-universal mobile access among youth.
  • Working-age adults (18–64): ~90% smartphone adoption, slightly below California’s high-90s levels in major metros.
  • Seniors (65+): ~72–75% smartphone adoption; roughly 8,000 of ~11,000 seniors use smartphones, leaving a notable access gap among older residents.
• Income:
  • Mobile-only internet reliance is concentrated among lower-income households; roughly one in four households under $35k is mobile-only versus low double digits among $75k+ households.
• Race/ethnicity and settlement pattern:
  • Yuba’s higher shares of Hispanic and rural households, and a sizable foothill population, correlate with higher mobile-only reliance and greater variability in service quality compared with denser, higher-income California counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks and technology: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide countywide 4G LTE; 5G NR (including mid-band) is established in the Marysville–Linda/Olivehurst–Wheatland corridor, around Beale AFB, and along primary highways (SR‑70, SR‑65, SR‑20). Foothill communities such as Loma Rica, Browns Valley, Challenge-Brownsville, Dobbins, and Camptonville remain LTE‑first with dead zones in canyons and forested terrain.
• Backhaul: Fiber runs through the urbanized SR‑70 corridor and into Marysville–Linda; many hilltop and foothill sites depend on microwave backhaul, which can constrain capacity during peak times.
• Performance: Urban/suburban areas commonly see 80–120 Mbps median downloads on 5G with 5–15 Mbps uplink; foothill areas often experience 5–25 Mbps down with higher variability and more frequent signal drops.
• Public safety and resiliency: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage around Beale AFB and along primary corridors has improved rural signal reach; backup power at macro sites is uneven in the foothills, affecting service during extended outages or wildfires.

How Yuba County differs from the California average

• Higher mobile-only reliance: ~15% of households are mobile-only versus roughly single digits statewide; this reflects lower fixed-broadband availability/affordability in rural tracts and higher price sensitivity.
• More coverage variability: Strong 5G along the valley floor contrasts with patchier LTE and dead zones in the foothills; statewide urban counties have far denser mid-band 5G and small-cell buildouts.
• Slightly lower senior adoption: Smartphone adoption among residents 65+ trails large California metros by several percentage points, contributing to a larger age-based digital gap.
• Fixed broadband substitution: A larger share of households treat mobile service as their primary home connection, elevating data-plan importance and peak-hour congestion sensitivity compared with urban California.
• Investment timing: 5G mid-band rollouts arrive later outside the SR‑70 corridor, lagging urban California by about a year or more; capacity upgrades in foothill areas are paced by backhaul and siting constraints.

Key implications

• Mobile networks carry a disproportionate share of home internet use in Yuba County; plan affordability, data allowances, and rural coverage upgrades have outsized impact on digital inclusion.
• Seniors and foothill residents are the most at risk of digital exclusion; targeted device training, signal enhancements, and fixed-wireless options could narrow gaps.
• Continued mid-band 5G deployment plus fiber/backhaul expansion beyond the valley floor would materially reduce performance disparities within the county.

Sources and methods

• Figures reflect the latest available public data circa 2023–2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS S2801: device and internet subscription indicators, population/households), FCC Broadband Data Collection (mobile coverage and technology by census block), the California Public Utilities Commission’s broadband mapping program, and national mobile adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research). Where user counts are not directly published at the county level, estimates are derived by applying ACS-reported device/subscription rates to Yuba County’s population and household totals.

Yuba County, CA — social media usage snapshot (2025) Scope and method: County-level, adult (18+) estimates modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform adoption rates, adjusted for a rural–suburban county profile, and anchored to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 population. Percentages are share of adults; margin of error ±3–5 percentage points.

Audience size

• Residents: ~83,000 (ACS 2023)
• Adults (18+): ~61,000
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~48,000–51,000 (78–83%)

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 71%
• Instagram: 44%
• Pinterest: 31%
• TikTok: 32%
• Snapchat: 26%
• WhatsApp: 22%
• X (Twitter): 20%
• LinkedIn: 18%
• Nextdoor: 12%

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–29: Heavy on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; Facebook used but less central for content creation.
  • 30–49: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram dominate; noticeable but moderate TikTok use.
  • 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram is secondary; TikTok usage present but limited.
  • 65+: Facebook remains primary; YouTube for tutorials/news; minimal use of TikTok/Snapchat.
• Gender (among adult users)
  • Women: Higher use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong engagement with local groups and Marketplace.
  • Men: Higher use of YouTube, X, Reddit (smaller base); gaming, tech, and sports content more common.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and local pages (city, county, schools, public safety) are the primary hubs for local news, events, and lost-and-found; Nextdoor use exists but is secondary to Facebook.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace is widely used for buying/selling and service referrals; local business pages function as de facto websites.
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) drives discovery; how-to and service explainer videos perform well on YouTube.
• Messaging as infrastructure: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp adoption is meaningful in multilingual and extended-family networks.
• Mobile, evening peaks: Usage is predominantly mobile; engagement commonly peaks early morning and 6–9 p.m., with weekend surges around events and sports.
• Trust and recommendations: Word-of-mouth via groups and comments strongly influences local purchasing; creator/influencer impact is modest unless hyperlocal.
• Public-sector presence: Agencies and schools lean on Facebook for alerts and engagement; emergency updates travel fastest through shares in local groups.

Notes

• Figures are modeled county estimates; platform totals exceed 100% because users are active on multiple platforms.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult adoption by platform and demographics)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023, Yuba County population and age structure