Jefferson County

Key demographics – Jefferson County, Colorado Source: U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 2023 1-year unless noted; 2020 Decennial Census for the 2020 population count)

Population

• 2023 estimate: ~583,000
• 2020 Census: 582,910

Age

• Median age: ~40.5 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Sex

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Race and ethnicity

• Non-Hispanic White: ~70%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~17%
• Asian: ~4%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~7%

Households and families

• Households: ~236,000
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~59% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~29% (about 11% age 65+ living alone)
• Housing tenure: ~69% owner-occupied, ~31% renter-occupied

Insights

• The county skews slightly older than the state overall, with a median age around 40–41.
• A majority non-Hispanic White population with a sizable Hispanic community (~17%).
• Predominantly family households, but nearly three in ten households are individuals living alone.

• Estimated email users: ~460,000 residents (age 13+) in Jefferson County, CO.
• By age (share of email users; approximate counts):
  • 13–17: 6–7% (~30,000)
  • 18–29: 18% (84,000)
  • 30–49: 33% (150,000)
  • 50–64: 23% (107,000)
  • 65+: 20% (90,000)
• Gender split among email users: 51% women (235,000) and 49% men (225,000).
• Digital access and usage context:
  • Households with a computer: ~95%.
  • Households with a broadband internet subscription: ~91%.
  • High adoption of email among working-age adults (mid-90% usage rates), with slightly lower adoption among 65+ (mid-80%).
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density is roughly 750–770 residents per square mile, concentrated in the eastern urban/suburban corridor (Arvada, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden).
  • Mountainous western areas have sparser wireline options, increasing reliance on mobile broadband; the urban east has extensive cable/fiber coverage and strong public Wi‑Fi availability (libraries, campuses, and municipal facilities).

Notes: Estimates combine Jefferson County demographic structure (ACS) with contemporary U.S. email adoption rates by age and gender to infer local usage.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Jefferson County, Colorado (Jeffco) shows very high adoption and heavy 5G utilization in the suburban Front Range, paired with persistent coverage gaps in the western foothills. Compared with statewide patterns, Jeffco users are slightly older and more suburban, yielding lower “cellular-only” home internet reliance than the state average but stronger mid‑band 5G availability and higher daytime network load along commuter corridors.

User estimates (2024)

• Population and households: About 585,000 residents and roughly 240,000 households.
• Unique smartphone users: Approximately 476,000 residents use smartphones (about 82% of the total population and roughly 90% of adults 18+).
• Age-based counts (rounded):
  • 13–17: 33,000 users
  • 18–34: 125,000 users
  • 35–54: 150,000 users
  • 55–64: 62,000 users
  • 65+: 91,000 users
  • Children under 13 with a smartphone: ~15,000
• Multi-device use: A substantial minority carry multiple mobile devices (phone + watch/tablet), with multi-device ownership concentrated in higher‑income households common in eastern Jeffco cities.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Jeffco is older than Colorado overall (median age ~40 vs ~37 statewide). As a result, smartphone adoption among seniors is slightly lower than the state average, but the absolute number of older users is large. Estimated smartphone adoption by age:
  • 18–34: ~97%
  • 35–54: ~95%
  • 55–64: ~88%
  • 65+: ~78%
• Income and education: Higher median household income and higher educational attainment than the statewide average correlate with:
  • More consistent smartphone ownership across most groups
  • More multi‑device households
  • Lower reliance on smartphones as the only home internet connection than the state overall
• Race and ethnicity: Jeffco’s Hispanic community (mid‑teens share of residents) shows high smartphone adoption comparable to peers statewide, with above‑average use of mobile data for home connectivity in lower‑income tracts. Digital equity programs and library Wi‑Fi see strong utilization in these areas.
• Geography within the county:
  • Eastern urban/suburban cities (Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Golden core, Edgewater, parts of Littleton) have near‑ubiquitous 5G coverage and higher median speeds.
  • Western foothills and canyons (Evergreen, Conifer, Coal Creek, Golden Gate) have pronounced signal shadowing and more frequent fallback to LTE or satellite; Wi‑Fi calling is commonly used at home.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G availability: All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide extensive 5G across the eastern half of the county. Mid‑band 5G (Verizon C‑band, AT&T C‑band/3.45 GHz, T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz) is widely deployed along major corridors: I‑70, C‑470, US‑6, US‑285, CO‑93, Wadsworth, Kipling, and Colfax.
• Typical performance:
  • Urban/suburban Jeffco: Median 5G downloads commonly 180–300 Mbps with low‑double‑digit ms latency; LTE fallback typically 30–80 Mbps.
  • Foothills/canyon areas: 5G often unavailable; LTE coverage can drop below 10–20 Mbps or be intermittent in steep terrain and narrow valleys.
• Capacity and densification: Small‑cell nodes and upgraded macro sites are concentrated in Lakewood and Arvada commercial corridors and around campuses and entertainment districts, reflecting commuter and weekend peaks. This densification is more advanced than much of rural Colorado.
• Backhaul and resilience: Fiber backhaul is robust throughout the eastern county, supporting higher 5G capacity than many non‑Front‑Range counties; however, single‑threaded routes into some foothills sites reduce resiliency during wildfire or winter weather events.
• Public safety and coverage gaps: Coverage is strong on I‑70 and C‑470 with dedicated public safety enhancements, but dead zones persist in canyons (e.g., Golden Gate, Coal Creek, Deer Creek). Drive‑test data and resident reports align on the need for additional sites or microwave fills in these areas.
• Fixed wireless home internet: 5G FWA is widely available in the eastern suburbs; availability drops in the foothills where line‑of‑sight and backhaul constraints limit offers. This contrasts with parts of rural Colorado where FWA is often a primary broadband option.
• Public access points: Libraries, schools, and municipal Wi‑Fi in city centers play a notable role for homework and work‑from‑home backup; utilization spikes coincide with ACP/Lifeline enrollment fluctuations and economic cycles.

How Jeffco differs from statewide trends

• Higher mid‑band 5G coverage and capacity than the state average due to dense suburban buildout, but also sharper terrain‑driven shadowing in the foothills than most Colorado counties outside the Front Range foothills.
• Slightly lower share of “smartphone‑only” home internet households than Colorado overall, attributable to higher incomes and better fixed broadband in the eastern county.
• Older age structure than the state average depresses senior smartphone adoption slightly, yet total senior smartphone users are high, driving demand for accessibility features and telehealth.
• Heavier weekday commuter loads along I‑70, C‑470, and major arterials cause pronounced peak‑hour cell congestion patterns not seen in many rural counties.

Method and sources

• Population, households, and age structure from recent ACS/Census estimates for Jefferson County.
• Smartphone adoption rates by age derived from current national research (e.g., Pew) applied to Jeffco’s age mix to produce local counts.
• Coverage and performance synthesized from carrier public 5G footprints, Denver metro speed test trends, FCC data, and known topography and corridor effects in Jeffco.

These figures are rounded to reflect available data and should be interpreted as county‑level estimates anchored to the latest public datasets and observed network deployments.

Jefferson County, CO — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

Core user stats

• Total population: ~585,000; adults (18+): ~460,000
• Any social media: 72% of adults (330,000 users)
• Broadband/internet access is high for a suburban Front Range county, supporting above‑average multi‑platform usage and video consumption

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults; estimated adult users in Jeffco)

• YouTube: 83% (~382,000)
• Facebook: 68% (~313,000)
• Instagram: 47% (~216,000)
• Pinterest: 35% (~161,000)
• TikTok: 33% (~152,000)
• Snapchat: 30% (~138,000)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~138,000)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~133,000)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~101,000)
• Reddit: 22% (~101,000)

Age patterns

• 18–29: Near‑universal social media use; Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat lead for daily engagement; Facebook is present but secondary; video‑first and creator content dominate
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube anchor usage; Instagram widely used; TikTok moderate; LinkedIn strong for career networking
• 50–64: Facebook remains primary; YouTube important for news/how‑to; Pinterest popular for home, food, and outdoor planning
• 65+: Facebook is the default network; YouTube used for tutorials/news; neighborhood apps (for example, Nextdoor) used for local updates

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media usage is near parity by gender
• Platform skews: Pinterest skews female; Facebook slightly female‑leaning; Instagram near parity; TikTok slight female tilt; YouTube, Reddit, and X skew male; LinkedIn skews male among non‑retired cohorts

Behavioral trends in Jefferson County

• Strong community orientation: high participation in Facebook Groups and neighborhood apps for wildfire/air quality updates, school district news, road and trail conditions, and public safety
• Outdoor and family lifestyle content over‑indexes: hiking, skiing, parks, pets, and local events perform best on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
• Short‑form vertical video is the engagement driver: Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts see the highest completion and share rates; TikTok growth continues among 18–34
• Local discovery matters: residents use Instagram and Facebook for small‑business discovery (food, home services, fitness), and LinkedIn for professional networking across the west Denver corridor
• Daypart patterns: engagement peaks before work, mid‑evening, and weekend mornings; weekday lunch windows perform well for quick video and Stories

Notes on methodology

• Figures combine the county’s adult population with the latest U.S. platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center to produce localized estimates; platform percentages shown are nationally benchmarked “ever use” rates applied to Jefferson County’s adult base.