New London County

Key demographics — New London County, Connecticut

• Population size

  • 268,555 (2020 Census)

• Age (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Median age: ~42 years
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 18 to 64: ~61%
  • 65 and over: ~19%

• Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%

• Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; Hispanic can be of any race)

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
  • Black or African American: ~6%
  • Asian: ~4%
  • Two or more races: ~6%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and Other: ~1%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~11%

• Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Households: ~108,000
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~61% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~46% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~27%
  • Tenure: ~67% owner-occupied, ~33% renter-occupied

Insights

• Older-than-national age profile, with about one in five residents 65+.
• Majority owner-occupied housing and predominantly family households.
• Increasing racial/ethnic diversity, with notable Hispanic and multiracial shares.

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

• Scope: New London County, Connecticut (pop. ≈269,000; ≈108,000 households; land ≈665 sq mi; density ≈400 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈198,000 adults (about 92% of the ≈215,000 adults), reflecting near‑universal adoption in Connecticut.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 18–34: ≈28%
  • 35–54: ≈35%
  • 55–64: ≈16%
  • 65+: ≈21%
• Gender split among users: ≈51% women, 49% men, mirroring the county’s population mix.
• Digital access and trends (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Households with a computer: ≈93%
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ≈89% (≈96,000 households), up over the last several years.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ≈13%, indicating most residents have fixed broadband plus mobile access.
• Connectivity facts:
  • Most populated tracts (New London, Norwich, Groton, Waterford) have multiple fixed broadband options; 100+ Mbps plans are common, with ongoing fiber build‑outs improving speeds and reliability.
  • The I‑95 corridor and clustered employment centers contribute to strong network infrastructure relative to rural New England counties.

Insights: Email usage is effectively mainstream across all ages, with the only notable drop‑off among seniors. High computer ownership and broadband penetration sustain consistent daily email access across the county.

Summary of mobile phone usage in New London County, Connecticut

Scope and method

• Figures combine 2020 Census counts for New London County (population ≈ 268,555) with the most recent publicly reported adoption rates from Pew Research (2023–2024), CDC/NCHS wireless-only household rates, FCC carrier coverage disclosures, and Connecticut infrastructure developments through 2024. Where county-specific measurements are not directly published, estimates are scaled to local age/income mix and settlement patterns within the county.

User estimates

• Total mobile phone users: ≈ 210,000–225,000 (about 78–84% of the total population), reflecting near-universal adult phone ownership and high teen adoption.
• Smartphone users: ≈ 195,000–205,000 (roughly 88–90% of adults, plus most teens).
• Wireless-only households (no landline): ≈ 70–75% of households in the county, slightly above Connecticut’s overall rate due to a larger share of lower-income and younger-renter households in New London, Norwich, and Groton.
• Prepaid vs. postpaid: Prepaid lines are materially higher than the state average—≈ 22–28% of active lines countywide (vs. ~18–22% statewide)—driven by income mix and transient populations (students, military, hospitality workers).

Demographic breakdown of usage (county-skewed estimates)

• By age (smartphone ownership among adults):
  • 18–29: ~96–98%
  • 30–49: ~93–95%
  • 50–64: ~85–88%
  • 65+: ~72–78% (slightly lower than the state average because the county’s 65+ share is a bit higher than Connecticut overall)
• By income:
  • Households under $50k: high phone ownership but lower premium-plan penetration; prepaid usage ≥ 30% in census tracts with concentrated economic hardship (parts of New London and Norwich).
  • $50k–$100k: broad smartphone saturation; mixed prepaid/postpaid.
  • $100k+: predominantly postpaid with multi-line unlimited and add‑on device ecosystems (watches, tablets).
• By community segment (directional differences from statewide):
  • Military/veterans (Groton/New London): above-average take-up of discounted postpaid plans; high device churn and secondary device attachment (watches, tablets).
  • Tribal communities and casino workforce (Ledyard/Uncasville): heavy peak-hour usage; strong indoor coverage reliance; prepaid share above state average.
  • Rural eastern towns (Lyme, Salem, Voluntown, North Stonington, Bozrah, Franklin, Sprague): ownership comparable, but more signal variability; greater use of Wi‑Fi calling.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology:
  • 4G LTE is ubiquitous along the I‑95 and I‑395 corridors and in the New London–Groton–Norwich urban triangle.
  • 5G coverage: broadly available from all three national carriers; mid‑band 5G is strong along the shoreline, I‑95, Groton–New London–Norwich, and major venues; it becomes spottier in low-density eastern and northern towns.
  • Indoor capacity: large venues (Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, hospitals, higher ed campuses, and the naval base) rely on multi-carrier DAS/indoor systems to handle peak loads.
• Performance:
  • Median 5G/4G download speeds in the county trail Fairfield and central Hartford corridors but exceed many rural New England peers; speeds dip in older-building downtowns and wooded valleys inland.
  • Uplink and latency improved materially in 2023–2024 with C‑Band (Verizon), 2.5 GHz mid‑band (T‑Mobile), and 3.45 GHz deployments (AT&T), especially along I‑95 and population centers.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Frontier’s fiber buildouts across southeastern CT (2022–2024) and municipal/utility fiber in Groton/Norwich have expanded backhaul options, enabling denser 5G nodes and small cells in coastal and urban tracts.
  • Rural backhaul constraints persist in far‑eastern towns, limiting small-cell economics and leaving macro sites to do more work.
• Notable coverage constraints:
  • Terrain and tree cover east/north of Norwich create dead zones and indoor attenuation; residents frequently rely on Wi‑Fi calling.
  • Seasonal load spikes: beaches, casinos, and tourist traffic create weekend/summer congestion that is more pronounced than the CT average.

How New London County trends differ from the Connecticut statewide picture

• Slightly lower senior smartphone adoption and higher wireless-only household share than the state average because of the county’s age and income mix.
• Higher prepaid penetration and more Android skew in lower-income tracts; Fairfield and many Hartford-area suburbs skew more postpaid/premium.
• Greater variability between dense coastal/urban nodes (strong mid‑band 5G and indoor systems) and rural inland towns (coverage gaps), producing a wider intra-county performance spread than typical in central and western CT.
• More extreme peak-demand patterns tied to casinos, naval/military activity, and summer tourism compared with most other counties.
• Faster recent capacity gains from mid‑band 5G and added backhaul than the state average in the coastal corridor, but slower uniformity inland due to siting and backhaul economics.

Bottom-line insights

• Mobile adoption is effectively universal among working-age adults and teens; seniors are the primary group with remaining adoption headroom.
• The county’s distinct mix—military, tribal gaming, tourism, and rural pockets—creates sharper swings in capacity demand and a larger coastal–inland performance gap than the Connecticut norm.
• Continued fiber backhaul expansion and targeted small-cell deployments in inland towns are the highest-leverage moves to close the remaining coverage and performance gaps.

Social media usage in New London County, CT (short breakdown)

Headline user stats

• Population base: ~266,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 est.). Adults (18+): ~215,000.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~177,000 (≈82% of adults, modeled from Pew Research Center U.S. adoption).
• Teens 13–17 using social: ~14,700 (≈95% adoption applied to local cohort).
• Total residents using social media (13+): ~192,000.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated local adoption; Pew 2024 U.S. rates applied to county adult population)

• YouTube: 83% (~178,000 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~146,000)
• Instagram: 47% (~101,000)
• TikTok: 33% (~71,000)
• Pinterest: 35% (~75,000)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~65,000)
• Snapchat: 27% (~58,000)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~47,000)
• Reddit: 22% (~47,000)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~45,000)
• Nextdoor: 13% (~28,000) Note: YouTube is counted as a social platform per Pew’s classification.

Age groups (share of local social media users; estimated from county age mix plus platform adoption patterns)

• 13–17: ~8% of users; heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; messaging-first behaviors.
• 18–29: ~18%; TikTok, Instagram, YouTube dominant; high creator and Stories/Reels activity; social search common.
• 30–49: ~34%; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube mix; strong use of Facebook Groups/Marketplace; event and family content.
• 50–64: ~22%; Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest; news, local groups, how-to video; lower TikTok adoption but rising.
• 65+: ~18%; Facebook and YouTube core; growing Nextdoor use; highest engagement with local news and municipal pages.

Gender breakdown

• Overall: ~51% women, ~49% men (county sex ratio applied to user base).
• Platform skews: Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest lean female; Reddit and X lean male; YouTube slightly male; LinkedIn relatively balanced but tilts male in usage intensity.

Behavioral trends (local patterns)

• Facebook is the community hub: high participation in town groups (New London, Norwich, Groton, Waterford, East Lyme, Stonington), school and storm updates, local news, and Marketplace resale.
• Short‑form video rules reach: Reels/TikTok outperform static posts for restaurants, tourism (Mystic area, shoreline), events, and small retail.
• Daypart engagement: peaks on weekdays 7–9 pm and 12–1 pm; weekends late morning to early afternoon; weather events and school alerts drive spikes.
• Local discovery: Instagram and TikTok drive decisions on where to eat, shop, and visit; hashtags and geo-tags (e.g., Mystic, Ocean Beach, casinos) boost visibility.
• Messaging-first service: Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and Snapchat used for quick inquiries and bookings; fast replies materially improve conversion.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups are heavily used; porch-pickup culture is common.
• Professional/recruiting: LinkedIn notable for defense/maritime and healthcare hiring (Groton/Electric Boat, USCG, hospitals); practical thought leadership outperforms brand-only posts.
• Trust and civics: Local newsrooms, municipalities, police/fire pages get strong comment activity; accuracy and timeliness affect sharing behavior.

Method and sources

• Estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult platform adoption rates to New London County’s adult population (U.S. Census Bureau 2023). Teen adoption aligned to Pew’s teen usage benchmarks. County gender split applied from Census.