Santa Rosa County

Santa Rosa County, Florida — key demographics

Population size

• 206,000 (estimate as of July 1, 2023)

Age

• Median age: ~40.3 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~50.2%
• Male: ~49.8%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; shares approximate)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~78%
• Black or African American: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7–8%
• Asian: ~2–3%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and other races combined: ~1–2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~75,000
• Persons per household: ~2.7
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78–79%

Key insights

• Fast-growing suburban county in the Pensacola metro; population up roughly 9% since 2020 and ~35% since 2010.
• Younger than Florida overall (state median age ~42–43), with a strong share of family households and high homeownership.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Population Estimates Program, July 1, 2023; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year).

Santa Rosa County, FL email usage (2024, modeled from ACS and Pew baselines)

• Estimated email users: ~150,000 adults (18+) use email regularly (≈92% of ~163,000 adults). Including teens (13–17), total users ≈160,000.
• Age distribution of users: 18–29 ≈18% (27k), 30–49 ≈34% (51k), 50–64 ≈28% (42k), 65+ ≈20% (30k). Adoption remains highest among 18–49 (96–99%), strong for 50–64 (92%), and high for 65+ (85%).
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male population; email penetration is nearly identical by gender, yielding ≈76k female and ≈74k male users.
• Digital access trends: ~94% of households have a computer; ~91% subscribe to home broadband; ~12–14% are smartphone‑only at home. Coastal communities (Navarre–Gulf Breeze–Pace/Milton corridor) have widespread cable/fiber; northern rural areas historically lag but are seeing new fiber builds. 5G coverage is strong along US‑98, US‑90, and SR‑87, reinforcing mobile email use.
• Local density/connectivity: Population density ≈195–200 people/sq mi, with most residents concentrated in Navarre, Pace/Milton, and Gulf Breeze—areas with the county’s highest connectivity and email engagement.

Santa Rosa County, FL: Mobile phone usage summary (2024)

Headline estimates

• Population base: ~205,000 residents; ~156,000 adults (18+)
• Mobile phone users: ~163,000 residents (≈97% of adults, plus most teens)
• Smartphone users: ~155,000 residents (≈92% of adults, ≈95% of teens 13–17)
• Wireless-only households (no landline voice): ~57,000 households, ≈75% of all households
• Smartphone-dependent internet users (no home broadband, use phone data only): 25,000 adults (16% of adults)

Demographic breakdown

• By age (ownership = share owning a smartphone)
  • 18–34: 97% smartphone; ≈43,700 users
  • 35–64: 92% smartphone; ≈75,400 users
  • 65+: 80% smartphone; ≈23,000 users
  • Teens 13–17: ~95% smartphone; ≈11,700 users
• Geography within the county
  • Highest density of users and data consumption along U.S. 90 (Milton–Pace) and U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze–Navarre), and the I‑10 corridor
  • Lower adoption of high-capacity 5G and more LTE reliance in the rural north (e.g., Jay, Allentown, Blackwater River State Forest edge communities)
• Income-linked usage
  • <$35k: ~85% smartphone ownership; heavier reliance on prepaid and smartphone-only internet
  • $35k–$100k: ~93% smartphone
  • $100k+: ~97% smartphone; highest multi-line, multi-device plans
• Language/segment nuance
  • Lower share of Spanish-first users than Florida overall, so Spanish-language support demand in retail and digital channels is notably below the state average

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE covers virtually all populated areas; practical population coverage ≥99%
  • 5G present from all three national carriers in and between Milton, Pace, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre, and along I‑10; mid-band 5G concentrated along major corridors and town centers; low-band 5G/LTE dominates northern rural zones
• Capacity and upgrades
  • C‑band (Verizon, AT&T) and n41 mid-band (T‑Mobile) upgrades concentrated 2022–2024 along I‑10, U.S. 90, U.S. 98, and school/commercial clusters; small‑cell infill near retail corridors and beach approaches
  • FirstNet (AT&T) public-safety coverage and hardening are material factors due to military/public safety presence
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
  • 5G/LTE home internet available to a large share of addresses south of I‑10; estimated ~7% of households use cellular FWA as primary home internet, higher than the Florida average due to patchy fiber in exurban/rural areas
• Noted weak spots/seasonal load
  • Intermittent performance in Blackwater River State Forest, agricultural north, and barrier island stretches (Gulf Islands National Seashore/Navarre Beach) during peak tourism; spring–summer tourism and school-year peaks drive noticeable cell congestion on U.S. 98

How Santa Rosa differs from Florida statewide

• Younger age mix: A smaller 65+ share (≈14% vs Florida ≈22%) results in higher overall smartphone penetration and lower basic‑phone retention
• Higher wireless-only adoption: Households without landlines are more common (~75% vs Florida ≈70%), reflecting younger families and military/professional households
• Greater FWA uptake: Estimated ~7% of households on cellular home internet vs lower statewide share; linked to rural/suburban buildout gaps
• Language/service mix: Lower Spanish-first user base than Florida, so demand for bilingual mobile support is below state norms
• Coverage pattern: More pronounced split between high-capacity 5G corridors (south/central) and LTE‑heavy rural north than seen in Florida’s larger metros with denser mid-band 5G grids

Operational insights

• Plan mix: Postpaid family plans, hotspot add‑ons, and multi‑device bundles index higher in suburban corridors; prepaid indexes higher in rural north
• Device mix: iOS share is high, but Android share is marginally higher in rural/price-sensitive segments; rugged devices and FirstNet-capable units see above-average adoption in public safety/military-adjacent users
• Network planning: Additional mid-band sectors and small cells along U.S. 98 (Navarre–Gulf Breeze) and U.S. 90 (Pace–Milton) would most effectively relieve seasonal congestion; northern census tracts benefit most from new macro coverage or microwave backhaul upgrades

Method and sources (for estimates)

• Population and age structure: 2020–2023 ACS/Census indicators for Santa Rosa County
• Device ownership and smartphone dependence rates: Pew Research Center adult and teen mobile adoption baselines, adjusted for local age/income mix
• Wireless-only households: CDC/NCHS wireless substitution rates applied to county household counts
• Coverage and FWA availability: FCC mobile coverage maps and carrier public 5G/FWA deployments in the Pensacola–Santa Rosa market, 2022–2024

All figures are point estimates built from the above public baselines and Santa Rosa’s demographic profile; they are intended for planning-grade accuracy.

Santa Rosa County, FL — social media usage snapshot (2025)

What this reflects

• County-specific platform usage is not directly published. Figures below use the latest U.S. adult platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center (2024) as the best proxy for Santa Rosa County’s largely suburban, family/military demographic. Insights align with observed behavior in comparable Florida Panhandle counties.

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults using each platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~20%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Nextdoor: ~20% These ranks/percentages closely mirror usage in suburban counties; Facebook and YouTube are entrenched utilities, with Instagram and TikTok growing fastest for discovery.

Age‑group usage patterns (how usage skews)

• 13–17: Heavy Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok; YouTube is near‑universal; Facebook is minimal except for marketplace/groups access via family.
• 18–29: YouTube is dominant; Instagram and Snapchat are core; TikTok is mainstream; Facebook is used but secondary; X/Reddit present for news/sports/gaming.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook lead; Instagram growing; TikTok adoption rising; LinkedIn relevant for career; Pinterest strong for home/DIY/parenting.
• 50–64: Facebook remains primary; YouTube strong for how‑to/news; Pinterest moderate; Instagram modest; TikTok usage present but lower.
• 65+: Facebook for family, community, and local news; YouTube for tutorials/streaming; limited Instagram/TikTok; Nextdoor/Neighborhood apps more common.

Gender breakdown (platform skews)

• Female over‑index: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (Pinterest especially).
• Male over‑index: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), Discord (gaming/tech communities).
• Minimal gender gap: TikTok and Snapchat among under‑35; WhatsApp varies more by language/community than gender.

Behavioral trends observed/relevant locally

• Community and civic engagement: Facebook Groups and Pages (schools, youth sports, churches, HOAs, local buy/sell, hurricane prep/response) drive recurring engagement; Nextdoor usage rises around public‑safety and neighborhood issues.
• Short‑form video growth: Instagram Reels and TikTok are key for local food, outdoor/recreation, real estate, and events; concise, captioned vertical video outperforms static posts.
• Marketplace and local commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a major channel for person‑to‑person sales; Instagram Shops and Stories drive discovery for boutiques and service providers.
• News and emergencies: Facebook and YouTube livestreams from local outlets and government accounts dominate during severe weather; residents follow county/city pages for alerts and road/utility updates.
• Messaging and groups: Private group chats (Messenger, WhatsApp) coordinate family, church, and team activities; Snapchat remains the default for teen communication.
• Ad responsiveness: Best performance from hyper‑local targeting within the Pensacola MSA, map‑pin radius buys, and event‑based boosts; video creative with location cues (landmarks, beaches, schools) outperforms generic branding.
• Time‑of‑day patterns: Peaks before work/school (6:30–8:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend afternoons favor family/event content.
• Device behavior: Mobile‑first consumption; YouTube and Facebook Watch used on connected TVs in the evening for longer content.
• Trust and verification: Local audiences prioritize posts from known community figures/pages; content with clear sourcing and on‑the‑ground visuals gets higher engagement, especially during storms.

Key takeaways for Santa Rosa County

• Reach: YouTube and Facebook provide broadest adult reach; Instagram and TikTok are essential for under‑40 discovery.
• Community: Facebook Groups/Marketplace are the backbone for local interaction and commerce.
• Creative: Short, captioned vertical video with local context wins across platforms.
• Targeting: Hyper‑local and event‑timed posts outperform broad, always‑on messaging.

Source note: Platform percentages are from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult social media usage findings; local behavioral patterns reflect suburban Florida Panhandle norms and documented platform features/uses.