Cook County

Cook County, Illinois — key demographics (latest available, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 1-year; figures rounded)

• Population: ~5.1 million
• Age:
  • Median age: ~37–38
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~16%
• Sex:
  • Female: ~51–52%
  • Male: ~48–49%
• Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive; sums ~100%):
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~26–27%
  • Non-Hispanic White: ~40–42%
  • Non-Hispanic Black: ~23–24%
  • Non-Hispanic Asian: ~8%
  • Non-Hispanic multiracial/other: ~2–3%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~1.95–2.0 million
  • Average household size: ~2.6
  • Family households: ~60% of households
  • Average family size: ~3.2–3.3
  • Households with children under 18: ~28–30%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 1-year (tables DP02/DP05). If you need exact point estimates and margins of error or a specific year/5‑year dataset, say the word and I’ll provide them.

Cook County, IL — estimated email usage (2024):

• Users: ~4.2–4.6 million residents use email regularly. Basis: ~5.1M population, high urban internet adoption (ACS broadband subscription ~85–90%) and near‑universal email use among internet users (Pew/industry ≈90–95%).
• Age distribution (approx. share of email users):
  • 13–17: 7%
  • 18–34: 30%
  • 35–54: 33%
  • 55–64: 13%
  • 65+: 17% Rationale: county age mix (ACS) with slightly lower adoption among 65+ than younger groups (Pew).
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male among users, mirroring county demographics; email adoption differences by gender are minimal.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription ~mid‑ to high‑80s percent; device access >90% of households have a computer; 15–20% are smartphone‑only (ACS).
  • Fiber and 5G coverage expanding (AT&T Fiber, Xfinity, Astound; T‑Mobile/Verizon 5G Home). North Side/suburbs show >90% subscription; some South/West Side areas remain <70% (local digital‑divide analyses).
  • Programs: Chicago Connected and Digital Equity Council have boosted low‑income student/family access.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ~5,400 people/sq mi (Cook land area ~945 sq mi), supporting strong ISP competition and public Wi‑Fi (e.g., 80+ Chicago Public Library branches) and robust 4G/5G in transit corridors.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, Pew Research Center, FCC/former NTIA reports, City of Chicago digital equity initiatives.

Summary Cook County (home to Chicago) is a highly mobile-first market with broad 5G coverage, high smartphone adoption, and dense small‑cell infrastructure. Compared with Illinois overall, Cook shows higher reliance on smartphones as the primary internet connection, greater prepaid/MVNO usage, and more pronounced affordability-driven gaps despite generally better network availability and speeds.

User estimates (2024-ish order of magnitude)

• Adult smartphone users: roughly 3.5–3.8 million (about 5.1M residents total; ~4.0–4.2M adults; ~85–90% smartphone ownership among adults).
• Household reliance on mobile for home internet: about 18–22% of households primarily or exclusively use cellular data/smartphones at home (≈350k–430k of ~1.9–2.0M households). This share is higher than Illinois statewide, where mobile-only reliance is closer to mid‑teens.
• 5G availability: population coverage >95% from all three national carriers; mid‑band 5G is widespread in the city and inner suburbs. Median mobile speeds in Cook tend to exceed the statewide median due to urban densification and abundant mid‑band spectrum, though congestion hot spots exist.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Near‑universal adoption among under‑50 adults; seniors (65+) show lower adoption (roughly 70–80%) and lower 5G plan uptake. Cook’s senior adoption is slightly higher than the state average thanks to urban programs and device support, but the app literacy gap is wider.
• Income: Low‑income households are more likely to be smartphone‑only for internet access. In Cook, affordability (not availability) is the main barrier; this contrasts with rural parts of Illinois where infrastructure availability remains a bigger constraint.
• Race/ethnicity: Black and Latino residents in Cook are notably more likely to be smartphone‑only users than White residents, mirroring national patterns but at higher local rates. This contributes to strong usage of OTT messaging (e.g., WhatsApp) and prepaid plans.
• Language/immigrant communities: Cook’s large multilingual population (roughly a third speak a language other than English at home) correlates with heavy use of messaging apps, international calling bundles, and MVNOs that target specific communities.
• Plan types: Prepaid/MVNO penetration (Metro, Cricket, Boost, Visible, etc.) is higher than the Illinois average, driven by price sensitivity, flexible credit requirements, and dense retail footprints in the city.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Network density: Extensive macro sites plus thousands of small cells across downtown, the Near North/West Sides, major corridors (CTA/Metra), stadiums, O’Hare/Midway, and suburban commercial clusters. mmWave 5G is concentrated in the Loop, tourist areas, and venues; mid‑band (2.5/3.45/3.7 GHz) underpins most performance gains countywide.
• Backhaul and core: Robust metro fiber and one of the nation’s largest data center clusters (Elk Grove Village/Franklin Park) provide ample backhaul and low latency—an advantage over many downstate markets.
• Coverage quality: Near‑ubiquitous LTE/5G outdoors; main pain points are indoor penetration in older high‑rises, along some rail cuts/underpasses, and event‑driven congestion on the Lakefront and in stadium districts.
• Public connectivity: Libraries, schools, and community groups distribute hotspots and offer digital skills support; “Chicago Connected” expanded wireline options but mobile hotspots remain a safety net for many households.
• Emergency and enterprise: Strong FirstNet/public-safety footprints and private LTE/CBRS pilots around ports, logistics centers, and large campuses differentiate the urban core from most of the state.

How Cook County trends differ from Illinois statewide

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: A larger share of Cook households depend on mobile data as their primary home internet compared with the state average.
• Affordability vs availability: In Cook, affordability and device access drive the digital divide; downstate, physical availability and speed tiers are bigger issues.
• Faster, denser 5G: Cook enjoys more small cells, broader mid‑band 5G, and higher median speeds than the state overall (which is pulled down by rural performance).
• Greater prepaid/MVNO usage: Urban demographics and retail density translate into higher prepaid share than the statewide mix.
• Heavier transit-driven mobility: Peak loads align with CTA/Metra corridors and downtown daytime population spikes—usage patterns less pronounced elsewhere in Illinois.
• More pronounced demographic gradients: Racial/ethnic and income-based smartphone‑only patterns are stronger in Cook, even as overall coverage is better than most of the state.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Estimates synthesize recent ACS data on device/Internet access (county vs state), Pew Research mobile adoption patterns, FCC coverage filings, and urban speed/coverage reporting. Figures are rounded ranges to reflect year-to-year and sub‑county variation.

Here’s a concise, local-first snapshot. Because county-level social data isn’t published in a single official source, figures below use Cook County’s population plus best-available U.S. benchmarks (Pew Research Center 2024; DataReportal 2024) and urban adjustments. Treat numbers as directional estimates.

User stats

• Population baseline: ≈5.1M residents (Cook County). Adults (18+): ≈4.0M.
• Estimated social media users (all ages): ≈3.6–3.9M (about 72–75% of residents).
• Multi-platform behavior: Typical users maintain 5–7 active platforms; short‑form video is the dominant format across ages.

Most-used platforms (share of U.S. adults; Cook County urban rates generally track these; local adult user counts in parentheses, applying to ≈4.0M adults)

• YouTube: 83% (3.3M)
• Facebook: 68% (2.7M)
• Instagram: 47% (1.9M)
• Pinterest: 35% (1.4M)
• TikTok: 33% (1.3M)
• Snapchat: 30% (1.2M)
• LinkedIn: 30% (1.2M; strong in central-city professional corridors)
• WhatsApp: 26% (1.0M; over-indexes in Hispanic and immigrant communities)
• Also used: X/Twitter and Reddit (~20–22% each; ~0.8–0.9M)

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): Very high usage; YouTube ~95%; TikTok and Snapchat ~60–70%; Instagram ~60%+. Prefer short-form video, creators, DMs/private groups.
• 18–29: Near-universal YouTube; Instagram ~75–80%; TikTok and Snapchat ~60–65%; Facebook lower than older groups.
• 30–49: YouTube strong; Facebook ~70%+; Instagram ~55–60%; TikTok ~40%; LinkedIn meaningful for work/industry networking.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram ~30%; TikTok mid‑20% range.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube majority; other platforms limited but growing slowly.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user mix mirrors county population: roughly 51% women, 49% men.
• Platform skews:
  • Women: higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong community-group participation and local shopping discovery.
  • Men: higher on YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter, LinkedIn.
  • WhatsApp usage is high across genders in Spanish-speaking and immigrant networks.

Behavioral trends in Cook County

• Local-first engagement: Heavy use of Facebook Groups, neighborhood pages, and Nextdoor for safety, services, schools, and hyperlocal news; active Chicago-focused subreddits.
• Video-forward discovery: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive dining, events, and neighborhood spot discovery; YouTube for how‑to, sports, and longer explainers.
• Messaging as a hub: Instagram DMs and WhatsApp for customer service, community coordination, and peer-to-peer commerce; bilingual (English/Spanish) groups are common.
• Events and seasons matter: Peaks around major sports (Bears, Bulls, Cubs/Sox, Blackhawks), festival season, weather events, and elections; spikes for breaking local news.
• Commerce: Strong social-to-store pathways for restaurants, beauty, fitness, and local retail; influencers/creators with neighborhood credibility outperform broad national content.

Data notes

• Benchmarks primarily from Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024) and DataReportal (Digital 2024: USA) applied to Cook County population and urban patterns. County-specific platform counts are modeled estimates, not direct platform-reported uniques.