Lake County

Lake County, Illinois — key demographics

Population size

• 714,342 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years (2020)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3% (2020)

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

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~54.4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~22.0%
• Black or African American alone: ~7.4%
• Asian alone: ~7.2%
• Two or more races: ~6–7%

Household data

• Persons per household: ~2.8 (ACS 2018–2022)
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~72–73% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Renter-occupied: ~27–28% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Family households: ~70% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Households with children under 18: ~33% (ACS 2018–2022)

• Scope: Lake County, Illinois (population ~714,000; density ~1,600 residents per sq mi; 2020 Census).
• Digital access (ACS 2022): ~95% of households have a computer; ~92% have a broadband subscription—above national averages, indicating strong baseline connectivity.
• Estimated email users: ~540,000 residents (primarily ages 13+), reflecting near‑universal email adoption among internet users.
• Gender split of email users: 51% female (275k), 49% male (265k), mirroring population; usage rates are effectively parity by gender.
• Age distribution of email users (est.):
  • 13–17: ~7%
  • 18–34: ~24%
  • 35–49: ~25%
  • 50–64: ~26%
  • 65+: ~18% Adoption remains 90%+ for most adult brackets, tapering modestly among 65+, so the user mix closely tracks the adult population.
• Trends and insights:
  • High broadband and device availability support heavy email reliance for work, school, and services.
  • Suburban/metro integration with the Chicago region and multiple fixed-wireline and mobile providers sustain robust access and redundancy.
  • Digital divide is relatively narrow compared with state/nation, with older adults the most likely nonusers but still exhibiting strong adoption.

Mobile phone usage in Lake County, Illinois (2023–2024 snapshot)

Quick profile

• Population: ~720–730k residents; ~245–255k households; median household income ≈ $100k+
• Urban-suburban county in the Chicago metro, with dense corridors along I‑94/US‑41 and more exurban areas in the northwest

User estimates (phones and connectivity)

• Adult smartphone users: roughly 490k–520k (about 87–92% of adults), slightly higher than the Illinois share
• Households with at least one smartphone: ~93–95% in Lake County vs ~90–92% statewide
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed home broadband): ~8–10% in Lake County vs ~12–15% statewide (lower reliance on mobile-only in Lake County)
• Wireless-only voice (no landline): ~70–75% of households in Lake County vs ~75–78% statewide (Lake County skews slightly lower given older, higher-income homeowners maintaining bundled fixed services)

Demographic breakdown (directional differences vs Illinois)

• Age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone ownership (≈97–99%); smartphone-only internet use ≈12–16% (lower than statewide due to strong fixed broadband availability)
  • 65+: smartphone ownership ≈80–85% in Lake County vs ≈75–80% statewide; smartphone-only ≈4–6% vs ≈6–8% statewide
• Income and tenure
  • <$35k: smartphone-only ≈20–25% (still below comparable statewide levels given county programs and cable/fiber coverage)
  • ≥$100k: smartphone-only ≈3–5% (materially below statewide)
  • Renters: higher smartphone-only reliance than owners, but below statewide renter rates
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic and Black households: higher smartphone-only reliance than the county average (≈14–18%), yet still a few points below statewide figures for the same groups
  • White and Asian households: lower smartphone-only reliance (≈6–8%) than statewide peers

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and spectrum
  • 4G LTE is effectively ubiquitous outdoors in populated areas
  • 5G mid-band (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz; Verizon/AT&T C‑band 3.7–3.98 GHz) broadly covers the I‑94/US‑41 corridor, major suburbs (e.g., Gurnee, Libertyville, Vernon Hills), and Metra corridors; coverage thins in far northwestern townships and forest preserves
• Speeds and capacity (typical user experience)
  • Built-up areas: median 5G downloads commonly 120–200 Mbps, uplinks 10–25 Mbps; LTE fallback in edge areas often 25–60 Mbps down
  • Indoor service can weaken around lakefront ravines/bluffs and heavy tree cover near forest preserves; small-cell densification mitigates this in commercial zones
• Fixed wireless and substitution
  • Verizon 5G Home and T‑Mobile Home Internet are widely marketable in the southern/eastern half of the county; adoption is meaningful in renter and lower-income tracts but constrained in fiber/cable-heavy neighborhoods
• Wireline backstop (why mobile-only is lower here)
  • Extensive DOCSIS cable (Comcast) and expanding AT&T Fiber reduce dependence on smartphone-only access vs downstate counties
• Sites and densification
  • Dense macro grid along I‑94/I‑294 and US‑41 with CBRS and C‑band overlays; municipal small-cells in downtown/commercial areas (e.g., Waukegan, Vernon Hills, Deerfield)
  • Noted weak/dead zones: select forest preserves, lakefront bluffs from Highland Park to Lake Bluff, and pockets near the state line

How Lake County differs from the Illinois statewide pattern

• Higher smartphone penetration and overall mobile adoption, but notably lower smartphone-only dependence due to stronger fixed broadband availability and higher incomes
• Faster and more consistent 5G performance than downstate averages; closer to the Chicago metro profile with mid-band 5G widely deployed
• Slightly lower wireless-only voice share, reflecting more bundled home services among homeowners and older residents
• Digital divide persists geographically (Waukegan, North Chicago, Round Lake area) but is narrower than the statewide gap, with county programs and infrastructure mitigating mobile-only reliance

Notes on sources and timing: Figures reflect 2023–2024 synthesis of American Community Survey device/subscription indicators, FCC mobile coverage records, and major carrier 5G deployments observed across the Chicago metro. Numbers are provided as county-level estimates and contrasted with contemporaneous Illinois benchmarks.

Lake County, IL social media usage — short breakdown

Population baseline (for context)

• Total population: 714,342 (2020 Census)
• Adults (18+): ~550,000 (Census/ACS share of adults applied)
• Gender makeup: ~50.5% female, ~49.5% male (ACS)

Overall users

• Adult social media adoption: ~72% of adults (Pew Research Center, 2024). Applied to Lake County, that’s roughly 395,000 adult users.
• Teen usage (13–17) is near-universal nationally; local teen behavior will mirror national patterns.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of users; Pew 2024, reflective of Lake County)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: ~19%

Age-group patterns (local behavior aligns with national suburban trends)

• 13–17: Extremely high on YouTube; strong on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat; minimal Facebook.
• 18–29: YouTube dominant; Instagram and Snapchat very high; TikTok high; Facebook moderate; Reddit/X niche but notable.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook lead; Instagram solid; TikTok meaningful; LinkedIn and Pinterest above average (especially given Lake County’s professional workforce).
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest and LinkedIn moderate; Instagram/TikTok lower, Nextdoor higher.
• 65+: Facebook is the anchor; YouTube moderate; Nextdoor and Pinterest used for community and hobbies.

Gender breakdown

• County audience is roughly balanced (≈50/50).
• Platform skews:
  • Pinterest skews female (about half of U.S. women use it vs roughly one-fifth of men).
  • Instagram and Snapchat lean female.
  • Reddit, LinkedIn, and X lean male.
  • Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp are relatively balanced.

Behavioral trends specific to Lake County

• Community and local commerce: Heavy use of Facebook Groups/Marketplace for neighborhood buy–sell–trade, school/PTA, youth sports, and municipal updates; Nextdoor active in HOA-heavy suburbs for safety, services, and lost/found.
• Professional footprint: Presence of major employers (healthcare, pharma, finance, manufacturing) boosts LinkedIn usage and cross-posting of industry content; B2B and recruiting perform well.
• Bilingual engagement: Above-average WhatsApp adoption in Hispanic communities for family, church, and small business coordination; Spanish-language Facebook Pages/Groups show strong engagement.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the default for how-to, local reviews, and high school/club highlights; Instagram Reels and TikTok drive local trend discovery and dining/entertainment decisions among 18–34.
• Local discovery and trust: Residents rely on Facebook Groups/Nextdoor for contractor referrals, school/district news, park district events, and weather/road incidents; “neighbor proof” (comments and recommendations) strongly influences behavior.
• Events and seasonality: Spikes in engagement around school-year milestones, summer festivals/lakefront events, elections, and severe weather; weekend late-morning and weekday evening posting tends to see higher interaction for local pages.

Notes on method

• Percentages come from Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use report; counts are estimated by applying those rates to Lake County’s adult population (U.S. Census/ACS). Patterns reflect suburban counties with similar demographics.