Mclean County

McLean County, Illinois — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 170,954 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~170,800 (U.S. Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~32 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Gender

• Female: ~50.8%
• Male: ~49.2%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, not Hispanic: ~75%
• Black or African American alone: ~8–9%
• Asian alone: ~6–7%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~6%
• Other races (AIAN, NHPI, etc., non-Hispanic): <1%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~67,000–68,000
• Persons per household: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~58% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~63%

Insights

• McLean County is relatively young for Illinois, driven by the Bloomington–Normal university presence (notably ISU), which contributes to a lower median age and a higher share of 18–24 residents.
• Racial/ethnic diversity is led by Black and Asian populations and a growing Hispanic community; White non-Hispanic remains roughly three-quarters of residents.
• Household structure skews slightly toward nonfamily and renter households compared with many Illinois counties, consistent with a large student and early-career population.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program)

• Estimated email users: ≈132,000 residents (about 92% of those age 13+), based on McLean County’s 2020 population of 170,889 and Pew U.S. email adoption rates.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: 6%; 18–24: 17%; 25–44: 34%; 45–64: 27%; 65+: 16%. Usage is near-universal among working-age adults and strong among older adults.
• Gender split among users: Women 51%, Men 49%, mirroring the county’s population; usage rates are effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access trends: About 90% of households maintain a broadband subscription (ACS, recent years). Gigabit fiber is widely available in Bloomington–Normal (Metronet, Xfinity, AT&T), supporting high email engagement for work, school, and services. Roughly one in seven adults rely primarily on smartphones for internet access, while rural areas see lower fixed broadband speeds; fixed wireless and recent state/federal builds are narrowing gaps.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Land area 1,183 sq mi (largest county in Illinois) with ~145 people per sq mi overall, but roughly three-quarters of residents live in Bloomington–Normal, concentrating high-speed connectivity near Illinois State University and major employers, which lifts email penetration and frequency of use.

Summary of mobile phone usage in McLean County, Illinois

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population and households: Approximately 171,000 residents and about 70,000 households (2023 Census estimates).
• Unique mobile users: Approximately 130,000–140,000 residents use smartphones regularly. This is derived from the county’s age mix (notably large student population) and current U.S. adoption rates by age cohort.
• Active mobile lines: Roughly 200,000–240,000 active cellular subscriptions countywide, consistent with Illinois’ subscription density (>1 line per person) scaled to the county.

Demographic drivers and usage patterns

• College-driven youth skew: Illinois State University (20,000+ students) and Illinois Wesleyan University (1,600) together account for roughly 12–14% of the county’s population. This pushes smartphone adoption, app-centric communications, and mobile data usage above the Illinois average, especially in the 18–24 segment where adoption is near-saturation.
• Age structure: A larger share of 18–24-year-olds than the state average, and a slightly smaller 65+ share, raises overall smartphone penetration and mobile-only reliance relative to Illinois.
• Income and education: Bloomington–Normal’s relatively high education and middle-to-upper-middle incomes support high device quality and postpaid plan penetration, narrowing affordability gaps seen elsewhere in the state.
• Mobile-only internet households: A modest but notable slice of households rely on cellular data as their primary home internet; this is elevated around student-dense neighborhoods but remains slightly below big-city Illinois levels because fixed broadband availability is strong in the urban core.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G across Bloomington–Normal and along I‑55/I‑74. Mid-band 5G (capacity/speed) is widely available in the core; rural townships to the west and southeast still transition to LTE in pockets.
• Typical speeds: In the Bloomington–Normal core, mid-band 5G routinely delivers 100–300 Mbps down with low latency for modern devices; rural edges commonly see 20–60 Mbps on LTE/low-band 5G, improving near highway corridors and towers.
• Fixed broadband interplay: The presence of cable and fiber (e.g., Xfinity, Metronet, Frontier Fiber in many neighborhoods) plus 5G/FWA options (T‑Mobile, Verizon) sustains high home broadband adoption in the urban area. This tempers mobile-only dependency relative to Illinois’ largest metros, while still giving strong backup and offload options for heavy mobile users.

How McLean County differs from Illinois overall

• Higher youth-driven adoption: The university footprint yields a higher share of mobile-first and app-based communications than the state average, with near-universal smartphone use among 18–24-year-olds and heavier mobile data consumption during the academic year.
• Stronger 5G consistency where people live: Coverage and speeds in the Bloomington–Normal core are more uniformly strong than in many similarly sized Illinois counties, thanks to overlapping mid-band 5G footprints and interstate-adjacent tower siting.
• Slightly lower mobile-only dependence than big-city Illinois: Because urban McLean County residents have strong cable/fiber availability, the proportion of households relying solely on cellular for home internet is lower than in parts of Chicago and some lower-income suburban areas, even as student neighborhoods show elevated cellular-only usage.
• Narrower digital divide: Relative to state-level disparities, device and plan adoption gaps by income and race are somewhat muted in the county’s urban center due to education levels, student plans, and competitive ISP and carrier pricing. The remaining gaps are primarily geographic, affecting rural townships with fewer towers and longer distances to fiber backhaul.

Key takeaways

• Expect ~130k–140k active smartphone users in McLean County, with especially high adoption in the 18–24 cohort and stable postpaid penetration in working-age adults.
• Urban coverage quality is strong and competitive across carriers, with mid-band 5G widely available; rural performance is improving but remains more variable.
• Mobile-only internet is present but not dominant, given robust cable/fiber options; however, cellular remains a critical complement for students and renters.
• Compared with statewide patterns, McLean County skews more mobile-first among young adults, benefits from more consistent 5G in its core, and shows a slightly smaller affordability/availability divide due to strong fixed broadband competition.

McLean County, IL — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

How these figures were built

• Population base: ~171,000 residents (2023 U.S. Census Bureau ACS). Adults 18+: ~134,000.
• Platform adoption rates: Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult social media use; teen patterns from Pew 2023–2024 teen/young-adult reports.
• Local totals are modeled by applying national adoption rates to McLean County’s age mix; rounded to the nearest thousand. Expect ±3–5 percentage points variation.

Overall user stats

• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈75–80% of 18+ residents (about 100,000–107,000 people).
• Teen presence is significant (ISU/IWU influence): teen/young-adult social use exceeds 90%, skewing overall activity toward short‑form video and messaging.

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated local penetration; 18+)

• YouTube: ~83% (≈111k users)
• Facebook: ~68% (≈91k)
• Instagram: ~47% (≈63k)
• Pinterest: ~35% (≈47k)
• TikTok: ~33% (≈44k)
• Snapchat: ~30% (≈40k)
• LinkedIn: ~30% (≈40k)
• WhatsApp: ~29% (≈39k)
• X (Twitter): ~22% (≈29k)
• Reddit: ~22% (≈29k)
• Nextdoor: ~20% (≈27k)

Age-group patterns (who uses what)

• 18–29: Highest multi‑platform use. Approximate use rates: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~67.
• 30–49: Broad mix. YouTube ~91%, Facebook ~73%, Instagram ~50%, TikTok ~39%, LinkedIn ~40%+ (professional cohort boosted by State Farm, Rivian, universities).
• 50–64: Heavier on Facebook/YouTube. YouTube ~83%, Facebook ~69%, Instagram ~29%, TikTok ~24%.
• 65+: Primarily Facebook/YouTube. YouTube ~60%, Facebook ~58%, Instagram/TikTok each ≤15%.
• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~90%+, TikTok ~60%+, Snapchat ~60%+, Instagram ~55–60%, Facebook ~30% range (used mostly for groups/marketplace, not posting).

Gender breakdown

• County population is ~51% female, ~49% male (ACS). Overall social media adoption is similar by gender.
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Facebook lean female; Reddit, X, and YouTube lean male; Instagram and TikTok are near‑even with slight female tilt among younger cohorts; LinkedIn slightly male‑leaning.

Behavioral trends (local signals consistent with a university‑anchored county)

• Short‑form video dominates discovery: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive local food, housing, and event discovery among 16–34s; YouTube used for longer research (how‑tos, product reviews, local issues).
• Facebook remains the community backbone: city/neighborhood groups, school updates, storm/road alerts, and Marketplace (notably for student rentals, furniture turnover each semester).
• Messaging as a habit: Snapchat is a default for campus‑age chat; Messenger is common across ages; WhatsApp usage elevated among international students and transplants.
• Professional networking and hiring: LinkedIn engagement is above typical for a county this size due to major employers (insurance, manufacturing/EV, healthcare, higher‑ed).
• Nextdoor usage clusters in suburban tracts for public safety, services, and HOA matters; engagement spikes around weather and municipal notices.
• Posting cadence: student‑driven late‑evening peaks; working‑age users cluster around lunch and early evening; older adults skew morning and early evening. Local news and weather content over‑indexes for shares on Facebook.
• Ad/organic performance: short, locally relevant video outperforms static posts; event promos (fairs, sports, concerts) convert best on Facebook/Instagram; job posts see strongest CTR on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey (McLean County, IL demographics)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (adult platform adoption)
• Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023/2024 (teen usage patterns)

Note: Figures are modeled estimates for McLean County using the latest available national platform rates applied to local age/sex composition; percentages are rounded.