Will County

Will County, Illinois – key demographics

Population size

• 696,355 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: 38.1 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 24.0%
• 18–64: 61.8%
• 65 and over: 14.2%

Gender

• Female: 50.6%
• Male: 49.4%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: 62.5%
• Black/African American, non-Hispanic: 11.4%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 6.1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 3.0%
• Other (including AIAN, NHPI), non-Hispanic: 0.5%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): 16.5%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~235,000
• Average household size: 3.01
• Family households: ~75% of households
• Married-couple families: ~59% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~38%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~83%
• Median household income: ~$100,000

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year estimates. Figures rounded for readability.

• Population (2023 est.): ~701,000 residents; density ~835 people per sq. mile across ~840 sq. miles, with the greatest connectivity along the I‑55 and I‑80 corridor (Joliet–Bolingbrook–Plainfield), and weaker service in far‑southwest exurban/rural tracts.
• Estimated email users: ~551,000 residents (about 79% of all residents and ~93% of adults).
• Email users by age (share of email users):
  • 13–17: ~8%
  • 18–29: ~19%
  • 30–49: ~36%
  • 50–64: ~23%
  • 65+: ~15%
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male (tracks the county’s population and near‑equal adoption by gender).
• Digital access and trends (ACS-based, 2018–2022):
  • Households with a computer: ~96%
  • Broadband subscription (any): ~92–93%
  • No internet at home: ~6–7%
  • Smartphone‑only internet: ~12–14% of households
  • High cable and growing fiber availability in urban/suburban tracts; fixed wireless and legacy DSL still fill gaps in outer townships. Public library systems and municipal Wi‑Fi augment access in Joliet and surrounding communities. Insights: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults, with seniors the main lag. Adoption differences in Will County are driven more by infrastructure and affordability pockets than by gender, with the I‑55/I‑80 suburbs exhibiting the highest connectivity.

Mobile phone usage in Will County, Illinois — snapshot and trends

Summary and user estimates

• Adult mobile users: approximately 500,000–540,000 residents use a smartphone on a daily basis. This estimate applies recent Illinois adult smartphone adoption rates (low-to-mid 90s) to Will County’s adult population and aligns with suburban-collar county profiles in the Chicago metro.
• Smartphone households: roughly 220,000–230,000 of Will County households have at least one smartphone. This follows American Community Survey “households with a smartphone” rates for large suburban Illinois counties (generally in the low-to-mid 90% range of households).
• Cellular data plans: about 75%–82% of households maintain a cellular data subscription usable for internet access on a phone (in line with ACS “cellular data plan” adoption in Chicago-area suburbs).
• Smartphone-only households (mobile substitution): about 9%–11% of households rely primarily on mobile for internet at home, slightly below the Illinois average. Suburban broadband availability and higher household incomes keep full mobile substitution lower than state levels even as smartphone adoption is high.

Demographic breakdown (patterns observable in Will County)

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+), consistent with Illinois and national patterns.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈90–95%), with strong multi-line family plans common in larger households.
  • 65+: substantial but lower adoption (≈80–85%); growing year over year as larger-screen devices and bundled senior plans expand.
• Income and housing:
  • Higher-income owner-occupied households are very likely to pair smartphones with home broadband; mobile-only is uncommon in these tracts.
  • Lower-income and renter-dense census tracts in and around Joliet and older multifamily corridors in Bolingbrook and Romeoville show higher smartphone-only reliance (teens to low-20s percent locally), but these pockets are smaller share of the county than in the state overall.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • County smartphone adoption is high across groups; smartphone-only reliance is comparatively higher among Hispanic and Black households than White and Asian households, mirroring statewide patterns but moderated by the county’s suburban broadband availability.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile provide broad 4G LTE and 5G NR coverage across population centers (Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Plainfield, Lockport, New Lenox, Frankfort, Shorewood, Mokena). MVNOs ride these networks with comparable coverage but variable prioritization.
• 5G footprint: Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz on T-Mobile; C-band on Verizon and AT&T) is widely present along major travel corridors and in denser suburbs, supporting typical real-world median speeds well above LTE. Low-band 5G fills in rural/sparsely populated townships in the south and east of the county.
• Corridors and capacity hotspots: I-55, I-80, I-57, and I-355, plus Metra Rock Island and Heritage Corridor lines, anchor much of the capacity investment. Logistics and warehousing hubs around the I-55/I-80 interchange and along the Des Plaines River valley see heavy daytime traffic; carriers have densified macros and deployed small cells in these zones.
• Backhaul and fiber: Extensive cable and telco fiber in suburban municipalities (AT&T, Comcast/Xfinity and regional providers) enables robust mobile backhaul. New subdivisions (e.g., Plainfield, Manhattan area) show active infill with additional sites as population grows.
• Rural edges: Southeastern townships (e.g., Wilton, Custer, Washington) have sparser site density; service is reliable but with fewer carrier options for mid-band 5G and more variable in-building performance compared with the northern/western suburbs.

How Will County differs from Illinois overall

• Higher smartphone and cellular-plan adoption than the statewide average by a few percentage points, driven by suburban demographics and incomes.
• Lower share of smartphone-only households than the Illinois average, due to stronger availability and uptake of fixed broadband in most communities.
• More uniform 5G mid-band availability than downstate counties, but with noticeable urban–rural gradients within the county itself (strong in the north/west suburbs, thinner in the far south/east).
• Peak mobile demand patterns are logistics- and commuting-driven (I-55/I-80 corridor, intermodal yards, and major retail distribution centers), producing daytime capacity needs that are less pronounced in many downstate areas.
• Device mix trends slightly higher toward 5G-capable handsets and multi-line family plans than the state average, reflecting larger family households and upgrade cycles typical of Chicago’s collar counties.

Key takeaways

• Will County is a high-adoption, high-coverage suburban market with widespread 5G and strong backhaul, supporting an estimated half-million-plus daily smartphone users.
• Mobile substitution exists but is not dominant; most households pair smartphones with home broadband, keeping smartphone-only rates below the state average.
• Investment prioritizes highway corridors, dense suburbs, and industrial nodes, with ongoing infill in fast-growing residential areas and incremental coverage improvements along the county’s rural periphery.

Will County, IL social media usage — 2025 snapshot

How to read this: County-specific social media user counts are not directly published. The figures below use best-available national benchmarks (Pew Research Center 2023–2024) applied to Will County’s suburban profile in the Chicago metro, which closely mirrors U.S. suburban usage.

User stats

• Overall penetration: Expect roughly 7 in 10 adults to use at least one social platform regularly (U.S. adult benchmark).
• Connectivity context: High broadband/smartphone adoption typical of Chicago suburbs supports heavy mobile-first usage and short‑form video consumption.

Most-used platforms (adult reach; Pew 2024 U.S. benchmarks, a strong proxy for Will County)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• WhatsApp: ~29%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~27%
• Reddit: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~19% Ranking in Will County generally follows this order, with Facebook and YouTube strongest across all neighborhoods; Instagram/TikTok concentrated among younger adults; Nextdoor relatively higher than average in suburban subdivisions/HOAs.

Age groups (usage tendencies; percentages from Pew benchmarks where available)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~93%, Instagram ~62%, TikTok ~63%, Snapchat ~60%; Facebook much lower. Heavy short‑form video and messaging; school-year cycles drive spikes.
• 18–29: Very high on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube; Facebook is secondary but still reaches a majority.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram mainstream; WhatsApp common for family coordination; LinkedIn active for career networking.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest meaningful for projects/home; Instagram growing.
• 65+: Facebook is primary, YouTube for news/how‑to; lighter on newer platforms.

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest.
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X, and LinkedIn.
• WhatsApp usage is balanced overall but higher in multilingual/immigrant households.

Behavioral trends observed in Chicago suburbs and applicable in Will County

• Community-first engagement: Facebook Groups and Pages for municipalities, school districts, youth sports, churches, PTOs, park districts, and local events drive dependable reach; Nextdoor is strong for neighborhood safety, lost/found, and HOA updates.
• Video wins attention: Short-form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts for restaurants, local attractions, and small businesses; how‑to and explainer content performs well on YouTube.
• Commute and family schedules shape peaks: Morning (6:30–8:30), lunch (11:30–1), and evening (7–10) are the highest engagement windows; weekend event posts perform best Thu–Sat.
• Civic and public‑safety spikes: Weather alerts, traffic closures (I‑55/I‑80 corridors), and school announcements reliably surge on Facebook/Nextdoor.
• Workforce realities: Logistics, healthcare, and trades recruitment performs on Facebook and LinkedIn; late‑day and weekend posting captures shift workers.
• Multilingual reach: A sizeable Latine community increases effectiveness of Spanish-language content and WhatsApp sharing; bilingual Facebook posts improve reach and shares.
• Trust via locality: Posts featuring recognizable local landmarks, schools, or towns (Joliet, Bolingbrook, Naperville/Aurora edges, Plainfield, Romeoville) outperform generic creative.

Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults); Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023; U.S. Census/ACS for suburban demographic context.