Lake County

Lake County, Indiana — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; most recent available: 2023 estimates and 2018–2022 ACS)

Population size

• 498,700 (2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~39.5 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51.6%
• Male: ~48.4%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~63%
• Black or African American alone: ~26%
• Asian alone: ~1.5–1.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~19%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~50%

Households

• Households: ~189,000 (2018–2022 ACS)
• Average household size: ~2.54–2.56
• Family households: ~63%
• Average family size: ~3.1

Insights

• Population is stable and older-leaning relative to the state average.
• Highly diverse: over one-quarter Black and about one-fifth Hispanic.
• Slight female majority and moderately sized households typical of large, mixed urban–suburban counties.

• Population and density: ~499,000 residents in Lake County, IN; ~1,000 people per square mile; ~95% live in urbanized areas of the Chicago metro.
• Estimated email users (18+): ~351,000 adults (≈92% of the ~382,000 adults), consistent with Pew’s near‑universal U.S. adult email adoption; ~85% of users check email daily.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate counts, share of users):
  • 18–29: ~65,000 (18%)
  • 30–49: ~123,000 (35%)
  • 50–64: ~87,000 (25%)
  • 65+: ~76,000 (22%)
• Gender split among users: roughly mirrors the county (≈51% female, 49% male); email adoption is effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access trends (ACS 2023 style metrics, county-level):
  • ~85% of households have a broadband subscription.
  • ~91% have a computer or tablet.
  • ~16% are smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • Adoption is highest in suburban communities (e.g., Munster, Schererville, Crown Point) and lower in legacy industrial cities (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago), where smartphone reliance is higher.
• Connectivity context: Dense cable and growing fiber along the I‑80/94 corridor and lakeshore; southern townships show more DSL/fixed‑wireless dependence, aligning with observed gaps in home broadband uptake.

Estimates synthesized from 2023 U.S. Census/ACS and 2023–2024 Pew Research email usage benchmarks.

Mobile phone usage snapshot — Lake County, Indiana (2024)

Key figures

• Population ≈ 496,000; households ≈ 189,000; adults (18+) ≈ 383,000.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈ 350,000 (≈ 89–91% of adults).
• Households with a cellular data plan (any kind): ≈ 76% (higher than Indiana ≈ 70%).
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed home broadband): ≈ 22% (≈ 41,000 households), higher than Indiana’s ≈ 17%.
• Fixed broadband at home (cable/DSL/fiber): ≈ 72% (below Indiana ≈ 80%), indicating heavier reliance on mobile in Lake County.

How Lake County differs from the state

• Reliance on mobile-only internet is meaningfully higher (+4–6 percentage points versus Indiana), especially in northern urban areas (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago).
• Earlier and denser 5G deployment (benefiting from proximity to Chicago’s network footprint) yields broader mid-band 5G availability than is typical for Indiana counties outside the Indianapolis metro.
• Fixed broadband adoption lags the state average, so phones are used more often as primary internet access—particularly among renters and lower-income households.

Demographic breakdown of mobile reliance (estimates)

• By income:
  • < $25k households: ≈ 34–38% mobile-only (vs Indiana ≈ 30–32%).
  • $25k–$75k: ≈ 22–26% mobile-only (vs Indiana ≈ 18–21%).
  • $75k+: ≈ 10–13% mobile-only (vs Indiana ≈ 6–9%).
• By race/ethnicity:
  • Black households: ≈ 27–30% mobile-only.
  • Hispanic/Latino households: ≈ 28–32% mobile-only.
  • White (non-Hispanic) households: ≈ 15–19% mobile-only.
  • These gaps are wider than the statewide pattern, reflecting Lake County’s urban composition and income mix.
• By age:
  • Adults under 35 are roughly 2–3× as likely as seniors (65+) to be mobile-only.
  • Seniors’ smartphone ownership trails younger cohorts, but mobile dependence among seniors here is still somewhat higher than the Indiana average due to below-average fixed broadband adoption among older, lower-income households.
• Housing/tenure:
  • Renters are ≈ 2× as likely as homeowners to be mobile-only, and renters’ share is higher than the statewide average in the urban north of the county.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and technology:
  • 4G LTE: countywide coverage across all major carriers.
  • 5G: extensive mid-band coverage in the north (Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Whiting) and along I-90/I-94/I-80 and I-65; more patchy mid-band south of US-231, with LTE fallback common in semi-rural pockets (e.g., near Cedar Lake, Lowell).
  • T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G blanket is comparatively broad; Verizon and AT&T C-band 5G is strong along the interstate corridors and denser population centers.
• Capacity and performance patterns:
  • Commuter corridors (I-80/94, I-65) and industrial zones are engineered for high capacity, with noticeable peak-hour load balancing; indoor penetration can be challenging in heavy steel/concrete structures near the lakefront.
  • Seasonal crowding at beaches/venues on the lakefront can briefly strain capacity but is mitigated by small cells and sector splits.
• Backhaul and interconnection:
  • Proximity to Chicago’s fiber backbone and internet exchange ecosystem provides robust backhaul; fiber routes follow interstates and rail corridors, supporting dense macro sites and small cells in the north.
• Resilience:
  • Utilities and carriers harden sites along industrial corridors; inland south-county sites can be single-carrier in spots, making redundancy less consistent than in the north.

Notable trends and implications

• Mobile-first behavior: With fixed broadband below the state average and cellular-plan adoption above it, phones are more often the primary internet device in Lake County than statewide—especially among lower-income, younger, and renter households.
• Competitive advantage in coverage: Inclusion in the greater Chicago radio market has delivered earlier mid-band 5G and denser site grids than most Indiana counties, improving outdoor capacity and highway coverage.
• Equity gaps persist: Despite strong radio infrastructure, affordability and housing factors keep mobile-only reliance elevated versus the state, amplifying differences by income and race/ethnicity.
• Post-ACP dynamics: The sunset of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024 increased cost pressure on fixed broadband; early local indications point to some households shifting further toward mobile-only plans, a shift likely larger in Lake County than statewide given preexisting dependence on cellular data.

Sources and method notes

• Figures are derived from 2023 American Community Survey indicators for internet and device subscriptions (county and state), combined with Pew Research Center smartphone adoption rates and Lake County’s demographic profile to produce county-level user estimates. Network coverage characterizations reflect carrier deployments and observed 5G rollouts in the Chicago–Northwest Indiana market through 2024.

Lake County, IN social media usage (locally modeled 2024 snapshot) Method note: Figures are locally modeled estimates using 2023 American Community Survey demographics for Lake County and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates; adult figures refer to ages 18+.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~498,000; adults (18+): ~383,000
• Adults using a major platform (YouTube or a social network): ~83% ≈ 318,000
• Teens (13–17): ~31,000; heavy usage: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~62%, TikTok ~67%, Snapchat ~60%, Facebook ~33%

Gender breakdown (adult users)

• Women 54% (172,000); men 46% (146,000)
• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, X, Reddit

Age breakdown (share of adult social users; key platform tendencies)

• 18–29: 21% of users; highest on YouTube (95%), Instagram (76%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%), Facebook (67%)
• 30–49: 38% of users; YouTube (92%), Facebook (77%), Instagram (57%), TikTok (39%), LinkedIn (40%)
• 50–64: 24% of users; Facebook (73%), YouTube (80%), Instagram (29%), TikTok (18%), Pinterest (30%)
• 65+: 17% of users; Facebook (50%), YouTube (49%), Instagram (13%), TikTok (~10%)

Most-used platforms in Lake County (adult reach; rounded)

• YouTube: ~83% ≈ 318,000
• Facebook: ~68% ≈ 260,000
• Instagram: ~47% ≈ 180,000
• Pinterest: ~35% ≈ 134,000
• TikTok: ~33% ≈ 126,000
• LinkedIn: ~30% ≈ 115,000
• Snapchat: ~27% ≈ 103,000
• X (Twitter): ~22% ≈ 84,000
• WhatsApp: ~21% ≈ 80,000

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the local hub for community news, neighborhood groups, schools, churches, and Marketplace; strong early evening engagement
• Short-form vertical video dominates discovery and sharing across Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok; local food, events, high school sports, and public-safety updates outperform; 10–30 second captioned clips see the best completion rates
• Cross-border media gravity from Chicagoland influences tastes; county residents engage with Chicago sports and news alongside local content
• Messaging is central: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp is common among Hispanic households and small businesses for family, group, and customer communications
• LinkedIn use is pragmatic and job-focused, concentrated in healthcare, education, manufacturing, and logistics; recruiting and certification posts outperform thought leadership
• Teens and young adults rely on Snapchat for daily communication and TikTok/IG for entertainment and local discovery; they check Facebook mainly for events and family updates

Sources and method: 2023 American Community Survey (Lake County, IN) for population structure; Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. social platform adoption rates applied to Lake County’s demographics to produce locally scaled estimates.