Washington County

Washington County, Maine — Key demographics

Population size

• 31,095 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~50.5 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~18%
• 18–64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~25%

Sex

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Non-Hispanic unless noted)

• White: ~87%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~6%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Black or African American: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~13,900
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~58% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~22%
• Living alone: ~31%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~78%

Insights

• Older age profile than state and U.S.; roughly one-quarter are 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a notable American Indian (Passamaquoddy) presence
• Small household sizes and high owner-occupancy consistent with a rural, aging county

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

• Population: ~31,100. Estimated email users (age 13+): ~26,300 (≈85% of residents; ≈91% of 13+).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~1,500 (6%)
  • 18–34: ~5,300 (20%)
  • 35–64: ~12,300 (47%)
  • 65+: ~7,200 (27%)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (13,400); 49% male (12,900).

Digital access and trends:

• Household broadband subscription: ~77%. Adoption is higher along the US‑1 coastal corridor and lower in remote inland and tribal communities.
• Fixed broadband (100 Mbps+) available to ~75% of addresses; fiber builds are expanding coverage, improving speeds and reliability.
• Mobile LTE/5G coverage is strong on primary corridors (US‑1, ME‑9) with gaps in interior townships; satellite and fixed‑wireless are common in fringe areas.
• Public access: all public schools and libraries are connected via the Maine School and Library Network, with widespread free Wi‑Fi at libraries/campuses.

Local density/connectivity context:

• Population density is ~12 people per square mile, making Washington one of Maine’s most rural counties. Dispersed settlements and challenging terrain increase last‑mile costs, so email remains a primary, low‑bandwidth communication channel for residents, businesses, and institutions.

Mobile phone usage in Washington County, Maine — where it differs from state-level

Scope and sources

• Timeframe: latest available ACS 2018–2022 5‑year estimates (household device and subscription data) and 2023–2024 FCC mobile availability filings and state mapping; population from 2020 Census with 2023 estimates used for user counts.
• Washington County population: ~31,100; adults (18+): ~26,000.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: ≈22,000 (derived from ACS household smartphone availability applied to the county’s adult population).
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile, incl. basic phones): ≈23,500.
• Households with a smartphone: 83% in Washington County vs 89% statewide.
• Households with a cellular data plan (for a smartphone/computer/tablet): 60% in Washington County vs 71% statewide.
• Households with broadband of any type: 78% in Washington County vs 87% statewide.
• Households with no internet subscription: 15% in Washington County vs 9% statewide.

Demographic factors shaping usage (county vs Maine)

• Older population: 65+ are ~27% of residents in Washington County vs ~22% statewide, contributing to lower smartphone adoption and higher basic-phone retention.
• Lower incomes: median household income ≈$48k vs ≈$69k statewide; this correlates with lower postpaid adoption and greater price sensitivity in device/plan choices.
• Rural dispersion: a higher share of residents live outside urban clusters than the state average, increasing the share of users who keep voice/text-centric plans and rely on offline use due to signal gaps.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier presence: Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile, and UScellular all operate in the county; UScellular and Verizon have the broadest rural LTE footprints along US‑1/Route 9 corridors and major town centers (e.g., Machias, Calais, Eastport).
• 4G LTE availability: county coverage is broad along primary roads but with notable dead zones inland and along parts of the Bold Coast; availability by land area trails the state average, especially away from corridors.
• 5G availability: materially behind the state. 5G from at least one provider reaches population centers, but countywide 5G-by-population coverage is roughly half of the statewide share; 5G NR is largely low-band with limited mid-band capacity.
• Typical mobile speeds: median download speeds are noticeably lower than Maine’s statewide median (county performance is commonly 30–50% lower), reflecting sparser mid-band 5G and sector congestion during summer peaks in coastal towns.
• Cross-border effects: proximity to New Brunswick introduces incidental roaming near the St. Croix River and coastal fringe; some users disable roaming, effectively shrinking usable coverage compared with inland Maine.
• Resilience and reliability: coastal weather and low tower density increase the impact of single-site outages; backup power and fiber backhaul diversity are less robust than in southern Maine.

How Washington County differs from the Maine average (key takeaways)

• Adoption gap: fewer households with smartphones (−6 percentage points) and cellular data plans (−11 pp), yielding fewer adult smartphone users per capita.
• Access gap: higher share of households with no internet (+6 pp) and lower overall broadband subscription (−9 pp), increasing the practical importance—but not always the availability—of mobile data for everyday connectivity.
• Coverage/capacity gap: 5G footprint, mid-band capacity, and median speeds lag state norms; dead zones are more common, especially inland and along less-trafficked coastline.
• Demographic drag: an older, lower-income, more rural population profile systematically lowers smartphone and data-plan uptake compared with Maine overall.

Implications

• Service planning should prioritize low-band 5G fill-in, added rural sectors, and backhaul upgrades along inland stretches to close the performance gap.
• Affordability and device-upgrade programs will yield outsized gains versus state average because of the county’s age and income mix.
• Cross-border roaming management and public safety coverage enhancements remain higher priorities here than in most other Maine counties.

Washington County, Maine — social media snapshot (modeled from 2024 datasets)

Population baseline

• Total population: ~31,100
• Adults (18+): ~25,700
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Age mix (of adults): 18–29 ~14%, 30–49 ~24%, 50–64 ~30%, 65+ ~31% (older than the U.S. average)

Overall social media adoption (18+)

• Adults using at least one social platform: 72% (18,600 adults)
• By age group (share using social media; users in parentheses):
  • 18–29: 94% (3,500)
  • 30–49: 85% (5,300)
  • 50–64: 73% (5,700)
  • 65+: 52% (4,200)

Gender breakdown (18+)

• Women using social: 74% of adult women (9,700)
• Men using social: 70% of adult men (8,900)
• Platform skews locally mirror national patterns: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok skew female; YouTube, Reddit, X skew male; Facebook is widely used by both.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of 18+; users in parentheses)

• YouTube: 78–79% (20,200)
• Facebook: 67% (17,300)
• Instagram: 41% (10,500)
• Pinterest: 32% (8,200)
• TikTok: 29% (7,400)
• WhatsApp: 23% (6,000)
• LinkedIn: 22% (5,700)
• Snapchat: 19% (5,000)
• X (Twitter): 18% (4,600)
• Reddit: 17% (4,400)
• Nextdoor: 14% (3,600) Note: People use multiple platforms; percentages are not mutually exclusive.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Maine counties and supported by platform skew

• Facebook-first community behavior: Heavy use of local Groups and Pages for town notices, school and sports updates, public safety/weather alerts, yard-sale/buy–sell, and civic engagement. Messenger is the default DM.
• Video and how-to culture: YouTube is dominant across ages for DIY, home/auto/outboard repair, hunting/fishing, and church and local sports streams; older adults over-index on YouTube and Facebook video.
• Visual marketing for small business and tourism: Instagram usage concentrates among 18–49 and local businesses (lodging, restaurants, galleries, guides, festivals). Seasonality peaks late spring–fall.
• Younger cohorts: 18–29s cluster on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat for entertainment and peer messaging; cross-posting to Reels is common for local creators.
• Pinterest strength among women 35–64: Recipes, crafts, home projects, seasonal events; drives outbound traffic to local shops and markets.
• Professional networking remains niche: LinkedIn usage is lower than national urban norms; most effective for healthcare, education, and public sector hiring.
• News and alerts: Facebook and YouTube function as primary gateways to regional news outlets; X/Reddit are smaller, more male-leaning niches for sports, tech, and state politics.

Sources and method

• Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACS 5‑year estimates (population, age, sex).
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (age- and gender-specific usage by platform).
• Local figures are modeled estimates: national age/gender adoption rates weighted by Washington County’s adult age structure to produce county-level shares and user counts as of 2024–2025.