Hampden County

Hampden County, Massachusetts — key demographics

Population size

• 465,825 (2020 Census). Up ~0.5% from 2010 (463,490).

Age

• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 2018–2022).
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total; ACS 2018–2022)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~27%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~57%
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American: ~9%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: ~3%
• Non-Hispanic Two or more races: ~3%
• Other (non-Hispanic): ~1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~181,000
• Average household size: ~2.55
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~29%
• Housing tenure: ~59% owner-occupied, ~41% renter-occupied

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates).

• Scope: Hampden County, MA (pop. ≈466,000; ≈182,000 households; density ≈750 people/sq. mi.)

• Estimated email users: ≈335,000 adults. Method: ≈78% of residents are 18+ (~363k) and ≈92% of U.S. adults use email, yielding ~335k local adult users.

• Age distribution of adult email users (approx. share of users): • 18–29: ~20% • 30–49: ~34% • 50–64: ~26% • 65+: ~20% Younger groups have near-universal adoption; adoption among 65+ is lower but still high.

• Gender split: Email use is near-parity by gender; mirroring population, users are ≈52% female and ≈48% male.

• Digital access: • ~88% of households have a broadband subscription; ~12% lack home internet. • Computer access is widespread, and smartphone reliance is meaningful in lower‑income tracts in Springfield/Chicopee. • Home broadband adoption trails the Massachusetts average by a few points but has risen steadily since 2017.

• Local connectivity/density facts: • About three-quarters of residents live in the I‑91 urban/suburban corridor (Springfield–Chicopee–Holyoke–West Springfield–Westfield) with robust cable coverage (e.g., Xfinity) and growing fiber (e.g., Whip City Fiber in Westfield). • More rural/eastern towns show lower subscription rates and greater dependency on mobile data and public/library Wi‑Fi.

Mobile phone usage in Hampden County, MA — summary with county-level estimates, demographics, and infrastructure differentiators from statewide patterns

User estimates and adoption

• Population and households: About 470,000 residents across roughly 185,000 households.
• Household smartphone access: About 88–90% of households have a smartphone, below Massachusetts overall (about 92–94%).
• Cellular data plan in household: Approximately 72–75% of households report a cellular data plan for a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, versus roughly 77–81% statewide.
• Broadband mix and mobile-only reliance:
  • Any home internet subscription (fixed or cellular): About 82–85% of households in Hampden vs roughly 87–90% statewide.
  • Cellular-only internet (cellular data plan but no home fixed broadband): Around 10–12% of households in Hampden vs about 7–9% statewide.
  • No home internet subscription: Roughly 10–12% in Hampden vs about 6–8% statewide.
• Individual users: With adult share near three-quarters of the population and high smartphone adoption among adults, a practical estimate is 310,000–340,000 adult smartphone users countywide.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Income and poverty: Median household income in Hampden is significantly lower than the state average (roughly low–mid $60,000s vs mid–high $90,000s in MA), and the poverty rate is higher (about 13–15% vs about 9–11% statewide). Lower income correlates with higher reliance on smartphones and cellular-only internet for primary connectivity.
• Age: Adults 65+ comprise roughly 17–19% of the county. Older households in Hampden are less likely than the state average to have both a desktop/laptop and a fixed broadband plan, raising the relative importance of mobile for essential access among seniors.
• Race and ethnicity: Hampden has a larger share of Hispanic/Latino residents (about one-quarter) and a higher share of Black residents than the state average outside Greater Boston’s urban core. These groups show higher rates of mobile-reliant or mobile-first connectivity locally than the statewide average, consistent with income and housing patterns.
• Housing tenure: Higher concentrations of renters in Springfield and Holyoke (well above the county average) are associated with lower fixed broadband adoption and greater smartphone-only use compared with the state as a whole.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G availability: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) report broad 5G coverage across the Springfield–Chicopee–Holyoke urban corridor and main travel routes (I‑91, I‑90, US‑20). Mid-band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile n41, Verizon/AT&T C‑band n77) is widely present in and around Springfield, supporting strong peak speeds and capacity.
• Coverage variability: Outlying and hillier towns at the county’s edges (e.g., Blandford, Granville, Tolland, Monson/Hampden uplands) experience more indoor coverage gaps and lower mid-band 5G signal quality than the urban core, leading to greater dependence on low-band 5G/LTE and more variable performance during congestion.
• Fixed broadband context: Limited Verizon Fios footprint and a dominant cable presence (Comcast/Xfinity) in most population centers, with municipal fiber led by Westfield Gas + Electric (Whip City Fiber) in and around Westfield. The relatively constrained fiber-to-the-home footprint, compared with many eastern MA communities, helps explain the county’s higher cellular-only household share.
• Public and anchor connectivity: Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings in Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee provide important Wi‑Fi and device access that partially offsets household connectivity gaps, but evening and weekend dependence on mobile data remains higher than the state average.

Trends that differ from the Massachusetts average

• Higher mobile reliance: Hampden has a meaningfully larger share of cellular-only households and a lower share with any fixed broadband subscription than the statewide profile.
• Slightly lower device breadth: Households are less likely to have both a smartphone and a desktop/laptop, reinforcing smartphone-first behavior for tasks that elsewhere are done on PCs.
• Greater cost sensitivity: Lower median income and higher poverty translate into more plan-switching, prepaid usage, and hotspot dependence, especially among renters and younger households.
• More pronounced urban–rural split: Performance and reliability gaps between the Springfield metro core (robust mid-band 5G) and peripheral hilltowns (coverage variability) are larger than the typical gaps seen in more uniformly dense eastern MA counties.
• Capacity vs. coverage: In the urban corridor, capacity (time-of-day congestion) tends to be a bigger issue than raw coverage, while the reverse holds in outlying areas—patterns that are more distinct here than statewide due to the county’s density contrast and more limited FTTH competition.

Key implications

• Mobile is the primary on-ramp to the internet for a larger slice of Hampden residents than in Massachusetts overall, driven by affordability and limited fiber availability.
• Investments that expand mid-band 5G and fixed wireless access at the periphery, plus fiber builds in renter-heavy neighborhoods, would disproportionately reduce mobile-only dependence and improve equity.
• Public anchor sites and low-cost plans remain essential to closing gaps for seniors, low-income, and Hispanic households who currently over-index on smartphone-only access.

Hampden County, MA — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~470,000 residents (ACS 2023). Median age ~40; gender ~52% women, 48% men.
• Estimated social media users: ~320,000 residents (about 68% of the total population; ~76% of residents age 13+), modeled from national adoption rates applied to local demographics.

Age-group usage (share using at least one platform; modeled)

• Ages 13–17: ~95%. Platform mix mirrors U.S. teens: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~62%, Snapchat ~60%, TikTok ~67%.
• Ages 18–29: ~92%. Heavy on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; X (Twitter) used by a notable minority.
• Ages 30–49: ~85%. YouTube and Facebook dominate; Instagram strong; TikTok usage in the high-30s to ~40%.
• Ages 50–64: ~73%. Facebook anchors usage; YouTube common; LinkedIn moderate among professionals.
• Ages 65+: ~50%. Primarily Facebook and YouTube; lighter use of Instagram; minimal TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base: roughly 52% women, 48% men (adoption is similar by gender, so it mirrors the county’s population).
• Platform skews: Instagram/Snapchat slightly female; Pinterest heavily female; Reddit and X (Twitter) skew male; LinkedIn slightly male.

Most-used platforms (adult penetration; modeled from 2023–2024 U.S. rates, applied locally)

• YouTube ~83% of adults
• Facebook ~68%
• Instagram ~47%
• TikTok ~33%
• Pinterest ~31%
• Snapchat ~30%
• LinkedIn ~30%
• X (Twitter) ~27%
• Reddit ~22%
• WhatsApp ~21% Note: Teens over-index on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram relative to adults.

Behavioral trends observed/expected locally

• Facebook Groups are the community hub for Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Westfield, Agawam, etc., used for neighborhood news, school closures, public safety, yard sales, and local commerce.
• Short‑form video (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) drives discovery for restaurants, events, and small businesses; video-first creative outperforms static posts.
• Strong bilingual engagement (English/Spanish). With roughly a quarter of residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino, Facebook and WhatsApp are important for family networks and community information; bilingual posts tend to outperform monolingual ones.
• Local news and weather spikes: high engagement with outlets like regional TV/news pages during storms, emergencies, and major events (e.g., The Big E fair, sports at the MassMutual Center, Basketball Hall of Fame).
• Professional networking: LinkedIn is concentrated among healthcare, education, insurance/financial (e.g., Baystate Health, area colleges, finance/insurance employers), with higher activity around hiring cycles and graduation seasons.
• Usage patterns mirror U.S. norms: mobile-first consumption, evening and weekend peaks, and heavier daily use among Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram users versus lighter but broad reach on YouTube.

Method note: Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying current Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption by age/gender to Hampden County’s ACS demographic profile; they reflect realistic local penetration and platform mix rather than a direct county survey.