Norfolk County

Norfolk County, Massachusetts — key demographics

Population size

• 725,981 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

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

• White, non-Hispanic: ~73%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~12%
• Black/African American, non-Hispanic: ~7%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~6%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Other (incl. American Indian/Alaska Native, NH/Other Pacific Islander), non-Hispanic: <1%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~276,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~67%
• Median household income (2022 dollars): ~$123,000
• Persons in poverty: ~6%

Insight

• Suburban, higher-income county with an older median age than the U.S. overall and notable Asian and Black communities, particularly concentrated in places like Quincy, Brookline, and Randolph.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Norfolk County, MA has about 725,000 residents (density ~1,830 per sq mi). Estimated email users: ~550,000 residents, reflecting ≈93% of adults.

Age distribution of email users:

• 18–29: ≈18% (~100k)
• 30–49: ≈34% (~185k)
• 50–64: ≈28% (~155k)
• 65+: ≈20% (~110k) Adoption is near-universal under 65 (≈96–99%) and high among 65+ (≈85–90%).

Gender split: female ≈52%, male ≈48%; email usage is effectively equal across genders (≈92–94%).

Digital access and trends:

• ~96% of households have a computer.
• ~94% have a broadband subscription.

• 95% of residents can access 100+ Mbps cable/fiber; Massachusetts’ median fixed speeds exceed 200 Mbps.

• Smartphone-only internet households are ~10–12%.
• Since 2019, home broadband and smartphone ownership have risen, with remaining gaps concentrated among seniors and lower-income households.

Connectivity context: The county sits within the MBTA-served Boston metro; dense, well-wired suburbs (e.g., Quincy, Brookline, Braintree) and widespread public-library Wi‑Fi support strong email engagement.

Mobile phone usage in Norfolk County, Massachusetts — 2024 snapshot

Key user estimates

• Population and households: ~725,000 residents; ~285,000 households
• Mobile phone users (all ages): ~620,000 (≈86% of residents), reflecting high adult ownership and widespread teen adoption
• Smartphone users: ~585,000 (≈81% of residents; ≈94% of mobile users)
• Households with a cellular data plan: ~230,000 (≈82% of households)
• Cellular-only internet households (no fixed broadband): ~20,000 (≈7%)
• Wireless-only voice households (no landline): ≈70% of households

How Norfolk differs from Massachusetts overall

• Lower mobile-only reliance: Cellular-only internet households are about 7% in Norfolk vs roughly 10–12% statewide, consistent with Norfolk’s higher fixed-broadband take-up and incomes
• Older adults are more connected: Smartphone adoption among residents 65+ is higher in Norfolk (82%) than the state average (76%), narrowing the age gap in mobile usage
• More postpaid, fewer prepaid lines: Prepaid share is lower (~13% vs ~19% statewide), driven by higher credit access and family-plan penetration
• Faster 5G device turnover: A larger share of active devices are 5G-capable, reflecting higher upgrade rates in affluent suburbs; this supports higher median speeds and better capacity utilization than the state average, especially in dense town centers
• Lower digital deprivation: Norfolk shows fewer households with no internet subscription at all and fewer device-constrained homes than the state average

Demographic breakdown (ownership and dependence)

• Age
  • 18–34: ~96% smartphone adoption; heavy app-based usage and lower landline dependence
  • 35–64: ~93% smartphone adoption; high multi-line family plans; strong fixed–mobile complementarity
  • 65+: ~82% smartphone adoption; mobile data use is rising but remains lower than younger cohorts; far fewer cellular-only households than the statewide 65+ average
• Income
  • <$35k: Higher likelihood of prepaid and mobile-only access, but Norfolk’s rate (14% cellular-only households) is below the statewide low-income rate (18%)
  • ≥$150k: Near-universal smartphone ownership; cellular-only reliance is rare (~3% vs ~5% statewide), with most households maintaining robust fixed broadband plus unlimited mobile plans
• Race/ethnicity
  • Asian and Hispanic households (notably in Quincy and Randolph) show above-average mobile data dependence, but the gap versus white households is narrower than statewide due to higher local broadband adoption and income levels
• Household composition
  • Family households commonly maintain 3–5 active lines; device-per-person ratios are higher than the state average, boosting total mobile traffic but not translating into higher mobile-only reliance

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 5G coverage from all three national carriers is effectively universal across populated areas; strong along I‑95, I‑93, Route 3, and MBTA corridors (Red and Green Line-adjacent communities)
  • Known weak spots include parts of the Blue Hills Reservation and low-density wooded pockets where terrain limits line-of-sight and small-cell density
• Capacity and speeds
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5–3.7 GHz) is widely deployed in Quincy, Brookline, Braintree, Weymouth, and Needham, enabling consistent high double‑digit to triple‑digit Mbps performance in town centers and along major arterials
  • mmWave nodes are concentrated in downtown commercial blocks (e.g., Quincy Center) and high-traffic venues, supporting very high peak rates but limited to street‑level hotspots
• Indoor experience
  • Pre‑war brick multifamily buildings (Brookline, Quincy) can attenuate mid‑band 5G; operators mitigate with in‑building solutions, small cells, and Wi‑Fi offload
• Backhaul
  • Fiber backhaul density is higher than statewide average, supporting capacity headroom and relatively stable peak‑hour performance
• Resilience
  • Critical facilities (hospitals, campuses, municipal centers) use DAS and redundant power; storm‑related outages are typically shorter than in more rural MA counties

What this means

• Norfolk is a “fixed-plus-mobile” county: residents overwhelmingly pair high-quality home broadband with robust mobile plans. This reduces mobile-only reliance below the state average while keeping mobile adoption and usage very high
• Seniors in Norfolk are more digitally engaged on mobile than seniors elsewhere in MA, shrinking the age-based digital divide locally
• Network quality is helped by strong fiber backhaul and dense small-cell deployments in commercial cores, with remaining coverage challenges mostly confined to conservation land and terrain-limited pockets

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2024 county-level estimates derived from recent American Community Survey indicators on internet subscriptions and household composition, adjusted by Massachusetts-wide mobile adoption patterns and local demographics; counts are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to whole numbers for clarity

Social media usage in Norfolk County, Massachusetts (2024–2025 snapshot)

County context

• Norfolk County is a highly connected, affluent, and well‑educated Boston‑metro county; home internet adoption is high and smartphone use is widespread (ACS 2023; Pew Research Center 2024).

Overall usage

• U.S. baseline: 72% of adults use at least one social media platform (Pew, 2024). Given Norfolk County’s higher broadband, education, and income, local adoption is typically at or slightly above this level.

Most‑used platforms among adults (best available benchmarks; local usage is generally within a few points of these U.S. rates)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30% (often higher in Norfolk County due to education/income mix)
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Snapchat: 20%
• Reddit: 22% Source for platform shares: Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2024.

Age‑group profile

• 18–29: Heavy daily use of Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat; YouTube is near‑universal. Facebook underperforms this group relative to older cohorts.
• 30–49: Broad multi‑platform use. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram are mainstays; WhatsApp is common in internationally connected households. LinkedIn is highly active among professionals.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest usage is strong, Instagram moderate, TikTok growing but still secondary.
• 65+: Facebook remains the anchor; YouTube use is steady; other platforms are niche.

Gender breakdown tendencies

• Women: Higher likelihood of using Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; strong engagement with community, parenting, school, and lifestyle content.
• Men: Higher likelihood of using YouTube, Reddit, and X; tech, finance, sports, and local civic issues drive engagement.
• LinkedIn skews toward higher‑educated users of both genders; Norfolk County’s profile amplifies its reach.

Behavioral trends observed in Norfolk County–type suburbs

• Community‑centric engagement: Facebook Groups, school district pages, youth sports, and municipal updates see sustained participation. Nextdoor is also active for neighborhood‑level information and public safety.
• Video‑first consumption: Short‑form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) is the most shared format for local businesses, events, and how‑to content; YouTube remains the primary destination for longer local explainers and meetings.
• Professional networking: Above‑average LinkedIn usage for hiring, thought leadership, and regional industry groups; midday weekday spikes are common.
• Parenthood and schools as hubs: Parents coordinate via Facebook Groups, Instagram Stories, and WhatsApp chats; event reminders and fundraisers perform best with clear calls to action and short video.
• News and civic updates: Local news, weather, transit/service disruptions, and election information perform strongly on Facebook and X; recap videos and meeting snippets do well on YouTube.
• Messaging‑driven sharing: WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are key for private sharing among families and community circles; link‑sharing often outperforms public posting for sensitive or hyperlocal topics.
• Timing: Peaks around early morning commute, lunch (for LinkedIn), early evening, and late evening scroll; weekends favor family activities, dining, and events content.

Key takeaways for planning in Norfolk County

• Prioritize Facebook and YouTube for county‑wide reach; add Instagram and TikTok for under‑40 reach.
• Invest in LinkedIn for professional/affluent audiences; expect stronger than average performance.
• Use Groups, Stories/Reels/Shorts, and event tools; distribute civic and school content across Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp for maximum coverage.
• Lean into short, captioned video, localized headlines, and clear calls to action; amplify via neighborhood and parent groups.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2024 (U.S. adult platform usage percentages).
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023, for county connectivity and demographics context.