Hillsborough County

Key demographics for Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

• Population size:

  • 422,937 (2020 Census, April 1)

• Age:

  • Median age: ~40 years (ACS 2018–2022)
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18 to 64: ~62%
  • 65 and over: ~17%

• Gender:

  • Female: ~50.8%
  • Male: ~49.2%

• Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022):

  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~77–79%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~8–9%
  • Asian alone: ~6–7%
  • Black or African American alone: ~3–4%
  • Two or more races: ~3–5%
  • Other categories (American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, some other race): each <1%

• Households (ACS 2018–2022):

  • Total households: ~170,000
  • Average household size: ~2.47
  • Family households: ~62% of households; married-couple families: ~46%
  • Nonfamily households: ~38%
  • Average family size: ~3.0

Insights:

• Hillsborough is New Hampshire’s largest county by population (roughly 30% of the state total), with a younger and more diverse profile than the state average, driven by its two largest cities (Manchester and Nashua).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (DP1); American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (DP05, S0101, S1101).

Hillsborough County, NH (pop. 422,937, 2020) is the state’s most populous and most connected county, anchored by Manchester (115k) and Nashua (91k).

Estimated email users

• ≈335,000–345,000 residents use email regularly (derived from adult/teen population and U.S. email adoption rates).

Age distribution (share using email)

• 13–17: ~90%
• 18–29: 98–99%
• 30–49: 96–98%
• 50–64: 92–95%
• 65+: 85–90%

Gender split among users

• Roughly even, tracking population: ~49% male, ~51% female.

Digital access and trends

• Broadband at home: ~93–95% of households subscribe.
• Device access: ~96–98% of households have a computer and/or smartphone; ~6–8% are smartphone‑only.
• Connectivity is strongest in the Manchester–Nashua corridor with ubiquitous cable and expanding fiber; typical urban fixed speeds exceed 100 Mbps, with 5G widely available. Rural western towns rely more on cable/DSL and fixed wireless but have high baseline broadband availability.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Nearly half of county residents live in Manchester and Nashua, concentrating email usage and public Wi‑Fi in schools, libraries, hospitals, and campuses; suburban corridors along US‑3/FE Everett Turnpike show the highest connectivity and adoption.

Mobile phone usage in Hillsborough County, NH — 2024 snapshot

Topline user estimates

• Population and households: ~423,000 residents and ~176,000 households (ACS 2023).
• Adult smartphone users: 305,000 adults (≈91% of ~335,000 adults), modestly higher than the New Hampshire average (89–90%).
• Households with a smartphone: 160,000 households (≈91–92%), slightly above the state (89–91%).
• Cellular-only home internet: ≈9–10% of Hillsborough households rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet connection, above the statewide share (≈7–8%) and concentrated in Manchester and Nashua neighborhoods and in a few western hill towns without cable/fiber.

What’s different in Hillsborough versus the rest of New Hampshire

• More urban, younger, and denser: Hillsborough’s median age is several years lower than NH’s (county ~39 vs state ~43), which supports higher smartphone penetration and heavier mobile data use. Statewide figures are pulled down by older, rural northern counties.
• Higher mobile-reliance: The county’s cellular-only internet share is meaningfully higher than the state average, reflecting both urban cost sensitivities (smartphone-only households) and pockets without fixed broadband in the county’s western uplands.
• Better 5G depth and speeds: All three national carriers have dense mid-band 5G in Manchester and Nashua, plus small-cell nodes in downtowns and along I‑93, I‑293, and the F.E. Everett Turnpike. Population 5G coverage is effectively countywide (>98% of residents), versus weaker depth and more LTE-only pockets in rural parts of the state.
• Faster adoption of fixed wireless access (FWA): Take-up of 5G home internet (T‑Mobile, Verizon) is growing faster than the statewide pace because of competitive pricing versus cable and broad mid-band coverage in the two cities.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption ≈95%+, heavy app and streaming use; above state average due to larger student/early-career share in Manchester/Nashua.
  • 35–64: ≈90–93% adoption; strongest BYOD usage for work; high multi-line family plans.
  • 65+: ≈70–75% adoption in the county, a few points higher than the statewide senior rate, aided by better retail access, health-system digital tools, and family support.
• Income:
  • Lower-income tracts in Manchester and Nashua show above-average smartphone-only and cellular-only home internet reliance (cost substitution for cable/fiber).
  • Middle-to-upper income suburbs (Bedford, Amherst, Hollis) show high device ownership and multi-device plans, with mobile as a complement to fiber/cable rather than a substitute.
• Language and diversity:
  • Hillsborough’s foreign-born share is higher than the state average, supporting heavier use of OTT messaging (WhatsApp, Viber) and international calling apps; this segment over-indexes to prepaid and budget MVNO plans relative to the rest of NH.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and capacity:
  • Mid-band 5G (C‑band/2.5 GHz) blankets Manchester and Nashua; mmWave small cells are present in downtown cores, arenas, campuses, and busy commercial corridors.
  • Corridor performance is strongest along I‑93, I‑293, US‑3/Daniel Webster Hwy, and the Everett Turnpike; indoor coverage is robust in most urban buildings via small cells/DAS.
• Gaps and variability:
  • Western hill towns (e.g., Francestown, Lyndeborough, Greenfield, Windsor) and some conservation areas have thinner macro coverage and lower capacity; LTE or low-band 5G dominates and indoor service can require Wi‑Fi calling.
  • Peak-hour congestion appears around downtown Manchester, the Mall of NH, Exit 1–7 Nashua retail zones, and during events; off-peak speeds are higher and more consistent than statewide averages.
• Emergency services and alerts:
  • Wireless E911 and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are broadly supported; first-responder networks (e.g., FirstNet) have good in-county coverage with priority access in urban cores.

Usage and market trends to watch

• Continued shift away from landlines and DSL is faster in Hillsborough than statewide, with mobile and cable/fiber capturing nearly all connectivity.
• FWA is eroding entry-tier cable plans in the two cities; churn is higher than the state norm because residents have credible mobile, cable, and fiber alternatives.
• Enterprise and public-sector mobility demand (healthcare, logistics, education) in Manchester/Nashua keeps small-cell and private LTE/5G pilots above the state average.

Notes on figures

• Population/household counts are from ACS 2023. Smartphone ownership and cellular-only shares use ACS computer/internet subscription indicators and national smartphone-adoption benchmarks (Pew) adjusted to county age mix. Speed/coverage patterns reflect FCC/industry maps and observed deployment in 2024. Figures are rounded to emphasize practical scale.

Social media usage in Hillsborough County, NH — concise snapshot

Baseline

• Population: ~423,000; adults (18+): ~335,000–340,000 (U.S. Census/ACS).
• Internet access: high (NH households with broadband are around 90%), supporting near-national social media adoption.

Overall reach (modeled to Hillsborough using 2024 Pew Research U.S. adult rates)

• Adults using at least one social platform: roughly 75–85% of adults ≈ 260,000–290,000 people.
• Daily users: a clear majority of platform users are daily users (especially Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube), implying ~180,000–220,000 daily users locally.

Most-used platforms (share of adults; U.S. averages that Hillsborough closely mirrors)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• Reddit: ~22%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Nextdoor: ~20% Notes for Hillsborough: Facebook and Nextdoor tend to be comparatively strong in suburban, homeowner-heavy areas; LinkedIn use is buoyed by the Boston–Manchester/Nashua white-collar corridor; WhatsApp penetration is typically below national average in NH due to a smaller foreign-born share than the U.S. overall.

Age-group patterns (directional, based on 2024 Pew)

• 18–29: Very high YouTube; majority use Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; Facebook use is common but less central than for older groups.
• 30–49: Broad, multi-platform use; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram are core; TikTok meaningful; LinkedIn usage notable among professionals.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram and TikTok are secondary but growing.
• 65+: Facebook is the primary network; YouTube strong for news/how‑to/entertainment; Nextdoor usage present in homeowner communities.

Gender breakdown (directional skews, based on 2024 Pew)

• Pinterest: strongly female-skewing.
• Reddit and X (Twitter): male-skewing.
• LinkedIn: modest male skew.
• Facebook and Instagram: broadly balanced, with slight female tilt in Instagram use.
• Snapchat and TikTok: slight female tilt.

Behavioral trends observed in similar U.S. suburban/metro counties and applicable locally

• Community and local information: Heavy use of Facebook Groups/Pages and Nextdoor for town updates, schools, events, and public safety; strong Facebook Marketplace activity for local buying/selling.
• Short-form video first: Reels/TikTok for entertainment, local food/attractions, and product discovery; YouTube for longer-form “how‑to,” education, and local sports highlights.
• Messaging and stories: Snapchat and Instagram DMs/Stories are primary for under‑35 private sharing; Facebook Messenger prevalent for broad contacts.
• Cross-posting and multi-homing: Most adults maintain 3–5 platforms; content discovery on TikTok/Instagram often converts to search/site visits and YouTube deep-dives.
• Time-of-day engagement: Commuter peaks (early morning/late afternoon) and evening prime-time scrolling; weekend spikes for events, Marketplace, and local dining/leisure.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census/ACS for population and broadband context; Pew Research Center (2024) for U.S. platform adoption rates. County-level usage figures are modeled by applying these rates to Hillsborough’s adult population; platform percentages listed reflect Pew’s U.S. adult statistics and are the best proxy for Hillsborough County absent direct county-level measurement.