Essex County

Key demographics for Essex County, New Jersey (latest Census Bureau estimates)

• Population

  • ≈865,000 (2023 Population Estimates)
  • 863,728 (2020 Census)

• Age

  • Median age: ~38 years
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~15%

• Gender

  • Female: ~52%
  • Male: ~48%

• Race and ethnicity

  • White alone: ~41%
  • Black or African American alone: ~40%
  • Asian alone: ~6%
  • Two or more races: ~3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~26%
  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~28%

• Households

  • ≈325,000 households
  • Persons per household: ~2.7
  • Family households: ~62%
  • Households with children under 18: ~31%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 Population Estimates; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates; 2020 Decennial Census). Figures rounded; race and Hispanic/Latino overlap.

Essex County, NJ email usage (estimates)

• Population baseline: ~865–880k residents; ~680–710k adults.
• Email users: 90–95% of adults use email, implying ~620k–670k adult email users (teens add more).
• Age distribution: Very high among 30–49 (95%) and 50–64 (90%+); high for 18–29 (90%+); lower for 65+ (80–85%), so older areas show the steepest drop-off.
• Gender split: Essentially even; men and women use email at comparable rates (~92–94%).
• Digital access trends: Most households have broadband (88–90% countywide). Newark’s subscription rates are lower (75–80%), while suburbs (e.g., Montclair, Livingston, Millburn) are typically 90%+. Smartphone ownership is 90%+; a notable urban share is smartphone-only (15–20%). Libraries, schools, and community centers provide significant public access.
• Local density/connectivity: Density ~6,800 people/sq mi; Newark is NJ’s largest city and a regional internet hub with downtown fiber backbones (e.g., Newark Fiber) and free public Wi‑Fi kiosks (LinkNWK). Major commuter corridors (NJ Transit rail/bus, interstates) have strong 4G/5G coverage from national carriers.
• Overall: Broadband and mobile access continue to rise; email remains a daily staple across demographics, with the fastest growth among seniors.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Essex County, NJ (with emphasis on what differs from statewide patterns)

Quick context

• Population: roughly 0.86–0.90 million residents, anchored by Newark (urban core) and a ring of suburban/affluent towns (e.g., Montclair, Maplewood, Millburn/Short Hills, West Orange).
• The county skews more urban, more renter-heavy, and more racially/ethnically diverse than New Jersey overall.

User estimates

• Smartphone users: approximately 650,000–750,000 residents use a smartphone regularly.
  • Basis: adult smartphone adoption in the U.S. and NJ is near 90%; Essex has a younger, urban-heavy profile that supports high handset adoption, plus strong uptake among teens.
• Mobile-only or mobile-primary internet: materially higher share than NJ overall.
  • Expect tens of thousands of Essex households to rely mainly or entirely on cellular data for home internet, with the highest concentrations in Newark, East Orange, and Irvington. This exceeds the statewide average, which leans more toward fixed broadband.
• Plan mix: higher prepaid/MVNO share than NJ average.
  • Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket, Boost, and Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile-affiliated MVNOs have strong storefront density in the urban core, reflecting greater price sensitivity, credit constraints, and flexible plan demand.

Demographic breakdown and how it shapes usage

• Age and students: Essex is slightly younger than NJ overall and hosts large student populations (Rutgers–Newark, NJIT, Seton Hall Law). This correlates with near-universal smartphone use, heavy messaging/social/video, and more frequent plan switching or prepaid use.
• Income and housing: More renters and lower median incomes in several municipalities vs. NJ averages.
  • Implications: greater odds of mobile-first internet, hotspot use for homework/work, and family plans or MVNOs to manage costs.
• Race/ethnicity and language: Higher shares of Black and Hispanic residents than the NJ average; sizable immigrant communities.
  • Implications: elevated use of WhatsApp/OTT calling, interest in international calling options, and multilingual retail/CS; patterns consistent with Pew/ACS findings that Black and Hispanic adults are more likely to be smartphone-dependent for internet.
• Affluent suburbs (e.g., Millburn/Short Hills, Livingston, North Caldwell): resemble or exceed NJ averages in home broadband and device ownership, relying on mobile for on-the-go rather than as a primary home connection.

Digital infrastructure (what stands out in Essex)

• 5G coverage and capacity
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., n41, C-band) is widely present and heavily utilized in Newark and along major corridors (I‑78, I‑280, Garden State Parkway, rail lines). Capacity upgrades here outpace many suburban NJ areas due to density and traffic.
  • High-band 5G (mmWave) exists in select dense zones and venues (parts of downtown Newark, major event areas, and Newark Liberty International Airport terminals). This kind of ultra‑capacity build is less common outside the state’s urban cores.
• Dense small‑cell footprint
  • More small cells and rooftop sites in Newark/East Orange/Irvington than a typical NJ suburb, to handle population density, commuter flows, and indoor penetration challenges in older masonry high‑rises.
• Transit and airport focus
  • Coverage and capacity around Newark Penn Station, NJ Transit hubs, and EWR are notably prioritized; mobility demand here is higher than most NJ counties.
• Fixed-broadband overlap and gaps
  • Essex has robust fiber/coax competition in many suburbs, but parts of the urban core have uneven building-by-building availability and MDU wiring constraints.
  • Result: higher reliance on phone-based hotspots or cellular home internet offers than the NJ average.
• Public/enterprise fiber
  • Newark has an established civic/enterprise fiber footprint that supports institutions and backhaul, plus pockets of public Wi‑Fi—more prominent than in many NJ counties, though residential benefits vary by neighborhood.
• Pain points that shape behavior
  • Indoor coverage in pre‑war brick/concrete apartments, signal shadows in hilly terrain near South Mountain/Eagle Rock reservations, and event‑time congestion around arenas and the airport. Users in these zones lean on Wi‑Fi calling and carriers with stronger mid‑band depth.

How Essex differs from New Jersey overall (key trends)

• Higher share of mobile-only or mobile-primary internet use, driven by affordability, renter density, and uneven in-building fixed broadband.
• Larger prepaid/MVNO footprint and plan adoption than the statewide mix.
• More intense 5G densification (small cells, selective mmWave) in the urban core, versus broader but thinner suburban 5G elsewhere in NJ.
• Heavier transit- and airport-driven mobile demand.
• Greater reliance on OTT messaging/voice and international communications, consistent with a more diverse, multilingual population.

Notes on methodology and confidence

• Estimates synthesize county population, ACS “computer/internet” patterns, Pew smartphone adoption benchmarks, and observed urban network build practices in North Jersey. Exact counts vary by neighborhood and over time; figures are presented as ranges and relative differences to avoid overstating precision.

Here’s a concise, planning-ready view of social media usage in Essex County, NJ. Figures are local estimates inferred from U.S./NJ benchmarks (Pew Research Center 2023–2024, DataReportal 2024) adjusted for the county’s urban, younger, and diverse profile.

User stats

• Estimated active social media users (13+): ~520,000–580,000
• Adults (18+): ~480,000 users (roughly 70–75% of adults)
• Teens (13–17): ~50,000–60,000 users (roughly 90–95% of teens)
• Device: Primarily mobile; short-form video and messaging dominate

Age groups (share using any social platform; adoption, not time spent)

• 13–17: ~90–95%
• 18–29: ~80–85%
• 30–49: ~75–85%
• 50–64: ~65–75%
• 65+: ~45–55%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: slightly female-skewed, ~53% women / ~47% men (in line with national usage patterns)
• Platform skews:
  • More women: Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Facebook
  • More men: Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn (slight)

Most-used platforms (local adult estimates; teens in parentheses)

• YouTube: ~80–85% of adults (teens: ~90–95%)
• Facebook: ~60–70% (teens: ~20–30%)
• Instagram: ~45–55% (teens: ~55–65%)
• TikTok: ~30–40% (teens: ~60–70%)
• WhatsApp: ~30–40% — likely above U.S. average given immigrant/diaspora communities (teens: ~20–30%)
• Snapchat: ~25–35% (teens: ~60–65%)
• LinkedIn: ~25–35% — elevated by NYC-metro professional base
• X (Twitter): ~18–25% (teens: ~15–20%)
• Pinterest: ~20–30%
• Nextdoor: ~10–20% — strongest in suburban townships (e.g., Montclair, Maplewood, Livingston)

Behavioral trends to note

• Community-first: Heavy use of Facebook Groups and WhatsApp for neighborhoods, schools, faith orgs, and municipal updates; high engagement on storm/transport, safety, and local policy topics.
• Visual and local: Instagram Reels/TikTok for food, small business, events, high school/college sports; creator content from Newark/Montclair micro-influencers performs well.
• Commuter cadence: Peaks around 7–9 a.m., lunch, and 5–9 p.m.; event-driven spikes (weather, NJ Transit issues, school alerts).
• Messaging as a service channel: DMs and WhatsApp used for customer support and bookings; quick replies matter.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn usage strong among 25–44 in healthcare, education, finance, tech; job posts and local networking perform well.
• Suburban vs urban split: Nextdoor strongest in suburbs; X/Reddit more active among city-based news/politics followers.
• Multilingual reach: Notable Spanish and Portuguese use (Ironbound/Newark), plus Haitian Creole pockets; bilingual posts and captions improve reach and shares.

Notes on methodology

• Percentages reflect national/state survey benchmarks mapped to Essex County’s demographics; exact county-level platform stats aren’t publicly reported.
• Use these as directional ranges; validate with your own page insights, ad platform audience tools, and local surveys where precision is required.