Morris County

Morris County, New Jersey — Key Demographics

Population

• Total population: 509,285 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~513,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates/ACS)

Age

• Median age: ~42.9 years (ACS 2023)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51.3%
• Male: ~48.7%

Race and Ethnicity (mutually exclusive; ACS 2023)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~66.7%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~15.5%
• Asian: ~12.9%
• Black/African American: ~3.2%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~1.4%
• Other race (non-Hispanic): ~0.3%

Households and Housing

• Households: ~189,000
• Average household size: ~2.64
• Family households: ~69% of households; married-couple families ~55%
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Living alone: ~23% of households; seniors (65+) living alone: ~9%
• Housing tenure: ~74% owner-occupied, ~26% renter-occupied
• Average family size: ~3.1

Insights

• Older-than-state median age with a sizable 65+ population.
• High homeownership and predominance of married-couple families.
• Increasing diversity led by sizable Asian and Hispanic/Latino communities.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2023 American Community Survey (1-year) and 2019–2023 ACS (5-year) estimates; Population Estimates Program.

• Population and density: ~510,000 residents across ~481 sq mi (≈1,060 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈410,000 residents. Basis: ≈92% of adults use email and ≈70% of teens (13–17) have email; adults are ~82% of the population.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: 5%; 18–34: 23%; 35–54: 38%; 55–64: 16%; 65+: 18%. Usage is near‑universal for 18–54, slightly lower for 65+.
• Gender split among users: ≈51% women, 49% men, mirroring population; usage rates are effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access and devices: ≈95% of households have a broadband subscription and ≈96% have a computer/smartphone, supporting high email adoption and multi‑device use; adult smartphone ownership is roughly 90%, reinforcing always‑on access.
• Connectivity facts and trends: Gigabit‑class cable/fiber is available in most municipalities, with extensive 5G coverage along major corridors. Remote/hybrid work remains elevated, sustaining heavy daytime residential internet use. The local digital divide is modest: likely <5% of households lack home internet, concentrated in lower‑income pockets and some western/rural tracts. Overall, Morris County is among New Jersey’s best‑connected counties, enabling consistently high email engagement.

Mobile phone usage in Morris County, NJ — summary and county-vs-state contrasts (latest available 2023–2024 data)

Headline user estimates

• Total mobile phone users: approximately 455,000–475,000 residents, or about 88–92% of the county’s ~515,000 population. This reflects near-universal adult cellphone ownership and very high teen smartphone adoption, consistent with recent Pew Research and ACS subscription patterns.
• Households with a cellular data plan: roughly nine in ten households subscribe to a cellular data plan. Morris County sits a few percentage points above the New Jersey average on this measure (ACS S2801).
• Smartphone-only internet households: significantly lower than the New Jersey average. In NJ, smartphone-only households are in the mid-teens percent; in Morris County the share is roughly in the high single digits to low teens, reflecting higher fixed-broadband adoption.

Demographic breakdown (what’s distinctive in Morris vs. NJ overall)

• Income/education: Higher-than-state median income and educational attainment correlate with:
  • Higher likelihood of postpaid plans (lower prepaid share than the NJ average).
  • Higher multi-line family plans and insurance/device-upgrade uptake.
  • Lower reliance on smartphone-only internet, because fiber/cable penetration and affordability are strong.
• Age: Family-heavy suburbs keep mobile-plus-home-broadband bundles elevated. Smartphone-only dependence skews to younger adults and renters in Morristown, Dover, and select transit-adjacent tracts, but at lower rates than in NJ’s urban counties.
• Language/ethnicity: Hispanic and lower-income tracts (e.g., parts of Dover, Morristown) show a higher propensity for smartphone-centric access than the county average, yet still below the state’s urban-county norms, due to relatively good fixed-broadband availability and discount programs.
• Work patterns: Large corporate campuses and pharma/tech corridors produce pronounced weekday daytime usage surges (Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morristown, Hanover), driving higher mid-band 5G capacity investment than typical NJ suburban counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county specifics)

• 4G LTE and 5G coverage: Outdoor LTE is effectively ubiquitous. Mid-band 5G (Verizon C-band and T-Mobile 2.5 GHz) is widely deployed along I-80, I-287, US-46, and NJ-10 corridors and around commercial centers (Morristown, Parsippany, Madison, Florham Park), yielding higher median 5G speeds than the state’s urban canyon environments and many rural tracts.
• Backhaul and fiber: Countywide fixed-broadband depth (Verizon Fios and Optimum/Altice in most municipalities) keeps smartphone-only rates lower than NJ’s average. Robust fiber backhaul via telco and utility ROWs supports dense small-cell and upgraded macro sites in core employment zones.
• Small cells and densification: Notable small-cell presence in Morristown’s downtown and around major office parks, sports venues, and shopping corridors, improving capacity for peak-time demand and events.
• Terrain-related gaps: The NJ Highlands topography in the northwestern/western townships (e.g., near Lake Hopatcong, Schooley’s Mountain, and state parklands) still creates localized weak-signal pockets and indoor coverage challenges, more characteristic of Morris than flatter eastern NJ counties. Carriers mitigate with additional sectors, beamforming, and carrier aggregation, but absolute signal reliability lags the county average in these zones.

How Morris County differs from New Jersey statewide

• Higher cellular-plan household penetration and lower smartphone-only reliance, driven by income, education, and superior fixed-broadband availability.
• Higher share of postpaid and multi-line family plans; lower prepaid penetration.
• Stronger mid-band 5G capacity deployment relative to population, particularly along suburban commuter and corporate corridors, producing better median 5G speeds than many NJ urban cores that contend with heavy interference and street-canyon attenuation.
• More pronounced weekday capacity hot spots tied to corporate campuses versus the transit/central business district peaks that dominate urban NJ counties.
• Slightly more coverage variability due to Highlands terrain than in coastal or urban counties, with persistent but shrinking dead zones around ridgelines and lakes.

Actionable implications

• Network planning: Continued small-cell densification and indoor solutions in downtown Morristown, Parsippany office clusters, and hospital/university zones will deliver outsized benefits; targeted fills in Highlands topography remain a priority.
• Consumer offers: Family-plan, device-upgrade, and premium-postpaid positioning outperform prepaid in most of the county; Spanish-language and value offers resonate in specific tracts without shifting the countywide mix.
• Public sector and equity: Because fixed broadband is strong, mobile service is a complement rather than a substitute for most households; device affordability programs and lifeline plans remain important for pockets of smartphone-centric users in select municipalities.

Data sources underlying estimates

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 population estimates for Morris County.
• American Community Survey (ACS) S2801 (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions), county vs. NJ, latest 1-year where available.
• Pew Research Center device ownership trends (adults and teens).
• FCC/National Broadband Map and carrier deployment disclosures for 4G/5G footprint and spectrum utilization.

Social media usage in Morris County, NJ (2025 snapshot)

User stats

• Adult population (18+): ~400,000
• Social media users: 330,000 adults (82% of 18+ residents)
• Gender among social users: ~53% women, ~47% men

Age and gender breakdown

• Share of adults in each group who use social media (US benchmarks applied locally):
  • 18–29: ~95%
  • 30–49: ~88%
  • 50–64: ~73%
  • 65+: ~50%
• Approximate share of the local social user base:
  • 18–29: ~20%
  • 30–54: ~55–60%
  • 55+: ~25–30%
• Gender tendencies:
  • Women overindex on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
  • Men overindex on YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter)

Most‑used platforms (estimated share of Morris County adults who ever use)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~49%
• LinkedIn: ~35% (above US average given the county’s professional/commuter profile)
• Pinterest: ~35% (skews female 25–54)
• WhatsApp: ~31% (strong among multicultural households and extended families)
• TikTok: ~30% (slightly lower than national average due to older median age)
• Snapchat: ~25% (concentrated 13–29; adult usage modest)
• X (Twitter): ~23% (news, sports, finance)
• Reddit: ~21% (male and tech/finance skew)
• Nextdoor: ~22% (high among homeowners for hyperlocal updates)

Behavioral trends and local insights

• Community-first: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Nextdoor for schools, youth sports, municipal updates, road closures, and recommendations for local services (contractors, healthcare, pet care).
• Professional networking: LinkedIn engagement is strong during workdays (8–10 a.m., 12–2 p.m., 4–6 p.m.) given concentration of pharma, healthcare, finance, and engineering roles.
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives discovery for restaurants, fitness, salons, parks, and weekend activities; creator-style, authentic clips outperform polished ads.
• Local commerce: Instagram and Facebook are primary for dining and retail discovery; offers, limited-time menus, and event posts convert well when paired with location tags and neighborhood hashtags.
• Trust signals: Reviews, UGC, and neighbor recommendations materially increase response rates; “as seen locally” proof points and collaborations with community pages perform well.
• Family/life stage clusters: Women 25–54 anchor engagement in school/parenting groups and local events; Gen Z and younger millennials lean TikTok/Snapchat for entertainment and trends.
• Timing: Highest engagement typically evenings 7–9 p.m. on weekdays, lunch hours for LinkedIn/WhatsApp, and weekend mornings for community and events content.
• Multilingual reach: WhatsApp and Facebook are effective for outreach to South Asian, Latino, and other multicultural communities concentrated along Parsippany–Troy Hills and surrounding corridors.

Notes on method

• Figures are best-available local estimates derived by applying 2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption rates to Morris County’s age/gender mix (U.S. Census Bureau ACS), with suburban/professional adjustments where known (e.g., higher LinkedIn/Nextdoor, slightly lower TikTok/Snapchat). Percentages refer to adults who report ever using each platform; values are rounded.