Passaic County

Passaic County, New Jersey — key demographics (latest Census Bureau data)

Population size

• Total population: ~523,000 (2023 population estimate; 2020 Census: 524,118)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; ACS)

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~46%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~38%
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American: ~10–11%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: ~5–6%
• Other/multiracial, non-Hispanic (includes AIAN, NHPI, two or more races): ~1–2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~168,000–174,000
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~70% of households; average family size: ~3.5
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~53% (renter-occupied ~47%)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2023) and American Community Survey (most recent 5-year). These figures reflect the county’s comparatively young, family-oriented population with a large Hispanic community and a near-even owner/renter split.

• Estimated email users: ~355,000 adults in Passaic County (≈91% of ~390,000 adults; county population ≈520,000).
• Age distribution of email use (adoption rates):
  • 18–29: ~97%
  • 30–49: ~95%
  • 50–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~82%
• Gender split: County is ~51% female; email usage shows no material gender gap, so users are ~51% female and ~49% male.
• Digital access trends:
  • ≈90% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈93% have a computer device.
  • ~13% of households are smartphone‑only for home internet, indicating a meaningful mobile‑first segment.
  • County has near‑universal 4G and broad 5G coverage along major corridors; fixed internet speeds are high by national standards due to extensive cable/fiber plant.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Overall density ≈2,800 residents/sq mi; urban cores are much denser—Paterson (17,000+/sq mi) and Passaic (22,000+/sq mi)—supporting strong network build‑outs and high workplace/school connectivity.
• Insight: Email use is essentially universal among working‑age adults, with gaps concentrated among seniors and households without home broadband; smartphone‑only access sustains email reach but can limit multi‑device usage and reliability for long‑form tasks.

Mobile phone usage in Passaic County, New Jersey — 2023–2024 snapshot

At a glance

• Population and households: ≈525,000 residents; ≈171,000 households.
• Estimated smartphone users: ≈400,000–430,000 residents use a smartphone (roughly 85–90% of people age 13+).
• Estimated active mobile lines: ≈520,000–560,000 SIMs (about 1.1–1.2 lines per resident), reflecting personal, work, tablets, and IoT.

Adoption and access (Passaic County vs. New Jersey)

• Households with any internet subscription: ≈91% in Passaic vs ≈94% statewide.
• Households with a smartphone and cellular data plan: ≈79% in Passaic vs ≈76% statewide.
• Smartphone-only internet (cellular data plan with no fixed home internet): ≈17% in Passaic vs ≈11% statewide.
• No home internet at all: ≈9% in Passaic vs ≈6% statewide.
• Desktop/laptop in household: ≈80% in Passaic vs ≈87% statewide.

Key ways Passaic differs from the state

• More mobile-dependent: A meaningfully higher share of smartphone-only and cellular-only households than the NJ average.
• Slightly lower fixed broadband take-up and device diversity, increasing reliance on phones for daily internet needs.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO penetration than the NJ average, consistent with income mix and renter density.
• Sharper urban–rural split: dense 5G in the urban south/central corridor; coverage constraints in the rural, mountainous northwest not typical of much of NJ.

Demographic breakdown of mobile reliance (county patterns)

• Income: Households under $35k are about 1.5× as likely to be smartphone-only for internet (≈30%) compared with the county average; this gap is wider than the statewide gap.
• Housing tenure: Renters are roughly 2–3× as likely as homeowners to be mobile-only (≈24% vs ≈9%).
• Age: Near-saturation smartphone use among 18–34; seniors (65+) lag the state, with smartphone adoption around the mid-to-high 70s percentage vs low-80s statewide, and higher mobile-only reliance where fixed broadband is unaffordable.
• Ethnicity/language: The county’s large Hispanic population (≈45%) shows above-average smartphone-only internet reliance relative to non-Hispanic White households, reflecting affordability and multi-family housing patterns.
• Households with children: Elevated smartphone and hotspot dependence for schoolwork relative to the state average, particularly in Paterson, Passaic, and Clifton.

Usage behavior

• Data consumption: Average mobile data per smartphone line ≈23–26 GB/month, a bit above statewide averages due to higher smartphone-only households.
• 5G share of traffic: Majority of mobile data now carried on 5G (≈60–70%), led by mid-band deployments.
• Plan mix: Prepaid/MVNO lines estimated at ≈27–30% of active lines in the county vs ≈22–24% statewide; strong presence of Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket, and Visible.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 5G mid-band coverage:
  • Urban/suburban core (Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Wayne): Broad mid-band 5G from T-Mobile (n41) and C-band from Verizon/AT&T along major corridors (I‑80, US‑46, NJ‑3, NJ‑21, NJ‑23).
  • Small-cell density is highest along commercial arterials and around retail hubs (e.g., Wayne/Willowbrook area).
• mmWave 5G: Limited, spotty nodes in dense downtown/commercial zones (e.g., parts of Paterson and Clifton) with strong outdoor capacity but modest indoor reach.
• Terrain-driven constraints: The Highlands and lake districts (West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque) exhibit coverage gaps and lower mid-band 5G availability; service often falls back to low-band LTE/NR with reduced speeds.
• In-building performance: Older, pre-war multifamily buildings in Paterson/Passaic see indoor penetration challenges; carriers rely on low-band and selective indoor systems.
• Backhaul/fixed networks: Verizon Fios and Altice fiber/coax are extensive in the south/east; availability thins in the northwest. Where fixed options are limited or costly, mobile becomes the primary connection.

Implications for service and policy

• Design for mobile-first: Residents disproportionately complete key tasks on smartphones; optimize apps/services for low-to-mid bandwidth and small screens.
• Pricing and distribution: Strong demand for affordable prepaid/MVNO plans, family bundles, and bilingual retail support.
• Network priorities: Add mid-band 5G sites and backhaul in northwestern townships; expand in-building solutions in dense multifamily areas; continue small-cell buildouts along transit and retail corridors.
• Digital equity: Target subsidies and device programs to renters, low-income, and Spanish-speaking households to narrow the fixed-broadband gap that drives smartphone-only reliance.

Bottom line Passaic County is more mobile-dependent than New Jersey as a whole: a higher share of households rely exclusively on smartphones and cellular data, prepaid use is higher, and terrain plus housing stock create sharper coverage and indoor performance challenges. At the same time, the urban core benefits from robust mid-band 5G and small-cell capacity, supporting above-average mobile data use compared with statewide norms.

Passaic County, NJ — Social Media Snapshot (2024)

Population and connectivity

• Population: ~524,000 (U.S. Census 2020)
• Adults (18+): ~398,000 (ACS-derived age structure)
• Broadband access: High urban/suburban penetration; county aligns with NJ’s >90% household internet access (ACS)
• Language mix: Large Spanish-speaking population (drives strong usage of WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram)

Adult social media reach (platform share = Pew Research Center, 2024 U.S. adults; local counts apply those shares to Passaic’s ~398k adults)

• Any social (proxy via YouTube): 83% ≈ 331k adults
• YouTube: 83% ≈ 331k
• Facebook: 68% ≈ 271k
• Instagram: 47% ≈ 187k
• Pinterest: 35% ≈ 139k
• TikTok: 33% ≈ 131k
• LinkedIn: 30% ≈ 119k
• Snapchat: 30% ≈ 119k
• X (Twitter): 22% ≈ 88k
• Reddit: 22% ≈ 88k
• WhatsApp: 21% ≈ 84k Notes: WhatsApp use typically over-indexes in Hispanic communities; local adoption is likely above the national 21% benchmark.

Age groups (population structure; ACS)

• Under 18: ~25%
• 18–29: ~17%
• 30–44: ~21%
• 45–64: ~24%
• 65+: ~13% Platform skews (Pew, applied locally): 18–29 over-index on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; 30–49 balance Facebook + Instagram (+ LinkedIn for professionals); 50–64 and 65+ concentrate on Facebook and YouTube.

Gender breakdown

• Residents: ~50.7% female, ~49.3% male (ACS)
• Social media users: Distribution closely mirrors population; women tend to over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and Reddit (Pew patterns).

Most-used platforms (local ranking, adults)

1. YouTube (~83%)
2. Facebook (~68%)
3. Instagram (~47%)
4. Pinterest (~35%)
5. TikTok (~33%)
6. LinkedIn/Snapchat (each ~30%) Secondary: X/Twitter and Reddit (each ~22%); WhatsApp baseline ~21% but likely higher locally.

Behavioral trends and practical insights

• Bilingual engagement: Spanish/English content performs markedly better; WhatsApp and Facebook Groups are key for family, community, and small-business communication.
• Community and commerce: Facebook Groups/Marketplace are primary for hyperlocal news, events, and buy/sell; strong group activity in Paterson, Passaic, Clifton, Wayne.
• Short-form video first: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for food, retail, and events; local restaurants and boutiques rely on video for reach.
• Youth channels: Teens and college-age users (William Paterson, nearby campuses) lean heavily into TikTok/Snapchat; DM-based interactions dominate.
• Professional corridor: LinkedIn engagement is healthy among commuters and healthcare/education workers; weekday midday activity is strongest.
• News and sports: X/Twitter usage is smaller but concentrated among news, municipal updates, and sports followers.
• Timing: Mobile-first consumption with commuter peaks (7–9 a.m., 5–8 p.m.) and strong weekend midday engagement.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; ACS), Pew Research Center (The 2024 Social Media Landscape). Percentages are Pew’s U.S. adult usage rates; local user counts are estimates applying those rates to Passaic County’s adult population.