Salem County

Salem County, New Jersey — key demographics (latest available U.S. Census Bureau estimates)

Population size and trend

• Total population: ~62,700 (2023 estimate); 64,837 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2020: -3.3% (continued gradual decline since 2010)

Age

• Median age: ~43.5–44 years (older than NJ overall)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18 to 64: ~59–60%
• 65 and over: ~19–20%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White, non-Hispanic: ~72%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~18%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7–8%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Other groups: ~1%

Households

• Total households: ~24,500–25,000
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~65–66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–48% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~28–30%
• One-person households: ~27–30% (about 11–12% are 65+ living alone)
• Tenure: ~75% owner-occupied, ~25% renter-occupied
• Average family size: ~3.0

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2023) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Figures are rounded for clarity.

• Population and density: Salem County has about 65,000 residents and is New Jersey’s least populous county, with roughly 170 people per square mile (far below the state average), reflecting its largely rural profile.

• Estimated email users: ≈50,000 residents. Method: 78% are 18+ (50,600); about 92% of U.S. adults use email → 46,500 adult users. Adding ages 13–17 (4,000) at ~85% adoption adds ~3,400 users.

• Age distribution of email users (share of users, estimated):

  • 13–17: ~7%
  • 18–29: ~23%
  • 30–49: ~34%
  • 50–64: ~24%
  • 65+: ~12% Users skew slightly toward working-age adults; seniors’ share is smaller due to lower adoption.

• Gender split among users: Approximately mirrors population, ~51% female and ~49% male.

• Digital access trends:

  • About 83% of Salem County households have a broadband subscription (below New Jersey’s ~91% rate), reflecting rural gaps.
  • Smartphone ownership is near national levels (~90% of adults), supporting widespread mobile email access.
  • Fixed broadband availability and fiber penetration trail NJ metro counties; mobile networks mitigate access in lower-density townships.
  • Lower median household income than the NJ average correlates with a higher share of households that are mobile-only or unconnected, but overall connectivity continues to improve year over year.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Salem County, New Jersey (latest ACS 5‑year and federal mapping sources)

Scale and user estimates

• Population context: Salem is New Jersey’s least‑populous county and one of its most rural, with a population density roughly one‑seventh of the statewide average. This shapes both coverage and adoption patterns.
• Estimated adult mobile users: ~48,000 adults use a mobile phone (any handset) countywide.
• Estimated smartphone users: ~45,000 adult smartphone users.
  • Basis: ACS 2018–2022 5‑year indicators applied to the county’s adult population.

Adoption and device access (household-level ACS indicators)

• Households with a smartphone
  • Salem County: 88% of households
  • New Jersey: 93%
• Households with a cellular data plan for a smartphone or other mobile device
  • Salem County: 81%
  • New Jersey: 90%
• Households with any broadband subscription (wireline or cellular)
  • Salem County: 85%
  • New Jersey: 92%
• Smartphone‑only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed/home broadband)
  • Salem County: 14%
  • New Jersey: 8%
• Households with no computer or smartphone
  • Salem County: 10%
  • New Jersey: 4%

Demographic patterns that diverge from statewide trends

• Age
  • Householders 65+: smartphone access is lower in Salem (≈76%) than statewide (≈85%), contributing to a larger age‑driven mobile adoption gap.
• Income
  • Households <$25,000: smartphone access ≈74% in Salem vs ≈84% statewide; reliance on smartphone‑only internet is materially higher in this bracket locally.
• Education
  • High school or less: smartphone access ≈81% in Salem vs ≈89% statewide; device and subscription gaps concentrate here.
• Geography within the county
  • Town centers and the I‑295/US‑40/NJ‑45/NJ‑49 corridors have adoption and plan mix closer to statewide norms.
  • Interior agricultural townships show higher smartphone‑only and no‑internet rates, and lower cellular data‑plan take‑up, than both county and state averages.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (salient points)

• Network footprint
  • 4G LTE coverage is effectively universal outdoors across population centers and main corridors.
  • 5G availability:
    • Low‑band 5G: county‑wide from all three national carriers, strongest and most continuous from T‑Mobile.
    • Mid‑band 5G: concentrated along I‑295 (Carneys Point, Pennsville, Penns Grove), Salem City/Woodstown, and primary east‑west routes; coverage thins in interior farm areas where tower spacing is wider.
• Site density
  • Salem has fewer macro sites and markedly less small‑cell density than urban/suburban New Jersey, producing larger inter‑site distances and more indoor‑coverage variability in low‑density areas.
• Performance implications
  • Speeds and reliability are more variable than statewide: strong mid‑band 5G performance near corridors and towns, with fall‑back to LTE or low‑band 5G and weaker indoor signals in the rural interior.
• Public safety and redundancy
  • FirstNet (AT&T) covers primary corridors and municipal hubs; redundancy is weakest away from those corridors compared to the state’s urban counties.

What’s different from the New Jersey statewide pattern

• Lower smartphone and cellular data‑plan adoption: a 5–9 percentage‑point gap vs statewide on key indicators.
• Higher smartphone‑only internet reliance: about 14% locally vs 8% statewide, indicating heavier dependence on mobile data in lieu of home broadband.
• Larger digital divide by age and income: steeper drop‑offs among seniors and lower‑income households than the state overall.
• Infrastructure constraints tied to rural geography: fewer macro/small‑cell sites per square mile and more variable indoor coverage than typical New Jersey conditions.

Implications

• Carriers and public agencies prioritizing mid‑band 5G infill (especially in Alloway, Upper Pittsgrove, Pittsgrove, and other interior townships) would directly address the county’s higher smartphone‑only and no‑internet shares.
• Programs targeting seniors and low‑income households (subsidized plans/devices and digital literacy) will close a larger relative gap in Salem than in most New Jersey counties.

Salem County, NJ social media snapshot (2024)

Topline

• Population: ~64,500
• Estimated social media users: ~45,000 residents (about 70% of the population)

Users and demographics

• Gender breakdown of users: ~52% women (≈23,400), ~48% men (≈21,600)
• Age mix of social media users (share of users; counts rounded):
  • 13–17: 8% (≈3,600)
  • 18–29: 20% (≈9,000)
  • 30–49: 34% (≈15,300)
  • 50–64: 22% (≈9,900)
  • 65+: 16% (≈7,200)

Most-used platforms in the county (modeled from current U.S. usage rates applied locally)

• YouTube: ~83% of users ≈ 37,350
• Facebook: ~68% ≈ 30,600
• Instagram: ~49% ≈ 22,050
• Pinterest: ~35% ≈ 15,750
• TikTok: ~33% ≈ 14,850
• Snapchat: ~30% ≈ 13,500
• LinkedIn: ~30% ≈ 13,500
• X (Twitter): ~22% ≈ 9,900
• Reddit: ~20% ≈ 9,000
• Nextdoor: ~12% ≈ 5,400

Engagement intensity (daily visitation among each platform’s local users)

• Facebook: ~70% visit daily → ≈21,400 daily users
• Instagram: ~59% daily → ≈13,000
• YouTube: ~54% daily → ≈20,200
• Snapchat: ~63% daily → ≈8,500
• TikTok: ~54% daily → ≈8,000

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of Groups (schools, youth sports, public safety), Events, and Marketplace among 30–65+. County and municipal pages drive reliable reach for public-service messaging.
• Visual discovery drives local commerce: Instagram (Reels/Stories) and Facebook Reels perform well for restaurants, seasonal attractions, fairs, and small retail; user-generated content and geotagged posts are strong engagement levers.
• Short-form video has broken through with under-35s: TikTok is a top discovery channel for food, outdoor activities, and local events; cross-posting Reels/TikToks broadens reach across demographics.
• Ephemeral/messaging dominates teens and college-age: Snapchat is primarily a messaging + Stories channel for 13–24, useful for rapid awareness but limited for deep info.
• Professional niche is steady, not broad: LinkedIn reach is concentrated among commuters and healthcare/industrial professionals, useful for hiring and B2B visibility rather than mass consumer reach.
• Hyperlocal utility: Nextdoor and Facebook neighborhood groups are effective for yard sales, lost/found, road closures, and crime/wx alerts; coverage is denser in town centers than in rural tracts.
• Timing patterns: Evenings (roughly 7–9 pm) and lunchtime (12–1 pm) are consistent engagement peaks; weekends outperform for events and leisure content, weekdays for public-service updates.

How these figures were derived

• Population baselines: U.S. Census Bureau county estimates.
• Platform adoption and daily-use rates: Pew Research Center Social Media Use (2023–2024) and DataReportal (Digital 2024, U.S.). Percentages were applied to the local population to produce county-level estimates.