Los Alamos County

Los Alamos County, New Mexico — key demographics

Population size

• 19,752 (2023 population estimate)
• 19,419 (2020 Census), +1.7% since 2020

Age

• Median age: 41.8 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: 23.4%
• 65 and over: 19.9%

Gender

• Male: 52.1%
• Female: 47.9% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: 73.1%
• Asian alone: 17.1%
• Two or more races: 6.7%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: 1.0%
• Black or African American: 0.7%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 17.5%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 66.0%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: 7,792
• Persons per household: 2.39
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~69%

Insights

• Small, steadily growing population anchored by a science/engineering workforce.
• Age structure skews toward working-age adults with a higher median age than the U.S. overall.
• Slight male majority and a notably high Asian share relative to state and national averages.
• Household sizes are modest and homeownership is comparatively high for New Mexico.

Los Alamos County, NM snapshot (2024):

• Population and density: ≈19,500 residents; ≈180 people per sq. mile (far denser than the New Mexico average ≈17/sq. mile).
• Connectivity: Among the highest broadband-subscription rates in NM; roughly 95–97% of households have a broadband subscription and ≈98% have a computer/smartphone. Fiber and cable cover the Los Alamos–White Rock corridor; 4G/5G mobile coverage is widespread in populated areas.
• Estimated email users: ≈16,300 residents (about 92% of those age 13+), reflecting near-universal internet access and high education/income levels.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 6%
  • 18–34: 22%
  • 35–54: 38%
  • 55–64: 16%
  • 65+: 18%
• Gender split of email users: ≈52% male, 48% female (mirroring the county’s slightly male-skewed population).
• Digital access trends: Predominantly home broadband with multi-device usage; smartphone-only reliance is comparatively low. Email is entrenched for work and services due to the technology- and research-driven local economy (Los Alamos National Laboratory), supporting high daily email engagement and multiple-account ownership per household.

Summary Los Alamos County has near‑universal mobile adoption, unusually high smartphone and 5G-device penetration, and strong in‑town coverage relative to most of New Mexico. Residents lean postpaid and multi‑device, rely less on mobile as their only internet connection, and benefit from robust fiber backhaul and public‑safety network investments driven by the national lab and emergency‑management needs. Terrain still creates canyon and backcountry gaps that are less common in flatter parts of the state.

User estimates (2023–2024)

• Population: ≈19,400; households: ≈7,700.
• Residents who use a mobile phone: ≈16,200 (≈96% of adults and ≈95% of teens 12–17).
• Residents who use a smartphone: ≈15,600 (≈92% of adults plus most teens).
• Mobile-only home internet households: ≈3% (vs ≈12% statewide), reflecting widespread fixed broadband use in homes.
• 5G-capable device share among smartphone users: ≈85% (vs ≈70% statewide), driven by higher incomes and recent device turnover.
• Plan mix: Postpaid accounts ≈80% of lines (vs ≈65% statewide); prepaid usage is materially lower than the state average.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone use (≈98–99%); heavy use of 5G and Wi‑Fi offload.
  • 35–64: ≈96% smartphone adoption; high rate of employer‑supported or stipend plans due to tech/professional roles.
  • 65+: ≈85% smartphone adoption (well above state average), aided by high education and income.
• Income and education:
  • Households ≥$100k show ≈99% smartphone adoption and frequent multi‑line/multi‑device plans (phones + wearables/tablets).
  • Lower‑income households still show high mobile adoption (≈88–90% smartphones), but with more budget plans; nonetheless less prepaid reliance than statewide peers.
• Work connectivity:
  • A materially higher share of lines are employer‑liable or stipend‑supported (notably among LANL staff and contractors) than the state average, increasing daytime device density in the townsite and lab-adjacent areas.
• Platform and services behavior:
  • Higher incidence of premium device tiers and eSIM usage than statewide.
  • Heavy Wi‑Fi offload at home and work reduces mobile‑only dependence compared with much of rural New Mexico.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: Near‑universal across Los Alamos townsite and White Rock; reliable along NM‑502 and main arterials.
  • 5G: Low‑band coverage from national carriers across populated areas; mid‑band 5G present in core corridors, with performance gains most noticeable in town centers. mmWave is not a factor.
  • Terrain gaps persist in canyons and backcountry (e.g., Pueblo/Frijoles canyons, Bandelier NM, Jemez approaches), where service can drop to weak LTE/3G fallback or none.
• Capacity and performance:
  • Daytime demand spikes on weekdays from commuter inflows to the lab; carriers have added sectors and small cells in core areas to stabilize capacity.
  • Wi‑Fi density and fiber-fed enterprise networks offset mobile congestion indoors.
• Backhaul and redundancy:
  • Fiber backhaul into key sites via the NM‑502/White Rock corridors, with redundancy engineered for public safety and lab continuity; this reduces the frequency and duration of countywide mobile outages versus many rural NM counties.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage and deployables are integral during wildfire season and evacuation readiness; carriers have preplanned COW/COLTs to mitigate incident‑driven surges.
• Roaming corridors:
  • Strong, continuous service on Los Alamos–Santa Fe commutes; coverage becomes spottier toward the Valles Caldera/Jemez.

How Los Alamos differs from New Mexico overall

• Higher adoption: Mobile and smartphone adoption are several points higher than the state average, including among seniors.
• Newer devices: A larger share of 5G‑capable and premium devices, reflecting higher income and education.
• Less mobile‑only dependence: Far fewer households rely solely on cellular for home internet due to widespread cable/fiber availability and strong Wi‑Fi usage.
• More postpaid and employer lines: Postpaid penetration and employer‑supported plans are markedly higher than statewide norms.
• Better in‑town resiliency: Fiber backhaul, public‑safety investments, and enterprise demand create more resilient and higher‑capacity networks in populated areas than in most rural NM counties, though rugged terrain still causes pronounced dead zones outside town.

Los Alamos County, NM – social media usage snapshot (2024)

Context and user base

• Population: ~19,400 (2020 Census); adults ≈ 15,000.
• Home broadband penetration: ~93% of households (ACS 2018–2022).
• Adults using at least one major platform: ≈ 80–85% (driven by YouTube and Facebook adoption). For planning, assume ~12,000–13,000 adult users.
• Note: Percentages below reflect Pew Research Center’s 2023 U.S. adult usage rates, applied locally to estimate platform reach. County‑level social media surveys are rarely published; Los Alamos’ high education/income and broadband access suggest equal or slightly higher adoption than national averages.

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults using the platform; local estimates)

• YouTube: 83% (~12,450 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~10,200)
• Instagram: 47% (~7,050)
• TikTok: 33% (~4,950)
• Pinterest: 35% (~5,250)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~4,500)
• Snapchat: 27% (~4,050)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~3,150)
• X (Twitter): 20% (~3,000)
• Reddit: 18% (~2,700)

Age patterns (platform usage by age, applied locally)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~78%; Snapchat ~65%; TikTok ~62%; Facebook ~67%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~91%; Facebook ~75%; Instagram ~49%; TikTok ~39%; LinkedIn ~37%.
• 50–64: YouTube ~83%; Facebook ~73%; Instagram ~29%; TikTok ~24%.
• 65+: YouTube ~60%; Facebook ~50%; Instagram ~15%; TikTok ~10%. Implications: Facebook is the broadest cross‑age channel; YouTube spans all ages; Instagram/TikTok concentrate under 50; Snapchat skews under 30; LinkedIn strongest among 30–49.

Gender breakdown (national patterns mapped locally)

• Facebook and Instagram: slight female skew (women a few percentage points higher than men).
• Pinterest: heavily female (roughly three‑quarters of users).
• Reddit and X: male‑skewed user bases.
• LinkedIn: near gender‑balanced to slight male tilt.
• TikTok and Snapchat: modest female skew.

Behavioral trends in Los Alamos County

• Civic and emergency info: Strong reliance on Facebook Pages/Groups and YouTube livestreams for county, schools, fire, road, and weather updates; X used for timely alerts.
• Community groups: High participation in Facebook Groups (parenting, buy/sell, events, trails/outdoors); neighborhood platforms used for hyperlocal issues.
• Professional/technical networking: Above‑average engagement with LinkedIn due to the research/lab workforce; science/tech outreach content performs well on YouTube.
• Events and local culture: Spikes in engagement around ScienceFest, school activities, and recreation; event discovery via Facebook Events and Instagram.
• Marketplace/commerce: Active Facebook Marketplace and group selling; service-provider discovery via Facebook and Google/YouTube reviews.
• Content format: Short video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives reach under 50; long‑form explainer video and posts with data/visualizations attract the technical audience; posts with actionable local utility (closures, safety, how‑to) outperform.
• Timing: Engagement clustered around early morning, lunch, and early evening; higher weekday activity aligned with lab and school schedules.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2018–2022) Computer and Internet Use; Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023 (platform adoption by age and gender). Figures shown are the best available 2023–2024 estimates applied to Los Alamos County’s population and demographics.