Delaware County

Here are key, recent demographics for Delaware County, New York (latest U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Decennial Census and 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates).

• Population

  • Total population: 44,308 (2020 Census)
  • Latest estimate: about 44.6–44.9k (2023 estimate)

• Age

  • Median age: ~48–49 years
  • Under 18: ~18–19%
  • 65 and over: ~25–26%

• Gender

  • Female: ~49–50%
  • Male: ~50–51%

• Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023, percent of total)

  • White (non‑Hispanic): ~89–90%
  • Black or African American: ~3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5–6%
  • Asian: ~1%
  • Two or more races: ~4–5%
  • Other races (including American Indian/Alaska Native, NHPI): <1% each

• Households and housing

  • Households: ~19.2–19.4k
  • Average household size: ~2.2 persons
  • Family households: ~57–59% of households
  • Married‑couple families: ~44–46% of households
  • Owner‑occupied housing rate: ~78–80%
  • Total housing units: ~33–34k

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

Delaware County, NY snapshot (pop ~44k; ~1,450 sq mi; ~30 people/sq mi)

Estimated email users: 33k–37k residents.

• Basis: ~85–90% of adults use email; 75–85% of teens 13–17 do.

Age distribution of email use (approx):

• 18–29: 95–99% use; ~6–7k users.
• 30–49: 95–98%; ~11–12k.
• 50–64: 90–94%; ~9–10k.
• 65+: 80–88%; ~7–8k.
  County skews older, so a larger share of users are 50+ than in urban NY.

Gender split:

• Population ~50/50; email adoption nearly equal. Women tend to check more frequently, but gap is small.

Digital access trends:

• About 80% of households have a home broadband subscription; 85–90% have a computer or smartphone.
• 10–15% are smartphone‑only internet users.
• Libraries, schools, and town offices are common Wi‑Fi/hotspot access points.
• Terrain and distance between hamlets produce patchy cellular and fixed‑line coverage; connectivity is strongest in villages and along main corridors, weakest in remote hollows.
• State/federal fiber builds (post‑2020) are expanding last‑mile coverage; adoption rising with remote work and telehealth.

Overall: high email penetration, moderated by rural broadband gaps and an older age profile.

Below is a concise, planning-oriented picture of mobile phone usage in Delaware County, NY, with ranges and assumptions made explicit. The emphasis is on how local patterns diverge from statewide norms.

Topline estimates (orders of magnitude, not precise counts)

• Population base used: ~43–45k residents; ~36k adults (18+); ~2.5–2.7k teens (13–17); ~19k households.
• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic) among adults: ~91–93% → about 33k adult users. Including teens (high adoption), total residents with a mobile phone: roughly 35–36k.
• Smartphone users:
  • Adults: ~75–82% → about 27–30k.
  • Teens: ~95%+ → ~2.4–2.6k.
  • Total residents with smartphones: ~29–32k.
• Basic/feature phone users: on the order of 3.5–6k (disproportionately 65+).
• “Smartphone‑only” internet reliance (little/no home broadband; phone is primary connection):
  • Households: roughly 8–12% → ~1.5–2.3k households.
  • Individuals: on the order of 3–5k residents. Assumptions: Rural/older counties typically trail statewide smartphone adoption by several points; teens are near-universal adopters; limited wired broadband in remote areas nudges some households to mobile-only. Replace ranges with local survey data where available.

Demographic patterns (how Delaware County differs from statewide)

• Age:
  • 65+: Smartphone adoption materially lower (roughly 60–70%); basic phones more common than statewide. Larger 65+ share in the county amplifies this effect.
  • 35–64: High but not universal smartphone adoption (~85–90%), still a bit below state average.
  • 18–34 and teens: Near-universal smartphone use; usage intensity comparable to statewide.
• Income and plan type:
  • Lower median income than NYS → higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans, hotspotting, and shared family data plans; device upgrade cycles tend to be longer.
  • Smartphone‑only reliance is somewhat higher than statewide because wired options can be sparse or expensive in outlying areas.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • County is less diverse than NYS overall; differences in adoption by race/ethnicity are hard to observe at small sample sizes. Overall profile is driven more by age, income, and geography than by ethnicity.
• Seasonal/tourism dynamics:
  • Catskills tourism and second‑home patterns bring weekend/seasonal spikes in network load (e.g., Margaretville, Roxbury, Andes, Hancock corridors). This weekday–weekend volatility is more pronounced than statewide urban averages.

Digital infrastructure snapshot (conditions shaping usage)

• Coverage variability:
  • Stronger service in/around towns and along major corridors (Delhi, Walton, Sidney/I‑88 vicinity, Hancock, Margaretville/NY‑28, NY‑30).
  • Notable dead zones in valleys, around reservoirs (Pepacton, Cannonsville), and along winding rural roads (e.g., stretches of NY‑10, NY‑206, NY‑30). Indoor coverage can be weak in older buildings; Wi‑Fi calling is a common workaround.
• 5G status:
  • Low‑band 5G is present along primary corridors and in larger hamlets; mid‑band 5G (the faster kind) is spotty and clustered near population centers. Overall 5G experience lags the statewide rollout, especially away from towns.
• Carrier balance:
  • Verizon and AT&T generally have the most consistent rural footprint; AT&T’s FirstNet build has improved public‑safety coverage that spills over to consumer service. T‑Mobile’s 600‑MHz expansion helps on some corridors but remains variable in mountain valleys.
• Tower density and siting:
  • Low site density and challenging terrain limit capacity and create shadowed zones. Siting/zoning, parkland, and viewshed constraints slow infill compared with downstate metros.
• Backhaul and resiliency:
  • Some remote sites use microwave backhaul; power outages and storms can disrupt service longer than in urban areas. Backup power at sites is uneven.
• Programs and investment context:
  • New York’s ConnectALL and prior state efforts, plus federal programs, are improving fiber backhaul and broadband; cellular gains are incremental and trail wired upgrades. FirstNet continues to add Band 14 capacity for responders.

How Delaware County trends differ from New York State overall

• Adoption level: Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption and a larger basic‑phone cohort due to older age structure and income mix.
• Access mode: Higher share of smartphone‑only households than the statewide average, driven by patchy wired access in outlying areas.
• Network quality: More pronounced coverage gaps and indoor service challenges; 5G mid‑band availability is thinner and more localized.
• Usage patterns: Bigger weekend/seasonal demand swings in tourist/second‑home areas; longer device replacement cycles and greater prepaid/MVNO reliance.
• Equity and aging: The digital divide is driven more by geography and aging than by language or immigration factors common in downstate.

Planning implications

• Prioritize new or upgraded sites along valley corridors and around reservoirs; target small cells or repeaters in town centers and indoor public venues.
• Pair cellular upgrades with fiber backhaul expansion from state/federal programs to improve reliability and 5G capacity.
• Expand public outreach on Wi‑Fi calling, signal boosters, and emergency comms; focus digital literacy and device‑upgrade support on 65+ residents.
• Prepare for peak‑season congestion with temporary capacity (COWs/COLTs) in high‑traffic hamlets and events.

Notes on methodology and confidence

• Estimates use county population and typical rural adoption benchmarks; they should be refined with carrier RF maps, tower inventories, ACS microdata, school district device stats, and any county surveys. The qualitative direction and the county‑vs‑state contrasts are high‑confidence; exact counts should be validated locally.

Below is a concise, planning-ready snapshot. Figures are estimates based on Pew Research 2023–2024 U.S. platform usage, adjusted for a rural, older-skewing county age mix; use ranges as directional, not exact counts.

Overall user stats (Delaware County, NY)

• Population: ~44,000; residents 13+ ~38,000
• Estimated social media users: ~28,000–32,000 (about 65–72% of residents 13+)
• Gender among users: ~52–54% women, ~46–48% men; nonbinary/unspecified small but not well measured

Age mix of social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: ~6–8% (heavy TikTok/Snapchat; some Instagram; minimal Facebook posting)
• 18–29: ~15–18% (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; Facebook for groups/Marketplace)
• 30–49: ~30–34% (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube; Pinterest common among women)
• 50–64: ~24–28% (Facebook dominant; YouTube; some Pinterest)
• 65+: ~18–22% (Facebook and YouTube; lighter on other platforms)

Most-used platforms locally (approx. share of residents 13+ who use each)

• YouTube: ~75–82%
• Facebook: ~70–78%
• Instagram: ~34–42%
• TikTok: ~25–32%
• Pinterest: ~22–30%
• Snapchat: ~16–22%
• LinkedIn: ~12–18%
• X (Twitter): ~12–18%
• Reddit: ~8–12%
• Nextdoor: ~2–6% (spotty coverage in rural hamlets)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: town and school updates, storm/road reports, fire/EMS notices, buy–sell–trade, lost/found pets, local events. Marketplace is heavily used.
• Small businesses win with Facebook boosted posts and Instagram Reels; geotags/hashtags around “Catskills” capture weekenders/second‑home owners. Visuals of product + place outperform generic ads.
• Seasonality: Summer–fall tourism (hiking, farm stands, breweries) lifts Instagram/TikTok; winter storms drive Facebook spikes; hunting/fishing and school sports content performs well.
• Teens favor TikTok/Snapchat; they consume Facebook via groups/Messenger more than they post publicly.
• 50+ rely on Facebook; YouTube for how‑to, local government or church streams; Pinterest popular for recipes/crafts.
• Engagement timing: Evenings (7–9 pm) and weekend mornings; posts featuring local people, scenery, pets, and timely info consistently outperform.
• Risks: Rumor/misinformation can travel fast in large community groups; Marketplace scams are a recurring issue; group admin policies matter for reach.

Notes and method

• Estimates apply national platform usage (Pew) to local age structure (ACS) with a modest rural adjustment. For precise planning, validate with platform ad tools (Facebook/Instagram reach, Snapchat/TikTok location filters) and local page insights.