Herkimer County

Herkimer County, New York — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2024) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

• Population size

  • Total population: ~60,300 (July 1, 2024 estimate)

• Age

  • Median age: ~45 years
  • Under 18: ~18%
  • 18–64: ~59%
  • 65 and over: ~23%

• Sex

  • Female: ~50.5%
  • Male: ~49.5%

• Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive; Hispanic shown separately)

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~92.2%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~1.4%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~0.4%
  • Asian (non-Hispanic): ~0.7%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic): ~0.0%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2.6%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2.7%

• Households and housing

  • Households: ~25,300
  • Average household size: ~2.28 persons
  • Family households: ~60% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~47% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~25%
  • Living alone: ~31% of households; ~14% with a householder age 65+ living alone
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%

Insights

• Older age profile with nearly one in four residents 65+, and small household sizes.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with limited racial/ethnic diversity compared to New York State.
• High homeownership share consistent with rural/suburban county patterns.

Herkimer County, NY (2020 pop. ~60,139) spans ~1,458 sq mi, ~41 people/sq mi, reflecting predominantly rural connectivity.

Estimated email users

• Adults (18+): ~46,900; email users ~43,300 (≈92% adoption).
• Total including teens (13+): ~46,000 users.

Age distribution of adult email users (approx.)

• 18–34: 25%
• 35–54: 34%
• 55–74: 31%
• 75+: 10% Usage is near‑universal among 18–54 (≈95–97%), high among 55–74 (≈90%), and lower for 75+ (≈75%).

Gender split

• County population is roughly 51% female, 49% male; email usage closely mirrors this parity.

Digital access and trends

• ~83% of households have a broadband subscription; ~17% lack home internet.
• ~12% are smartphone‑only internet households, indicating mobile‑centric email access for a notable minority.
• Fixed 100/20 Mbps broadband is available to roughly 90% of addresses; gaps persist in northern townships within the Adirondack Park.
• Adoption is strongest along the Mohawk Valley corridor (Herkimer–Ilion–Little Falls) with cable/fiber, and weakest in low‑density hamlets relying on DSL/satellite. Overall trajectory is gradual uptake as new builds extend cable/fiber and mobile coverage improves.

Herkimer County, NY: Mobile phone usage snapshot (2022–2024)

Core user estimates

• Population base: ~59,000 residents; ~25,000 households
• Mobile phone users (any mobile phone): ~46,000 residents (≈78% of total population)
• Smartphone users (13+): ~42,000 residents (≈71% of total population; ≈85–87% of residents 13+)
• Households with a smartphone: ≈89% (about 22,000–22,500 households)
• Households with a cellular data plan (any mobile broadband subscription): ≈78% (≈19,500–20,000 households)
• Households relying primarily on mobile data at home (cellular-only internet): ≈12% (≈3,000 households)

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age profile and adoption
  • Seniors (65+) make up a larger share than the NYS average and have materially lower smartphone adoption. Estimated smartphone adoption among Herkimer seniors: ~60–65% (vs ~70–75% at the state level), with an additional ~25–30% using basic/feature phones
  • Teens (13–17) have very high smartphone access (~90–95%), aligning with national patterns
• Income and device access
  • Households below the median income are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet, contributing to the ~12% cellular-only share (higher than the state average)
  • Households with no internet subscription of any kind remain higher than the state: roughly mid-to-high teens percentage vs low teens statewide
• Urban–rural split
  • Adoption and data usage are strongest in the Mohawk Valley corridor (Herkimer, Ilion, Little Falls); rates dip in the northern Adirondack portions (e.g., Town of Webb and adjacent areas) due to sparser infrastructure and terrain constraints

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE: Broad coverage along population centers and transport corridors (I‑90/NY‑5/Mohawk Valley); spotty or terrain-limited coverage in parts of the northern and northeastern townships (e.g., Webb, Ohio, Russia, Salisbury)
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from all three national carriers is present along the main corridor and town centers
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., C‑band/n77) is limited within the county and is materially less prevalent than in downstate and larger upstate metros; most northern census blocks remain LTE-reliant
• Fixed wireless access (FWA):
  • T‑Mobile 5G Home Internet is available across many Mohawk Valley census blocks
  • Verizon 5G Home availability is limited and clustered near the most built-up areas
• Seasonal load: Tourism-driven demand spikes (Old Forge/Adirondack gateway) create periodic congestion that is atypical relative to most NYS counties outside resort destinations

How Herkimer County differs from the New York State pattern

• Adoption gap: Household smartphone adoption is a few points lower than NYS overall (≈89% vs ≈92–93% statewide), consistent with older age structure and rural geography
• Higher mobile-only reliance: Cellular-only home internet is notably higher (≈12% vs ≈7–8% statewide), reflecting limited wired broadband options in outlying areas and cost sensitivity
• Slower 5G build-out: Limited mid-band 5G footprint compared with NYS metros; more dependence on LTE and low-band 5G, especially north of the Mohawk Valley
• Larger senior share: The higher proportion of seniors suppresses overall smartphone penetration and drives a higher-than-average base of basic/feature phone users
• Greater geographic variance: A pronounced corridor-versus-hinterland divide in both signal quality and speeds; this contrast is sharper than the state average

Implications and trendlines

• Usage growth is shifting from voice/SMS toward data, but constrained by terrain and sparser mid-band 5G, keeping average mobile speeds below NYS urban/suburban norms
• Mobile-only households are likely to remain elevated until fiber/coax expansions reach more northern blocks; near-term improvements will come primarily from additional sites, colocation, and sector upgrades
• Seasonal congestion will continue to shape perceived network quality in Adirondack-facing communities, reinforcing the need for capacity-focused upgrades even where nominal coverage exists

Notes on sources and methods

• Household device and subscription shares are based on ACS 2018–2022 five‑year county estimates for computer/internet use, translated to counts using Herkimer’s household totals
• Individual smartphone and basic‑phone user counts are derived by applying age‑specific adoption rates (Pew Research national patterns adjusted for rural/older populations) to Herkimer’s age structure
• Coverage characterizations reflect FCC provider filings and publicly available carrier footprints through 2024; exact mid‑band 5G availability varies by census block and is materially lower than statewide urban coverage levels

Social media usage in Herkimer County, NY (best-available estimates)

How this snapshot was built: County population figures are from the U.S. Census (2020). Adoption rates come from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 national social media studies; rural counties like Herkimer generally track these within a few percentage points.

User stats

• Population: 60,139; adults (18+): ≈48,100
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈34,500 (≈72% of adults)

Age groups (share using any social media, national benchmarks that fit rural NY)

• 18–29: ≈84–90%; platform mix skews to Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube near-universal
• 30–49: ≈80%; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram lead; steady Snapchat/TikTok usage
• 50–64: ≈73%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest is common (especially among women)
• 65+: ≈45%; primarily Facebook and YouTube; limited Instagram/TikTok

Gender breakdown (patterns consistent with national data)

• Women: over-index on Facebook and Instagram; Pinterest has a strong female skew (about half of women vs about one-in-five men use Pinterest nationally)
• Men: over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Twitter); LinkedIn skews slightly male

Most-used platforms (share of adults; national rates widely applicable in Herkimer)

• YouTube ≈83%
• Facebook ≈68%
• Instagram ≈50%
• TikTok ≈33%
• Snapchat ≈30%
• Pinterest ≈31%
• LinkedIn ≈30%
• X (Twitter) ≈22%
• Reddit ≈22%
• WhatsApp ≈21%

Behavioral trends observed in rural Upstate NY communities like Herkimer

• Facebook as the local hub: town, school, fire/EMS, county agencies, and civic groups rely on Pages/Groups; Facebook Marketplace is a primary buy/sell channel
• Video-first consumption: short vertical video (Reels, Shorts, TikTok) performs best; how-to, outdoors, and local-events content over-index
• Hyperlocal engagement: posts naming specific towns, schools, roads, weather closures, and sports drive outsized reach and shares
• Younger users shift activity to messaging layers: Instagram DMs, Snapchat, and Messenger for coordination; public feeds for discovery
• Time-of-day peaks: local engagement typically concentrates in the evening (about 7–10 pm) and weekends
• Access realities: patchy broadband encourages mobile-first use; concise copy, subtitles on video, and lightweight creatives perform better
• Cross-posting norms: the same local updates spread across Facebook and Instagram; TikTok content skews younger and trend-driven; LinkedIn use is concentrated among educators, healthcare, and manufacturing professionals

Key sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Herkimer County population)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (and platform fact sheets, 2023–2024)