Madison County

Madison County, New York — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018–2022 ACS 5-year; 2020 Decennial where noted)

Population

• Total population: ~68,600
• Median age: ~41.5 years

Age distribution

• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–24: ~9%
• 25–44: ~24%
• 45–64: ~28%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and ethnicity (percent of total population)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~90%
• Black or African American (NH): ~2–3%
• Asian (NH): ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (NH): ~0.5–1%
• Two or more races (NH): ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%

Households and housing

• Households: ~28,000
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Homeownership rate: ~75% owner-occupied; ~25% renter-occupied

Insights

• Aging profile with roughly one in five residents 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with modest racial/ethnic diversity
• High homeownership and predominance of family households, with small average household size consistent with rural/suburban Upstate New York norms

Email usage snapshot for Madison County, NY

• Population and density: ~68,000 residents; ~103 people per square mile (largely rural with small urban centers in Oneida, Cazenovia, Hamilton).
• Estimated email users: ~51,000 adult users (≈92% of ~55,300 adults), derived from county age structure and U.S. email adoption benchmarks.
• Age distribution of adult email users (est. share):
  • 18–24: ~7,700 (15%)
  • 25–44: ~15,300 (30%)
  • 45–64: ~16,500 (32%)
  • 65+: ~11,700 (23%)
• Gender split: Near parity; ~26,000 female and ~25,000 male email users, reflecting the county’s slight female majority and similar adoption by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • ~87% of households have a broadband subscription; ~91% have a computer/device at home (ACS-style household indicators).
  • Adoption strongest in and around Oneida, Cazenovia, and Hamilton (college presence and cable/fiber footprints); more gaps in southern/eastern hill towns where DSL/fixed wireless remain common.
  • Ongoing New York State ConnectALL/BEAD investments target remaining unserved/underserved locations; county-level unserved share is low single digits but concentrated rurally.
• Connectivity notes: Service density highest along the NYS Thruway/Route 5 corridors; public Wi‑Fi access augmented by libraries, colleges, and municipal hotspots, supporting consistent email access even where home broadband lags.

Madison County, NY mobile phone usage summary (2025)

Population context

• Population: 69,120 (2020 Census) across ~661 square miles; density ~104 people/sq mi (much lower than the New York State average).
• Age structure: Older than the state on average, but with a noticeable college-age cohort anchored by Colgate University (Hamilton) and SUNY Morrisville; 65+ roughly 19–21% of residents; 18–24 roughly 10–12% (ACS patterns for similar rural NY counties).
• Race/ethnicity: Predominantly White non-Hispanic (~85–90%), with smaller Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native populations than the state overall.

Estimated mobile user base

• Adults (18+): ~55,000.
• People with a mobile phone (any cellphone): 52,000–53,000 (≈95–97% of adults; rural U.S. benchmarks).
• Smartphone users (adults): 47,000–49,000 (≈86–90% of adults; rural adoption slightly below state).
• Teens (13–17) with smartphones: ≈3,500–4,000 (high teen adoption typical of U.S. rates).
• Total smartphone users (age 13+): roughly 50,000–53,000 countywide.
• Mobile-only households (internet via cellular data plan only, no fixed broadband): estimated 10–14% of ~27,000–29,000 households, or about 2,700–4,000 households (higher than the statewide share).

Demographic breakdown of usage (directional, county-adjusted)

• 18–24 (students, service workers): near-universal smartphone ownership; heavy data and social/video use; strong 5G utilization on/near campuses.
• 25–44: ~95–98% smartphone ownership; high mobile banking, navigation, gig/logistics use.
• 45–64: ~90–92% smartphone ownership; growing telehealth and work-mobility usage.
• 65+: ~70–80% smartphone ownership; higher prevalence of voice/SMS-first behavior and basic devices; rising telehealth/text adoption since 2020.
• Income gradient: Lower median household income than the NYS average correlates with more prepaid/MVNO lines and higher mobile-only internet reliance than the state.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carriers present: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, plus MVNOs. All three operate 4G LTE broadly; 5G is available in and around population centers and along primary corridors (NY-20, NY-5, NY-12/12B, NY-26).
• 5G footprint:
  • T-Mobile: widespread low-band 5G with mid-band (n41) in towns and along main routes.
  • Verizon: low-band 5G broadly; C-band (n77 “UW”) strongest nearer to larger regional nodes and edges of the county, with spillover from the Syracuse-Utica markets.
  • AT&T: low-band 5G coverage with growing mid-band nodes near higher traffic areas.
• Known coverage pain points: hilly southern townships and state forest tracts (e.g., Charles E. Baker State Forest/Brookfield Trail System; Lebanon/Madison uplands) show LTE-only pockets and indoor weak spots due to terrain and sparse siting.
• Typical user speeds (central NY rural profile, outdoor):
  • 5G mid-band: roughly 100–250 Mbps down, 10–30 Mbps up where available.
  • 5G low-band / LTE: often 5–50 Mbps down, 2–10 Mbps up; valleys and wooded areas may drop below 5 Mbps or to 3G/voice fallback indoors.
• Campus and village cores (Hamilton, Morrisville, Cazenovia, Oneida, Chittenango) benefit from denser macro sites and small cells, yielding better 5G availability and capacity during the academic year.
• Backhaul and fiber: Ongoing state and federal programs (e.g., NY’s ConnectALL/BEAD era) are extending middle-mile and last-mile fiber into rural parts of the county; new fiber backhaul generally precedes 5G capacity upgrades on existing towers.

How Madison County differs from New York State overall

• Adoption level: Smartphone penetration is a few points lower than the statewide average due to older age structure and rural characteristics, despite campus-driven high adoption among young adults.
• Access mode: A meaningfully higher share of mobile-only households than the state, reflecting patchy or costly fixed broadband in rural tracts.
• Network mix: A larger share of usage happens on LTE and low-band 5G than in downstate metros; mid-band 5G capacity is present but more localized.
• Performance: Median speeds and indoor reliability lag the NYS average; performance varies sharply with terrain and proximity to towns/corridors.
• Seasonality: Stronger seasonal load patterns tied to university calendars and tourism/recreation areas; daytime traffic spikes align with school sessions and agricultural/logistics activity.
• Upgrade cycle: Device replacement and premium plan uptake run slower than the state average, with more prepaid/MVNO penetration.

Key takeaways

• Roughly 50–53 thousand residents in Madison County actively use smartphones, with near-universal adoption among students and working-age adults but a larger 65+ segment moderating overall penetration versus NYS.
• Coverage is broad but not uniform; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated around towns and campuses, while southern and forested areas still see LTE-only or weak indoor service.
• Mobile plays an outsized role as primary internet for an estimated 1 in 7 to 1 in 10 households—higher than the statewide share—driven by rural fixed-broadband gaps.
• Continued fiber backhaul expansion and targeted tower/small-cell infill, especially in the southern uplands, will be the main levers to narrow the performance and adoption gap with the state.

Sources and method (for estimates)

• 2020 U.S. Census (population and density), ACS county demographics, Pew Research (smartphone adoption by age/rurality), FCC mobile coverage maps and carrier public 5G maps (2024–2025), and statewide broadband program disclosures. County figures for users/households are derived by applying these rates to Madison County’s population and household base.

Madison County, NY social media snapshot (2024)

User base and penetration

• Population: ~68,000 residents (ACS 2023). Adults (18+): ~80% of residents.
• Social media penetration:
  • Adults: ~72% use at least one social platform (Pew, U.S. average applied locally).
  • Teens (13–17): ~93–95% use at least one platform (Pew teens 2023).
• Estimated active user counts (rounded):
  • Adults on social media: ~39,000–41,000.
  • Teens on social media: ~3,500–4,000.

Most-used platforms (share of adult residents using each platform; Pew 2024 rates applied locally)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• Reddit: 22%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• Nextdoor: 20%
• Twitch: 9%

Age-group usage patterns (local patterns mirror national; percentages below are U.S. adult/teen benchmarks used to size Madison County)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 93%, TikTok 63%, Snapchat 60%, Instagram 59%, Facebook 33%.
• Ages 18–29: YouTube 93%, Instagram 78%, Snapchat 65%, TikTok 62%, Facebook 43%, X 27%, LinkedIn 32%.
• Ages 30–49: YouTube 92%, Facebook 69%, Instagram 49%, TikTok 39%, Pinterest 41%, LinkedIn 37%, Snapchat 26%, X 28%.
• Ages 50–64: YouTube 83%, Facebook 73%, Instagram 29%, TikTok 24%, Pinterest 40%, LinkedIn 28%, X 20%.
• Ages 65+: YouTube 61%, Facebook 62%, Instagram 15%, TikTok 10%, Pinterest 18%, LinkedIn 12%, X 12%.

Gender breakdown

• County population: approximately 51% female, 49% male (ACS).
• Platform skews (national patterns reflected locally):
  • More female: Pinterest (women ~50% vs men ~20%), Instagram slightly higher among women, Facebook slightly higher among women.
  • More male: Reddit, X, Twitch, LinkedIn slightly higher among men.
  • Broadly balanced: YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat.

Behavioral trends observed/expected locally

• Community coordination and commerce: Heavy use of Facebook Groups/Pages for towns, schools, volunteer fire/EMS, local government; strong Facebook Marketplace activity (vehicles, outdoor gear, farm/DIY equipment).
• College influence pockets: Higher Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat usage around Hamilton (Colgate University) and Morrisville (SUNY Morrisville); strong weekend/evening posting and Stories/Reels usage.
• Suburban-neighborhood chatter: Nextdoor adoption in and around Cazenovia, Chittenango, and Oneida for neighborhood alerts, contractor referrals, and lost/found posts.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, repair/DIY, agriculture, outdoor recreation, high school/college sports; Shorts consumption is rising among 18–34.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is a default for cross‑age communication; Snapchat dominates among teens/college; WhatsApp modest but present for family ties and international connections.
• Content that performs: Local events (county fair, sports, school updates), weather/road conditions, high school sports highlights, local dining, trails/parks, and seasonal outdoor content (fishing, snow sports). Authentic, place‑based visuals outperform polished ads.
• Timing: Engagement peaks 6–9 pm on weekdays; weekend mid‑morning surges for events and Marketplace; school-year calendars drive predictable spikes for announcements and sports.

Notes and sources

• Percentages are based on Pew Research Center Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults) and Teens and Social Media 2023 (U.S. teens), applied to Madison County’s population profile (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023). Local adoption generally tracks these national benchmarks, with slightly higher Facebook/Nextdoor usage in older/rural segments and higher Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat usage in college‑adjacent areas.