New York County

Key demographics — New York County (Manhattan), NY

Population size

• 1,694,251 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: about 39.7 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~14%
• 18 to 64: ~69%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~52–53%
• Male: ~47–48%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~47%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~24%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: ~16%
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American: ~13%
• Other races and multiracial (non-Hispanic): small remainder

Households

• Total households: ~750,000–770,000
• Average household size: ~2.0 persons
• Family households: ~40% of households
• One-person households: ~45–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~16–18%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (DHC) and American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates. Figures are Census counts (population) and ACS estimates (age, gender, composition, household characteristics).

Email usage snapshot: New York County (Manhattan), NY

• Estimated users: ≈1.4 million residents use email regularly, reflecting near‑universal adoption among connected adults.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–24: ~11%
  • 25–44: ~44%
  • 45–64: ~27%
  • 65+: ~18%
• Gender split: ~52% female, ~48% male among users, mirroring the county’s population.
• Digital access and devices:
  • About 9 in 10 households have an Internet subscription; broadband subscription is the dominant mode.
  • ~9 in 10 adults own a smartphone; roughly 1 in 10 households are mobile‑only for home internet.
  • Extensive fiber and 5G coverage; dense free public Wi‑Fi via LinkNYC, libraries, parks, and transit hubs supports on‑the‑go email access.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Population density ~72,000 residents per square mile—among the highest in the U.S.—driving heavy but well‑served network demand.
  • High workplace and visitor inflows swell daytime presence, boosting reliance on mobile and workplace email.

Insights: Email is effectively ubiquitous among adults, with the 25–44 cohort accounting for the largest share. Gaps are most visible among older and lower‑income households, where mobile‑only access is more common.

Mobile phone usage in New York County (Manhattan), New York

User estimates

• Resident smartphone users: Approximately 1.3 million adult residents use smartphones in New York County. Method: 2020 Census population of 1.69 million combined with Pew Research’s 2023 U.S. adult smartphone ownership benchmark (~90%) yields ~1.3 million adult resident smartphone users.
• Daily device load: On a typical weekday, the active mobile user base in the county is far higher than the resident count because Manhattan’s daytime population swells with commuters and visitors; the network regularly supports several million concurrent devices across residents, workers, and tourists.
• Mobile-only access: Manhattan has a smaller overall share of “mobile-only” households (relying on cellular data without a fixed home connection) than the statewide average, but pockets of northern Manhattan show elevated mobile-only reliance comparable to citywide high-need neighborhoods.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • Near-universal smartphone use among adults under 50, with seniors (65+) showing the lowest—but rising—adoption. Using Pew’s 2023 baselines (roughly 95%+ for ages 18–49; ~75% for 65+), Manhattan’s higher incomes and service availability push these rates slightly above statewide averages.
• Income
  • High-income areas (Midtown, Downtown, Upper East/West Sides) show near-universal smartphone access and extensive multi-device ownership.
  • Lower-income tracts in Upper Manhattan (e.g., parts of Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood) exhibit higher mobile-only internet reliance and more frequent prepaid plans than the county average, though overall access remains stronger than many upstate counties due to dense carrier coverage and public Wi‑Fi.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • Black and Hispanic households are more likely to be mobile-only than white and Asian households, mirroring citywide patterns.
  • Large immigrant and multilingual communities sustain very high usage of OTT messaging and calling apps (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram), which lowers traditional voice/SMS dependence relative to the state average.

Digital infrastructure (key points)

• 5G depth and density
  • All three national carriers provide extensive 5G in Manhattan, with dense small-cell deployments in Midtown and Downtown. Mid-band (e.g., C‑band, n41) is broadly available, and millimeter-wave nodes blanket high-traffic corridors and venues at a density far above the state average.
• Subway coverage
  • The MTA’s multi-year expansion is lighting stations and tunnels across Manhattan with LTE and 5G; full system coverage is slated by 2025. Manhattan’s stations and central tunnels have been priority build-outs, materially improving underground reliability versus most of the state.
• Public Wi‑Fi
  • LinkNYC provides one of the highest densities of free public Wi‑Fi in the U.S., with Manhattan hosting the largest concentration of kiosks. The approved Link5G program adds 5G-equipped kiosks, with a notable share sited in Upper Manhattan to close gaps.
• In-building and venue systems
  • Manhattan has exceptional penetration of fiber backhaul, distributed antenna systems (DAS), and private/neutral-host networks in offices, arenas, hospitals, and campuses—far exceeding typical statewide availability.
• Performance
  • Independent speed-test aggregators consistently rank New York City among the fastest large U.S. markets, with Manhattan’s core districts often posting the county’s top median 5G speeds thanks to dense small-cell and mid-band coverage.

How Manhattan differs from the New York State profile

• Higher penetration and intensity: Smartphone adoption among adults and multi-device ownership are higher than statewide, with heavier daily usage driven by commuting and tourism.
• Faster networks: Median download speeds and capacity are materially higher due to unmatched small-cell density, deep mid-band spectrum deployment, and widespread fiber backhaul.
• More robust indoor coverage: Enterprise-grade DAS and private cellular in buildings are commonplace in Manhattan compared with most counties in the state.
• More public access options: LinkNYC and other municipal Wi‑Fi options reduce data-coverage gaps and support low-income users to a degree not matched in most of the state.
• Uneven but narrower divides: While income- and race-linked gaps persist, countywide access metrics remain stronger than many upstate areas; the sharpest disparities are localized to specific northern Manhattan tracts rather than being countywide.
• Platform and app usage: Manhattan skews more toward iOS devices and app-centric behaviors (ride-hail, food delivery, mobile payments, streaming, OTT messaging) than statewide averages, reflecting demographics and urban mobility patterns.

Bottom line

• New York County supports one of the largest and most densely utilized mobile user bases in the state, with an estimated 1.3 million resident adult smartphone users and several million total daily devices when commuters and tourists are included.
• The county’s 5G coverage, small-cell density, fiberized backhaul, subway connectivity, and public Wi‑Fi access produce higher speeds and reliability than the state average, while targeted deployments in Upper Manhattan are addressing remaining equity gaps.

New York County (Manhattan) social media usage — 2025 snapshot

Overall reach

• Adults: 83% use at least one social platform; usage is predominantly daily among platform users (majority of Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok users log in daily; about half of YouTube users do).
• Teens (13–17): 95% use at least one platform.

Most‑used platforms (adults; share of U.S. adults who use each — Manhattan closely tracks this profile and typically over‑indexes a few points on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X due to its professional/media mix)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 50%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%

Age groups (who uses what most)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube (93%), TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%), Instagram (59%) dominate; heavy daily use and short‑form video preference.
• 18–29: Near‑universal YouTube; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are primary social channels; Facebook is secondary.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook are foundational; Instagram widely used; LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and X are notably active among Manhattan professionals.
• 50–64 and 65+: Facebook leads; YouTube strong; Pinterest use is common, with gradual adoption of Instagram; TikTok usage remains lower but growing among 50–64.

Gender breakdown (overall usage is similar by gender; key platform skews)

• Pinterest: women markedly higher (about 50% of women vs ~20% of men).
• Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok: women modestly higher.
• LinkedIn/X/Reddit: men modestly higher (Reddit especially).
• Facebook/YouTube: broadly balanced.

Behavioral trends in Manhattan

• Multi‑platform behavior: Most residents maintain several active accounts; Instagram + TikTok for discovery and short‑form video; YouTube for long‑form; WhatsApp/iMessage for private groups; LinkedIn for professional identity and recruiting.
• Local discovery and “here‑and‑now” use: Heavy reliance on Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Google Maps/Instagram location tags for dining, nightlife, arts, fitness, and pop‑ups; content tagged by neighborhood performs well.
• Real‑time updates: X and Reddit (e.g., r/nyc) are key for breaking news, weather, and transit/service disruptions; spikes during storms, major events, and elections.
• Professional skew: Above‑average LinkedIn activity (finance, media, tech, consulting, arts management); strong use of personal brands and thought‑leadership posts.
• Messaging ecosystems: WhatsApp is widely used for family/neighbor/interest groups (use boosted by Manhattan’s large international and multilingual population); Telegram appears in crypto/tech and arts communities.
• Temporal patterns: Peak engagement around commute windows (7–10 a.m., 5–8 p.m.) and late evenings Thu–Sat; lunchtime micro‑spikes for reels/shorts.
• Content formats: Short‑form video and Stories drive reach; carousels for guides and neighborhoods; live video for events/openings; UGC and micro‑influencers outperform brand‑only content.
• Civic and community use: High engagement for local politics, mutual aid, school/community boards, and hyperlocal news accounts.

Notes on methodology

• Platform percentages reflect recent nationally representative surveys (Pew Research Center, 2024 adults; Pew teens, 2023). Manhattan’s platform mix typically mirrors these levels, with modest over‑indexing on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X relative to national averages.