Onondaga County

Onondaga County, New York – key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 470,700 (2023 Census Population Estimates Program)
• 2020 Census: 476,516 (down roughly 1.2% since 2020)

Age

• Median age: 39.2 years (ACS 2023 1-year)
• Under 18: 20%
• 18–64: 62%
• 65 and over: 18%

Gender (sex)

• Female: 51.5%
• Male: 48.5% (ACS 2023 1-year)

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: 76.0%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 10.7%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 5.0%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 6.1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 1.9%
• Other races, non-Hispanic (including American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, some other race): 0.3% (ACS 2023 1-year; categories are mutually exclusive using non-Hispanic race plus Hispanic of any race)

Household data

• Households: ~196,800
• Average household size: 2.36
• Family households: 58% of households; nonfamily: 42%
• Married-couple households: 43% of all households
• Households with children under 18: 27%
• One-person households: 34% (about 12% are age 65+ living alone)
• Homeownership rate: 64% (owners) vs. 36% (renters) (ACS 2023 1-year)

Insights

• The county is modestly older than the U.S. median, with a sizable 65+ share.
• Population has edged down since 2020, while diversity has increased, led by growth in Hispanic and Asian populations.
• Household structure skews toward smaller and nonfamily households, with homeownership around two-thirds.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey (1-year) and 2023 Population Estimates Program; 2020 Decennial Census. Figures rounded for readability.

• Scope and scale: Onondaga County has ~476,000 residents (ACS 2023) and a population density near 610 people per square mile (≈778 sq mi land area).
• Estimated email users: ~360,000 adults use email (≈95% of adults), derived from local age structure (ACS 2023) and national email adoption by age (Pew).
• Age distribution of email users (approx.):
  • 18–34: ~106,000 (29%)
  • 35–64: ~184,000 (51%)
  • 65+: ~74,000 (20%)
    Email use is near-universal among working-age adults and lower among seniors.
• Gender split: Mirrors the population (ACS 2023 female 51.3%). Email users ≈ 51% women (187k), 49% men (177k).
• Digital access and trends (ACS 2023, S2801):
  • Households with a computer: ~93%
  • Broadband subscription: ~89% (up ~5 points since 2019)
  • Smartphone-only internet: ~8% of households
  • Households without home internet: 11% (21,000 households)
• Connectivity context: FCC broadband maps (2024) show ≥97% of locations with fixed 100/20 Mbps service countywide and extensive gigabit availability in the Syracuse urban area, with weaker options in some rural southern tracts.
• Insight: High broadband and dense urban core support very high email penetration; remaining gaps concentrate among lower-income and older residents and in pockets with lower fixed broadband adoption.

Mobile phone usage in Onondaga County, NY — 2023–2024 snapshot

User base and adoption

• Population and lines: Onondaga County has roughly 475,000 residents (2023). Using New York’s recent statewide wireless connections density (about 1.25–1.35 lines per resident), the county carries an estimated 600,000–640,000 active mobile lines. That translates to roughly 330,000–360,000 adult smartphone users in the county.
• Household device and subscription profile (ACS 2023 estimates):
  • Households with a smartphone: about 90–92% in Onondaga County, slightly below the New York State average (about 92–94%).
  • Households with any internet subscription: about 88–90% in Onondaga County, below the NYS average (about 90–92%).
  • Households with a cellular data plan (smartphone/tablet): about 74–77% in Onondaga County, modestly below the NYS average (about 77–80%).
  • Households with no internet subscription: around 10–12% countywide, higher than the NYS rate (roughly 8–10%).
  • Smartphone-only households (no fixed broadband): approximately low-teens percentage in Onondaga County, a few points higher than the state average.

Demographic breakdown (access and reliance)

• Income: Broadband gaps and smartphone-only reliance are concentrated among lower-income households. County households below roughly $35,000 annual income are several times more likely to lack fixed broadband and to rely on mobile data as their primary connection than higher-income households; this gap is larger than the statewide pattern because Onondaga has fewer very-high-income tracts than downstate metros.
• Age: Seniors (65+) in the county exhibit a noticeably lower rate of smartphone and internet adoption than working-age adults; the senior adoption gap is wider than the statewide average, reflecting Onondaga’s older suburban and rural segments relative to New York City and downstate suburbs.
• Urban vs suburban/rural: The City of Syracuse shows substantially higher smartphone-only dependence and lower fixed-broadband take-up than county suburbs. Rural southern and western towns (hilly terrain) also show more cellular-reliant households due to fewer fixed-fiber options. This urban/rural split is sharper than the statewide picture, which is dominated by dense downstate markets with near-ubiquitous wireline options.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier footprint and 5G:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide LTE with broad mid-band 5G in the Syracuse metro and main suburbs. Coverage remains weaker and more variable in hilly southern townships and lake-valley areas such as near Otisco, Tully, Fabius, and parts of the Skaneateles area.
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz for T-Mobile; C-band around 3.7–3.98 GHz for Verizon and AT&T) is the performance workhorse. High-band/mmWave appears in a few dense, high-traffic pockets (downtown Syracuse, campus/event areas) and is far less central than in NYC.
• Density and backhaul:
  • Dozens of small cells augment macro sites in downtown Syracuse, University Hill, the hospital district, and major venues/retail corridors (e.g., Destiny USA area), reflecting targeted densification rather than blanket mmWave grids common downstate.
  • Multiple long-haul fiber routes intersect the county along I‑90 and I‑81, with robust metro fiber in the urban core; fiber availability thins in outer townships, reinforcing mobile reliance there.
• Local industry effects:
  • JMA Wireless’s 5G manufacturing campus in Syracuse and the planned Micron semiconductor complex in Clay are catalyzing private 5G, neutral-host, and backhaul upgrades. This enterprise and industrial 5G posture is a distinguishing feature versus the state overall, where demand is more consumer/metropolitan-led.

Trends that differ from the state-level picture

• Higher mobile reliance outside dense cores: Onondaga shows a higher share of smartphone-only and cellular-first households than the NYS average, driven by lower fixed-broadband availability and affordability in parts of Syracuse and in rural townships.
• Slightly lower device and subscription penetration: County percentages for smartphones in households and internet subscriptions trail NYS by a couple of points, reflecting income/age structure and infrastructure mix different from downstate.
• Mid-band 5G over mmWave: Performance gains come primarily from mid-band 5G with selective small-cell infill, not from broad mmWave deployment as seen in parts of NYC—shaping practical speeds and indoor coverage expectations.
• Sharper intra-county divide: The adoption gap between Syracuse’s lower-income neighborhoods and higher-income suburbs is wider than the typical gap observed at the state level, intensifying the role of mobile data as a primary home connection for many households.
• Enterprise-led 5G growth: Local manufacturing and tech investment are spurring private and on-prem 5G/backhaul projects—an atypical county-level driver relative to the state’s more consumer-heavy demand profile.

Key takeaways

• Expect roughly 600,000–640,000 active mobile lines countywide, with about 9 in 10 households having smartphones but a meaningfully higher-than-state share relying on mobile data as their main connection.
• Coverage and performance are strong in the metro/suburbs via mid-band 5G, but topography constrains rural capacity; this unevenness, plus affordability, underpins Onondaga’s above-average smartphone-only reliance compared with New York State.
• Industrial 5G/backhaul investments tied to JMA Wireless and the Micron project set Onondaga apart from state-level trends, pointing to continued network densification and enterprise-grade wireless capabilities in the next several years.

Onondaga County, NY — social media snapshot (2024)

Population and connectivity

• Residents: ~476,000; adults (18+): ~380,000
• Household broadband: high (upper-80s percent range), enabling near-ubiquitous social access among adults

Most-used platforms (adults 18+, modeled local reach; percent of adults and estimated users)

• YouTube: 83% (~315,000)
• Facebook: 68% (~258,000)
• Instagram: 47% (~179,000)
• TikTok: 33% (~125,000)
• Pinterest: 31% (~118,000)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~114,000)
• Snapchat: 27% (~103,000)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~84,000)

Age patterns (who’s on what)

• 18–29: Near-universal YouTube; majority on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; Facebook remains widely used but secondary to short-form/video platforms
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram significant; TikTok reaches about a third; Snapchat trails
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok and Snapchat relatively low
• 65+: Facebook is primary; YouTube moderate; other platforms low adoption

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base mirrors population: roughly 52% women, 48% men
• Platform tilt
  • Higher among women: Pinterest (strongly), Instagram (modest), Snapchat (modest), TikTok (slight)
  • Higher among men: YouTube (slight), LinkedIn (slight), X/Twitter (slight)

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook anchors community interaction: neighborhood and school groups, youth sports, civic updates, events; Marketplace is a major local commerce channel
• Video-first consumption is routine: Reels/TikTok/Shorts drive discovery; short clips (6–15 seconds) perform best for restaurants, venues, and retailers
• Event discovery and attendance: Facebook Events and Instagram posts/stories are primary prompts for festivals, college and high school sports, and arts
• Private-by-default messaging: Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat carry much of the day-to-day chatter among younger users
• Local news and alerts: Facebook is the dominant distribution channel; X is used by a smaller, news-centric cohort for breaking updates and sports
• Professional networking: LinkedIn engagement is buoyed by universities, healthcare systems, aerospace/defense, and public sector employers; thought-leadership posts and hiring updates see strong engagement
• Shopping and decision-making: Visual socials (Instagram/TikTok) influence dining, beauty, and apparel among under-40s; Facebook posts/deals influence 40+ purchases
• Timing: Evenings and weekends are peak for consumer engagement; weekday middays perform well for LinkedIn

Notes on methodology

• Local estimates apply recent U.S. adult platform adoption rates by age to Onondaga County’s adult population structure (American Community Survey) to produce county-level modeled reach. Percentages are rounded and reflect adults (18+) using each platform.