Orleans County

Orleans County, New York – key demographics

Population size

• 39,700 (July 1, 2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: 42
• Under 18: 21%
• 18 to 64: 60%
• 65 and over: 19%

Gender

• Male: 51%
• Female: 49%

Racial/ethnic composition (Hispanic is any race)

• White (non-Hispanic): 80%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): 8%
• Hispanic or Latino: 9%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): 2%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): 0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): 0.3%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) and other: ~0.2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~14,900
• Average household size: 2.5
• Family households: ~63% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48% of households
• One-person households: ~27%
• With children under 18: ~27% of households
• Owner-occupied housing: ~73%
• Renter-occupied housing: ~27%

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

Orleans County, NY email usage (2025)

• Estimated email users: ~31,500 adults. Basis: ~39,600 residents, ~33,200 adults; ~95% of adults use email.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: 17% (5,400)
  • 30–49: 31% (9,900)
  • 50–64: 27% (8,500)
  • 65+: 24% (7,700)
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring the county’s population.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with an internet subscription: ~82%
  • Households with a computer (desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone): ~90%
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ~14%
  • Trend: Broadband adoption has risen over the past five years, with growing cable and new fiber builds; mobile-only reliance remains in the mid-teens, especially in lower-density tracts and among older or lower-income households.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Predominantly rural with population concentrated in Albion, Medina, and Holley; service is strongest in village cores and along main corridors, with sparser wired options across agricultural areas near Lake Ontario and the southern interior.
  • Public-library and municipal Wi‑Fi play a bridging role where home broadband is limited.

Figures are county-level estimates derived from recent Census/ACS and national email adoption benchmarks.

Orleans County, NY — Mobile phone usage summary (2024)

User estimates and adoption

• Estimated smartphone users: 28,000–31,000 residents (roughly 72–78% of the total population), based on county age structure and rural adoption rates observed in ACS and Pew datasets through 2023–2024.
• Households with at least one smartphone: approximately 83–88% (lower than New York State’s ~90–92%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no home fixed broadband): about 12–16% locally, versus ~9–11% statewide.
• Households with no internet subscription: about 10–13% in Orleans County, versus ~6–8% statewide.
• Prepaid share of mobile lines is higher than the state average (roughly mid- to high-20s percent locally vs low-20s percent statewide), reflecting more price-sensitive adoption.

Demographic breakdown (directional differences vs NYS)

• Age: Seniors (65+) show markedly lower smartphone adoption (about 60–70% locally vs 75–80% statewide), pulling down overall penetration because the county’s age profile skews older than the state.
• Income: Households under $25k are about twice as likely to be smartphone-only compared with middle- and higher-income households; cost sensitivity leads to higher prepaid usage and postponed device upgrades.
• Education and disability: Lower educational attainment and higher disability prevalence correlate with higher smartphone-only reliance and lower multi-device ownership compared with the state average.
• Race/ethnicity: Gaps in adoption are present but smaller than the age and income effects; minority residents are concentrated in village centers (Albion, Medina) where coverage is stronger, moderating some access disparities.

Usage patterns distinct from the state

• Greater reliance on mobile as the primary internet on-ramp (smartphone-only) than NYS overall.
• Lower multi-device households (smartphone + laptop/tablet) than NYS, which contributes to heavier mobile data dependence.
• Median mobile speeds are lower and more variable than state urban norms; capacity is strongest in village cores and along major corridors, with noticeable slowdowns during peak hours.
• In-building coverage challenges are more common in older structures and in farm/wooded areas, increasing reliance on Wi‑Fi calling where available.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Networks: Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile provide near-universal outdoor 4G LTE across populated areas; indoor coverage varies with building materials and distance to towers.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G covers most traveled corridors.
  • Mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz; Verizon/AT&T C‑band) is present in and around Albion, Medina, and along NY‑31/NY‑104, but is patchier in outlying hamlets and lake‑shore/farmland interiors than in downstate metros.
• Capacity and speeds: Typical rural median mobile downloads land in the 30–60 Mbps range in populated parts of the county, below NYS urban medians that frequently exceed 100 Mbps; upload rates are often single‑digit to low‑teens Mbps.
• Coverage gaps: Spotty service persists in lower-density farm blocks and wooded stretches, especially away from primary roads; outdoor coverage generally exceeds indoor reliability in these zones.
• Backhaul: Spectrum cable backhaul and microwave links feed many sites; fiber backhaul is denser in village centers than in rural outskirts, affecting 5G mid‑band capacity.
• Public safety: FirstNet Band 14 is available via AT&T; legacy VHF LMR remains primary for county emergency communications.
• Public access: Libraries and municipal buildings in village areas offer Wi‑Fi that residents use to offload mobile data; availability thins outside the villages.

Trends 2020–2024

• Adoption: Smartphone penetration crept upward but remains a few points below the state average due to demographic and income mix.
• Smartphone-only reliance: Increased modestly, widening the gap with the state; inflation and higher fixed-broadband prices kept some lower-income households mobile‑only.
• Network evolution: 5G mid‑band sites expanded along main corridors and in village cores, improving peak downloads and capacity locally, but the build pace trails urban/downstate New York.
• Performance: Median speeds improved in coverage cores with mid‑band 5G, but variance widened between cores and rural edges, where many users still experience LTE‑class performance.

Implications for Orleans County (vs NYS)

• Mobile is a primary connectivity path for a larger share of residents, so mid‑band 5G infill and dependable indoor coverage have outsized benefits locally.
• Affordability programs (ACP successors, low-cost plans) and device financing are particularly impactful, given higher prepaid usage and smartphone‑only reliance.
• Complementary investments in public Wi‑Fi, digital literacy, and fixed broadband expansion (BEAD/ConnectALL projects) will reduce the county’s mobile‑only dependence and narrow performance and adoption gaps with the state.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Figures synthesize the latest available county-level American Community Survey “Computer and Internet Use” estimates (S2801/S2802, 2018–2022 5‑year), statewide comparisons, FCC Broadband Data Collection mobile coverage filings (2023–2024), and national adoption benchmarks from Pew Research. Values are expressed as best-available county estimates; statewide figures provide context for differences specific to Orleans County.

Social media usage in Orleans County, NY (2025 snapshot)

What “definitive” means here: County-level platform metrics aren’t directly published, so the figures below are modeled for Orleans County by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. adoption rates by age and gender to the county’s age-gender mix (U.S. Census/ACS 2022–2023). Treat them as best-available local estimates.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~40,300; adults (18+): ~31,600
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~25,000 (≈80% of adults)
• Daily users (any platform): ~60–65% of adults

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult residents)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 38%
• Pinterest: 30%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 26%
• LinkedIn: 22%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• Reddit: 19%
• Nextdoor: 10%

Age-group breakdown (percent of each group using the platform)

• 13–17: Social overall 95%+. YouTube 95%+, TikTok ~67%, Snapchat ~60%, Instagram ~62%, Facebook ~33%.
• 18–29: Social overall ~95%. YouTube ~95%, Facebook ~70%, Instagram ~76%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%.
• 30–49: Social overall ~90%. YouTube ~91%, Facebook ~77%, Instagram ~49%, TikTok ~39%, Snapchat ~24%, Pinterest ~36%.
• 50–64: Social overall ~75%. YouTube ~83%, Facebook ~73%, Instagram ~29%, Pinterest ~38%, TikTok ~10%, Snapchat ~9%.
• 65+: Social overall ~53%. Facebook ~50%, YouTube ~51%, Instagram ~13%, Pinterest ~20%, TikTok ~3%.

Gender breakdown (adults; local estimates reflecting national patterns)

• Women: Social overall ~82%. Facebook ~74%, Instagram ~44%, Pinterest ~45%, TikTok ~30%, Snapchat ~29%.
• Men: Social overall ~78%. YouTube ~85%, Facebook ~66%, Instagram ~32%, TikTok ~26%, Reddit ~28%, X ~24%, LinkedIn ~24%.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Western NY counties (applicable to Orleans)

• Facebook as the community hub: Heavy use of town/school/church and “yard sale/Marketplace” groups; event discovery and lost-and-found dominate engagement. Older adults rely on it for local news and public safety updates.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, small engine repair, farm/ag content, home projects, and local sports highlights; short-form Reels/TikToks gain traction among under-40s for recipes, home improvement, and local business discovery.
• Messaging over feeds for youth: Snapchat is the default daily communicator for teens; Instagram DMs/Stories central for 18–29.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace is the primary channel for used vehicles, equipment, tools, and furniture; buyer-seller interactions often move to Messenger quickly.
• Trust in local voices: Micro-influencers (coaches, pastors, small business owners, volunteer firefighters) drive outsized reach and action compared with brand pages.
• Platform roles:
  • Instagram: Visual branding for boutiques, salons, cafes; Reels outperform static posts. Cross-posting to Facebook common.
  • TikTok: Fast growth in 18–34; discovery engine for food, home services, and seasonal activities; geo-tagged “WNY” content travels well.
  • X (Twitter): Niche—state news, weather, pro/college sports; limited local conversation.
  • LinkedIn: Focused among healthcare, education, manufacturing; recruiting and employer brand use.
  • Nextdoor: Patchy coverage; Facebook groups fill the neighborhood-news gap.
• Timing and format: Best engagement evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; short vertical video and photo carousels outperform text-only posts.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Sources: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2023–2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (Orleans County age/gender composition, 2022–2023).
• Estimates adjust national adoption rates to the county’s older-leaning, rural profile; institutionalized populations (correctional facilities) may modestly depress effective adult user counts.