Richmond County

Key demographics for Richmond County, NY (Staten Island)

Population

• Total population: 495,747 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~493,500 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates)

Age

• Median age: ~40.9 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~51.6%
• Male: ~48.4% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and Hispanic origin (Census categories; “Hispanic or Latino” is an ethnicity and overlaps race)

• White alone: ~74–75%
• Black or African American alone: ~10–11%
• Asian alone: ~10–11%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~19–20%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~55% (ACS 2018–2022 / Census QuickFacts)

Households and housing

• Households: ~179,000 (ACS 2018–2022)
• Persons per household: ~2.76
• Average family size: ~3.3
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~69%
• Renter-occupied: ~31% (ACS 2018–2022)

Notable insights

• Staten Island has the highest homeownership rate and one of the oldest median ages among NYC boroughs.
• Population has been roughly flat since 2020, with minor year-to-year fluctuations.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey; 2023 Population Estimates; Census QuickFacts for Richmond County, NY)

Richmond County (Staten Island, NY) snapshot

• Population and density: 495,747 residents (2020 Census); about 8,500 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ≈350,000–360,000 residents use email regularly. Method: adult population × internet use (95%) × email adoption (92%), plus teen users.
• Age distribution (estimated adoption, aligned with U.S. patterns but applied locally):
  • 18–29: ~96% use email
  • 30–49: ~98%
  • 50–64: ~95%
  • 65+: ~85%
• Gender split among users: essentially even; roughly 52% female, 48% male, mirroring the county’s sex ratio.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is about 90% (ACS), up from the high-80s pre-2020, indicating steady gains in home connectivity.
  • Computer access in households exceeds 90%, and smartphone ownership is widespread, supporting near-ubiquitous email reach.
  • Staten Island’s suburban layout and lower density than other NYC boroughs are offset by strong cable/fiber and 5G coverage, sustaining high email accessibility for work, school, and services.

Bottom line: With high broadband availability and near-universal device access, email penetration in Richmond County is mature, with only the oldest cohorts lagging slightly behind younger adults.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Richmond County (Staten Island), NY

Topline user estimates

• Population and households: ~496,000 residents and ~174,000 households (ACS 2022/2023).
• Adult smartphone users: ~360,000–380,000 adults actively use smartphones on Staten Island, implying adult ownership in the low-90% range (consistent with ACS “Computer and Internet Use” and recent Pew Research adult smartphone adoption levels).
• Households with a cellular data plan: roughly 80–85% have a cellular data subscription (ACS S2801 types of Internet subscriptions).
• Mobile-only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely only on cellular data): about 8–10% of households, below the NYC average and below/at the low end of the New York State average (ACS S2801; NYC Office of Technology & Innovation borough profiles).
• Households with no home internet at all: roughly 7–9%, lower than the statewide share (ACS S2801).

Demographic breakdown of use and dependence

• Age:
  • 18–49: Near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+), with heavy mobile data use for streaming, social, and navigation during car and express bus commutes.
  • 50–64: Smartphone adoption in the low-to-mid 80% range; growing use of telehealth and messaging apps.
  • 65+: Smartphone adoption has risen markedly in recent years into the mid-70%+ range; however, seniors remain overrepresented among the mobile-only and no-subscription groups relative to prime-age adults, concentrated in fixed-income households.
• Income and geography within the borough:
  • South Shore and mid-island higher-income, owner-occupied areas show the highest rates of having both wired broadband and mobile service (mobile-only reliance is the lowest here).
  • North Shore neighborhoods (e.g., St. George–Stapleton–Port Richmond) show higher smartphone dependence and prepaid mobile uptake; mobile-only internet is more common than the borough average but still below rates seen in NYC’s most affordability-constrained areas.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Borough-level patterns mirror citywide dynamics: Black and Hispanic households are more likely to be smartphone-dependent than White and Asian households, but Staten Island’s overall mobile-only rate is tempered by higher wired-broadband adoption in many neighborhoods (NYC OTI digital divide analyses; ACS microdata).

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 5G mid-band (T-Mobile n41 2.5 GHz; Verizon and AT&T C-band n77) now blankets nearly all populated areas of Staten Island outdoors; mmWave nodes exist in limited hotspots (civic/commercial zones such as St. George and around transit hubs).
• Capacity and speeds:
  • Typical mid-band 5G median downloads land around the 100–200 Mbps range island-wide, with peak multi-hundred Mbps near dense corridors; mmWave nodes deliver 1–3 Gbps where available. Performance is strongest along the Staten Island Expressway, Hylan Blvd, Victory Blvd, and near ferry/bus hubs; speeds moderate in low-density residential pockets.
• Small-cell density:
  • Staten Island has by far the fewest permitted 5G small cells in NYC; on the order of only ~1–3% of the city’s small-cell nodes are sited in the borough. This lower node density (relative to Manhattan/Brooklyn/Queens) keeps average capacity below the NYC core despite near-universal 5G coverage (NYC franchise/permit data since 2021).
• Macro sites and backhaul:
  • Macro towers cluster along bridge approaches (Verrazzano-Narrows, Goethals, Outerbridge), major arterials, and commercial strips. Fiber backhaul leverages extensive Verizon Fios and Charter/Spectrum plant; new mid-band 5G upgrades since 2022 significantly increased sector capacity.
• Notable weak/variable areas:
  • RF-challenging topography and protected lands (the Greenbelt, parts of Gateway National Recreation Area, coastal wetlands) create pockets of weaker indoor coverage and reduced uplink during peak loads, though basic service is available.
• Resilience:
  • Post–Sandy hardening improved backup power and flood mitigation at coastal sites; critical transport nodes (St. George Terminal, bridge/expressway corridors) are now priority-restoration areas for carriers.

How Staten Island differs from New York State overall

• Higher 5G availability and earlier mid-band upgrades than the state average, reflecting NYC-first build priorities. Coverage quality and capacity exceed most upstate/suburban counties even with fewer small cells than the NYC core.
• Lower mobile-only internet reliance than the statewide rate. Fixed broadband adoption is stronger due to higher homeownership and availability of multiple wired options; this reduces exclusive dependence on cellular data.
• Smaller digital gaps by income and among seniors compared with statewide patterns. While intra-borough disparities exist (notably on the North Shore), the share of households with no home internet is below the New York State average.
• Commute-driven usage patterns differ from the state: heavy, predictable mobile demand along ferry, bridge, and express bus corridors leads carriers to concentrate capacity on these routes, a pattern less common outside the NYC region.

Key takeaways

• Staten Island is a near-fully covered 5G market with strong mid-band capacity and comparatively low mobile-only household reliance.
• The borough’s mobile experience is shaped by suburban density and fewer small cells than the NYC core; users see robust but slightly less “gigabit-class” performance than Manhattan/Brooklyn.
• Demographic and geographic pockets (North Shore, seniors, and parts of coastal/park areas) benefit most from continued small-cell densification and in-building coverage improvements.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (S2801 Computer and Internet Use, 2022–2023), NYC Office of Technology & Innovation digital divide reports (2022–2024), carriers’ public 5G deployment disclosures (2022–2024) and NYC small-cell permitting data.

Richmond County (Staten Island) social media snapshot (adults 18+)

Population base and method

• Adult population: approximately 385,000 (ACS-based). Gender: about 51.6% women, 48.4% men.
• Platform percentages are Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult usage rates applied to the county’s adult population to estimate local users.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; estimated local users)

• YouTube: 83% (~320k)
• Facebook: 68% (~262k)
• Instagram: 47% (~181k)
• Pinterest: 35% (~135k)
• TikTok: 33% (~127k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~116k)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~112k)
• Snapchat: 27% (~104k)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~85k)
• Reddit: 22% (~85k)
• Nextdoor: 19% (~73k)

Age profile and usage tendencies

• 18–29: Very high daily use on YouTube (95%); Instagram (8 in 10) and Snapchat/TikTok (~6 in 10 each) dominate; Facebook reaches a majority but is less central for content creation.
• 30–49: Broadest multi-platform mix; Facebook (8 in 10) and YouTube (9 in 10) are staples; Instagram (6 in 10); TikTok (4 in 10). Strong LinkedIn use tied to commuter/professional workforce.
• 50–64: Facebook (7 in 10) and YouTube (8 in 10) lead; Instagram (4 in 10); TikTok adoption rising (1 in 4).
• 65+: Facebook (1 in 2) and YouTube (3 in 5) remain primary; limited Instagram/TikTok.

Gender breakdown and skews

• Women are more active on Facebook and Instagram and heavily over-index on Pinterest (women roughly twice as likely to use it as men), fueling parenting, school, food, and lifestyle content.
• Men over-index on Reddit, X, and LinkedIn, with strong participation in sports, finance, tech, and civic-policy threads.
• YouTube is nearly universal, with a slight male tilt.

Behavioral trends specific to Richmond County

• Hyperlocal organizing on Facebook: neighborhood watch, school/PTA groups, Buy Nothing and Marketplace, storm prep/cleanup updates, and real-time traffic/ferry/bridge alerts.
• WhatsApp for family and language/diaspora groups (notably Italian, Spanish, Russian, Albanian, South Asian), coordinating events and small-business referrals.
• Video-first discovery: YouTube plus Instagram Reels/TikTok for restaurant discovery, real-estate walk-throughs, home services, and local politics explainers; evening and weekend engagement peaks.
• Local commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a key channel for secondhand goods and contractor leads; small businesses lean on Instagram and TikTok promotions; LinkedIn supports hiring and networking for Manhattan/Brooklyn commuters.
• News and alerts: SILive, city agencies, and electeds push via Facebook, X, and YouTube; residents follow MTA/NYC DOT feeds for ferry/bridge status. Nextdoor has niche use in some neighborhoods but trails Facebook groups.
• Cohort patterns: Older adults concentrate on Facebook/YouTube for community info and family updates; younger adults gravitate to TikTok/Snapchat for entertainment and peer messaging, with Instagram as the cross-generational visual hub.