Rockland County

Rockland County, New York — key demographics

Population size

• 338,329 (2020 Census)
• Growth since 2010: +8.5% (from 311,687)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: 36.4 years
• Under 18: 27.7%
• 18 to 64: 57.4%
• 65 and over: 14.9%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: 50.8%
• Male: 49.2%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022; mutually exclusive categories, Hispanic counted separately)

• White, non-Hispanic: 60.0%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 11.6%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 7.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 19.0%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 1.4%
• Other races, non-Hispanic: 0.2%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~104,600
• Average household size: 3.21
• Family households: 74%
• Married-couple households: 58%
• Households with children under 18: 43%
• Average family size: 3.78
• Homeownership rate: 66%

Insights

• Younger age profile and larger households than the U.S. average
• Majority White non-Hispanic with sizable Hispanic, Black, and Asian communities
• High share of family and child-present households supports higher average household size

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Rockland County, NY snapshot (estimates, 2024):

• Population: ~340,000; adults (18+): ~255,000.
• Email users: ~237,000 adults (≈93% of adults use email).
• Age distribution of email use (adoption rates): 18–29: ~98%; 30–49: ~97%; 50–64: ~94%; 65+: ~88%. Given Rockland’s age mix, roughly 19% of adult email users are 18–29, 36% are 30–49, 26% are 50–64, and 19% are 65+.
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirroring the county’s adult population).
• Digital access trends: About 92% of households have a broadband subscription and ~95% have a computer; adult smartphone ownership is ~90%. Email is entrenched for work, school, health, and government services, with daily use highest among working-age adults and strong growth among seniors.
• Local density/connectivity: Population density is ~2,000 people per square mile. The county is extensively served by cable and fiber broadband, with widespread 4G/5G coverage along major corridors (I‑87/I‑287/Route 59). High household internet adoption and robust mobile networks support near-universal email access and reliability across suburban and village areas.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Rockland County, NY

Headline estimates

• Smartphone users: Approximately 260,000–290,000 residents use a smartphone in Rockland County, equating to roughly 85–90% of the total population and about 90–93% of adults. This estimate applies current U.S. adult smartphone adoption to the county’s population profile and includes high teen adoption.
• Wireless-only telephony: Roughly 62–67% of adults in Rockland likely live in wireless-only households (no landline), slightly above the New York State average due to Rockland’s younger age structure.
• 5G uptake: Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz for T-Mobile; C-band for Verizon and AT&T) is in wide use across the county’s populated corridors; user experience reflects strong 5G availability in towns along I‑87/I‑287 and Route 59, with LTE fallback in hill-shadowed pockets.

Demographic breakdown of mobile users (what is driving usage)

• Age
  • Rockland is younger than New York State overall, with a larger share of children and young adults. Applying current age-specific adoption rates:
    • Ages 18–49: Near-universal smartphone adoption (mid-to-high 90s percent) dominates total usage and data consumption.
    • Ages 50–64: High adoption (upper 80s percent), contributing strongly to data demand, particularly for navigation, messaging, and video.
    • Ages 65+: Adoption remains lower than younger cohorts but is still substantial (mid‑70s percent), and growing steadily; this group shows strong uptake of large-screen devices and bundled plans with health/wellness apps.
  • Net effect vs state: Because Rockland skews younger, its overall smartphone penetration and multi-line family plan prevalence are higher than the state average.
• Household composition
  • Larger family sizes and multigenerational households in parts of the county translate to more lines per household and heavy use of family plans. This drives higher device counts per address than the state average and elevates evening and weekend data peaks.
• Income and language communities
  • Higher-income suburbs in Orangetown, Clarkstown, and parts of Ramapo support strong postpaid penetration and premium 5G plans, while lower-income pockets (e.g., around Spring Valley) sustain a notable prepaid/MVNO segment.
  • Multilingual communities (notably Yiddish- and Spanish-speaking) contribute to heavy use of OTT calling/messaging, influencing off-peak international traffic patterns.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 5G footprint
  • All three national carriers operate 5G NR countywide. Mid-band 5G provides the day-to-day performance uplift along:
    • I‑87/I‑287/NYS Thruway, Palisades Interstate Parkway, Route 59/Route 304 commercial corridors, and river towns (Nyack, Piermont, Haverstraw).
  • Dense venues (malls, hospitals, college campus, downtown clusters) commonly rely on small cells/DAS to maintain indoor performance.
• Terrain-driven variability
  • The Palisades cliffs, Ramapo Mountains, and river valleys create localized shadowing and handoff complexity, especially off the main corridors and in wooded, hilly neighborhoods. This yields more frequent small-cell infill and indoor systems than in flatter downstate counties.
• Cross-border mobility
  • Daily movement into/out of Bergen County (NJ) and Westchester (via the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) produces high inter-market handoffs and commuting peaks predominated by vehicular data use (navigation, streaming audio, messaging). Compared with statewide patterns, Rockland’s mobile traffic profile is more car-commute-centric and less mass-transit-station-centric than NYC boroughs.
• Public safety and resilience
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) and carrier hardening around key corridors and civic sites underpin reliable emergency communications. Power-backup enhancements after prior storm events have improved network resilience relative to earlier years.

How Rockland trends differ from New York State overall

• Higher youth share raises smartphone penetration, lines per household, and evening/weekend data peaks beyond the NYS average.
• A larger family-plan footprint and lower relative reliance on standalone prepaid than the state average in affluent suburbs, with prepaid pockets persisting in lower-income areas.
• More vehicular-mobile usage and highway corridor concentration than the state average, with less rail-station-centric traffic than downstate urban cores.
• Greater topographical impact on signal propagation than most NYS suburban counties, driving above-average deployment of small cells/DAS and creating a patchier experience off main roads despite strong corridor coverage.

Methodological notes (for clarity)

• User estimates combine the county’s population structure with recent U.S. smartphone adoption by age and New York–level wireless-only household benchmarks, producing the stated ranges that reflect Rockland’s younger profile, family size, and suburban commuting patterns.

Rockland County, NY social media usage (2025 snapshot)

How many people use social media

• Overall penetration (residents 13+): ~86% use at least one social platform
• Adults (18+): ~82% use social media
• By age (share using any social platform)
  • 13–17: 93–95%
  • 18–29: ~90%
  • 30–49: ~84%
  • 50–64: ~76%
  • 65+: ~61%
• Gender among adult users: ~52% female, ~48% male (mirrors the county’s population mix)

Most-used platforms (adult residents; estimated share using each platform)

• YouTube: 83–85%
• Facebook: 66–70%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 32–36%
• LinkedIn: 28–32%
• WhatsApp: 27–31%
• Snapchat: 25–29%
• X (Twitter): 20–23%
• Reddit: 20–23%
• Nextdoor: 17–21%

Teens (13–17) platform profile

• YouTube ~93%
• TikTok ~63%
• Instagram ~62%
• Snapchat ~60%
• Facebook ~33%

Age mix of the local user base (share of all social users in the county)

• 13–24: ~23–25%
• 25–44: ~35–38%
• 45–64: ~24–27%
• 65+: ~12–15%

Gender notes by platform

• Skews female: Facebook, Instagram (slight), Pinterest (strong), TikTok (slight)
• Skews male: Reddit (strong), X/Twitter (moderate), YouTube (slight)
• Balanced/role-specific: LinkedIn (near-balanced overall; heavier among commuters and professionals)

Behavioral trends in Rockland County

• Community-centric usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and WhatsApp for schools, synagogues/churches, youth sports, mutual aid, and neighborhood updates. Nextdoor is used for hyperlocal alerts (plows, utilities, road work, property safety) in suburban towns.
• Messaging-first coordination: WhatsApp group chats are a default channel for family, faith, and diaspora ties; cross-posting from Facebook Groups to WhatsApp is common for rapid response (events, closures, carpools).
• Video-forward consumption: YouTube is the most universal platform for how-to content, local government meetings posted by municipalities, and high school sports highlights. Short-form TikTok/Instagram Reels drive discovery for restaurants, events, and local creators.
• Marketplace and services: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups are primary for secondhand goods, contractors, and rentals; trust is built via group reputation and mutual connections.
• Commuter/professional footprint: LinkedIn usage is elevated among residents working in NYC/NJ corridors; peak weekday activity aligns with commuting windows and lunchtime. Industry groups and licensing/CE updates perform well.
• News and civic info: Facebook and YouTube carry local news clips, school board segments, weather/safety alerts; Nextdoor threads amplify neighborhood issues. Verified pages (town, county, utilities, school districts) see strong engagement during storms or service disruptions.
• Youth patterns: Instagram and Snapchat dominate daily socializing; TikTok influences local trends and shopping. Teens rarely use Facebook aside from group logistics.
• Language/community segments: Significant engagement in group spaces using Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Yiddish, especially on WhatsApp and Facebook Groups.
• Ad/creator implications: Short, vertical video and carousel posts outperform static; localized hashtags and geo-tagging matter. Community endorsements (PTA, clergy, coaches) drive outsized conversion versus generic ads.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are county-specific estimates derived by applying the latest Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption rates (2023–2024 adult and teen studies) to Rockland County’s age/gender structure from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2023). Percent ranges reflect banding to account for local demographic mix.