Saint Lawrence County

Saint Lawrence County, New York — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 108,505 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 5-year, most recent)
• Age distribution: under 18 ≈ 20%; 18–24 ≈ 13%; 25–44 ≈ 25%; 45–64 ≈ 24%; 65+ ≈ 18%

Sex

• Male ≈ 51%; Female ≈ 49% (ACS 5-year)

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; race alone unless noted; Hispanic is any race)

• White: ~88%
• Black or African American: ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~4%
• Asian: ~1–2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%

Households (ACS 5-year, most recent)

• Total households: ~42,000
• Average household size: ~2.35
• Family households: ~60% of households; average family size ~3.0
• Married-couple households: ~45%
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Nonfamily households: ~40%; individuals living alone ~31% (about 12% age 65+)
• Tenure: owner-occupied ~69%; renter-occupied ~31%

Insights

• Stable-to-slowly declining population with a modestly older age structure.
• Predominantly White, with a notable American Indian population tied to the Akwesasne/St. Regis Mohawk community, and small but present Black, Asian, and Hispanic populations.
• Household composition skews toward family households with relatively small average size; owner-occupancy is the majority.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (most recent 5-year estimates).

• Population and density: St. Lawrence County, NY has about 108,000 residents and is the largest county in New York by land area (~2,680 sq mi), with ~40 people per square mile.
• Digital access: ACS 2018–2022 indicates roughly 90% of households have a computer and about 81–84% have a broadband subscription; about 13–15% have no home internet. These rural-access gaps shape email use, especially in outlying areas.
• Estimated email users: ~80,000 adult users. Method: apply high U.S. adult email adoption to the county’s adult population (email use among U.S. adults is ~90%+).
• Age distribution (estimated adoption in the county, based on national patterns): 18–29 ≈ 98–99%; 30–49 ≈ 97–99%; 50–64 ≈ 95–97%; 65+ ≈ 90–92%. College presence (Canton/Potsdam area) boosts younger-user share.
• Gender split: Essentially even; email usage rates for men and women are nearly identical, yielding an approximately 50/50 split among users.
• Trends and connectivity insights: Broadband subscription and device access have risen steadily since 2016, but low-density townships remain less connected than state averages. Fixed broadband availability is widespread along population centers and corridors, with slower, spottier service in the most rural tracts, contributing to higher smartphone-reliant use in those areas.

Mobile phone usage in Saint Lawrence County, NY — 2024–2025 snapshot

User base and adoption (estimates grounded in Census/ACS patterns and rural NY adoption rates)

• Population: ≈108,000 residents; ≈84,000 adults (18+).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈70,000–72,000 (about 82–85% of adults, lower than NY’s ~90%+).
• Total smartphone users (including teens): ≈88,000–92,000.
• Households using cellular as their primary/only home internet: ≈5,000–6,500 of ≈42,000 households (about 12–16%), higher than the statewide share (~8–10%).
• Prepaid vs. postpaid: prepaid lines are estimated at 28–35% of mobile lines in the county (above the statewide ~20–25%), reflecting lower incomes, rural coverage switching, and plan flexibility needs.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Age:
  • 18–24: near-universal smartphone use due to four local colleges (Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University); heavy data usage and high churn at semester boundaries.
  • 25–64: high smartphone adoption with strong reliance on hotspotting where fixed broadband is weak.
  • 65+: adoption rates trail state levels; voice-and-text and lower-cost plans are more common, with measurable growth in telehealth-driven smartphone uptake since 2020.
• Income and affordability: median household incomes lag the NY median, and poverty rates are higher than the state average; the wind-down of the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024–2025 has shifted more low-income households toward prepaid and “cellular-only” home internet solutions.
• Indigenous/tribal and cross-border communities: parts of the Akwesasne (St. Regis Mohawk) community and other border residents contend with cross-border signal bleed and plan choices that include Canada roaming; this is a distinctive local factor not seen across most of NY.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Coverage profile:
  • 4G LTE is reliable along population corridors (Massena–Ogdensburg–Waddington on NY-37, Potsdam–Canton–Gouverneur on US-11/NY-11, and NY-56), with patchier service in sparsely populated interiors and Adirondack foothills.
  • 5G low-band covers most town centers; mid-band 5G (capacity layers like n41 or C-band) is concentrated in Potsdam, Canton, Massena, and Ogdensburg and drops off quickly outside these hubs. This yields lower average 5G speeds than statewide urban/suburban norms.
• Border spectrum constraints: along the St. Lawrence River, FCC–ISED (Canada) coordination limits some bands and power levels, reducing capacity and complicating 5G mid-band deployment relative to downstate NY.
• Tower siting and backhaul:
  • Macro site density is lower than the state average; construction timelines are longer where Adirondack Park and environmental review constraints apply.
  • Backhaul is a mix of fiber (notably Slic Network Solutions and Spectrum in/near towns) and microwave in remote areas; fiber scarcity away from corridors constrains capacity upgrades.
• Carrier dynamics:
  • Verizon generally leads for rural coverage and public-safety interoperability; AT&T is competitive in towns; T‑Mobile has improved 600 MHz coverage but mid-band depth is still town-centric. Network switching (multi-SIM or device upgrades supporting bands 13/71/C-band/n41) is a common consumer response to coverage gaps.

How Saint Lawrence County differs from New York State overall

• Lower smartphone adoption among adults (by several percentage points) and a larger share of cellular-only home internet households.
• Higher prepaid penetration and price sensitivity; plan selection frequently includes Canada roaming near the border—an atypical factor for most NY counties.
• Slower and spottier mid-band 5G rollout; capacity is concentrated in a handful of towns, yielding more frequent reversion to LTE outside these areas.
• Coverage leadership remains with Verizon in much of the county, whereas downstate and metro NY see stronger competitive parity and faster T‑Mobile mid-band performance.
• Device mix and upgrade patterns skew toward models with strong low-band support (e.g., band 13/71) and good rural radios; upgrade cycles are longer than downstate due to income and limited mid-band coverage benefits.

Key takeaways

• Approximately 70,000+ adults and about 90,000 total residents use smartphones, but adoption and 5G capacity lag state levels.
• Cellular-only home internet and prepaid usage are materially higher than the NY average, driven by rural coverage gaps and affordability.
• Cross-border spectrum and roaming considerations, plus Adirondack siting/backhaul constraints, produce a distinct infrastructure and usage profile unlike most counties in New York.

Social media usage in Saint Lawrence County, New York (2025 snapshot)

Population baseline

• Total population: ~108,000; adults (18+): ~86,000
• Figures below apply the latest U.S. adult platform-adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) to the county’s adult population to estimate local user counts. Teen behavior is noted separately where relevant.

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

• YouTube: 83% (~71,700 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~58,800)
• Instagram: 50% (~43,000)
• Pinterest: 35% (~30,200)
• TikTok: 33% (~28,500)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~25,900)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~25,100)
• Snapchat: 27% (~23,300)
• Reddit: 22% (~19,000)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~19,000)

Age-group adoption highlights (adults; U.S. benchmarks applied locally)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%+, Instagram ~75–80%, Facebook ~65–70%, Snapchat ~60–65%, TikTok ~60%+
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%+, Facebook ~75–80%, Instagram ~55–60%, TikTok ~35–40%
• 50–64: YouTube ~80%+, Facebook ~70%+, Instagram ~30–40%, TikTok ~20%+
• 65+: YouTube ~50%, Facebook ~45–50%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~10%
• Teens (13–17; not included in adult counts): very high YouTube use (95%); TikTok (60–70%), Snapchat (60%); Instagram (55–60%); Facebook lower (~30% range)

Gender breakdown (platform skews; U.S. benchmarks)

• Women: higher on Pinterest (~50% of women vs ~20% of men), Snapchat, and slightly higher on Facebook/Instagram
• Men: higher on Reddit (~30% men vs ~20% women), X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and slightly higher on YouTube
• Overall social media reach is broadly similar by gender; differences show up mainly by platform preference

Behavioral trends specific to Saint Lawrence County

• Facebook is the community backbone: widespread use of Groups and Marketplace for buy/sell/trade, school district notices, municipal and volunteer fire department alerts, road closures, and winter storm updates; local news outlets rely on Facebook for distribution
• College-town effect (Canton, Potsdam): elevated Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat activity among 18–24s tied to campus life (St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson); WhatsApp usage bolstered by international students
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, local sports highlights, meetings, and regional outdoors content; short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts for small businesses
• Commerce and services: local restaurants, artisans, and contractors lean on Facebook + Instagram (Reels, Stories, Messenger) for discovery and bookings; Facebook ads targeted by ZIPs are common
• Information habits: many residents treat Facebook as a news aggregator; engagement spikes during severe weather and school/utility disruptions
• Rural connectivity realities: variable broadband pushes content toward shorter videos and lightweight creative; evening and weekend posting windows perform best

Notes

• Platform percentages are from recent Pew Research Center U.S. adult usage surveys (2023–2024) and are applied proportionally to the county’s adult population to provide locally scaled estimates.