Suffolk County

Key demographics for Suffolk County, New York (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population

• Total population (2020 Census): 1,525,920

Age

• Median age: ~41.5 years
• Under 18: ~21–22%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~50.6%
• Male: ~49.4%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic is an ethnicity; people may be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~65%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~21%
• Black or African American: ~8–9%
• Asian: ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1% combined

Households

• Total households: ~500,000
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~70% of households; married-couple families ~50%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80–82%
• Median household income (in 2022 dollars): roughly $120,000

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year; QuickFacts).

Suffolk County, NY snapshot (2023–2024):

• Population ~1.53M; land density ~1,670 people/sq mi. Suburban core is highly connected; more rural East End pockets have comparatively lower speeds but improving.
• Estimated adult email users: 1.14M. Method: ~79% of residents are 18+ (1.21M); ~92% of U.S. adults use email → ~1.11–1.14M local adult users.
• Age distribution of email users (est.):
  • 18–34: ~300K users (email adoption ~97%)
  • 35–64: ~580K users (adoption ~95%)
  • 65+: ~240K users (adoption ~85%)
• Gender split among email users: mirrors population (~51% female, ~49% male), as email usage shows minimal gender gap nationally.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~93% of households subscribe to broadband; fixed broadband at ≥100 Mbps is available to the vast majority of addresses, with extensive fiber (Verizon Fios) and cable (Optimum) coverage.
  • Robust 5G/4G LTE from all major carriers; commuter corridors (LIE, Sunrise Hwy, LIRR) have strong mobile capacity.
  • Smartphone-only internet households ~10–15%, indicating high mobile reliance alongside home broadband.
  • Dozens of public libraries and municipal facilities provide free Wi‑Fi, supporting universal email access.

Sources: U.S. Census/ACS (population, broadband), Pew Research (email adoption).

Suffolk County, NY: mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

Scale and user estimates

• Population baseline: about 1.52 million residents in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau).
• Adult smartphone users: roughly 1.08 million adults use a smartphone (≈90% adult adoption based on Pew 2023 applied to Suffolk’s age structure).
• Active cellular connections: approximately 2.0–2.3 million total lines (phones, tablets, watches, vehicle/IoT), reflecting suburban households’ above-average multi‑device ownership and New York’s high connections‑per‑capita profile (CTIA trend applied to county population).

Definitive adoption statistics (ACS and Pew benchmarks)

• Households with a smartphone: about 93% in Suffolk County, slightly above the New York State average of about 92% (American Community Survey, table S2802, 2022).
• Households with a cellular data plan: about 87–89% in Suffolk; statewide about 85–87% (ACS S2802, 2022).
• Cellular-only home internet (cellular data plan and no other subscription): approximately 7–9% of Suffolk households versus roughly 11–13% statewide (ACS S2802, 2022).
• Adult smartphone adoption by age (Pew Research 2023; applied locally): 18–29 ≈98%, 30–49 ≈97%, 50–64 ≈90%, 65+ ≈77%. Weighted by Suffolk’s older age mix, overall adult adoption is about 90%.

Demographic contours that shape mobile usage locally

• Age: Suffolk is older than the state average (median age low‑40s), which moderates adoption at 65+ but is offset by high device ownership among families and commuters.
• Income and education: Higher household incomes than the state median support multi‑line plans and premium devices, and correlate with a lower share of cellular‑only internet households than the statewide average.
• Race/ethnicity: Suffolk’s mix (roughly two‑thirds non‑Hispanic White; about one‑fifth Hispanic; single‑digit shares Black and Asian) maps to high smartphone adoption across groups; mobile‑only reliance is concentrated in lower‑income tracts but is less prevalent than in many downstate urban counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: effectively universal population coverage across the developed corridor from Huntington through Brookhaven and into the East End villages (FCC broadband/mobile maps).
  • 5G: countywide availability from all three national carriers; mid‑band 5G (2.5 GHz, C‑band/3.7 GHz, 3.45 GHz) is deployed along major roadways (LIE/I‑495, Sunrise Hwy/27), downtowns, shopping corridors, hospital/university campuses, and LIRR rights‑of‑way. T‑Mobile’s mid‑band footprint reached most of Long Island by 2023; Verizon and AT&T expanded C‑band/3.45 GHz across 2022–2024.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical median download speeds in built‑up areas: 100–250 Mbps on mid‑band 5G; 20–80 Mbps on 4G LTE. Pockets of the North Fork, Shelter Island, Napeague/Montauk, and Fire Island can see single‑digit to tens of Mbps during peak seasonal demand or constrained backhaul.
  • Indoor performance varies with building materials and coastal construction; DAS and small cells improve coverage in hospitals (e.g., Stony Brook Medicine), malls, campuses, and stadiums.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Dense fiber from Optimum/Altice, Verizon Fios, and regional providers supports 5G small‑cell densification. Microwave backhaul is still used in barrier‑island segments where trenching is difficult.
• Seasonal dynamics
  • Summer surges (Hamptons, North and South Forks, Fire Island, Smith Point, Robert Moses) materially increase traffic; operators supplement with temporary Cells‑on‑Wheels and additional carriers on existing sites.
• Siting and resiliency
  • Zoning and environmental constraints in coastal and historic areas slow new macro‑tower builds, creating persistent gaps atypical of downstate suburbs. Post‑Sandy hardening improved backup power and flood resilience; major carriers and the county’s P25 Phase II public‑safety system prioritize coastal storm readiness. Text‑to‑911 is available.

How Suffolk differs from New York State trends

• Lower mobile‑only reliance: A smaller share of households depend solely on cellular data for home internet (≈7–9% in Suffolk vs ≈11–13% statewide), reflecting higher home broadband subscription rates and incomes.
• More pronounced seasonality: Traffic spikes and capacity management in beach/second‑home communities are a larger factor than the statewide norm, driving temporary infrastructure deployments and targeted sector splits.
• Coverage gaps are coastal, not purely rural: While upstate gaps stem from topography and low tower density, Suffolk’s remaining weak‑signal areas are tied to barrier islands, protected coastline, and siting limits.
• High commuter‑corridor engineering: Network design is unusually concentrated along LIE, Sunrise Highway, and LIRR lines to support peak, high‑mobility usage patterns, with extensive small‑cell/DAS that exceed typical suburban deployments upstate.
• Performance edge in populated areas: Median 5G speeds in western/central Suffolk generally run above statewide averages due to dense mid‑band overlays and robust fiber backhaul; the East End shows a wider urban–rural spread than the state median.

Key takeaways

• Mobile adoption in Suffolk is very high: roughly nine in ten adults have smartphones and more than nine in ten households include at least one smartphone.
• Suffolk’s residents are less likely than the statewide average to rely exclusively on cellular data at home, but they maintain more total cellular lines per person due to multi‑device ownership.
• Network quality is strong along the main population spine, with targeted capacity solutions for seasonal hotspots and ongoing challenges in a few coastal and zoning‑constrained pockets.

Suffolk County, NY social media snapshot (2025)

Baseline

• Population: ~1.52M (ACS 2023). Adults (18+): ~1.19M.

Most-used platforms among adults (Estimates apply Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult usage rates to Suffolk’s adult population; counts rounded.)

• YouTube: 83% → ~988k adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~809k
• Instagram: 47% → ~559k
• Pinterest: 35% → ~417k
• LinkedIn: 33% → ~393k
• TikTok: 33% → ~393k
• Snapchat: 30% → ~357k
• WhatsApp: 29% → ~345k
• X (Twitter): 27% → ~321k
• Reddit: 22% → ~262k
• Nextdoor: 19% → ~226k

Age-group profile

• 18–29: Heavy on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; Facebook secondary. Short-form video drives discovery of restaurants, beaches, nightlife; DMs and Stories central to peer coordination.
• 30–49: Uses Facebook and Instagram daily; YouTube for “how-to” and product research; rising TikTok/Reels use for shopping and local recs; WhatsApp common for family groups.
• 50–64: Facebook is the hub (local groups, school/league updates), YouTube for news and DIY, LinkedIn for professional networking; Nextdoor used for services and neighborhood info.
• 65+: Facebook dominates for community/news; YouTube for tutorials and local news clips; lighter adoption of newer platforms.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base skews slightly female, mirroring county demographics (~51% female, ~49% male).
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X. LinkedIn is near even with a slight male tilt in tech/engineering roles.

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Hyperlocal communities: Very active Facebook Groups and Nextdoor by town/hamlet (e.g., events, yard sales, lost pets, school/PTA, service recommendations). Posts with neighborly utility outperform polished ads.
• Local discovery: Instagram Reels/TikTok widely used to find eateries, wineries, farm stands, beaches, and seasonal activities; hashtags like #longisland and place tags drive reach.
• News consumption: High engagement with local news and public agencies on Facebook/YouTube; official updates (weather, closures, public safety) see strong share rates.
• Messaging: WhatsApp notable among Hispanic and multi-generational households; group coordination for family, sports, churches, and community events.
• Seasonality: Summer spikes for beach/parks/Fire Island content; fall for harvest events; winter storms drive public safety and utility updates. Back-to-school and sports seasons lift school/league pages.
• Daypart patterns: Peaks around commute blocks (7–9 a.m., 4–7 p.m.), lunch, and late evening; weekends favor events, dining, and family activities.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is widely used; Instagram/TikTok drive foot traffic when paired with map pins, short videos, and limited-time promos; local service providers gain leads via Nextdoor and Facebook recommendations.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023 (population baseline).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use (2024 platform adoption rates).
• Suffolk figures are estimates derived by applying Pew’s adult usage percentages to the county’s adult population; behavioral insights reflect national patterns calibrated to Suffolk’s suburban, family-heavy profile.