Tompkins County

Key demographics for Tompkins County, New York

Population size

• 105,740 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 31.7 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Age distribution (ACS 2018–2022, rounded): under 18: ~15%; 18–24: ~29%; 25–44: ~27%; 45–64: ~17%; 65+: ~12%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Male: ~50.5%
• Female: ~49.5%

Racial and ethnic composition (2020 Decennial Census)

• White alone: ~72.6%
• Asian alone: ~15.3%
• Black or African American alone: ~4.9%
• Two or more races: ~5.9%
• Some other race: ~1.0%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0–0.1%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~6.5–6.7%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~41,000
• Average household size: ~2.29
• Family households: ~45% of households; nonfamily: ~55%
• Households with children under 18: ~20%
• Households with someone age 65+: ~21%
• Notable context: A large share of residents are college students (significant group-quarters population), which lowers the median age and raises the 18–24 share relative to typical U.S. counties.

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

Email users (estimate): ≈88,000 in Tompkins County. Method: 2020 Census population 105,740; applying Pew’s ~92% email adoption among U.S. adults and high teen adoption to the county’s age mix yields ~83–90k; rounded to ~88k.

Age distribution of users (driven by the county’s unusually young profile):

• 18–24: very high adoption (≈97%); this cohort is large locally due to Cornell and Ithaca College, so it contributes a disproportionate share of users.
• 25–44: ≈95% adoption.
• 45–64: ≈92% adoption.
• 65+: ≈88% adoption.

Gender split: Email adoption is essentially equal by gender; applying county sex distribution implies ≈51% female and ≈49% male among users.

Digital access and connectivity:

• Households with a computer: ≈95%.
• Households with a broadband subscription: ≈89%. (ACS 2018–2022)
• Connectivity is densest in and around Ithaca, where campus and municipal fiber/cable yield near-universal fixed broadband and ubiquitous Wi‑Fi; rural towns rely more on DSL/fixed wireless, with lower speeds and occasional gaps.
• County population density is roughly 220 people per sq. mile; the urban Ithaca core concentrates most high‑speed connections, pushing actual email usage above national norms among students and knowledge workers.

Overall: Email use is near-universal among working‑age and student populations, with slight tapering only in 65+.

Mobile phone usage in Tompkins County, NY — summary and contrasts with New York State

Context and scale

• Population: 105,740 (2020 Census).
• Higher education concentration: ~25,000 Cornell University students and ~5,000 Ithaca College students during the academic year, meaning roughly 28–30% of residents are students in-term. This unusually large student share makes the county’s age profile far younger than the New York State median and is the single strongest driver of local mobile behaviors.

User estimates

• Active mobile lines: approximately 130,000–150,000 total lines in the county (based on U.S. wireless penetration of ~125–140 subscriptions per 100 residents), reflecting multi-line ownership for wearables/tablets and work devices.
• Adult smartphone users: on the order of 80,000–90,000 residents use a smartphone regularly, given the county’s young profile and U.S. smartphone adoption near 90–95% among adults.
• Household smartphone presence and reliance:
  • Households with at least one smartphone are in the mid-90% range locally, modestly above the low-90% range typical for New York State.
  • Smartphone-only internet households are meaningfully higher than the statewide average, driven by student renters who forgo fixed broadband. Estimated 17–20% locally versus roughly 12–14% statewide.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns (how Tompkins differs from NYS)

• Age/student skew: A far larger 18–24 population share than the state average produces:
  • Higher 5G-capable device penetration and faster device turnover.
  • Heavier app-centric usage (campus apps, mobility/transit, food delivery) and extensive use of OTT messaging (WhatsApp, WeChat, LINE) among international students.
  • Greater prevalence of prepaid and short-term plans, eSIM swaps, and seasonal churn around move-in/move-out.
• Tenure and income dynamics:
  • A high share of renters (especially students) correlates with smartphone-only access and hotspot/tethering reliance, unlike downstate metro areas where households more often maintain fixed broadband alongside mobile.
• Workforce segments:
  • 25–44 cohort tied to Cornell, healthcare, and research typically uses employer-sponsored or BYOD plans and mid-band 5G for on-the-go work; tethering for fieldwork is common.
  • 45+ cohort shows more conservative upgrade cycles and a higher dependence on reliable in-home coverage and voice/text service than on peak mobile data speeds.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and radio access:
  • Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile provide countywide LTE, with 5G concentrated in and around the City of Ithaca, Cornell and Ithaca College campuses, and primary corridors (e.g., NY-13/79). Coverage attenuates faster than the NYS average outside the urban core due to hilly terrain, gorges, and tree cover, creating pockets of weak signal in rural towns (e.g., parts of Caroline, Enfield, and Ulysses).
  • 5G in Tompkins relies predominantly on mid-band spectrum for capacity and reach; ultra-high-band/mmWave is limited to dense nodes, unlike New York City where mmWave small cells are more common.
• Capacity management:
  • Small cells and distributed antenna systems are deployed in high-density areas (campus buildings, athletic venues, and downtown corridors) to handle semester peaks, events, and graduation. Network loads spike around start-of-term and large campus events far more than typical upstate counties.
• Backhaul and middle mile:
  • Multiple regional and national fiber providers interconnect in the Ithaca area and feed macro sites and small cells. Middle-mile routes link the county to Southern Tier and Finger Lakes backbone rings, supporting 5G upgrades and campus DAS. This enables solid capacity in town while remaining distance-limited in rural areas that lack dense fiber laterals.
• Public safety and alerts:
  • AT&T FirstNet and carrier emergency alerting (WEA) are active countywide; campuses integrate cell-based alerting with their safety systems, driving strong opt-in usage among the student population.

Trends that diverge from statewide patterns

• Adoption and usage:
  • Higher smartphone penetration among young adults and higher multi-line ownership per person than the NYS average, reflecting students’ wearables/tablets and dual-SIM/eSIM usage.
  • Larger share of smartphone-only households than the state, despite robust campus Wi‑Fi, because many student rentals avoid or bundle out fixed broadband.
• Network performance profile:
  • Strong mid-band 5G performance in urban/campus zones but a sharper urban–rural performance drop-off than the statewide norm; terrain-driven dead zones are more common than in downstate metros.
  • Peak congestion is calendar-driven (semester cycles) rather than commuter-peak patterns typical of downstate.
• Technology mix:
  • Faster uptake of eSIM, international SIM rotation, and OTT messaging than the NYS average due to the international student population.
  • Less mmWave deployment than downstate urban cores; most speed gains come from C-band/n41/n77 mid-band layers.

Key takeaways

• Tompkins County’s unusually large student population makes mobile demand denser, more app- and data-heavy, and more seasonal than the New York State average.
• In-town coverage and capacity are strong relative to the county’s size, but rural service gaps are more pronounced than the statewide profile because of topography and sparser fiber laterals.
• Smartphone-only access is a visible segment in the county’s digital ecosystem, particularly among student renters, even as campus Wi‑Fi and institutional networks mitigate some needs.

Tompkins County, NY: social media use at a glance

Population baseline

• Total population: ~105,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, recent estimates).
• Adults (18+): ~85–90% of residents.
• Using national adoption as a proxy (Pew Research Center, 2024), ~80–85% of adults use social media. That implies roughly 75,000–80,000 adult social media users in Tompkins County. Given the county’s unusually large 18–24 cohort (Cornell and Ithaca College), overall adoption likely sits at the high end of that range.

Most-used platforms (adult share, national benchmarks)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 30%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• WhatsApp: 23%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: ~19% Local skew: Because Tompkins County has an outsized 18–24 population, expect Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok to run 5–10 percentage points higher than the U.S. average locally, with Facebook slightly lower among younger users but still strong among 30+.

Age-group profile and likely platform mix

• 13–17 and 18–24: Near-universal social media use; daily, high-frequency use of Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; heavy short‑form video and Stories/Reels; group chats (Snapchat, GroupMe, WhatsApp); lower Facebook posting but usage of Facebook Events when required for campus/community.
• 25–34: Multi‑platform; Instagram and YouTube prominent; Facebook Groups/Marketplace for housing, buy/sell; LinkedIn for jobs and networking; WhatsApp common for friend/family groups.
• 35–54: Facebook as primary hub (Groups, Marketplace, local news); YouTube for tutorials/DIY; growing Nextdoor use in towns/hamlets; Instagram used but less central than for younger adults.
• 55+: Facebook remains dominant for news, community, and family updates; YouTube for how‑to and entertainment; gradual uptake of Instagram/TikTok via family/caregiver content.

Gender breakdown (directional patterns consistent with Pew)

• Women: More likely to use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat; strong engagement in local Facebook Groups (community, buy/sell, mutual aid).
• Men: More likely to use YouTube, Reddit, X; active in topic communities (tech, outdoors, sports); Discord for gaming/hobbies.
• LinkedIn is broadly used by both, with a slight male tilt in STEM/tech roles; Pinterest remains more female‑skewed.

Behavioral trends specific to Tompkins County

• Student-heavy dynamics: High daily multi‑platform use; fast event discovery and peer diffusion via Instagram Stories and Snapchat; club/org coordination on GroupMe/WhatsApp and Discord.
• Community and commerce: Very active hyperlocal Facebook Groups and Marketplace for housing (sublets/roommates), furniture, bikes, rideshares, and seasonal move‑in/out needs.
• Local news and civic engagement: Strong Facebook distribution for local outlets (e.g., The Ithaca Voice, 14850, WSKG, Cornell Sun); high comment activity on housing, transportation, and climate topics; r/Ithaca and campus sub‑communities amplify discussions.
• Seasonality: Noticeable spikes in August–September (move‑in, orientation), May (move‑out, graduation), and during winter weather events and emergencies (alerts, mutual aid).
• Professional networking: Above‑average LinkedIn activity relative to county size due to Cornell/Ithaca College faculty, staff, grads, and recruiters; campus career events translate into LinkedIn connection bursts.
• Discovery pathways: Facebook Events and Instagram posts/Stories drive attendance for campus and downtown Ithaca events; YouTube used for how‑to (DIY, outdoor activities) and academic content.

Notes on methodology

• Percentages listed for platform use are Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult figures used as proxies; Tompkins County’s age structure (large 18–24 share) suggests higher local penetration for youth‑oriented platforms and stable-to-high Facebook use among 30+.
• Population figures are from recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates; exact annual values vary slightly by source and year.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024.
• U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates and American Community Survey (Tompkins County, NY).