Washington County

Key demographics — Washington County, New York

Population size

• 61,302 (2020 Census)
• ~61–62K since 2020; modest change (Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~43–44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48% (Note: slightly higher male share than typical, influenced by state correctional facilities)

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census)

• White alone: ~90–92%
• Black or African American alone: ~4–5%
• Asian alone: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.5%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–5%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~88–90%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~24,000–24,500
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~64–66% (married-couple ~48–52%)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72–74%
• Median household income: ~$66K–$69K
• Per capita income: ~$33K–$35K
• Poverty rate: ~10–11%
• Median gross rent: ~$950–$1,050
• Median value of owner-occupied home: ~$190K–$210K

Insights

• Stable population with an older age profile than the U.S. average
• Predominantly White, with small but meaningful Black and Hispanic populations; institutional populations influence racial and sex composition
• Small household sizes, high homeownership relative to New York State, moderate incomes, and poverty near the U.S. average

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

• Population and density: Washington County, NY has about 61,700 residents (ACS 2023) across ~831 sq mi, ~74 residents per sq mi (rural density).

• Estimated email users: 45,000 adult users. Method: apply national adult email adoption (90%+) to ~49,000 county adults.

• Age distribution of email users (estimates):

  • 18–34: ~10.5k users (≈95% adoption).
  • 35–64: ~23.8k users (≈92% adoption).
  • 65+: ~10.5k users (≈85% adoption). These reflect the county’s older-than-average profile (≈20% 65+), keeping overall adoption slightly below large-metro levels but still high.

• Gender split: Population is roughly even (≈50.6% women, 49.4% men). Email adoption is nearly identical by gender, yielding ~22.8k female and ~22.2k male adult email users.

• Digital access trends:

  • Home broadband subscription: ~84% of households (ACS computer/internet subscription patterns for rural upstate counties; Washington County tracks similarly).
  • No home internet: ~12%.
  • Smartphone-only access: ~12–13%.
  • Connectivity is uneven: cable/fiber concentrate in village centers (e.g., Fort Edward, Hudson Falls, Greenwich), while outlying hamlets rely more on DSL or fixed wireless, producing pockets with sub-25 Mbps service; where cable/fiber is present, typical fixed speeds are 100–200 Mbps.

Mobile phone usage in Washington County, NY — summary and county-vs-state contrasts

Baseline context

• Population and households: About 61,000 residents and roughly 24,500 households spread over 836 square miles (low density compared with most of New York State). The county’s population skews older and incomes are below the state median, both of which shape mobile adoption and plan mix.

User estimates (current, county-level)

• Mobile phone users (any mobile): Approximately 50,000–54,000 residents (about 82–88% of the total population), several points lower than the New York State average.
• Smartphone users (adults): Roughly 41,000–46,000 adults (about 83–88% of adults), about 3–7 percentage points below the statewide rate.
• Cellular-only home internet households: Around 3,000–4,000 households, or about 12–16% of households, higher than the statewide share (roughly 8–10%).
• Prepaid vs postpaid: Prepaid lines are an estimated 25–30% of county mobile lines, clearly above the typical New York State mix (roughly high teens), reflecting income and credit-profile differences.

Demographic breakdown influencing usage

• Age: Residents 65+ make up about 20–22% of the county. Smartphone adoption among seniors is estimated around 70–78% locally (versus roughly low-80s statewide), pulling down overall smartphone penetration. Adults 18–34 are near parity with state-level adoption (mid- to high-90s).
• Income and plan mix: With median household income roughly 10–15% below the state median, there is greater use of prepaid plans and budget-friendly devices, plus more reliance on mobile data to supplement or replace fixed broadband in outlying areas.
• Education and upgrade cadence: Lower bachelor’s degree attainment than the state average correlates with slower device upgrade cycles and longer retention of LTE-only handsets.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Network footprint:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide broad LTE coverage. Low-band 5G is common along the US‑4/NY‑22 corridor and in/around villages such as Hudson Falls, Fort Edward, Granville, Greenwich, Cambridge, Whitehall, and Salem, with coverage thinning in lower-density valleys and hill country.
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., T-Mobile n41; Verizon/AT&T C-band n77) is concentrated near population centers and highway corridors, with comparatively sparse availability in the far eastern and southern rural tracts. As a result, LTE and low-band 5G remain the primary access layers for much of the county.
• Site density and build pattern: New radios since 2022 have largely been added to existing towers rather than extensive new macro builds or dense small-cell deployments. Small-cell presence is minimal compared with downstate markets, limiting capacity in village cores and along peak-traffic corridors.
• Backhaul and wireline interplay: Fiber backhaul is strongest along state routes and within the Hudson River corridor; many last-mile areas still rely on legacy copper/coax. This constrains mid-band 5G scaling and keeps median mobile speeds below statewide norms.
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): T-Mobile and Verizon FWA are available to a large share of addresses, and adoption is notably higher than the New York State average, particularly in locations with limited cable/fiber options.

How Washington County differs from New York State overall

• Adoption: Overall mobile and smartphone adoption rates are a few points lower, driven by an older age structure and lower incomes.
• Plan mix and access mode: Higher reliance on prepaid lines and a meaningfully larger slice of cellular-only home internet households.
• Network technology mix: Greater dependence on LTE and low-band 5G; mid-band 5G coverage and capacity trail state averages, yielding lower and more variable median speeds.
• Infrastructure density: Fewer macro sites per square mile and relatively little small-cell densification compared with urban/suburban New York, contributing to more dead zones between villages and in hilly terrain.
• Border and terrain effects: Signal reliability varies near the Vermont line and in Adirondack-foothill areas; terrain-driven shadows are more common than in flatter downstate regions.

Key takeaways

• Roughly 50k–54k residents in the county use mobile phones, with 41k–46k adult smartphone users.
• Prepaid penetration and cellular-only home internet usage are materially higher than the state average.
• LTE and low-band 5G underpin everyday service; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in and around the Hudson Falls–Fort Edward corridor, limiting countywide performance relative to statewide benchmarks.

Washington County, NY — social media usage snapshot (2024, modeled from best-available data)

Baseline population and user stats

• Population: ~61,000; adults (18+): ~48,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023)
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72% ≈ 34,000–35,000 adults (Pew Research Center national adoption applied locally)
• Gender split (population-level): ~51% female, ~49% male

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; Pew 2024 national rates applied locally)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%

Age-group patterns (usage in the county tracks national behavior, with slightly lower adoption among older cohorts due to the county’s older age profile)

• 18–29: Near-universal YouTube use; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are the primary daily apps. Facebook used but not central.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube are core; Instagram strong; TikTok growing; WhatsApp moderate for family/work coordination.
• 50–64: Facebook leads; YouTube strong for tutorials/news; Pinterest notable (especially among women); Instagram moderate.
• 65+: Facebook is the default social hub; YouTube used for news/how‑to; Instagram/TikTok remain minority use.

Gender breakdown and platform tendencies

• Overall user base tracks population (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Women over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest (about 50% of U.S. women vs 19% of men use Pinterest).
• Men over-index on Reddit (about 25% of men vs 11% of women) and slightly on X (Twitter).
• Instagram and TikTok are relatively gender-balanced.

Behavioral trends observed in comparable rural Upstate NY counties and reflected locally

• Community and commerce: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Marketplace (town alerts, school sports, yard sales, local services).
• Event discovery: Facebook Events and posts from local governments, libraries, fire/EMS, and historical societies drive turnout.
• Content format: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) is rising; creation skews 18–34, while 35+ mostly consume rather than post.
• YouTube behavior: Strong for DIY, trades, farming/outdoors, and local/regional news; search-driven viewing and channel subscriptions.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the most ubiquitous; WhatsApp present but secondary; SMS group chats common.
• Daily rhythm: Engagement peaks before work (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekend mid‑morning spikes; midday lull on weekdays.
• Advertising: For geo-targeted campaigns, Facebook/Instagram deliver the lowest CPM; YouTube pre‑roll effective for broad awareness; TikTok best for 18–34 reach; LinkedIn effective for recruiting in healthcare, education, and skilled trades.

Notes on methodology

• Population, age, and gender baselines: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023.
• Platform adoption rates: Pew Research Center, The 2024 Social Media Landscape. Percentages are national adult usage applied to the county’s adult population to produce locally relevant estimates.