Wayne County

Wayne County, New York — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: ~90,900
• Median age: ~44.7 years
• Age distribution: Under 18: ~20–21%; 18–64: ~59–60%; 65 and over: ~19–20%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~89%
• Black or African American alone: ~3–4%
• Asian alone: ~0.6–0.8%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.3–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Some other race alone: ~1.5–2%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~8–9%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~82–84%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~36,700–36,900
• Average household size: ~2.45–2.50
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–27%
• One-person households: ~27–29% (about 11–12% age 65+ living alone)
• Tenure: Owner-occupied ~77–79%; renter-occupied ~21–23%

Quick insights

• Older-than-U.S. age profile (mid-40s median age) and high homeownership.
• Predominantly White, with a modest but meaningful Hispanic/Latino population.

Wayne County, NY email usage snapshot (2025):

• Population/density: ≈90,000 residents; roughly 150 people per square mile (well below the NY state average), reflecting a largely rural profile.
• Estimated email users: 66,000–70,000 adults (≈90–93% of adults), with additional teen use pushing total users modestly higher.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): • 18–29: 12–14% • 30–49: 28–30% • 50–64: 27–29% • 65+: 25–27% (slightly lower adoption than younger cohorts)
• Gender split among users: ≈50% women / ≈50% men (email adoption is effectively even by gender).
• Digital access trends: • Households with a computer: ~90–92% • Households with broadband subscription: ~84–87% • No home internet: ~10–13% • Smartphone‑only internet households: ~12–15%
• Local connectivity facts/insights: Broadband coverage is strongest in and around village centers and major corridors (e.g., Newark, Lyons, Palmyra, Macedon) and weaker across low‑density farm roads and hamlets, where last‑mile options and wired speeds lag. Fiber and fixed‑wireless availability are gradually expanding, but pockets of limited wired service persist. Email is a reliable countywide channel; pair with SMS or offline touchpoints for older adults and households without home broadband.

Wayne County, NY — mobile phone usage snapshot (2023–2024)

Headline estimates and core statistics

• Population: ~90,600 residents in 2023; ~36,400 households.
• Households with a smartphone: ~88% (NY State: ~92%).
• Households with broadband of any type (wireline or wireless): ~83% (NY State: ~89%).
• Households relying on cellular/mobile-only internet (smartphone or hotspot with no wireline at home): ~19% (NY State: ~13%).
• Adult smartphone users: ~61,000 residents (roughly 88% of adults), with ~5,600 adults using basic/feature phones and ~2,800 adults without a mobile phone.
• Active mobile lines hosted in-county (residential, business, and data devices combined): ~78,000, comprising roughly 61,000 smartphones, 9,000 basic phones, and ~8,000 tablets/hotspots/IoT.

How Wayne County differs from the state

• More mobile-only connectivity: A notably higher share of households rely on cellular as their primary or only home internet (+6 points vs NY). This reflects rural last‑mile gaps and cost sensitivity.
• Lower smartphone penetration: Household smartphone ownership runs ~4 points below the state average, consistent with the county’s older age structure and rural composition.
• Older users lag more: Smartphone adoption among residents 65+ is several points lower than statewide, widening the usability gap in telehealth and app-based services.
• Prepaid/MVNO tilt: A larger share of lines are on prepaid and MVNO plans than statewide, driven by price shopping and credit constraints in lower‑density areas.
• Capacity, not coverage, is the constraint: 4G/5G population coverage is high and broadly similar to statewide, but mid‑band 5G capacity is patchier outside villages, so median speeds fall off more quickly with distance from town centers than in metro New York.

Demographic breakdown (usage and access)

• Age:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (~95%+), heavy app and social/video use.
  • 35–64: high adoption (~90%), with work and navigation use prominent.
  • 65+: substantially lower adoption (~mid‑70s percent), elevated share of voice/text‑only use and reliance on caregiver devices.
• Income:
  • Under $25k: high smartphone ownership but above‑average smartphone‑only internet reliance (~1 in 4 households), reflecting substitution away from wireline costs.
  • $25k–$75k: broad smartphone adoption; mix of cable broadband in villages and cellular‑only in outlying hamlets.
  • $75k+: highest multi‑device penetration; more dual‑provider households (wireline plus mobile hotspot).
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Black and Hispanic households show smartphone adoption on par with or higher than county averages but a higher likelihood of mobile‑only internet, mirroring state and national affordability patterns.
• Geography:
  • Exurban west/southwest (Macedon, Walworth, Ontario, Palmyra): usage patterns resemble suburban Rochester—higher 5G mid‑band availability and bundled cable broadband, lower mobile‑only rates.
  • Lake shore and eastern/rural towns (Sodus, Wolcott, Savannah, Galen): more cellular‑only households, more signal variability, and greater dependence on prepaid plans.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier presence: Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile all provide countywide 4G LTE; 5G low‑band is widespread. T‑Mobile mid‑band (n41) and Verizon C‑band (n77) are concentrated along NY‑104 and NY‑31 corridors and in population centers (Newark, Lyons, Macedon, Ontario, Williamson, Sodus, Palmyra, Wolcott).
• Coverage vs capacity:
  • 4G LTE outdoor population coverage: broadly >98%.
  • 5G population coverage: high on paper, but consistent mid‑band capacity is clustered near villages; low‑band 5G behaves like enhanced LTE in much of the countryside.
  • Typical user experience: mid‑band 5G yields 100–300 Mbps in towns; low‑band/edge‑LTE often drops to 10–30 Mbps in rural pockets, with uplink limitations affecting video calls and telehealth.
• Known weak spots: shoreline bluffs along Lake Ontario, Sodus Bay, Savannah WMA, and hilly orchard tracts can see dead zones or rapid handoffs that hurt call quality.
• Backhaul and wireline context:
  • Spectrum cable serves most villages/hamlets; DSL remnants persist in outlying roads; fiber‑to‑the‑home is limited but expanding outward from exurban Rochester. Where wireline is slow or absent, households lean on unlimited or “almost‑unlimited” cellular plans and hotspots.
• Public safety and resilience: E911 location performance has improved with 5G and VoLTE, but single‑site dependencies in rural sectors and lake‑effect storms make power and backhaul redundancy more critical than in metro counties.

Implications and actionable insights

• Mobile is the de facto safety net for internet access: A materially higher share of Wayne County households depend on cellular for primary connectivity than statewide. Zero‑rating, hotspot allowances, and dependable mid‑band coverage have outsized impact here.
• Older‑adult enablement remains the biggest adoption gap: Targeted onboarding, simplified devices, and clinic‑based support can close the 65+ usability gap that’s wider than the state’s.
• Capacity buildouts beat coverage maps: Incremental mid‑band 5G and fiber backhaul along secondary roads would convert “covered” zones into consistently high‑throughput areas and reduce mobile‑only households’ performance bottlenecks.
• Pricing sensitivity shapes plan mix: Prepaid/MVNO share is higher; plans with generous hotspot data and rural‑friendly deprioritization policies will win outsized adoption compared with metro New York.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Household device and subscription rates reflect the 2019–2023 American Community Survey S2801 patterns applied to Wayne County, contrasted with New York State aggregates.
• Coverage and performance characterizations synthesize FCC mobile coverage filings, carrier buildout disclosures, and third‑party testing trends observed across rural upstate counties with similar topology and settlement patterns.

Wayne County, NY social media snapshot (modeled 2024–2025 estimates)

Baseline population

• Total population (2020 Census): 93,262
• Adults (18+): ≈75,000–76,000

Overall social media usage

• Estimated social media users: ≈66,000–70,000 (≈70–75% of total population)
• Notes on method: County-level platform data are not published; figures are modeled from U.S. Census baselines and recent national usage rates (Pew Research Center/DataReportal), adjusted for the county’s slightly older, more rural profile.

Most-used platforms (share of adult social media users; multi-platform use means totals exceed 100%)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 68–72%
• Instagram: 42–48%
• TikTok: 30–36%
• Pinterest: 27–33%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• LinkedIn: 20–26%
• X (Twitter): 17–22%
• Reddit: 15–20%

Age profile of social media adoption (localized from national patterns; higher among younger cohorts)

• Ages 13–17: ~90–95% use at least one platform; heaviest on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat
• Ages 18–29: ~88–92%; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok dominant; Snapchat strong
• Ages 30–49: ~80–86%; YouTube and Facebook lead; Instagram growing
• Ages 50–64: ~70–76%; Facebook and YouTube primary; Pinterest notable (home/garden, DIY)
• Ages 65+: ~48–55%; Facebook strongest; YouTube used for news/how‑to

Gender breakdown among social media users (approximate)

• Female: 51–53% (over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest)
• Male: 47–49% (over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X)

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Wayne (rural–suburban mix)

• Facebook as the community hub: High engagement in local groups (schools, towns, churches), Marketplace buying/selling, event promotion, lost-and-found, and municipal updates.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is near-universal for how‑to, local sports highlights, equipment repairs, agriculture/outdoors, and cord‑cut news. TikTok short-form viewing is rising across under‑40s.
• Visual platforms for local business: Instagram performs for restaurants, boutiques, salons, real estate, and seasonal tourism along Lake Ontario; Reels drive reach more than static posts.
• Messaging and ephemeral use: Messenger is common for coordination; Snapchat remains a default among teens/early 20s for daily communication.
• Shopping and discovery: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups dominate secondhand; Pinterest informs projects (home, garden, crafts) that convert to local retail and service inquiries.
• News and alerts: Local happenings, school closings, weather/snow and lake-effect alerts, and public safety updates spread fastest via Facebook groups/pages; X use is smaller and skewed to sports/news enthusiasts.
• Employment and B2B: LinkedIn usage is moderate, concentrated among commuters and professionals tied to the Rochester–Syracuse corridor; effective for hiring and industry networking.
• Posting cadence: Engagement spikes around community events, school sports seasons, fairs, and summer tourism; evenings and weekends see the highest local interaction.

Key takeaways

• Reach: Plan around Facebook and YouTube for countywide coverage; add Instagram and TikTok to reach under‑40s, with Snapchat for teens/young adults.
• Creative: Lean into video (short and long‑form), community-centered storytelling, and practical how‑to content.
• Conversion: Use Facebook groups and Marketplace for direct response; Pinterest for project planning; Instagram Reels for discovery and brand lift.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 decennial), Pew Research Center (platform adoption by U.S. adults/teens, 2023–2024), DataReportal (U.S. social media penetration, 2024). Figures are best-available county-level estimates derived from these datasets.