Westchester County

Key demographics — Westchester County, New York (latest Census/ACS)

Population size

• Total population: ~1.00 million (2023 estimate)

Age

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

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~66%
• Black or African American alone: ~14%
• Asian alone: ~7–8%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~26–27%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~49%

Household data

• Households: ~356,000
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.7
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple households: ~49%
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~62%

Insights

• Large, mature suburban county with a median age above the U.S. average.
• Racially and ethnically diverse; roughly one in four residents is Hispanic/Latino.
• Majority owner-occupied households with relatively larger household sizes than the U.S. average.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 Population Estimates; 2023 ACS 1-year; 2018–2022 ACS/QuickFacts). Figures rounded for readability.

• Population and connectivity: Westchester County has about 1.00 million residents (2020 Census), with density ≈2,200 people/sq mi. Roughly 92% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS), with near‑universal cable and extensive Verizon Fios coverage; 5G service is broadly available from major carriers. Public Wi‑Fi/computers are available across 38 Westchester Library System branches.

• Estimated email users: ~750,000 adult email users (≈96% of adults), rising to ~800,000 when including teens. Daily email use among adults exceeds 85%, consistent with national behavior.

• Age distribution of email users (approximate share of users):

  • 18–34: 27%
  • 35–54: 37%
  • 55–64: 17%
  • 65+: 20%

• Gender split: ≈52% female, 48% male, mirroring the county’s population; email usage rates are effectively equal by gender.

• Digital access trends: High household income and education levels support strong device ownership (smartphone ownership ~90%+ among adults) and mobile‑first email behavior. Broadband adoption is highest in northern and coastal suburbs; lower subscription rates persist in some lower‑income tracts (e.g., parts of Yonkers and Mount Vernon), but public access points help narrow gaps. Dense employment and transit corridors (White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Metro‑North hubs) reinforce high connectivity and frequent email engagement.

Westchester County, NY mobile phone usage summary (2022–2024)

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population and households: ~1.00–1.01 million residents and ~353,000 households (ACS 2022–2023).
• Estimated mobile users: ~820,000 residents use a mobile phone, including ~700,000 adult smartphone users. This aligns with high suburban adoption and near-universal ownership among working-age adults.
• Household connectivity and devices (ACS S2801):
  • Households with a smartphone: ~91% in Westchester (higher than statewide).
  • Households with any broadband subscription: ~92% in Westchester (higher than statewide).
  • Cellular-only internet households (smartphone or hotspot with no fixed broadband): ~6–7% in Westchester (lower than statewide).

How Westchester differs from New York State averages

• Reliance on mobile-only internet is notably lower in Westchester (6–7%) than the New York State average (12% range), reflecting stronger fixed broadband penetration.
• Household broadband and multi-device ownership are higher than the state average; Westchester has more households with both smartphones and fixed broadband, reducing smartphone-only dependence.
• Prepaid share and single-line reliance are lower than the statewide profile due to higher incomes and employer-provided plans prevalent among commuters and knowledge workers.
• 5G deployment density is ahead of most upstate counties, with earlier and broader C-band/mid-band coverage across the southern and central corridor; performance and indoor coverage are stronger than typical upstate or rural NY markets.

Demographic breakdown that shapes usage

• Age structure (ACS): roughly 22% under 18, ~20% ages 18–34, ~41% ages 35–64, ~17% 65+. Smartphone penetration is effectively universal among adults under 50, high for 50–64, and strong but comparatively lower among 65+; this age mix produces heavy mobile usage but slightly less smartphone-only reliance than NYC overall.
• Income (ACS): median household income is roughly $115k–$125k, well above the New York State median. Higher income correlates with:
  • More multi-line family plans and secondary devices (tablets, wearables).
  • Lower substitution of mobile for home broadband.
• Urban/suburban diversity: Smartphone-only households cluster more in renter-heavy, denser communities (e.g., Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Port Chester) and among lower-income households, but remain below statewide smartphone-only rates due to widespread cable/fiber availability.
• Language and digital inclusion: Large multilingual communities (notably Spanish-speaking) drive strong mobile-first engagement with messaging, social, and payments apps; county programs and libraries help bridge digital skills, keeping overall unconnected rates low.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers provide countywide LTE and extensive mid-band 5G. C-band (Verizon/AT&T) and 2.5 GHz mid-band (T-Mobile) cover most populated areas; small-cell densification is evident in downtown cores and transit hubs.
• Hotspots and traffic corridors: High capacity along I‑95, I‑87, I‑287, the Hutchinson and Saw Mill Parkways, and Metro‑North’s Hudson/Harlem/New Haven Lines, with commuter hubs (White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle) seeing peak-hour load that drives ongoing small-cell builds.
• mmWave: Spot deployments in dense downtown blocks provide very high throughput outdoors; coverage is localized to streetscapes and venues.
• Coverage variability: Northern and northwest towns with hilly, wooded terrain (e.g., parts of Cortlandt, Yorktown, North Salem, Lewisboro) experience more dead spots and indoor attenuation; carriers are filling gaps with additional macro and small cells.
• Backhaul and fiber: Multiple providers (e.g., Verizon, Optimum/Altice, Lightpath, Crown Castle Fiber) supply dense fiber along transit and commercial corridors, supporting 5G backhaul and enterprise mobility. Abundant fiber reduces dependence on fixed wireless for home broadband compared with much of upstate NY.

Key takeaways

• Mobile phone ownership is pervasive in Westchester, with an estimated ~820,000 users and ~700,000 adult smartphone owners.
• The county’s hallmark is complementarity: high smartphone adoption paired with high fixed broadband, yielding fewer smartphone-only households than the New York State average.
• Infrastructure is mature and denser than most of the state outside NYC, driven by commuter patterns and higher income, though terrain-driven gaps persist in the far north.
• Usage differs from statewide trends by skewing toward multi-device, postpaid, and employer-subsidized plans, and by relying less on mobile as a substitute for home internet.

Westchester County, NY — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Core user stats

• Population: ~1.00M; adults (18+): ~785K; female: ~52%
• Broadband at home: ~90% of households (ACS), supporting high social media adoption
• Adult social media users (any platform): ~650K (≈83% of adults; modeled from Pew 2024)

Age profile of adult users (share of Westchester’s social media user base; modeled)

• 18–34: ~33%
• 35–54: ~36%
• 55–64: ~15%
• 65+: ~16%

Gender breakdown among users (modeled)

• Female: ~54%
• Male: ~46% Notes: Pinterest and TikTok skew female; Reddit and X (Twitter) skew male; Facebook’s older user base tilts female.

Most-used platforms among adults in Westchester (estimated share of adults who use each; Pew 2024 baseline adjusted for local demographics)

• YouTube: ~84%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~52%
• LinkedIn: ~42% (higher than U.S. average due to professional/commuter profile)
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~33%
• Nextdoor: ~27% (suburban homeownership/community focus raises usage)
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~25% (strong among family groups and multilingual communities)
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%

Teens (13–17) in Westchester

• Size: ~62K (≈6% of population)
• Platform reach mirrors national suburban patterns (Pew 2023): YouTube 95%, TikTok 67%, Instagram 62%, Snapchat 60%
• Behaviors: heavy short‑form video (TikTok/Reels/Shorts), creator‑led trends, school/sports content; Discord common for gaming communities

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Community and civic use: Strong reliance on Facebook Groups and Nextdoor for school/PTA updates, town services, storm/power outage coordination, and hyperlocal news; spikes around local elections, school board meetings, rezoning, and public safety incidents.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn use is notably high among commuters in finance, law, healthcare, education, and public sector; posting/engagement peaks Tues–Thurs mid‑day.
• Local commerce: Instagram is the showcase channel for restaurants, boutiques, fitness studios, real estate, and the arts; Reels and Stories drive discovery and reservations; Google Business Profiles and Facebook complement for reviews and events.
• Messaging backbones: iMessage and WhatsApp underpin family logistics, youth sports, and multilingual community communication; Facebook Messenger widely used by older cohorts.
• Video-first behavior: YouTube is the default for “how‑to,” home improvement, education/tutoring, and kid content; TikTok and Reels used for local exploration (food, hikes, events).
• Time-of-day cadence: Evening scroll (7–10 pm) and weekend late morning are most active; commute windows (7–9 am, 5–8 pm) see quick-hit engagement; weather events drive real-time spikes across Facebook/Nextdoor.
• Content preferences: Practical/local (school calendars, snow closures, utilities, parks), family and youth activities, philanthropy/fundraisers, and high school sports highlights; privacy-conscious sharing is common among older residents.
• Advertising notes: High household income supports premium categories (home services, renovation, travel, enrichment/education, healthcare); neighborhood targeting (e.g., Scarsdale, Bronxville, Rye, Chappaqua, Larchmont) and lookalike audiences perform well; short-form video and community group placements outperform generic feed ads.

Methodology and sources

• Population, age, gender, broadband: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2022–2023 for Westchester County
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults); WhatsApp/Nextdoor/X/Reddit shares from the same series
• Teen platform mix: Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023
• County figures are best-available estimates applying Pew usage rates to Westchester’s age/education/income profile; platform percentages are shares of adults who report using each platform (users overlap across platforms)