Orange County

Orange County, North Carolina – key demographics

Population

• 150,800 (July 1, 2023 population estimate)
• 148,696 (2020 Decennial Census count)

Age

• Median age: ~36–37 years (ACS 2023)
• Age distribution (ACS 2023):
  • Under 18: ~18%
  • 18–24: ~21–22%
  • 25–44: ~28%
  • 45–64: ~21–22%
  • 65 and over: ~14%

Gender (ACS 2023)

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census unless noted)

• White alone: ~68%
• Black or African American alone: ~11%
• Asian alone: ~12%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Some other race alone: ~1–2%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~9%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~61–62%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~60,000
• Persons per household: ~2.3
• Family households: ~53–55% of households
• With own children under 18: ~22–25% of households
• Living alone: ~30–32% of households
• Housing tenure: Owner-occupied ~60%, Renter-occupied ~40%

Insights

• The county is modestly growing from the 2020 count to 2023 estimates.
• A large university presence yields a sizable 18–24 population share, relatively low median age, and higher renter share.

• Scope: Orange County, NC (2023 pop. ≈151,000; density ≈380 residents/sq mi). Adults (18+) ≈124,000.

• Estimated adult email users: ≈116,000 (≈93% adoption), applying Pew adult email adoption to local demographics.

• Age distribution of email users (counts, share of users):

  • 18–29: ≈35,000 (30%)
  • 30–49: ≈38,000 (33%)
  • 50–64: ≈26,000 (22%)
  • 65+: ≈17,000 (15%)

• Gender split among adult email users:

  • Women: ≈61,000 (≈53%)
  • Men: ≈54,000 (≈47%)

• Digital access and trends:

  • ≈96% of households have a computer; ≈93% subscribe to broadband (ACS, Computer and Internet Use).
  • Fiber and cable are widespread in Chapel Hill–Carrboro, supporting high email and internet use; rural northern townships rely more on cable/DSL with relatively lower speeds, driving modest gaps among older and lower‑income residents.
  • Campus and municipal Wi‑Fi around UNC–Chapel Hill further increase access and usage intensity in the urban core.

• Local connectivity/density insight: Population concentration in Chapel Hill/Carrboro underpins dense, gigabit-capable networks, while lower-density areas north and west of Hillsborough see more variability in service quality.

Mobile phone usage in Orange County, North Carolina — with emphasis on how it differs from statewide patterns

Scope and sources

• Primary statistics reflect 2023 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 1-year (Table S2801: Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions) and 2018–2024 FCC broadband/mobile infrastructure disclosures; interpretive insights draw on local demographics (ACS) and standard adoption patterns.

Topline adoption and usage

• Households with a smartphone: Orange County 94–95% (ACS 2023 indicates mid‑90s), higher than North Carolina overall (~91%). This translates to roughly 59,000–60,000 of ~63,000 households in the county having at least one smartphone.
• Households with any broadband subscription (including wired or cellular): ~93% in Orange County vs ~87% statewide.
• Households with a cellular data plan (any): ~81% in Orange County vs ~75% statewide.
• Cellular‑only households (cellular data plan with no wired subscription): ~9% in Orange County vs ~15% statewide. Orange County residents are more likely to combine mobile and wired service rather than rely solely on mobile.
• Households with no Internet subscription: ~5% in Orange County vs ~10% statewide, indicating a smaller local connectivity gap.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 110,000–120,000 adults in Orange County use smartphones, derived by applying county‑level adoption (mid‑90% household smartphone prevalence and high individual adoption) to the adult population. This share is modestly higher than the NC average due to the county’s education and income profile and its student-heavy age structure.

Demographic drivers and contrasts with North Carolina

• Age structure: Orange County has a substantially larger 18–24 cohort (centered on UNC–Chapel Hill) than the state average. This pushes smartphone adoption, app usage, and mobile-first behaviors higher than statewide norms, but also concentrates usage around campus Wi‑Fi and dense 5G coverage areas rather than rural zones.
• Education and income: A markedly higher share of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and median household income is well above the NC median. These factors correlate with higher smartphone penetration, lower “mobile‑only” reliance, and higher ownership of multiple connected devices per household.
• Digital equity: Despite better overall connectivity, pockets in the county’s northern and far western rural areas show higher reliance on cellular and greater risk of dead zones than the urban core; however, these pockets are smaller and less severe than the statewide pattern.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile n41; AT&T/Verizon C‑band) is broadly available in the urban core and along I‑40/US‑15‑501, supporting faster median mobile speeds locally than many NC rural counties. Millimeter‑wave is limited to dense nodes (campus/downtown blocks).
• Backhaul and wired footprint: Robust wired infrastructure (Spectrum cable; AT&T Fiber in much of Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Hillsborough; business/anchor connectivity via the North Carolina Research and Education Network) reduces dependency on cellular‑only service relative to the state. This mixed infrastructure underpins high household broadband and strong indoor mobile performance via Wi‑Fi offload.
• Rural edges: Coverage and capacity drop off toward the county’s northern agricultural areas and low‑density western tracts, with more variable 5G/4G signal quality and fewer macro sites—gaps that are smaller than in many NC counties but still notable within the county.
• Fixed wireless options: 5G‑based home internet from T‑Mobile and Verizon is available in populated areas, providing additional competition that is less common in NC’s rural counties.

What’s different from the North Carolina average

• Higher smartphone and broadband adoption, fewer unconnected households, and a significantly lower share of cellular‑only homes.
• Usage concentrated in dense, fiber‑rich areas (campus/urban core), producing stronger mobile performance and more Wi‑Fi offload than typical statewide.
• Student demographics drive heavy app, messaging, and streaming use and higher device turnover, while high education/income supports multi‑line family plans and premium devices at rates above the state norm.

Implications

• Carriers can expect sustained demand for mid‑band 5G capacity in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro core and along commuter corridors; indoor coverage and campus adjacencies are disproportionately important.
• County digital equity efforts should target the rural north/west for fill‑in macro/micro sites and fixed alternatives, but the scale of the gap is smaller than statewide, enabling more surgical investments.
• For service planning and marketing, Orange County skews toward converged bundles (fiber + mobile) rather than mobile‑only, contrasting with many NC counties where cellular‑only fills fixed‑access gaps.

Orange County, NC social media snapshot (2025)

Population and access

• Population: ≈150,000 residents (2023–2024 estimates)
• Broadband connectivity: ≈90–94% of households have internet access
• Estimated social media users: 120,000–130,000 (≈80–85% of residents; ≈85–90% of adults)

User composition

• Age share of social media users (modeled for local demographics):
  • 13–17: 6–8%
  • 18–24: 28–32% (elevated due to UNC–Chapel Hill)
  • 25–34: 18–20%
  • 35–44: 14–16%
  • 45–54: 11–13%
  • 55–64: 9–11%
  • 65+: 8–10%
• Gender breakdown of social media users: ≈53% female, ≈47% male (women slightly overindexed on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest; men on Reddit/X)

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users; modeled from Pew/platform reach with local age mix)

• YouTube: 88–92%
• Facebook: 66–72%
• Instagram: 62–68%
• TikTok: 50–56%
• Snapchat: 45–52%
• Facebook Messenger: 50–58%
• LinkedIn: 30–36% (higher than national average given education levels)
• Pinterest: 24–30%
• WhatsApp: 20–26%
• X (Twitter): 22–28%
• Reddit: 20–26%
• Nextdoor: 16–22% (stronger in Hillsborough/established neighborhoods; weaker in student areas)

Behavioral trends and insights

• Student-driven activity: Heavy Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat use; Stories/Reels/shorts outperform static posts. Campus calendars, move-in, sports, and graduation create predictable engagement spikes.
• Local information hubs: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor are primary for neighborhood news, schools, civic issues, and municipal updates; cross-posting to town and community groups materially increases reach.
• Marketplace-first commerce: Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups are key for housing, furniture, bikes, and event tickets, especially around semester transitions.
• Messaging over public posts: Many users prefer DMs (Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp) for appointments, reservations, and customer service.
• Time-of-day patterns: Weekday engagement peaks 7–10 p.m.; weekend peaks late morning to midafternoon; live-event windows (UNC games, festivals) drive real-time spikes.
• Content preferences: Hyperlocal relevance (UNC athletics, campus life, parks/trails, food openings, school updates) outperforms generic content; short-form video and UGC-style creative deliver the best completion and share rates.
• Professional/academic clusters: LinkedIn and X usage concentrated among university staff, researchers, healthcare, and local government; effective for thought leadership and recruiting.
• Ad targeting implications: Geo-fencing campus/Franklin St./15-501 retail corridors and time-banding around student schedules improve CTR; vertical video and captions are must-haves.

Method notes

• Figures are county-level estimates triangulated from US Census/ACS population structure, Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform adoption by age, and mid-2024 platform advertising reach tools, adjusted for Orange County’s above-average 18–24 and college-educated populations. Percentages are rounded ranges to reflect sampling and platform reporting variability.