Union County

Union County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population

• 2024 population estimate: ~265,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program)
• 2020 Census: 238,267
• Growth since 2020: roughly +11%

Age

• Median age: ~38.5–39.0 years (ACS 2023 1-year)
• Under 18: ~27%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~13%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2023 1-year)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~67%
• Black or African American: ~12%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~12%
• Asian: ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Other (including American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander): ~1%

Households (ACS 2023 1-year)

• Households: ~88,000
• Average household size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~75–76%
• Married-couple households: ~62%
• Households with children under 18: ~40%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80–82%

Insights

• Fast-growing, family-oriented suburban county with high homeownership.
• Younger age profile with a higher share of children than national average, and increasing racial/ethnic diversity.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates Program (county totals) and 2023 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, households).

• Population and density: Union County has about 259,000 residents (2023 est.), roughly 405 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ~186,000 adults use email regularly, based on ~75% adults in the population and ~92% email adoption among U.S. adults.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate share of the 186,000):
  • 18–29: 19% (~35,000)
  • 30–49: 39% (~72,000)
  • 50–64: 23% (~43,000)
  • 65+: 19% (~36,000)
• Gender split: 51% female (95,000 users) and 49% male (91,000), reflecting the county’s population balance; email adoption is essentially even by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Computer access and broadband are high for North Carolina suburbs; about 90–93% of households maintain a broadband subscription and ~93–96% have a computer (ACS-like levels for comparable Charlotte-metro counties).
  • Fixed broadband speeds commonly exceed 200 Mbps, with widespread cable and expanding fiber; smartphone-only internet households are roughly 8–10%.
  • Connectivity is strongest along the US‑74/Monroe Expressway–western suburban corridor tied to Charlotte, with relatively sparser options in eastern rural townships.
• Insight: High suburban affluence, strong commuter ties to Charlotte, and robust broadband infrastructure drive near-universal email reliance among working-age adults, with modestly lower adoption among seniors.

Mobile phone usage in Union County, NC — 2024 snapshot

Scale of mobile use

• Estimated unique mobile phone users: ~225,000 residents, or roughly 90% of the county’s population, reflecting suburban demographics and high household incomes.
• Wireless line density: substantially above one line per resident when including wearables, tablets, and IoT; consumer lines are dominant due to family households and commuting to Charlotte.

Adoption and access (household-level; ACS 2018–2022 5-year)

• Households with a smartphone
  • Union County: ~94%
  • North Carolina: ~90%
• Households with any broadband internet subscription (includes cable, fiber, DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular)
  • Union County: ~94%
  • North Carolina: ~89%
• Households with a cellular data plan for a smartphone or other mobile device
  • Union County: ~91%
  • North Carolina: ~87%
• Cellular-only households (cellular data plan but no other home broadband)
  • Union County: ~8%
  • North Carolina: ~12–13%
• Households with no internet subscription
  • Union County: ~5%
  • North Carolina: ~9%

What’s different from the state

• Higher smartphone penetration and lower digital exclusion: Union consistently outperforms state averages on smartphone ownership and internet subscriptions, with about half the share of households lacking internet.
• Less reliance on cellular-only internet: Union’s cellular-only share is several points lower than the state, owing to stronger fiber/cable availability and higher incomes.
• More multi-line households: Family-heavy suburbs (Indian Trail, Weddington, Waxhaw, Monroe) elevate per-household device counts beyond state norms.

Demographic contours of mobile dependence (ACS patterns applied to Union’s profile)

• Age: Younger householders (<35) have the highest smartphone and cellular plan take-up and a modest cellular-only segment; older householders (65+) in Union are less likely than their statewide peers to be offline, given higher local incomes and family support.
• Income and housing: Cellular-only reliance is concentrated among lower-income and renter households, but both groups are smaller shares of Union’s housing mix than statewide, keeping the county’s cellular-only rate below North Carolina’s.
• Race/ethnicity: Union’s adoption gaps by race/ethnicity are narrower than statewide, again reflecting higher median incomes and better suburban infrastructure access.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 5G availability: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G across the population centers along the US-74/Monroe Expressway corridor and the suburban arc from Stallings/Indian Trail to Weddington/Waxhaw. Mid-band 5G is prevalent in these zones, with low-band and LTE covering rural edges.
• Capacity and performance: Suburban corridors typically deliver strong mid-band 5G performance suitable for high-throughput use; rural southern and eastern tracts see more variability and greater reliance on low-band 5G/LTE, with slower indoor speeds in sparse areas.
• Small cells and densification: Traffic hot spots in Indian Trail, Monroe, and Waxhaw/NC-16 corridors have visible small-cell deployments that improve capacity compared to typical NC suburban counties.
• Fixed wireless home internet (FWA): Broad availability from T-Mobile and Verizon, plus ongoing cable/fiber buildouts (e.g., Spectrum/Charter and AT&T) have reduced smartphone-only dependence versus state averages.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is established across the county; tower siting aligns with major travel corridors and municipal centers, providing resilient coverage for emergency services.

Key takeaways

• Union County is a high-adoption, infrastructure-rich outlier within North Carolina: more smartphones per household, broader 5G availability, and lower cellular-only and no-internet shares than the state overall.
• Mobile networks benefit from Charlotte-adjacent densification, while rural fringes still exhibit the state’s typical coverage challenges, though to a lesser extent due to ongoing upgrades and strong FWA options.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year (Tables S2801/S2802), FCC/National Broadband Map and carrier public coverage materials reviewed through 2024.

Social media usage in Union County, NC (2024–2025 snapshot)

How to read this: County-specific social media measurements aren’t published by the major platforms or government sources. The figures below are best-available, defensible estimates for Union County adults, derived by applying 2024 Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption rates to the county’s age–gender mix (ACS 2023). They reflect likely local usage levels and platform rankings.

Overall adoption and behavior

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~82–85%
• Daily social media use (any platform): ~65–70% of adults
• Multi-platform behavior: Most adults use 3–4 platforms; short‑form video (YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok) drives the highest time‑on‑feed

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated share of Union County adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~26%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~19%

Age‑group profile (adoption patterns mirrored locally)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~90%+, Instagram ~75–80%, Snapchat ~60–65%, TikTok ~60%+, Facebook ~55–60%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~90%+, Facebook ~70–75%, Instagram ~50–55%, TikTok ~35–40%, Snapchat ~25–30%
• Ages 50–64: YouTube ~80%+, Facebook ~65–70%, Instagram ~25–30%, TikTok ~15–20%
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~55–60%, YouTube ~60%+, Instagram ~15–20%, TikTok ~10–15%

Gender breakdown (relative skews, applied locally)

• Women over‑index on Facebook (low‑ to mid‑70s%), Instagram (upper‑40s%), Pinterest (~about half of women vs ~one‑fifth of men), TikTok (mid‑30s%)
• Men over‑index on YouTube, Reddit (~upper‑20s% men vs mid‑teens% women), LinkedIn (low‑ to mid‑30s% men vs upper‑20s% women), and X/Twitter (mid‑20s% men vs ~20% women)

Behavioral trends in Union County

• Community and family focus: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor are central for HOAs, neighborhoods, faith communities, schools, and youth sports; Facebook Marketplace is a high‑engagement channel for local buy/sell
• Short‑form video first: Reels, Shorts, and TikTok dominate discovery; repurposed vertical video outperforms static posts for events, openings, and local services
• Commuter cadence: Peak engagement aligns with commute and family schedules (early morning, early evening, and weekend mid‑day), consistent with suburban Charlotte‑metro patterns
• Event and civic information: Quick updates on weather, road closures, school calendars, and municipal news perform best on Facebook and Nextdoor; YouTube hosts longer civic meetings and church services
• Youth vs parent split: Teens gravitate to Snapchat and TikTok; parents and guardians rely on Facebook and Instagram for school, sports, and church communications
• Language and community: WhatsApp is meaningful among Hispanic/Latino residents for family and group coordination; bilingual posts on Facebook and Instagram broaden reach
• Suburban vs rural pockets: Western suburbs (e.g., Waxhaw, Weddington, Indian Trail) show heavier Nextdoor and Instagram use; Facebook maintains county‑wide reach including Monroe and eastern towns

What this means for outreach in Union County

• For broad reach: Lead with Facebook and YouTube; add Instagram to reach under‑45s and TikTok for under‑35s
• For neighborhood activation: Use Facebook Groups and Nextdoor; pair with short‑form video for discovery and a Facebook event for conversion
• For professional and newcomer audiences: Layer LinkedIn (growing white‑collar commuter base) and WhatsApp for community groups

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption and daily‑use patterns, U.S. adults)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1‑year and 5‑year estimates for Union County age–gender composition