Lake County

Lake County, Ohio — key demographics (American Community Survey 2023 1-year unless noted)

Population

• Total population: 232,300
• Change since 2010: roughly flat to slightly up (about +1%)

Age

• Median age: 44.1 years
• Age distribution: under 18: 20%; 18–64: 60%; 65 and over: 20%

Gender

• Female: 51%
• Male: 49%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive; Hispanic can be any race)

• Non-Hispanic White: 86.0%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): 6.7%
• Non-Hispanic Black/African American: 3.2%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: 1.3%
• Non-Hispanic Two or more races: 2.6%
• Non-Hispanic all other races (incl. AIAN, NHPI, other): 0.2%

Households and housing

• Households: 98,100
• Average household size: 2.40 persons
• Family households: 61% of households
  • Married-couple households: 48%
• Nonfamily households: 39%
  • 1-person households: 29% (about 12% are age 65+ living alone)
• Tenure: owner-occupied 74%; renter-occupied 26%

Insights

• Older age profile than the U.S. overall, with about one in five residents age 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a growing Hispanic community centered in a few municipalities
• Small-to-moderate household sizes and a high homeownership rate for a suburban county

• Population/density: 232,603 residents (2020 Census) across 228 sq mi; ~1,020 people/mi².
• Estimated email users: ~175,000 residents age 13+.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29 ≈14%, 30–49 ≈30%, 50–64 ≈30%, 65+ ≈26% (reflects the county’s older age profile).
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male among email users, mirroring the population.
• Digital access (ACS 2018–2022): ~91% of households have a broadband subscription; ~94% have a computer; ~8% are smartphone‑only; ~9% lack a home internet subscription.
• Trends/insights: High wired-broadband and device availability support near-universal email adoption among working‑age adults and strong uptake among seniors. Suburban population density and extensive cable/fiber coverage across neighborhoods underpin reliable connectivity, sustaining email as a primary communication channel for residents and local businesses.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Lake County, Ohio (latest available data and 2019–2023 ACS 5‑year estimates)

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~232,000 residents and ~98,000 households.
• Smartphone access (households): ~89% of Lake County households have a smartphone (Ohio ~88%). That equates to roughly 87,000–88,000 local households with smartphones.
• Cellular data plan (households): ~77% of households report a cellular data plan for a smartphone/tablet (Ohio ~75%).
• Smartphone-only internet households: Lower than the Ohio average—about 9% in Lake County versus ~13% statewide—reflecting stronger fixed-broadband uptake locally.
• Adult users: Applying observed adoption by age to Lake County’s older-skewing profile yields an estimated 160,000–170,000 adult smartphone users countywide.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Lake County is older than Ohio overall (larger 65+ share). That slightly trims overall smartphone penetration but especially reduces smartphone-only reliance; older households are more likely to keep home internet alongside mobile.
• Income and housing: Higher median household income and owner-occupancy than the state average support multi-device households (smartphone + laptop/tablet) and higher in‑home broadband subscription rates, again lowering smartphone-only dependence compared with Ohio overall.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s demographic mix (predominantly White with smaller Black and Hispanic populations than the state) aligns with a lower share of smartphone-only households than the Ohio average, as smartphone-only access tends to be higher among lower-income and minority households statewide.
• Work patterns: A substantial suburban workforce commuting along I‑90/US‑20 and concentrated employment in manufacturing, healthcare, and services drive strong weekday, corridor-centric mobile traffic with sustained evening residential Wi‑Fi offload.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G/5G coverage: Near-universal 4G LTE coverage in populated areas. 5G mid‑band is broadly available: T‑Mobile covers most of the county; Verizon and AT&T C‑Band concentrate along the I‑90 corridor and in population centers (Mentor, Willoughby, Painesville, Eastlake).
• Performance: Cleveland metro 5G rollouts translate to strong Lake County speeds (mid‑band 5G commonly delivering 150–300 Mbps where available), with LTE fallback robust in fringe or wooded park areas along the lakeshore and interior preserves.
• Fixed broadband backbone: Spectrum cable is ubiquitous; AT&T fiber is present in parts of larger suburbs (e.g., Mentor/Willoughby/Eastlake) with ongoing infill, and competitive fiber builds (e.g., MetroNet) have extended in segments. This dense fixed footprint underpins high home broadband adoption and heavy Wi‑Fi offload from mobile.
• Public and enterprise assets: A mesh of macro towers along I‑90/Route 2 and commercial corridors, with growing small‑cell/densification in retail and industrial zones, supports capacity. Public safety P25 sites and municipal assets augment siting and backhaul in the core suburbs.

How Lake County differs from Ohio overall

• Lower smartphone-only dependence: More households combine smartphones with fixed broadband (about 9% smartphone-only vs ~13% statewide).
• Slightly higher smartphone presence at the household level despite an older population, due to higher incomes and stronger fixed broadband availability.
• Earlier and broader mid‑band 5G availability tied to the Cleveland metro buildout, yielding higher typical 5G performance than many non-metro Ohio counties.
• More pronounced weekday corridor traffic along I‑90/US‑20, with strong evening Wi‑Fi offload, reflecting suburban commuting and stable home broadband penetration.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 (S2801: Computer and Internet Use); FCC broadband deployment data (2024); national carrier coverage disclosures and independent speed testing for the Cleveland–Elyria market (2024).

Lake County, Ohio social media usage (2025)

Baseline

• Population: ≈232,000 residents (U.S. Census, 2023 estimate)
• Adults (18+): ≈79% of residents (~183,000)
• Broadband internet: ≈89% of households (ACS 2023)

Overall social media adoption and user count

• Adult social media penetration: ≈83% of adults (Pew Research Center 2024 national rate, applied locally)
• Estimated adult social media users in Lake County: ≈152,000

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use the platform; Pew Research Center 2024, applied locally)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 26%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22% Note: Nextdoor has notable neighborhood use in suburban counties like Lake, but remains niche relative to the above.

Age profile (share of adults using any social media; Pew 2024 national averages applied locally)

• 18–29: ≈95%
• 30–49: ≈84%
• 50–64: ≈73%
• 65+: ≈50%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users mirror the county’s population: ≈51% women, ≈49% men
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram lean female; Reddit, LinkedIn, and X lean male; Facebook is broadly balanced; Snapchat leans younger and slightly female

Behavioral trends observed in similar suburban counties and reflected locally

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for city/township news (Mentor, Willoughby, Painesville), school/sports updates, events, buy/sell, and service recommendations
• YouTube dominates passive consumption and “how‑to” viewing (home, auto, DIY) and complements local news/sports highlights
• Instagram and TikTok drive local discovery via short‑form video and Reels; restaurants, boutiques, fitness, and events see strong engagement through geotags and local hashtags (e.g., #LakeCountyOH, #MentorOH)
• Snapchat is the day‑to‑day messaging and Stories platform for teens and college‑age residents; streaks and private group chats are core behaviors
• LinkedIn usage is steady among professionals in healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and services; used for networking and job mobility
• Nextdoor activity clusters in homeowner neighborhoods for safety alerts, lost/found pets, contractor referrals, and municipal notices
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous across ages; WhatsApp usage is concentrated among families with international ties; DMs on Instagram increasingly handle customer inquiries for local businesses
• Content format preference: short‑form video sees the fastest engagement growth; photo carousels and concise local announcements perform reliably; long text posts underperform outside of groups

Method and sources

• Counts and percentages are modeled by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult platform‑use rates and social media penetration to Lake County’s population structure; demographic baselines and broadband from U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2023.