Lucas County

Lucas County, Ohio – key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• Total population: ~430,000 (2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~38.6 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~51.6%
• Male: ~48.4%

Race and ethnicity

• White (alone): ~71%
• Black or African American (alone): ~21%
• Asian (alone): ~1.6–1.8%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0.3–0.4%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~8–9%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~63–65%

Household data

• Total households: ~176,000
• Average household size: ~2.39
• Family households: ~60–61% of households
• Married-couple families: ~39–41% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27–29%
• Housing tenure: ~59% owner-occupied, ~41% renter-occupied

Insights

• Modest population decline/flat growth with gradual aging (65+ share ~17%).
• Predominantly White with a sizable Black population and a growing Hispanic community.
• Smaller household size and higher renter share than many suburban Ohio counties.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey (1-year) and 2023 Population Estimates Program. Figures rounded for clarity.

Lucas County, OH snapshot (2024 est.)

• Population: ~431,000; land density ~1,270 people/sq mi. Adults (18+): ~335,000.
• Email users: 308,000 adults (92% adoption); 250,000 are daily users (75% of adults).
• Age distribution of adult email users (adoption rate → users):
  • 18–34: 95% → ~86,000
  • 35–54: 94% → ~104,000
  • 55–64: 92% → ~52,000
  • 65+: 85% → ~66,000
• Gender split among users: ~52% women, 48% men (mirrors county demographics).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~83% of households have a home broadband subscription; ~17% lack home internet.
  • ~15–20% of households are smartphone‑only for internet.
  • Fixed 100+ Mbps service passes most urban addresses; coverage and adoption drop on rural fringes (eastern/western townships).
  • Primary ISPs include Buckeye Broadband (cable) and AT&T (DSL/Fiber); widespread public Wi‑Fi via the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s 20+ branches and hotspot‑lending programs supports access.
  • Post‑2023 gains in subscriptions are tempered by affordability constraints, with older, lower‑income, and renter households most likely to be offline or smartphone‑only.

Notes: Estimates synthesize ACS computer/internet-use data, Pew Research email adoption rates, and local provider footprints.

Summary: mobile phone usage in Lucas County, Ohio

Headline findings

• Adult smartphone users are roughly 310,000–330,000, reflecting near-universal adoption in an urban county anchored by Toledo.
• Smartphone access and mobile-only internet reliance run higher than Ohio’s average, while 5G mid-band coverage and speeds are stronger and more consistent than most non-metro counties in the state.
• Higher poverty rates correlate with heavier reliance on smartphones as a primary internet connection, a pattern that diverges from statewide norms.

User estimates

• Population base: about 431,000 residents; approximately 335,000 adults.
• Adult smartphone users: about 92–95% of adults, or 310,000–320,000 people. Urban counties with similar profiles in Ohio and the Midwest cluster in this range.
• Household smartphone access: roughly 92–94% of households report having a smartphone (ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns for urban Ohio counties), versus about 90–92% statewide.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan with no wireline broadband): about 13–17% of households in Lucas County, typically several points higher than the Ohio average of roughly 10–13%. This is consistent with higher urban poverty and the availability of affordable unlimited smartphone plans and 5G home internet.

Demographic breakdown

• Age
  • 18–49: near-saturation smartphone ownership (95%+), in line with national urban benchmarks and slightly above Ohio’s statewide average.
  • 50–64: high adoption, approximately mid-to-high 80s percent, modestly above the state average due to strong 5G coverage and app-driven services in Toledo.
  • 65+: substantially higher adoption than rural Ohio; roughly mid-60s to low-70s percent use smartphones, supported by health-system digital engagement in the metro area.
• Income
  • Low-income households are more likely to be smartphone-only for internet access than the Ohio average, by roughly 2–4 percentage points. Device substitution (smartphone replacing a PC and home broadband) is notably more prevalent in Lucas County than statewide.
• Race and ethnicity
  • Black and Hispanic households in Lucas County show higher smartphone-only reliance than white households, mirroring national patterns and exceeding statewide gaps because Lucas has a larger share of these populations than Ohio as a whole.
• Education
  • Postsecondary students and recent graduates cluster around the University of Toledo and Owens Community College; this group exhibits near-universal smartphone ownership and heavy data consumption, lifting overall county averages versus the state.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: effectively universal population coverage across the county.
  • 5G: T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz mid-band and Verizon C-band cover Toledo and nearly all adjacent municipalities (Sylvania, Maumee, Oregon, Washington Township, Springfield Township, etc.), with only small pockets of weaker mid-band in the county’s far-western and far-eastern rural edges. AT&T’s mid-band 5G is present in core population centers and expanding.
• Speeds and capacity
  • Mid-band 5G routinely delivers 150–300 Mbps downlink in the metro core, with lower but still broadband-class speeds along I-75, I-280, and US-23 corridors. This exceeds typical statewide medians, which are pulled down by rural counties where only low-band 5G/4G is available.
  • Dense small-cell deployments and upgraded backhaul around downtown Toledo, university areas, hospitals, and shopping corridors sustain higher peak-time capacity compared with the Ohio average outside major metros.
• Reliability and dead zones
  • Brief performance dips occur in a few fringe agricultural townships and riverine areas, but persistent dead zones are uncommon compared with rural parts of Ohio.
• Fixed wireless home internet
  • 5G home internet from T-Mobile and Verizon is widely available in the Toledo urbanized area and is being adopted in neighborhoods with historically lower cable/fiber subscription rates. This is materially higher availability and adoption than many Ohio counties.
• Fiber and backhaul
  • Robust metro backhaul from Buckeye Broadband (cable/HFC), AT&T Fiber, and recent fiber entrants supports carrier densification and improves mobile performance. Fiber footprint growth is faster here than the statewide average because of higher return-on-investment in the metro.
• Public safety and institutions
  • Countywide NG911/Text-to-911 support and FirstNet coverage (AT&T) improve emergency communications. Libraries, schools, and municipal sites provide Wi‑Fi hotspots that complement mobile use.

How Lucas County differs from Ohio overall

• Higher smartphone penetration at the household level and among older adults than the state average, driven by urban service availability and healthcare/education digitalization.
• Greater reliance on smartphones as the primary internet connection, especially among low-income and minority households; the county’s smartphone-only share is several points above the Ohio average.
• Stronger, more consistent mid-band 5G coverage and higher median mobile speeds due to small-cell density, fiber backhaul, and carrier investment in the Toledo metro.
• Higher uptake of 5G fixed wireless home internet as a substitute for or complement to cable/fiber service.
• Slightly higher share of prepaid and value-focused plans than the statewide average, reflecting price sensitivity and competitive retail presence in the metro.

Bottom line Lucas County exhibits near-saturation mobile adoption with above-average smartphone-only dependency and stronger 5G performance relative to Ohio overall. Urban density, strong backhaul, and multiple carrier investments lift speeds and reliability, while socioeconomic factors raise mobile-only internet use more than the state average.

Lucas County, OH social media snapshot (2025)

Method in brief: Percentages reflect the best available local estimate by applying 2024 Pew Research U.S. platform adoption rates to Lucas County’s age profile (U.S. Census/ACS 2023). Multi-platform use is common, so totals exceed 100%.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated share of Lucas County adults using each)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• LinkedIn: 28–32%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 20–23%
• Reddit: 20–22%
• Nextdoor: 18–22%
• WhatsApp: 20–23%

Age-group profile (share using each platform)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram 75–80%; Snapchat 65–70%; TikTok 60–65%; Facebook 30–40%
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%; Facebook 75–80%; Instagram 55–60%; TikTok 35–40%; LinkedIn 35–40%; Snapchat ~30%
• 50–64: Facebook 70–75%; YouTube 80–85%; Instagram 25–30%; LinkedIn 20–25%; TikTok 15–20%
• 65+: Facebook 45–55%; YouTube 55–65%; Instagram 10–15%; TikTok 7–10%

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media users: ~54–56% women, ~44–46% men (county population is slightly female-leaning and women over-index on several platforms)
• Platform skews:
  • Women higher: Facebook (+6–10 pts vs men), Instagram (+4–6), Pinterest (female-majority)
  • Men higher: Reddit (+10+), X/Twitter (+4–6), YouTube (+3–5)
  • LinkedIn: roughly even to slight male skew

Behavioral trends in Lucas County

• Community-first usage: Facebook remains the default for local news and neighborhood groups (city and suburbs), school/booster pages, and Marketplace trading.
• Nextdoor is notably used in suburban neighborhoods for city services, safety alerts, and HOA updates.
• Short-form video dominates discovery: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive decisions on restaurants, entertainment, parks, and weekend plans; cross-posting between IG and TikTok is common.
• Local sports and events (e.g., Mud Hens baseball, Walleye hockey, festivals) create engagement spikes on game/event days across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• News sharing: Posts from local outlets (e.g., WTOL, 13abc, The Blade) see frequent shares in Facebook groups.
• Messaging as a service channel: High reliance on Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs for inquiries, reservations, and customer support; WhatsApp use is moderate but growing.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks weekdays 7–10 pm ET; weekends see strong midday-to-early-evening activity.
• Older adults: Facebook is the most reliable way to reach 50+; video (YouTube) is strong for how-to, health, and hobby content.
• Professional community: LinkedIn activity is anchored by healthcare, education, manufacturing, and logistics employers; recruiting and local networking perform well.
• Commerce: Deal- and coupon-oriented posts from local retailers and restaurants perform above average; short, vertical video formats outperform static images.

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube deliver the broadest county-wide reach; Instagram is essential for under-50 reach; TikTok and Snapchat are critical for under-30.
• For neighborhood-level engagement and civic updates, pair Facebook Groups with Nextdoor.
• Prioritize short-form video and evening posting windows; use Messenger/DMs as core service touchpoints.