Miami County

Miami County, Ohio — key demographics

Population

• 109,700 (2023 estimate); 108,774 (2020 Census) — about +0.9% since 2020

Age

• Median age: ~40.8 years
• Under 5: 5.8%
• Under 18: 22.9%
• 65 and over: 19.3%

Sex

• Female: 50.6%
• Male: 49.4%

Race and Hispanic origin (alone unless noted)

• White: 91.9%
• Black or African American: 2.8–3.0%
• Asian: 0.9%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: 3.6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2.5%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~89.9%

Households and housing

• Households: ~43,400
• Persons per household: 2.48
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~72–73%
• One-person households: ~27%
• Households with children under 18: ~29%

Insights

• Slow but positive growth post-2020.
• Older age profile than the U.S. overall.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with gradual diversification.
• Household structure leans owner-occupied with moderate household size.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 Population Estimates; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year).

Miami County, OH snapshot (estimates based on 2023–2024 U.S. Census, ACS, Pew/DataReportal patterns applied locally)

• Population: ~109,000; density ~265–270 people per sq. mile. Population centers and fastest connectivity cluster along the I‑75 corridor (Troy, Piqua, Tipp City), with more limited options in outlying rural townships.
• Email users: ~83,000–89,000 residents use email at least monthly (roughly 90–95% of adults plus most teens).
• Age distribution of email use (share of people in each group who use email):
  • 13–17: ~75–85%
  • 18–29: ~94–97%
  • 30–49: ~95–98%
  • 50–64: ~90–94%
  • 65+: ~80–88%
• Gender split: ~50% female, ~50% male among email users (no meaningful gap in recent U.S. benchmarks).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription likely ~82–88%; computer/smartphone access ~90%+ of households.
  • Smartphone‑only internet users ~10–15%, higher in lower‑income and rural areas.
  • Cable and growing fiber coverage in cities/towns; DSL/fixed‑wireless more common in rural zones. Public Wi‑Fi access points concentrated in libraries, schools, and municipal buildings along the I‑75 corridor.

Insights: Email is effectively universal among working‑age adults locally; the primary limiter is broadband availability in rural areas, not willingness to use email. Older adults are the main adoption gap, mitigated where fiber/cable is available.

Mobile phone usage in Miami County, Ohio (2025 snapshot)

Baseline and method

• Population: ~109,000 (2020 Census: 108,774), ~44,000 households. Mix of small cities (Troy, Piqua, Tipp City) and rural townships. Estimates below combine decennial/ACS population structure with 2023–2024 Pew Research and FCC/mobile industry adoption rates adjusted for the county’s older, more rural profile.

User estimates

• People using any mobile phone: 85,000–90,000 residents (roughly 95% of adults plus most teens).
• Smartphone users: 77,000–81,000 residents.
• 5G-capable devices: ~55,000–60,000 devices in active use (about 70–75% of smartphones).
• Mobile-only home internet (smartphone as primary/only connection): 8,000–9,500 households (18–22% of households).
• Fixed wireless access (FWA) home internet (Verizon/T-Mobile): 3,500–5,000 households (8–12% of households), reflecting strong availability along the I‑75 corridor and town centers.

Demographic breakdown (ownership and reliance)

• Age
  • 18–29: near-universal smartphone ownership (≈95–98%).
  • 30–49: ≈92–96%.
  • 50–64: ≈80–86%.
  • 65+: ≈65–72% with smartphones; ≈90% with any mobile phone. In counts, ~13,500–15,000 seniors use smartphones, leaving ~6,000–7,000 seniors without them.
• Income
  • Households under ~$35k are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet (≈25–30% within this income band), translating to roughly 2,300–2,700 such households countywide.
• Geography
  • I‑75 corridor (Troy, Piqua, Tipp City): higher 5G device use, faster speeds, less mobile-only reliance due to better wired options.
  • Rural western/southern townships: slightly lower smartphone penetration (by ~3–5 percentage points), higher dependence on prepaid plans and FWA/mobile-only service.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: All three national MNOs (Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile) provide countywide LTE; 5G is broadly available in cities and along I‑75.
• 5G coverage mix
  • Low-band 5G: near-ubiquitous population coverage outdoors.
  • Mid-band 5G (for higher speeds): robust in Troy, Piqua, Tipp City, and along I‑75; patchier in rural areas.
• Typical performance (user-experienced)
  • Mid-band 5G areas: roughly 100–300 Mbps down with low latency.
  • LTE/low-band areas: roughly 10–50 Mbps down, with bigger swings indoors and at cell edges.
• FWA availability: Verizon 5G Home and T‑Mobile Home Internet cover most addresses in the cities and substantial portions of the suburbs/rural fringe; availability is dynamic as sectors light up and capacity gates open or close.
• Wired backstop
  • Cable internet (Spectrum) is widely available in the cities and villages and supports Wi‑Fi calling, which many rural and edge‑of‑cell residents rely on for indoor coverage.
  • Fiber is present in parts of larger towns but remains sparse in the open-country areas, sustaining demand for FWA and mobile-only solutions.
• Public safety and enterprise
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) coverage along interstates, town centers, and critical facilities supports public safety use; carriers co-locate on many macro sites used for regional coverage.

Usage patterns and behavior

• Average monthly mobile data per smartphone: typically 17–22 GB, higher for 5G users on unlimited plans in town centers and lower in areas where households offload to FWA/wired.
• Text/voice reliability: Generally strong along I‑75 and in towns; rural indoor reliability improves markedly with Wi‑Fi calling due to distance to macro sites and building materials.
• Device upgrade cadence: Slower among seniors and rural residents; faster among families and commuters in the I‑75 corridor.

How Miami County differs from Ohio overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: by ~1–3 percentage points versus the state average, reflecting higher shares of older and rural residents.
• Higher mobile-only reliance: 18–22% of households here vs roughly mid‑teens statewide, driven by patchy fiber and cost sensitivity.
• Faster FWA uptake: 8–12% of households vs single digits in many Ohio metros; FWA is an important bridge in exurban/rural zones.
• More uneven 5G quality: Mid-band 5G is strong along I‑75 and in towns but drops off faster into farm country than in metro counties, widening the urban–rural speed gap locally.
• Greater dependence on Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters in rural homes and metal/concrete buildings compared with metro Ohio.

Key takeaways

• Mobile is effectively universal among adults, with ~78–81k smartphone users and most devices now 5G-capable.
• The county leans more on mobile-only and FWA than Ohio’s large metros, a function of fiber gaps outside the cities.
• Network investment along I‑75 delivers metro-like 5G performance in Troy/Piqua/Tipp City, while rural edges remain LTE‑first and more variable indoors.
• Seniors and lower-income households are the core of the remaining digital divide; targeted device literacy, subsidy enrollment, and FWA/fiber expansion will yield outsized gains.

Miami County, OH social media snapshot (modeled to local population)

• Baseline population: ~109,000 (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimate). Adults 18+: ~84,000.
• Method note: Platform adoption percentages come from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult social media study; counts below apply those rates to the county’s adult population to produce reasonable local estimates.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; estimated local users)

• YouTube: 83% (~70,000)
• Facebook: 68% (~57,000)
• Instagram: 47% (~40,000)
• Pinterest: 35% (~29,500)
• TikTok: 33% (~27,800)
• Snapchat: 30% (~25,300)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~25,300)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~24,500)
• Reddit: 22% (~18,600)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~18,600)
• Nextdoor: 19% (~16,100)

Age structure and usage focus

• Adult age mix (approx.): 18–29 (19% of adults), 30–49 (33%), 50–64 (26%), 65+ (23%).
• 18–29: Very high on YouTube; heavy Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; light Facebook. Content creation and short-form video dominate.
• 30–49: Broadest multi-platform use. Facebook and YouTube are anchors; Instagram rising; TikTok use is meaningful; LinkedIn active for careers.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest solid (home, DIY); Instagram moderate; TikTok growing but still smaller.
• 65+: Facebook first; YouTube for news/how-to; limited Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown and platform skews

• County gender split is roughly even (about 51% women, 49% men), and overall social media use mirrors this.
• Directional skews (Pew, U.S. adults): Pinterest heavily female (women use it roughly 2–3x men); Reddit and X skew male (around 2x vs women); Instagram and Facebook tilt slightly female; LinkedIn near-even; WhatsApp near-even; Snapchat tilts slightly female; YouTube near-universal across genders.

Behavioral trends observed in similar Midwestern suburban/rural counties

• Facebook remains the default local network for events, schools, churches, youth sports, and city/county announcements; Groups and Marketplace see high engagement.
• YouTube is the top channel for cord-cutting, how-to, product research, and local business discovery; longer watch times than other platforms.
• Instagram is key for visual storytelling by small businesses in Troy, Piqua, Tipp City; Reels adoption is rising for promotions and behind‑the‑scenes content.
• TikTok growth is concentrated in teens/20s and spreading to 30–40s via local food, events, home, and DIY niches; discovery via the For You feed drives foot traffic.
• Snapchat is primarily peer-to-peer among younger residents; public Stories see episodic bursts around school and sports seasons.
• Pinterest is strong among women for home improvement, recipes, crafts, weddings, and local shopping inspiration; high intent-to-try/save content.
• LinkedIn is effective for professional hiring and B2B along the I‑75 corridor; weekday daytime usage dominates.
• Nextdoor usage is meaningful for neighborhood alerts, lost-and-found, hyperlocal recommendations, and code/utility updates; comments skew pragmatic and place-based.
• Messaging layers (Messenger, SMS, some WhatsApp) play a large role in converting social discovery into actions (appointments, RSVPs, purchases).
• Posting cadence expectations: Facebook/Instagram 3–5x weekly works well for local entities; Reels/shorts 1–3x weekly; YouTube long-form 2–4x monthly; LinkedIn 1–3x weekly for employers.

Key takeaways for Miami County

• Reach: YouTube (83% of adults) and Facebook (68%) are the two must-have channels for mass reach.
• Growth pockets: Instagram Reels and TikTok for under-40 reach; Pinterest for female-led intent audiences; LinkedIn for hiring.
• Community impact: Facebook Groups, Nextdoor, and local YouTube channels disproportionately drive trust and action for civic, school, and small-business messaging.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2018–2023 estimates) for population/age structure; Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 for platform adoption rates among U.S. adults. Figures above are county-level estimates derived from those definitive datasets.