Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Ohio — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey 1-year; rounded)

Population

• Total population: ~532,000

Age

• Median age: ~39.7 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–24: ~9%
• 25–44: ~26%
• 45–64: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51.7%
• Male: ~48.3%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~66%
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American: ~21%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Non-Hispanic Two or more races: ~4%
• Other groups (AIAN, NHPI, some other race): ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~226,000
• Average household size: ~2.29
• Family households: ~59% of households
• Married-couple households: ~43% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Householder living alone: ~34% (age 65+ living alone: ~13%)
• Housing tenure: ~59% owner-occupied, ~41% renter-occupied

Insights

• Age structure is slightly older and household size slightly smaller than the U.S. average.
• Homeownership is modestly below the Ohio statewide average.
• Racial diversity is driven primarily by a sizable Black population, with gradual growth in Hispanic and multiracial groups.

Montgomery County, Ohio (pop. ~536,000) email landscape:

• Estimated email users: ~440,000 (≈83% of residents; ≈92% of those age 13+).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–29: ~19%
  • 30–49: ~28%
  • 50–64: ~22%
  • 65+: ~24% This reflects very high adoption among adults and strong uptake among seniors.
• Gender split: Email users mirror the county’s sex ratio (≈52% female, 48% male), as usage is effectively gender-neutral.
• Digital access and devices:
  • ~85% of households have a broadband subscription.
  • ~91% of households have a computer.
  • ~10% of households lack home internet. Broadband subscription has trended upward in recent years, aided by expanding fiber builds; the lapse of Affordable Connectivity Program funding in 2024 may dampen gains among low-income households.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈1,160 residents per square mile (urbanized, centered on Dayton).
  • Multiple fixed providers (e.g., Spectrum cable; AT&T and Metronet fiber in many neighborhoods) plus countywide 4G/5G coverage in populated areas support reliable email access.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Montgomery County, Ohio

Scale of use (users and households)

• Population base: about 535,000 residents; roughly 78% are adults (≈417,000).
• Adult mobile users: ≈95% of adults use a cellphone (Pew, 2023), yielding about 395,000 mobile phone users.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈85% of adults use a smartphone (Pew, 2023), or about 355,000 smartphone users. Including teens lifts total smartphone users to roughly 380,000–400,000 countywide.
• Household device/plan adoption (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year):
  • Households with a smartphone: low-90s percent (≈91–93%).
  • Households with a cellular data plan: upper-70s percent (≈77–80%).
  • Smartphone-/cellular-only internet households (no wired broadband): about 16–18%, notably above Ohio’s statewide rate (generally low-teens).

Demographic contours

• Age:
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption is effectively ubiquitous (≈95%+), heavy app-based usage and streaming; high reliance on unlimited plans.
  • 35–64: very high smartphone adoption (≈90%+), strong BYOD for work, frequent hotspot use.
  • 65+: adoption materially lower but rising (≈70–80%); more frequent voice/text-heavy and MVNO use, with increased telehealth uptake.
• Income and affordability:
  • County median household income trails the Ohio median, contributing to higher adoption of prepaid/MVNO plans (e.g., Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, Boost) and a higher share of smartphone-only internet households than the state overall.
  • ACP sunset effects are more visible locally: a measurable subset of low-income households shifted from fixed broadband to cellular-only connectivity in 2023–2024.
• Race/ethnicity and urban concentration:
  • A larger share of Black residents than the Ohio average (≈21% vs ≈14% statewide) and a higher share of lower-income urban households in Dayton correlate with above-average smartphone-only internet reliance.
  • University of Dayton and proximity to Wright-Patterson AFB pull in younger and tech-forward users, lifting 5G handset penetration in the urban core.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks and 5G:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T/FirstNet, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide countywide 4G LTE, with population 5G coverage exceeding 90% for AT&T and Verizon and generally >95% for T-Mobile in the Dayton metro.
  • Mid-band 5G (T-Mobile n41; Verizon/AT&T C-band n77) is widely deployed across Dayton, Riverside, Kettering, Centerville, Huber Heights, and along the I-75/I-70 corridors; mmWave nodes exist in select downtown/venue areas but are limited.
• Capacity and performance patterns:
  • Strongest capacity in the urban core and along freeways (I-75, I-70, US-35, OH-4), with consistent mid-band 5G. Peak-time congestion is most noticeable in event zones (UD Arena, downtown), mitigated by densification and small cells.
  • More variability and LTE fallback at the county edges and in lower-density western and southwestern townships (e.g., German, Jackson, Perry), with indoor coverage weakened by older building materials and topography.
• Backhaul and resilience:
  • Robust fiber backbones parallel major corridors and serve enterprise/government anchors (health systems, universities, logistics), enabling high 5G capacity and fixed wireless access (FWA).
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 coverage is established for public safety; post-storm hardening improved backup power and site redundancy.
• Home broadband substitution:
  • T-Mobile and Verizon 5G Home Internet are widely marketed in the metro, leading to visible FWA uptake in apartments and single-family areas with higher cable churn—reinforcing the county’s above-average cellular-only household share.

How Montgomery County differs from Ohio overall

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: The county’s smartphone-/cellular-only internet households (≈16–18%) exceed the Ohio average (low-teens), reflecting more urban density and affordability-driven choices.
• Faster 5G rollout and usage concentration: Dayton’s early and dense mid-band 5G deployment produced higher real-world 5G availability and utilization than many non-metro Ohio counties.
• Greater prepaid/MVNO penetration: Income mix and urban retail footprint yield a larger prepaid share than the statewide norm, influencing plan types (unlimited, hotspot allotments) and device turnover.
• More FWA substitution: 5G Home Internet availability and price sensitivity mean cellular competes more directly with cable/fiber locally than in much of Ohio.
• Demographic drivers: A larger Black population share, substantial student/younger adult presence, and public-sector/defense-adjacent tech users together push smartphone adoption and app-centric behavior above Ohio’s average while widening the gap in cellular-only access among lower-income households.

Key takeaways

• Roughly 395,000 adults in Montgomery County use a mobile phone, and about 355,000 use a smartphone; total smartphone users including minors approach 400,000.
• Over nine in ten households have a smartphone, and nearly four in five have a cellular data plan; about one in six rely on cellular as their only home internet.
• The county outpaces Ohio in 5G availability and cellular-only reliance, driven by urban density, affordability dynamics, and strong mid-band 5G infrastructure across the Dayton metro.

Social media usage in Montgomery County, Ohio (2024–2025 snapshot)

Overall reach

• About 72% of adults use at least one social platform (Pew Research Center). Applied to Montgomery County’s adult population, that equates to roughly 300,000–315,000 adult social media users.
• Female users comprise a slight majority of local social users (in line with the county’s population being just over half female).

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• WhatsApp: ~29%
• X (Twitter): ~22% Note: These are the latest U.S. adult usage rates from Pew; Montgomery County patterns track closely, with a modest tilt toward Facebook given the area’s slightly older age mix.

Age breakdown (any social media use, adults)

• 18–29: ~84%
• 30–49: ~81%
• 50–64: ~73%
• 65+: ~45% Platform tendencies by age locally mirror national patterns:
• 18–29: Heavy on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook used primarily for groups and Marketplace.
• 30–49: Broad mix; Facebook remains a hub (groups, events), with rising Instagram and TikTok; LinkedIn strongest in this cohort.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest meaningful; TikTok growing but smaller.
• 65+: Facebook leads; YouTube second; Nextdoor-style neighborhood engagement noticeable.

Gender breakdown

• Women: Slightly higher overall social usage; over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest (female-majority user base).
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, X, and Reddit-style forums; LinkedIn usage is balanced to slightly male-leaning.
• Daily use skews higher for women on Facebook/Instagram and for men on YouTube.

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the default for community life: neighborhood groups, schools, local government, and events; Facebook Marketplace is widely used for buy/sell.
• YouTube is central for how-to, home improvement, auto, and product research; short-form video is gaining share via YouTube Shorts.
• Instagram and TikTok drive local discovery (restaurants, festivals, small businesses); Reels/short videos outperform static posts.
• Snapchat is strongest with students and young adults (stories, direct messaging); TikTok is the primary short-video platform for under-30.
• LinkedIn activity clusters around healthcare, education, manufacturing, and public sector; employer branding and hiring posts perform well.
• Messaging is mostly through Facebook Messenger; WhatsApp use is present but niche and community-specific.
• Engagement times: commuter mornings (7–9 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); younger users engage later at night, older users earlier in the morning.
• Content that performs: short native video, local faces/places, timely event info, how-to and behind-the-scenes; posts with clear calls-to-action (RSVP, book, buy) see higher conversion.

Sources and method

• Platform percentages: Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. adult social media usage data (2024). County-level figures are aligned to these benchmarks and adjusted for the county’s older-leaning age mix.
• Population context: U.S. Census Bureau (Montgomery County, OH).