Ross County

Ross County, Ohio — key demographics

Population size

• 77,093 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~40.7 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~20–21%
• 18 to 64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~18–19%

Gender

• Male: ~51–52%
• Female: ~48–49%
• Note: Male share is elevated relative to state average due in part to correctional facilities in the county

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~88–89%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~5–7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1.5–2%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2.5–4%
• Asian: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~29,900–30,500
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
• Nonfamily households: ~32–35%
• Homeownership rate: ~69–71% owner-occupied
• Average family size: ~3.0

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S0101, S1101, DP04)

Ross County, Ohio overview:

• Population ~77,000; density ~111 people per sq. mile (Chillicothe urban core plus large rural areas).

Email users (estimated):

• ~59,000–60,000 residents use email (≈77–78% of total population), derived from local age structure and typical U.S. email adoption by age.

Age distribution of email users (share of email users):

• 13–17: ~8%
• 18–34: ~28%
• 35–54: ~32%
• 55–64: ~14%
• 65+: ~19%

Gender split among email users:

• ≈51% female, ≈49% male (mirrors county demographics).

Digital access and trends:

• Households with a computer: ~90%.
• Households with a broadband internet subscription: ~82%.
• Broadband subscription has risen roughly 10 percentage points since the mid‑2010s, indicating steady gains in digital access.
• Connectivity is strongest in and around Chillicothe (cable and growing fiber coverage); rural townships more often rely on DSL and fixed wireless, reflecting a rural–urban gap.
• Regional middle‑mile fiber (e.g., Horizon’s network centered in Chillicothe) underpins ongoing last‑mile upgrades and improved reliability across community anchors and businesses.

Implications: High broadband/computer availability supports widespread email use; the main growth headroom is among older adults and in rural pockets where wired options lag.

Ross County, OH mobile usage summary (focus: differences vs Ohio overall)

User estimates (most recent publicly reported/derivable figures)

• Smartphone access at the household level: roughly mid-to-high 80s percent of Ross County households have at least one smartphone, a few points below the Ohio average (low 90s). This translates to approximately 26,000–27,000 of roughly 30,000 households having a smartphone.
• Mobile-only internet reliance: about the high teens percent of households rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet connection, several points above the statewide rate (low-to-mid teens). That equates to roughly 5,000–5,500 Ross County households.
• Households with no internet subscription: mid-teens percent in Ross County versus roughly one in ten statewide, indicating a higher dependence on mobile phones for connectivity among those who do connect.
• Estimated smartphone users: on the order of 50,000–55,000 individuals countywide, given household smartphone penetration and local household size.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Ross County skews older than the state average. Older age structure correlates with slightly lower smartphone adoption and a higher share of flip/basic phone users than in Ohio’s metros, but younger adults and families are driving the county’s higher-than-average mobile-only reliance.
• Income and education: Median household income trails the statewide median. This aligns with higher prepaid plan usage, higher rate of single-line plans, and greater use of smartphones as the primary (or only) internet connection compared with Ohio overall.
• Rural vs. town center: Chillicothe and the US-23/US-35 corridors show near-urban levels of smartphone and 5G uptake; outlying rural townships have lower smartphone adoption, lower multi-line/5G plan take-up, and more LTE-only use. The urban–rural gap is wider than Ohio’s average gap because Ross County has fewer suburban areas to bridge the difference.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: 4G LTE from all national carriers blankets the populated corridors. 5G is established in and around Chillicothe and along US‑23/US‑35; coverage becomes patchier in the hillier, sparsely populated southeast and west. The county’s 5G footprint is smaller and less contiguous than the statewide pattern concentrated around large metros.
• Spectrum and capacity: Mid-band 5G (n41/n77) capacity is present on major corridors; low-band 5G handles most of the broad-area coverage. Outside the corridors, many sites remain LTE-first, which depresses peak speeds versus Ohio’s metro counties.
• Terrain constraints: Appalachian foothills and valleys create signal shadowing and localized dead zones, making coverage more dependent on precise tower siting than in much of the state.
• Backhaul and densification: Fiber backhaul is strong along the main highways, but off-corridor sites rely more on microwave or older fiber laterals. Tower density is lower than the state average, limiting sector splitting and small-cell deployment outside Chillicothe.
• Fixed wireless crossover: T‑Mobile and Verizon 5G Home Internet are available in and near Chillicothe and along the US‑23 corridor, and are being adopted as substitutes for DSL/cable in pockets—contributing to higher mobile-only (cellular data) household rates than the state overall.
• Public safety: AT&T’s FirstNet presence has improved coverage on primary routes and in Chillicothe, but rural in‑building penetration still lags, mirroring consumer 5G/LTE patterns.

How Ross County differs from Ohio overall (key trends)

• Lower overall household smartphone penetration than the state by a few percentage points, driven by older age structure and rural composition.
• Higher mobile-only (cellular data) household share by several points, reflecting both affordability preferences and gaps in fixed broadband quality/availability.
• Larger urban–rural divide in 5G availability and performance; speeds and reliability off the main corridors trail statewide metro norms.
• Greater reliance on prepaid and single-line plans, with slower migration to mid-band 5G devices outside Chillicothe compared with Ohio’s large metros.
• Adoption of fixed-wireless 5G as a substitute for wireline is more pronounced locally than in most Ohio suburbs, reinforcing the county’s mobile-centric connectivity profile.

Bottom line Ross County’s mobile landscape is defined by broadly available LTE, corridor-focused 5G, and a higher-than-state-average reliance on mobile data as the primary home connection. Compared with Ohio overall, the county shows slightly lower household smartphone penetration but measurably higher mobile-only usage, with infrastructure and terrain shaping a more pronounced performance gap between Chillicothe/corridors and the rural townships.

Social media usage in Ross County, Ohio (2025 snapshot)

Core user stats

• Population: ~77,200 residents (ACS 2019–2023). Residents age 13+: ~65,600
• Estimated social media users (13+): ~54,500 (≈83% of 13+)
• Gender among social media users: ≈54% female (29,400) and 46% male (25,100)

Most‑used platforms (adult penetration; share of residents 18+ who use each)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 33%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19%

Age breakdown (share using at least one platform; leading platforms by age)

• Ages 13–17: ~95% use social/video platforms
  • YouTube 93%, TikTok 63%, Snapchat 60%, Instagram 59%, Facebook 33%
• Ages 18–29: ~94%
  • YouTube 93%, Instagram 78%, Snapchat 68%, TikTok 62%, Facebook 67%
• Ages 30–49: ~86%
  • YouTube 92%, Facebook 73%, Instagram 55%, TikTok 39%, Pinterest 41%, LinkedIn 41%
• Ages 50–64: ~72%
  • YouTube 83%, Facebook 65%, Instagram 29%, TikTok 24%, Pinterest 36%
• Ages 65+: ~50%
  • YouTube 60%, Facebook 50%, Instagram 13%, TikTok 10%, Pinterest 18%

Behavioral trends in Ross County

• Facebook is the community hub: local news and alerts, school closings, high‑school sports, civic groups, and Marketplace dominate engagement; event‑driven posts create noticeable spikes
• Short‑form video rules reach: Reels, Shorts, and TikTok perform best; popular themes include outdoors/hunting, DIY/home, local food, and youth sports highlights
• Pragmatic local commerce: heavy use of Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups; reviews on Facebook/Google strongly influence service choices for home, auto, and healthcare
• Messaging is split by age: Messenger across most ages; Snapchat prevalent among teens/20s; WhatsApp used within some family/work circles
• Mobile‑first consumption with evening and weekend peaks; content with clear local relevance, recognizable faces, and utility (e.g., closures, deals, events) outperforms brand‑centric posts

Method note and sources

• Local figures are modeled by applying national age‑ and platform‑specific adoption rates to Ross County’s population base (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023)
• Adoption benchmarks: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023) and DataReportal/Global Digital 2024 for U.S. social‑media penetration of the 13+ population