Stark County

Stark County, Ohio — Key Demographics

Population

• 374,853 (2020 Census). Recent estimates show a slight decline since 2020.

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and Ethnicity (ACS)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~85%
• Black or African American: ~9%
• Asian: ~1–2%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%

Households and Families (ACS)

• Households: ~155,000
• Average household size: ~2.35–2.40
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–47% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–27%
• One-person households: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~70–72% of occupied units

Insights

• Stable-to-slowly declining population with an aging age profile.
• Predominantly White, with modest racial/ethnic diversity concentrated in Black and multiracial populations.
• Smaller household sizes and high homeownership rates indicate a mature housing market and older household composition.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Stark County, OH (population 371,000) has an estimated 290,000 email users. Age mix of email users: 13–17: 6% (17K), 18–34: 24% (70K), 35–54: 30% (87K), 55–64: 18% (52K), 65+: 22% (64K). Gender split mirrors the population: ~51% female, ~49% male.

Digital access and usage:

• Household broadband subscription: ~87%
• Households with a computer: ~91%
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~13%
• Fixed broadband availability (≥100/20 Mbps): >95% of locations

Trends and local context: Email use is near-universal among connected adults, and overall adoption has risen steadily with ongoing fiber and high‑speed cable buildouts centered in Canton, Massillon, and Alliance. Rural townships show somewhat lower subscription rates and a higher share of smartphone‑only connectivity, with public libraries and schools providing important supplemental access. Stark’s population density is roughly 640 people per square mile, supporting broad network coverage and reliable email access for most residents.

Mobile phone usage in Stark County, Ohio — key figures, demographics, and infrastructure

Headline figures (latest available public datasets and industry tracking, 2022–2024)

• Population and households: ≈371,000 residents and ≈154,000 households (2023 Census estimate)
• Adult smartphone users: ≈255,000 adults in Stark County, based on ~89% adult smartphone adoption (Pew Research 2023 applied to local adult population)
• Household device and connectivity (ACS 2018–2022, S2801-based estimates):
  • Households with a smartphone present: ≈90% in Stark County vs ≈91% statewide
  • Households with any internet subscription: ≈88% Stark vs ≈90% Ohio
  • Households with a cellular data plan (smartphone/tablet/hotspot): ≈79% Stark vs ≈77% Ohio
  • Mobile-only internet households (cellular data subscription but no cable/fiber/DSL): ≈16% Stark vs ≈14% Ohio
  • Households with no internet subscription: ≈11% Stark vs ≈9% Ohio

How Stark County differs from the Ohio average

• Higher reliance on mobile as the primary connection: Stark’s mobile-only household share is about 2 percentage points above the state average. This reflects a mix of lower-cost preferences and pockets where wired broadband adoption lags.
• Slightly lower overall household internet adoption: The county trails the state by ~2 points for “any internet,” driven by older age structure and income mix.
• Device access pattern: Stark households are just under the statewide rate for “household has a smartphone,” but above the state for “has a cellular data plan,” indicating more households pairing phones with data plans as their main on-ramp.

Demographic breakdown (county-level estimates synthesized from ACS 2018–2022 microdata patterns and Pew age gradients)

• By age (adult smartphone adoption):
  • 18–34: ~96%
  • 35–64: ~92%
  • 65+: ~76% (a few points lower than Ohio’s seniors overall), contributing to Stark’s slightly lower total smartphone household presence
• By income (mobile-only internet households):
  • Under $35k: ~28%
  • $35k–$75k: ~17%
  • $75k+: ~8%
• By housing tenure:
  • Renters mobile-only: ~24%
  • Owners mobile-only: ~12%
• By race/ethnicity (mobile-only):
  • Black and Hispanic residents: ~20–22%
  • White, non-Hispanic: ~14–16% These differences are consistent with observed statewide patterns but are a touch more pronounced in Stark, pushing the county’s overall mobile-only share modestly above the Ohio average.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier presence and 5G:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide LTE with broad 5G NR coverage concentrated in and around Canton, Massillon, Jackson Township, Perry Township, and along I‑77/US‑30 corridors.
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layers) is active:
    • T-Mobile n41 (2.5 GHz) widely available across Canton–Massillon and most suburbs
    • Verizon C-band n77 (3.7 GHz) deployed in core population centers, major travel corridors, and commercial zones
    • AT&T mid-band n77 sites overlaid on a robust Band 14 FirstNet footprint; 5G low-band n5 fills coverage gaps in rural edges
  • Limited mmWave nodes (Verizon/AT&T) appear in select dense venues; coverage remains spot-focused
• Coverage patterns:
  • Urban/suburban Stark sees contiguous 5G with capacity-grade layers; fringe townships (agricultural or low-density areas along county borders) still encounter LTE-only pockets, especially indoors, where low-band 5G/LTE performs better
• Typical user experience (crowdsourced testing 2023–2024 in the Canton–Massillon market):
  • T-Mobile 5G UC: commonly 200–300 Mbps down in town centers; lower at edges
  • Verizon 5G UW (C-band): commonly 100–200 Mbps down in core areas
  • AT&T 5G: commonly 70–150 Mbps down, with Band 14 providing strong reliability for public-safety-aligned coverage
• Tower and spectrum context:
  • Site density is lower than in Ohio’s largest metros (Cleveland, Columbus), but mid-band overlays in 2022–2024 materially improved capacity
  • Spectrum in active use includes low-band (700/800/850 MHz), mid-band AWS/PCS, T-Mobile 2.5 GHz, and C-band; these layers underpin the county’s shift to 5G as the default mobile experience

Implications and trends

• Mobile-first reliance is structurally higher than the state average, particularly among lower-income renters and younger adults, which raises the importance of mobile plan affordability and mid-band 5G build quality.
• Senior adoption drags overall smartphone metrics slightly below Ohio’s average, maintaining a small but notable cohort of basic/feature phone users and households without any internet subscription.
• Capacity-focused 5G deployments have narrowed urban–suburban performance gaps inside Stark County; remaining LTE-only edges contribute to the county’s persistent mobile-only use where wired broadband adoption is weaker.

Sources and methodology

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 population estimates; ACS 2018–2022 (S2801 “Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions”) for household smartphone, internet, and cellular plan metrics
• Pew Research Center (2023) for adult smartphone adoption by age, applied to local age distribution to estimate adult smartphone users
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024) and carrier public coverage disclosures for 5G availability; industry/crowdsourced speed testing (2023–2024) for typical performance ranges

Social media usage in Stark County, Ohio (2024, modeled local estimates)

How many people and who’s using it

• Adult population (18+): ~292,000 (ACS-based estimate)
• Gender among social media users: ~53% women, ~47% men (reflects county demographics plus typical platform skews)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult residents; est. user counts)

• YouTube: 83% (242k)
• Facebook: 68% (199k)
• Instagram: 47% (137k)
• TikTok: 33% (96k)
• Pinterest: 30% (88k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (88k)
• Snapchat: 27% (79k)
• X (Twitter): 22% (64k)
• Reddit: 21% (61k)
• Nextdoor: 20% (58k)
• WhatsApp: 21% (61k)

Age-group usage profile (local estimates, reflecting national adoption patterns applied to Stark County)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~93%; Instagram ~78%; Snapchat ~65%; TikTok ~62%; Facebook ~57%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~92%; Facebook ~69%; Instagram ~55%; LinkedIn ~40%; TikTok ~39%
• Ages 50–64: Facebook ~73%; YouTube ~77%; Instagram ~29%; Pinterest/LinkedIn ~30% each; TikTok ~24%
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~62%; YouTube ~50%; Instagram ~15%; Pinterest ~18%; Nextdoor ~20%

Gender breakdown by platform (directional)

• More women than men: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (strongly), Snapchat, TikTok
• More men than women: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn
• Pinterest skews heavily female; Reddit and X skew male; Facebook and Instagram skew slightly female; LinkedIn and YouTube skew slightly male

Behavioral trends (Stark County–specific patterns consistent with Midwestern suburban/urban counties)

• Facebook is the community backbone: school districts, youth sports, churches, nonprofits, local news, city services, and Marketplace drive daily engagement. Private Groups and Messenger are central for coordination (teams, PTOs, neighborhood watch).
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the default for how-to, home/auto repair, health, product research; TikTok and Instagram Reels dominate short-form entertainment and discovery, especially under 40.
• Local commerce and recommendations: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Nextdoor for local services, garage sales, rentals, contractors, and restaurant discovery; Pinterest informs home, garden, and craft projects.
• Youth habits: Snapchat is the primary messaging layer for teens/young adults; TikTok and Instagram set trends and influence purchase intent; Facebook mainly used for events and family.
• Professional and hiring: LinkedIn is used for recruitment and networking across healthcare, education, and manufacturing; employer branding posts perform better than generic job listings.
• News and sports: High engagement for high school and Ohio sports, weather, road closures, and election information; Facebook pages and YouTube live streams outperform X for local updates.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2024 modeled local estimates: national platform adoption rates (Pew Research Center) applied to Stark County’s adult population and age/sex composition (U.S. Census/ACS). Counts are rounded for clarity.