Summit County

Key demographics for Summit County, Ohio (latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates)

Population

• Total population (2023 est.): 532,000
• Change since 2020 Census (540,428): approximately -1.5%

Age

• Median age: about 41 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~51.5%
• Male: ~48.5%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~76%
• Black or African American alone: ~16%
• Asian alone: ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~73%

Households and housing

• Households: ~229,000
• Persons per household: ~2.32
• Family households: ~61%
• Married-couple households: ~45%
• Nonfamily households: ~39%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~66%

Notes: Figures are rounded for readability. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates and 2023 American Community Survey (ACS).

• Population: ~533,000 (Summit County, OH, 2023). Adults (18+): ~418,000.
• Estimated email users (18+): ~384,000 (≈92% of adults). Including teens, total resident email users ≈410,000.
• Age distribution of adult email users (applied local age mix to national usage rates):
  • 18–29: ~74,000 users (≈98% of ~75,000)
  • 30–49: ~107,000 users (≈95% of ~113,000)
  • 50–64: ~100,000 users (≈92% of ~109,000)
  • 65+: ~103,000 users (≈85% of ~121,000)
• Gender split among email users: ~51.5% female, ~48.5% male (mirrors county demographics; usage rates are effectively equal by gender).
• Digital access and devices (households):
  • With a computer: ~93%
  • With a broadband subscription: ~89%
  • Smartphone-only internet (cellular, no home wireline): ~12%
  • No home internet subscription: ~11%
• Density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈1,270 people per square mile (urban/suburban county anchored by Akron).
  • High broadband availability and adoption support near-universal email reach among working-age adults; remaining gaps concentrate among older residents and households without subscriptions.

Insights: Email is a near-ubiquitous channel for Summit County’s 30–64 cohort and strong among seniors, with overall reach ~72–77% of total residents and ~92% of adults. Broadband adoption and dense settlement patterns reinforce reliable digital access.

Mobile phone usage in Summit County, Ohio — key takeaways

• Smartphone uptake is very high and skews slightly more mobile-only than the Ohio average, driven by the urban core around Akron and a relatively large renter and student population.
• 5G coverage from all three national carriers is effectively countywide, with mid-band 5G now the performance baseline in and around Akron and along interstate corridors.

User estimates and household adoption (latest ACS 2018–2022 five-year, Summit County; comparisons to Ohio)

• Households with a smartphone: ~91% in Summit County vs ~89% statewide. That is roughly 200,000 of Summit’s ~220,000 households.
• Households with a cellular data plan (any): ~80% vs ~77% statewide.
• Cellular-only households (cellular data plan and no other internet subscription): ~15% vs ~13% statewide. This equates to roughly 33,000 Summit County households relying on mobile networks as their primary home connection.
• Households with no home internet subscription of any kind: ~10% vs ~11% statewide.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: on the order of 375,000–390,000 residents (applying current national adult smartphone ownership rates in the high-80% range to Summit County’s adult population).

Demographic contours (how Summit differs from Ohio)

• Age: Mobile-only reliance in Summit is concentrated among younger householders (under 35) at rates a few percentage points above the state average, reflecting student/young professional housing patterns in Akron.
• Income: Households under $35,000 in Summit are more likely to be cellular-only than their statewide peers, consistent with subscription cost sensitivity and the substituting of mobile plans for fixed broadband.
• Tenure: Renters in Summit show notably higher mobile-only rates than homeowners and exceed the statewide renter average, aligned with higher turnover and multifamily housing stock.
• Race/ethnicity: Within the county, Black and Hispanic households show above-average mobile-only reliance relative to White non-Hispanic households, mirroring statewide gaps but with slightly larger differentials in Akron’s urban neighborhoods. Note: These demographic patterns are drawn from ACS Computer and Internet Use cross-tabs (B280xx series) and are directionally consistent with statewide results; the county’s urban mix amplifies mobile-only reliance by several percentage points in the groups noted above.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile each provide countywide 4G LTE and extensive 5G. Mid-band 5G (Verizon C‑band; T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz; AT&T C‑band/3.45 GHz) is widely deployed across Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, and along I‑77, I‑76, SR‑8, and the I‑80/Ohio Turnpike corridor.
• Capacity hotspots: Dense small-cell and upgraded macro coverage in downtown Akron, the University of Akron area, healthcare campuses, and retail corridors delivers markedly higher median speeds and capacity than the statewide average for comparable urban cores.
• Fringe/valley areas: The Cuyahoga Valley and far-northwestern/southeastern townships see more variability in signal quality and lower median speeds than the county core, but still generally maintain reliable LTE and low-band 5G coverage.
• Reliability and redundancy: Tower density and multi-carrier presence in the urbanized area are above the state average, reducing outage risk and improving indoor coverage in multifamily buildings.

What stands out versus the Ohio average

• Summit County has:
  • Higher smartphone penetration at the household level.
  • Higher reliance on mobile-only internet, especially among younger, lower-income, and renter households in Akron-area neighborhoods.
  • Slightly lower “no internet” household share, implying mobile networks are backfilling access gaps more effectively than in the state overall.
  • Better mid-band 5G availability and capacity in the urban core than many peer Ohio counties, reflected in stronger median mobile performance along primary corridors and activity centers.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 five-year estimates (Tables S2801 and related B280xx series for Computer and Internet Use); carrier public 5G deployment disclosures and FCC mobile availability mapping for Summit County.

Summit County, OH social media snapshot (2024)

Scope and base

• Population reference: Summit County, OH adults (18+) using 2023 ACS demographics; platform usage shares from 2023–2024 Pew Research Center applied locally as proxies.
• County gender mix: ~51% female, ~49% male among adults.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; local proxy from Pew 2024)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~25%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Reddit: ~18%

Age-group usage patterns (percent of adults within each age group who use the platform; local estimates aligned to Pew)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~55%, Reddit ~36%, X ~31%, LinkedIn ~20%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~92%, Facebook ~75%, Instagram ~54%, TikTok ~39%, LinkedIn ~36%, Snapchat ~29%, Pinterest ~33%, X ~26%
• Ages 50–64: YouTube ~83%, Facebook ~73%, Pinterest ~41%, Instagram ~29%, LinkedIn ~27%, TikTok ~21%, X ~20%
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~62%, YouTube ~60%, Pinterest ~27%, Instagram ~15%, LinkedIn ~12%, TikTok ~10%, X ~12%

Gender breakdown (who uses what, locally consistent with national skews)

• Facebook and Instagram: modest female tilt among users
• Pinterest: strong female tilt (women far more likely than men)
• LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, X: modest male tilt (Reddit strongest)
• TikTok and Snapchat: balanced overall; skew younger more than by gender

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Summit (applied locally)

• Facebook remains the community hub: heavy use of Groups (neighborhoods, schools, youth sports), Marketplace buying/selling, and local news followership.
• YouTube dominates long-form and how-to: DIY, home/auto repair, outdoor recreation; Shorts growth parallels TikTok/Reels consumption.
• Visual platforms drive discovery: Instagram and TikTok for restaurants, events, and parks; short-form video and Reels/Shorts outperform static posts.
• Younger cohorts (teens/20s) rely on Snapchat for daily messaging and location-centric stories; cross-posting to TikTok/Instagram for wider reach.
• Professional networking and hiring rely on LinkedIn (healthcare, education, manufacturing, polymers/engineering prevalent in the metro).
• Timing: engagement reliably higher evenings (6–9 pm) and weekends; weekday lunch hours boost short-form video and local news posts.
• Creative that feels “local” (geo-tags, landmarks, school/sports tie-ins, local offers) materially lifts engagement and saves on paid CPMs across Facebook/Instagram and TikTok.

Notes

• Percentages reflect 2023–2024 Pew Research Center U.S. adult platform usage rates used as local proxies; Summit County’s demographics closely mirror U.S./Ohio norms, so relative ranks and shares track closely.
• County demographic base: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.