Lane County

Lane County, Oregon — key demographics (latest official data)

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: ~394,000 (up from 382,971 in the 2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~39
• Under 18: ~18%
• 18–24: ~13%
• 25–44: ~26%
• 45–64: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (Hispanic is of any race; race categories alone or in combination)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~77%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~11%
• Two or more races: ~8%
• Asian: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1.5%
• Black/African American: ~1–1.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <0.5%

Households

• Households: ~165,000
• Average household size: ~2.34
• Average family size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~58% (married-couple families ~43%)
• With children under 18: ~24% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~42% (one-person ~33%; 65+ living alone ~12%)
• Housing tenure: owner-occupied ~56%; renter-occupied ~44%

Insights

• Population has grown modestly since 2020.
• An elevated 18–24 share and renter rate reflect the local university presence.
• Nearly 1 in 5 residents are 65+, indicating ongoing aging.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5-year); 2023 Population Estimates Program (PEP). Figures shown are the most recent official estimates and are rounded for clarity.

Lane County, OR (≈383,000 residents) has an estimated 306,000 adult email users (~95% of adults), derived from ACS demographics and Pew age-specific email adoption rates.

By age (estimated users):

• 18–24: ~52,000 (≈97% use email)
• 25–44: ~94,000 (≈98%)
• 45–64: ~96,000 (≈96%)
• 65+: ~65,000 (≈90%)

Gender split: Near parity. Female ~155,000 users; male ~151,000 users (reflects a ~50.6% female population and negligible gender gap in email adoption).

Digital access and trends:

• ~92% of households have a computer and ~86% have a broadband subscription (ACS S2801), leaving roughly 1 in 7 households without home broadband.
• Smartphone-only internet households are roughly 9–11%, indicating a notable mobile-first segment for email access.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density is about 80–85 people per square mile; connectivity is concentrated in the Eugene–Springfield urban core.
• Downtown Eugene’s EUGNet provides municipal fiber with multi‑gig (up to 10 Gbps) service; outlying rural areas rely more on DSL/fixed wireless, contributing to lower subscription rates outside the metro.

Lane County, OR mobile phone usage summary

Baseline and user estimates

• Population baseline: 382,971 residents (2020 Census). Adults (18+) ≈ 300,000.
• Estimated mobile phone users: ~285,000 adults (assumes ~95% adult cellphone adoption in line with recent U.S. and Oregon patterns).
• Estimated smartphone users: ~270,000 adults (assumes ~90% adult smartphone adoption).
• Households: ~160,000. Households with a smartphone or cellular data plan are the clear majority, consistent with recent ACS Computer and Internet Use indicators for Oregon counties.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• University-driven youth segment: With roughly 23,000 University of Oregon students in Eugene, Lane County has an outsized 18–24 cohort relative to Oregon overall. This raises smartphone adoption, app-centric usage, and mobile-first behavior (streaming, campus apps, micromobility, and mobile payments) in Eugene–Springfield.
• Renters and lower-income households: A larger renter share around campus and in the metro core correlates with higher prepaid/MVNO participation and higher smartphone-dependent internet use (relying on cellular data as primary connectivity), compared with the Oregon average.
• Rural households: Outside the I‑5 corridor and Eugene–Springfield, rural West Lane (Siuslaw/Coast Range) and East Lane (McKenzie/Oakridge) show lower 5G availability and more variable speeds, which depresses advanced mobile use compared with the metro core despite widespread basic cellphone adoption.
• Older adults: As in the rest of Oregon, smartphone adoption is lower for 65+, but telehealth uptake and messaging are higher where coverage and devices are available; gaps are more sensitive to signal quality in the McKenzie and Coast Range communities.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon, and UScellular operate in Lane County; all provide 4G LTE countywide, with 5G concentrated along the Eugene–Springfield urban area, the I‑5 corridor, and major highways (OR‑126, OR‑58, OR‑99).
• 5G footprint: Mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile n41, Verizon/AT&T C‑band n77) is strongest in Eugene–Springfield and along I‑5, tapering quickly into the Coast Range, Siuslaw National Forest, and parts of the McKenzie River corridor where low‑band 5G/4G or no service appears in pockets. Population coverage is high; land-area coverage is notably lower than the state average due to extensive federal forestland and complex terrain.
• Backhaul/fiber: Eugene has strong metro fiber, including the open-access EUGNet downtown network and utility/backbone fiber that support dense macro/small-cell deployment. Backhaul thins outside the metro, constraining rural 5G densification compared with the Willamette Valley’s continuous fiber routes.
• Known weak spots: Coast Range and forested areas (e.g., Deadwood/Mapleton hills, segments between Veneta and Florence), the McKenzie River canyon east of Vida/Blue River, and higher-elevation areas near Oakridge/Westfir. These zones see greater fallback to low‑band LTE/5G or satellite for voice/data.
• Emergency hardening: Post–Holiday Farm Fire rebuild along the McKenzie has improved targeted sites and backhaul, but redundancy and power resilience remain uneven relative to the I‑5 corridor.

How Lane County differs from Oregon overall

• More polarized experience: Lane County combines a high-performing urban 5G core (Eugene–Springfield) with pronounced rural coverage gaps. Oregon statewide averages mask this spread; Lane’s urban–rural gradient is steeper than the state’s overall.
• Higher mobile-first share in the metro core: Student/renter concentration in Eugene lifts smartphone-only or smartphone-primary internet use above the statewide average, while rural dependence on voice/SMS and basic LTE is higher than typical for the state’s populous counties.
• Infrastructure asymmetry: Despite strong fiber in Eugene, the county’s rugged geography and federal lands limit tower density and mid-band 5G propagation outside the valley, yielding lower land-area 5G coverage than Oregon overall even as population coverage in the metro rivals state averages.
• Carrier mix: UScellular remains more relevant in rural Lane than in Portland-area counties, aiding voice coverage but with less mid-band 5G capacity than the big three in the metro.

Key takeaways

• Roughly 270,000 adults in Lane County use smartphones, and about 285,000 use a mobile phone of some kind.
• Usage skews mobile-first in Eugene–Springfield due to students and renters, while rural townships lean on lower-band coverage with variable capacity.
• Compared to Oregon overall, Lane County shows stronger mid-band 5G capacity where fiber is dense (urban core) and more persistent coverage gaps in forested and mountainous areas, creating a wider disparity between metro and rural mobile experience.

Lane County, OR social media snapshot (modeled 2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: ~390,000 (ACS 2023 estimate). Adults 18+: ~305,000.

Estimated social media users

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~80% of adults ≈ 244,000 users (based on Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult adoption applied to Lane County’s adult population).

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; local counts modeled from Pew 2024 rates)

• YouTube: 83% → ~253,000 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~207,000
• Instagram: 47% → ~143,000
• Pinterest: 34% → ~104,000
• TikTok: 33% → ~101,000
• Snapchat: 30% → ~92,000
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~92,000
• X (Twitter): 22% → ~67,000
• Reddit: 22% → ~67,000
• WhatsApp: 21% → ~64,000 Note: Users often maintain accounts on multiple platforms; counts are not mutually exclusive.

Age breakdown (share of adults who use any social media; Pew 2024 benchmarks)

• 18–29: 90%+ use social media (very high; dominated by YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat)
• 30–49: ~80%+ (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; growing TikTok use)
• 50–64: ~70% (Facebook, YouTube; strong Pinterest usage)
• 65+: ~50% (Facebook and YouTube lead; others much lower)

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media usage is near-parity by gender; Lane County’s social media audience is roughly half women, half men (mirroring the county’s population split).
• Platform skews seen nationally and reflected locally:
  • More women on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong Pinterest female skew.
  • More men on YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends in Lane County

• Video-first habits: YouTube is the go-to for how-to content, outdoor recreation planning (trails, cycling, fishing), and local news explainers.
• Facebook as the community hub: Heavy use of local groups for neighborhood updates, events, school/PTA info, buy–sell–trade, and emergency/wildfire updates.
• Youth and university effect (Eugene/UO): 18–24s cluster on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat for campus life, athletics (Ducks), nightlife, and food scene discovery; short-form video drives trends and local business discovery.
• Local news and civic engagement: Facebook groups, subreddit communities (e.g., Eugene-focused), and X are used for real-time traffic, housing, public safety, and policy chatter; Nextdoor is prominent for hyperlocal issues and preparedness.
• Shopping and recommendations: Facebook Marketplace is widely used; Pinterest influences home, garden, and DIY; Instagram/TikTok shape dining and experience choices.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn engagement from education, healthcare, government, and growing tech/clean-tech sectors; event promotion ties into university and nonprofit ecosystems.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023) for population base; Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024) for platform adoption by U.S. adults. Lane County figures are modeled by applying Pew’s adult adoption rates to the county’s adult population.