Bradford County

Here’s a concise snapshot of Bradford County, Pennsylvania.

Population

• Total: 59,967 (2020 Decennial Census)
• Latest ACS estimate: about 59.4k (2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: about 45 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023, shares may not sum to 100 due to rounding)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~94%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2–3%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~0.7%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0.3%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~24,000
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~67% of households; married-couple families: ~51%
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Single-person households: ~27% (about 12% are 65+ living alone)
• Occupied housing: ~78% owner-occupied, ~22% renter-occupied

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population count) and 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (all other measures). Figures rounded for readability.

Bradford County, PA snapshot (estimates)

• Population and density: ~59,000 people; ~50–55 residents per square mile (rural).
• Estimated email users: ~42,000–45,000 adults (roughly 70–75% of total population), based on applying national email adoption rates to the county’s older-leaning age mix.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 18–29: ~18%
  • 30–49: ~32%
  • 50–64: ~28%
  • 65+: ~22%
• Gender split among email users: approximately even (near 50/50).

Digital access and trends

• Internet subscription: ~84–87% of households have an internet subscription; ~70–75% have wireline broadband, with ~10–15% relying on cellular or satellite only. Smartphone‑only access ~10–12%.
• Trends: Growing fiber availability from rural electric co‑op builds and grant‑funded projects; continued decline of legacy DSL. Email access is stable to rising on mobile, especially in outlying townships.
• Connectivity geography: Better fixed broadband in and around the Athens–Sayre–Towanda corridor; more gaps and slower speeds in hilly, low‑density areas.
• Local efforts: Tri‑County Rural Electric Cooperative’s Tri‑Co Connections has been building fiber in parts of Bradford since 2018; additional Pennsylvania BEAD/ARPA projects are scheduled through mid‑decade.
• Mobile: 4G/5G coverage is strongest along major roads and valleys; indoor coverage can be spotty in remote areas.

Below is a concise, estimate-driven snapshot of mobile phone use in Bradford County, PA, with emphasis on how local patterns diverge from statewide trends. Figures are modeled from recent Census/ACS population, rural adoption research (e.g., Pew/NHIS), and typical rural network footprints in Northern Pennsylvania; treat numbers as directional estimates rather than official counts.

Headline estimates (county)

• Population baseline: ~59–60k residents; ~46–48k adults (18+); ~23–24k households.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile): ~44–46k adults (≈92–96% of adults).
• Smartphone users: ~38–41k adults (≈82–86% of adults). This is moderately lower than Pennsylvania’s overall rate (typically closer to upper-80s to ~90%).
• Wireless-only households (no landline): a majority, but likely a smaller share than the state. Estimate ~60–68% in Bradford vs ~70%+ statewide.
• Prepaid/MVNO use: meaningfully higher than statewide. Estimate ~28–35% of mobile lines vs ~18–22% in Pennsylvania overall.

How Bradford differs from Pennsylvania

• Older, more rural user base: A larger 65+ share depresses smartphone penetration and app-centric usage relative to statewide urban/suburban counties.
• More prepaid and Android: Budget sensitivity and rural retail footprints tilt usage toward prepaid/MVNO plans and Android devices; iOS share is likely lower than in metro PA.
• Coverage-led carrier choice: Users cluster on the carrier with the strongest rural footprint; single-carrier households are more common than in metro areas that mix carriers.
• Heavier reliance on mobile for home internet: Due to patchy wired broadband, households are more likely than the state average to use mobile hotspots or fixed wireless access (FWA) as primary or backup internet.
• 5G lag in practice: Even where 5G low-band is present, mid-band/high-capacity 5G is sparse, so day-to-day experience remains LTE-centric more than in Pennsylvania’s metro counties.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–34: Smartphone ownership ≈95%+; heavy app/social/video use similar to statewide.
  • 35–64: High smartphone ownership (~88–92%) but with more plan/price sensitivity and pragmatic app use (navigation, ag/weather, banking).
  • 65+: Lower smartphone ownership (~65–75%); higher incidence of basic/feature phones and text/voice-first behavior than statewide.
• Income/household factors:
  • Greater use of prepaid/MVNO among lower-income households and among those without reliable cable/fiber at home.
  • Higher incidence of data-conserving habits (Wi‑Fi offload in town, SD video, messaging over calling).
• Work profile:
  • Agriculture, energy, logistics, and outdoor trades value coverage and battery life over premium devices; external antennas/boosters are more common than in metro PA.
  • Cross-border employment and errands near Sayre/Athens lead to occasional roaming and network selection influenced by NY-side coverage.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Coverage pattern: Stronger service along US‑6, US‑220, river valleys, and town centers (Towanda, Sayre, Athens, Troy). Hilly terrain creates dead zones on township/back roads.
• 5G availability: Predominantly low-band (DSS) along main corridors; limited mid-band buildouts concentrated around population clusters. Net effect: LTE remains the performance baseline.
• Tower density and backhaul: Fewer macro sites per square mile than state average; microwave backhaul still in use on some rural links, constraining capacity compared with fiber‑fed sites in metro PA.
• Home broadband context: Cable/fiber availability is uneven outside boroughs. This drives:
  • Higher adoption of mobile hotspots and carrier FWA than the state average.
  • Peaks in mobile data use for schoolwork, telehealth, and streaming during evening hours.
• Public safety and resilience: Rural emergency services prioritize coverage and interoperability; adoption of dedicated public-safety LTE (e.g., FirstNet) infrastructure is present but spotty compared with urban counties.
• Funding/expansion environment: Federal/state broadband programs (e.g., BEAD) target Northern Tier gaps; as fiber backhaul expands to unserved locations, expect incremental improvements in 4G/5G capacity and reliability over the next 2–3 years.

Usage implications and trends to watch

• Gradual rise in senior smartphone adoption as devices/plans get cheaper and telehealth expands.
• Continued growth in FWA and “mobile-as-primary” home internet until cable/fiber fills rural gaps.
• Slow but steady enhancement of mid-band 5G near population centers; capacity relief will arrive unevenly across townships.
• Persistent Android/prepaid tilt and conservative data use patterns compared with statewide urban counties.

Bradford County, PA — Social media snapshot (short, data-informed)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈59–60k (ACS 2023). Adults (18+): ≈46–47k.

Estimated social media users

• Total users: ≈38k–42k residents (about 65–70% of total population). Rationale: U.S. social media penetration ~70%+, with rural areas a bit lower; applied to a predominantly rural county.

Age mix (who’s using it)

• Teens (13–17): very high adoption (≈90%+), but a smaller share of the population.
• 18–29: ≈90%+ use social media.
• 30–49: ≈80%.
• 50–64: ≈65–70%.
• 65+: ≈45–50%. Note: Age figures reflect national patterns; rural areas skew slightly lower among 50+.

Gender breakdown

• County population is roughly even by sex; the active user base likely mirrors that. Platform skews: Facebook and Pinterest lean female; Reddit and X (Twitter) lean male; Instagram and TikTok skew younger more than by gender.

Most-used platforms (percent of U.S. adults; a practical proxy for local reach in rural counties)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~30% (often lower in rural/blue-collar areas)
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~22% Local nuance: Facebook’s share among 35+ is typically higher than Instagram/TikTok; Nextdoor has limited presence in low-density areas.

Behavioral trends observed in rural PA (and consistent with Bradford County pages/groups)

• Community hub behavior: Facebook groups/pages for townships, fire/EMS, schools, youth sports; spikes during storms, road closures, and school announcements.
• Marketplace-first commerce: Heavy use of Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups; strong preference for local pickup within ~10–30 miles.
• Visual/how-to consumption: YouTube for DIY home/auto repair, small engines, farming, hunting/fishing; TikTok/Shorts for quick tips among under-35.
• Messaging over posting: Many residents are “readers/sharers” more than original posters; coordination via Facebook Messenger and Snapchat is common.
• Local business presence: Restaurants, contractors, salons rely on Facebook/Instagram for updates; events via Facebook Events; reviews on Facebook and Google.
• Youth patterns: Teens favor Snapchat and TikTok; Instagram for friends/sports; Facebook mainly for events/teams and family.
• Connectivity shapes use: Mobile-first habits due to patchy fixed broadband; shorter videos, evening/weekend peaks.
• Trust/word-of-mouth: Recommendations in local groups matter; user photos of meals, projects, trail/road conditions drive engagement.

How to refine locally (quick tips)

• Use Facebook Ads Manager’s “Estimated Audience Size” for Bradford County to validate platform reach.
• Sample top local Facebook groups/pages for follower counts and engagement.
• Check school district, county emergency services, and fair/festival pages for peak-times and content patterns.

Sources and notes

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.
• Platform adoption and age patterns: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024.
• Rural vs. urban usage gap and mobile reliance: Pew Research Center; FCC broadband context.
• County-specific platform percentages are not officially published; figures above are best-available estimates using national/rural benchmarks applied to Bradford County’s demographics.