Columbia County

Key demographics — Columbia County, Pennsylvania

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates)

• Population

  • Total: 64,727 (2020 Census)

• Age

  • Median age: ~41 years (ACS)
  • Distribution (approx., ACS):
    • Under 18: ~18–19%
    • 18–24: ~14–15%
    • 25–44: ~24%
    • 45–64: ~25%
    • 65+: ~18–19%

• Gender (sex)

  • Female: ~50–51%
  • Male: ~49–50% (ACS)

• Race and ethnicity (2020 Census unless noted)

  • White alone (non-Hispanic): ~88–89%
  • Black or African American alone: ~4–5%
  • Asian alone: ~1.5–2%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%

• Households (ACS)

  • Total households: ~25,000–26,000
  • Average household size: ~2.3
  • Family households: ~15,000–16,000; average family size: ~2.9
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~68–70%

Columbia County, PA snapshot (estimates)

• Population ~64K; density ~130 people/sq. mile. Bloomsburg/Berwick corridor is the most connected; outlying rural townships face slower/wireless-only options.
• Email users: ~44K–50K residents. Method: apply typical home-internet adoption in PA (≈80–88% of households) and very high email use among internet users (≈90%+; Pew) to county population.
• Age distribution of email users (share using email):
  • 18–34: ~95%+ (college presence boosts uptake).
  • 35–64: ~90–95%.
  • 65+: ~75–85% (strong but slightly lower).
• Gender split: roughly even; men and women within a few percentage points of each other.
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband: commonly mid-80% of households; smartphone-only internet homes likely 10–15%.
  • Public access via Bloomsburg University, libraries, and municipal Wi‑Fi helps close gaps.
  • Mobile coverage and fixed broadband strongest along I‑80/Bloomsburg; speeds and reliability drop in sparsely populated areas, where DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite remain common.

Notes: Figures are derived from U.S. Census/ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns for PA counties and Pew Research on email ubiquity; use as planning estimates and validate with ACS S2801 and the FCC National Broadband Map for the latest block-level detail.

Mobile phone usage in Columbia County, Pennsylvania — summary and local-to-state contrasts

User estimates (orders of magnitude; 2024–2025 patterns applied to county demographics)

• Total mobile phone users: roughly 52,000–58,000 people on a typical day (county population ≈ mid‑60Ks; mobile adoption near national/state norms but tempered by rural areas and boosted by the university population in Bloomsburg).
• Smartphone users: about 85–92% of adults; closer to 95%+ among 18–44, lower among 65+.
• Mobile‑only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely on cellular): likely somewhat higher than the Pennsylvania average. Expect roughly mid‑teens to ~20% in student-heavy and more rural tracts versus low‑teens statewide.

Demographic breakdown (how usage skews locally)

• Age
  • 18–24 (university influence): near‑universal smartphone ownership; heavy reliance on unlimited or high‑cap plans and campus/downtown Wi‑Fi; higher mobile‑only rates among off‑campus renters.
  • 25–44: very high smartphone adoption; strong use of mobile for work comms, but more likely than students to also have fixed broadband.
  • 45–64: broadly high adoption, with a noticeable minority on basic/feature phones compared with urban counties.
  • 65+: adoption trails the state average; basic phones and pared‑down plans more common, especially in rural townships.
• Income and housing
  • Lower‑income renters and rural homeowners show higher dependence on mobile data as primary internet, driven by patchy fixed broadband options and price sensitivity.
  • Student renters skew toward prepaid/MVNO plans and heavy app‑based communications.
• Urban/rural split
  • Bloomsburg and the US‑11/I‑80 corridor: faster 5G and better indoor coverage; high app/streaming usage.
  • Outlying rural areas: more voice/SMS‑centric behavior where coverage or speeds drop; greater use of signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling.

Digital infrastructure points (what’s on the ground)

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE is broadly available, strongest along I‑80, US‑11, PA‑42/487 and town centers; pockets of weak signal remain in hilly/forested northern and western parts.
  • 5G
    • Low‑band 5G from all carriers covers most populated areas.
    • Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz, Verizon C‑band) is concentrated around Bloomsburg/Berwick corridors and along I‑80; rural mid‑band is spottier.
    • mmWave is minimal to nonexistent outside a few dense blocks, if present at all.
• Carriers and networks
  • Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile serve the county; AT&T’s FirstNet builds have improved some public‑safety corridors since 2018.
  • Tower density is lower than in Pennsylvania’s metro counties; many sites are co‑located on ridgelines/rights‑of‑way, which creates valley and hollow dead zones.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Strong fiber routes along I‑80 and utility corridors support macro sites and town centers.
  • Cable/fiber ISPs serve towns (e.g., Bloomsburg area), while DSL or fixed wireless remains common in rural stretches; ongoing state/federal grant work (e.g., BEAD/RDOF) is expanding fiber to unserved areas.
• Public Wi‑Fi/use patterns
  • University and municipal hotspots offload substantial student traffic; downtown Bloomsburg sees semester‑driven demand spikes.

How Columbia County differs from Pennsylvania overall

• Higher mobile‑only internet reliance than the state average, driven by:
  • A sizable student population in Bloomsburg using mobile as primary connectivity.
  • Rural tracts where fixed broadband choices are limited or costly.
• More pronounced coverage variability: town-and-corridor areas approach state‑average speeds, while wooded/mountainous zones lag with more dead spots and indoor coverage issues (older brick structures downtown can further attenuate signals).
• Plan mix skews slightly more toward prepaid/MVNO and unlimited data among younger renters; slightly more basic/feature‑phone usage among seniors than in metro counties.
• Temporal traffic swings tied to the academic calendar (move‑in, finals, events) are stronger than in most PA counties, affecting sector congestion in and around Bloomsburg.

Notes for planning and validation

• For precise figures, check the latest ACS 5‑year table S2801 (device and internet subscription by county) and FCC Broadband Data Collection maps for unserved blocks and carrier footprints; supplement with carrier coverage maps/drive tests along I‑80, US‑11, and rural townships.

Below is a concise, planning-ready snapshot. Because platform-by-platform counts are rarely published at the county level, the figures are estimates: I applied recent U.S. adult usage rates (Pew Research Center, 2024) to Columbia County’s adult population and layered on local context (Bloomsburg University, rural/suburban mix). Treat as directional, not exact.

County size and baseline

• Population: ~64,700; adults (18+): ~52,000
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Note: Counts below reflect “adults who use the platform at all” (Pew’s “ever use”). Monthly actives will be somewhat lower.

Estimated adult users by platform (most-used)

• YouTube: 83% → ~43,200 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~35,400
• Instagram: 47% → ~24,400
• Pinterest: 35% → ~18,200
• TikTok: 33% → ~17,200
• Snapchat: 30% → ~15,600
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~15,600
• X/Twitter: 22% → ~11,400
• Reddit: 22% → ~11,400
• WhatsApp: 21% → ~10,900 Notes: Nextdoor is present but smaller; local Facebook Groups often fill the “neighborhood” role in rural PA.

Age-group usage patterns (what this likely means locally)

• 18–29 (boosted by Bloomsburg University): Very high on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; modest on Facebook; Reddit/X pockets among hobby/gaming/news followers.
• 30–49: Multi-platform; Facebook and Instagram heavy, YouTube ubiquitous; TikTok/Reels growing; LinkedIn usage among professionals/educators/healthcare.
• 50–64: Facebook + YouTube dominant; Pinterest strong (home, recipes, crafts); Instagram moderate; TikTok selective.
• 65+: Facebook is the hub (news, groups, events); YouTube for how-to and streaming on TV devices; lighter use of Instagram; minimal TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender skews to expect

• Women: Higher Facebook and Pinterest engagement; strong use of local Facebook Groups, events, Marketplace.
• Men: Higher Reddit and X/Twitter; very high YouTube; Facebook still widely used.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is near-universal among Facebook users; Snapchat DMs dominate among 18–24.

Behavioral trends in Columbia County

• Facebook as the community backbone: Heavy use of Groups (townships, schools, volunteer fire departments, buy/sell/trade), Marketplace, local event discovery. The Bloomsburg Fair and school sports drive seasonal spikes.
• College-town microclimate (Bloomsburg): During semesters, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok activity increases in/around the borough; Reels/TikTok cross-posting is common for local eateries, bars, and campus orgs.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is ubiquitous across ages; connected-TV viewing (YouTube on smart TVs) is rising for how-tos, local sports highlights, and news/weather.
• Shopping and services: Facebook/Instagram for local business discovery; Marketplace for used goods; Pinterest for home/crafts projects.
• News and alerts: Facebook Groups/pages and X/Twitter see bursts during severe weather, road closures, and high-school/college sports news.
• Timing: Engagement tends to peak evenings (7–10 pm) and around lunch (11:30 am–1 pm). Weekend mornings see Marketplace browsing; student activity peaks later at night during semesters.
• Rural connectivity: Mobile-first behavior is common; short, captioned video and vertical formats perform best; posts with clear local relevance (places, faces, events) outperform generic creative.

How to use this

• For reach planning, start with YouTube and Facebook as coverage drivers, layer Instagram/TikTok for under-35 reach, and use Pinterest/LinkedIn for targeted segments.
• Lean on Facebook Groups/Events and short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) for engagement.
• Localize creative: mention Bloomsburg, township names, the Fair, school teams; use UGC-style video and clear calls to action.

Sources and method

• Adult population from recent ACS/Census estimates; platform rates from Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024). Local counts are estimates = national adult usage rates applied to ~52,000 Columbia County adults.