Lebanon County

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania — key demographics

Population

• 143,257 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~41.5 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~50.6%
• Male: ~49.4%

Race and ethnicity (Census/ACS; race alone unless noted)

• White alone: ~87%
• Black or African American alone: ~3–4%
• Asian alone: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0–1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~19–21%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~74%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~54,000–55,000
• Persons per household: ~2.6
• Family households: ~66–68% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~32–34%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72–74%
• Average family size: ~3.1

Key insights

• Stable population around 143k with a median age in the low 40s; about 1 in 5 residents are 65+.
• The county is majority White with a sizable and growing Hispanic/Latino community (~1 in 5 residents).
• Household structure is predominantly family-based, with moderate household size and a high owner-occupancy rate.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates; Census QuickFacts for Lebanon County, PA.

• Scope: Lebanon County, PA (pop. ≈144,000; area 362 sq mi; density ≈398 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈104,000 adults (≈92% of ~113,000 adults), reflecting near‑universal email use among internet‑connected adults.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29 ≈19%; 30–49 ≈32%; 50–64 ≈25%; 65+ ≈24% (email usage remains high even among seniors).
• Gender split: ≈51% female, 49% male among email users, mirroring the county’s population balance.
• Digital access and devices (households):
  • With a computer: ≈93%
  • Broadband internet subscription: ≈87%
  • Cellular‑data‑only internet: ≈12%
  • No home internet: ≈11%
  • Trend: broadband subscription up roughly 6 percentage points since 2016; smartphone‑only reliance has grown, concentrated among lower‑income and renter households.
• Connectivity context:
  • Cable broadband covers most populated areas (urban/suburban Lebanon corridor), supporting high email adoption; rural townships show more DSL/fixed‑wireless reliance, aligning with slightly lower subscription rates and higher no‑internet share.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, municipal sites) provides supplemental access that helps sustain email use among un/underserved households.

Bottom line: With high broadband/computer access and countywide mobile coverage, email usage in Lebanon County is widespread and demographically broad, with only a modest gap among rural and older residents.

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania: Mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

Population context

• Population: ~145,000; households: ~55,000; land area: 362 sq mi. A small metro anchored by the City of Lebanon with a substantial rural and agricultural footprint, plus military training lands near Fort Indiantown Gap.

User estimates

• Mobile phone users (people 13+ using any mobile phone): 115,000–120,000 (≈80–83% of total population).
• Smartphone users: 106,000–112,000 (≈73–77% of total population; ≈87–90% of residents age 13+).
• Active cellular lines (phones, tablets, watches, IoT): 165,000–175,000 (≈1.14–1.21 lines per resident, in line with national connection density).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband at home): 10,500–11,500 (≈19–21% of households), modestly higher than Pennsylvania overall (≈16–18%).
• Prepaid share: ≈28–32% of personal mobile lines, above the statewide mix (≈24–26%), reflecting lower median income outside the City of Lebanon’s core and more price-sensitive segments.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of adoption and usage)

• Age
  • 13–17: ~9,400 teens; ~95% smartphone adoption ⇒ ~8,900 users.
  • 18–29: ~20,000; ~97% adoption ⇒ ~19,500 users.
  • 30–49: ~38,000; ~96% adoption ⇒ ~36,000 users.
  • 50–64: ~29,000; ~90% adoption ⇒ ~26,000 users.
  • 65+: ~25,000; ~72–76% adoption ⇒ ~18,000–19,000 users.
  • Compared to PA: slightly older age structure pulls overall adoption a bit below the statewide average among adults, even though working-age cohorts are near parity with state rates.
• Income and education
  • Below-state median household income in several townships and the City of Lebanon corresponds to higher prepaid uptake and higher smartphone-only connectivity, especially among renters and single-parent households.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • A larger Hispanic/Latino community (countywide share in the mid-to-high teens, much higher in the City of Lebanon) relies heavily on smartphones for primary internet access and messaging apps; adoption in this group meets or exceeds the county average.
  • Small Plain-sect populations in rural east/central areas contribute to localized non-adoption or basic-phone usage, a pattern less visible in urban PA counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE: Near-universal coverage across populated corridors and town centers from all three nationwide carriers.
• 5G availability:
  • Low-band 5G covers most settled areas.
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz/C-band) is strongest around the City of Lebanon, Annville–Cleona, Palmyra/Campbelltown fringe, and along major corridors (US‑422/PA‑72; I‑78 at the county’s north). Outside these zones, mid-band footprints fragment quickly, and performance falls back to low-band 5G or LTE.
• Notable weak spots and variability:
  • Northern and northeastern townships (Swatara, Union, Cold Spring) and state gamelands/Blue Mountain ridge lines show sparser macro sites and more frequent fallbacks to LTE or legacy bands.
  • Fort Indiantown Gap training areas at the county line can create atypical coverage patterns and limit dense siting in certain directions.
• Fixed-wireless home internet (FWA):
  • 5G and 4G FWA options are available across much of the valley floor and town centers; uptake is growing faster than in fiber-rich PA metros, substituting for limited fiber/modern DSL in rural blocks.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) presence countywide; Wireless E911 with Phase II location is standard. Macro sites cluster along highways and population centers to support alerts and response.

How Lebanon County differs from Pennsylvania overall

• Slightly lower overall adult smartphone adoption due to older age mix and rural pockets, despite parity among working-age adults.
• Higher smartphone-only internet reliance (≈19–21% of households vs ≈16–18% statewide), driven by affordability, rental status, and limited fixed options outside boroughs.
• Higher prepaid share (≈28–32% vs ≈24–26% statewide), aligning with local income distribution and presence of MVNO/budget brands in retail channels.
• More pronounced urban–rural performance gap: strong mid-band 5G in and around the City of Lebanon and along US‑422/PA‑72, but quicker drop-off to low-band 5G/LTE north of the valley—contrast with larger PA metros where mid-band coverage is broader and denser.
• Infrastructure constraints unique to the county (training ranges, ridge lines, state lands) create localized dead zones not as common in southeastern PA suburbs.

Bottom-line insights

• The market supports ~110,000 smartphone users, with growth concentrated in Hispanic, renter, and budget-conscious segments more likely to be smartphone-only and prepaid.
• Capacity investments that extend mid-band 5G off the US‑422/PA‑72 spine toward northern townships will yield outsized service improvements versus state averages.
• Fixed wireless is an important substitute for wireline broadband in the county and is adopting faster than in better-fibered PA counties, reinforcing the smartphone-centric usage pattern.

Social media usage in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania (snapshot, 2025)

How this was built: County user counts are estimated by applying recent, nationally representative platform adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2024 for adults; Pew, 2023 for teens) to Lebanon County’s population profile from the 2020 Census/ACS. Percentages for platform use are Pew’s latest published figures; local counts are the implied Lebanon County reach.

User base size

• Total residents: ≈143,000
• Age 18+: ≈112,000; age 13–17: ≈9,300
• People using at least one social platform: ≈89,000 (≈80,000 adults + ≈9,000 teens)
  • Adults: ~72% of 18+ (Pew overall adult social media adoption)
  • Teens (13–17): ~95% (Pew)

Most-used platforms (adult adoption; implied Lebanon County adult reach)

• YouTube: 83% of adults → ≈93,000 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ≈76,000
• Instagram: 47% → ≈53,000
• TikTok: 33% → ≈37,000
• Snapchat: 30% → ≈34,000
• Pinterest: 35% → ≈39,000
• LinkedIn: 30% → ≈34,000
• X (Twitter): 22% → ≈25,000
• WhatsApp: 21% → ≈24,000
• Reddit: 22% → ≈25,000 Notes:
• Teen usage is higher on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram. Among Lebanon County’s ~9,300 teens, national usage rates imply roughly: YouTube ≈8,800; TikTok ≈6,200; Instagram ≈5,800; Snapchat ≈5,600; Facebook ≈3,000.

Age patterns (who uses what)

• 13–17: Very heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram is strong; Facebook is secondary.
• 18–29: Broad multi-platform use; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube lead; Snapchat active; Reddit/X for news/sports.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube anchor daily habits; Instagram growing; TikTok usage present but selective; WhatsApp used in friend/family groups.
• 50–64: Facebook is the primary network (Groups, Marketplace, local news); YouTube strong for how‑to and lifestyle.
• 65+: Facebook remains the default; YouTube used for tutorials, music, religion; lower adoption elsewhere.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base mirrors county population (≈51% women, 49% men).
• Platform skews (national patterns reflected locally):
  • Pinterest strongly female (about three-quarters of users are women).
  • Reddit majority male.
  • Facebook adopts slightly higher among women than men; Instagram is near-balanced; YouTube tilts slightly male.
  • Snapchat and TikTok lean slightly female in usage intensity.

Behavioral trends in Lebanon County

• Local-first behavior on Facebook: Community Groups (neighborhoods, schools, youth sports, yard sales), Marketplace, municipal and emergency updates drive daily engagement.
• Short‑form video everywhere: Reels and TikTok videos featuring local food, events (e.g., Lebanon Area Fair), high school sports, and small-business behind‑the‑scenes content perform reliably.
• Event- and season-driven spikes: Fairs, school calendars, holiday parades, and sports seasons boost Facebook and Instagram engagement; teens shift to Snapchat/TikTok during school breaks.
• Messaging layers: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp adoption is meaningful among the county’s sizable Hispanic/Latino community, supporting bilingual family and community group chats.
• Trust and recommendations: Facebook Groups and local Pages act as de facto review channels for trades, auto, healthcare, and home services; posts with photos of completed work and testimonials outperform plain text.
• Shopping discovery: Facebook Marketplace is a daily check-in; Instagram Shops and TikTok drive discovery for boutiques and food, but conversion often completes via Facebook or in-store.
• Timing: Engagement generally peaks evenings (7–10 p.m. ET), with secondary midday (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.) activity; Sunday evening is strong for community and events posts.

Key takeaways

• Plan around Facebook + YouTube as reach pillars for adults 30+, add Instagram for 18–44, and TikTok/Snapchat to reach under‑30s.
• Use Facebook Groups and local Pages for community reach, bilingual captions where relevant, and short-form video for discovery.
• For county‑wide campaigns, expect a reachable social audience on the order of 85,000–90,000 residents across platforms, with Facebook and YouTube delivering the broadest immediate scale.