Warren County

Warren County, Pennsylvania — key demographics

Population size

• 38,587 residents (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: about 47 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~19–20%
• 18 to 64: ~57–58%
• 65 and over: ~23–24%

Gender

• Female: ~49–50%
• Male: ~50–51%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~94%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–2%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.5%
• Asian: ~0.4–0.6%
• Two or more races: ~3%

Households and housing

• Households: ~16.5k (ACS 2018–2022)
• Persons per household: ~2.26
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple households ~45–48%
• Households with children under 18: ~24–26%
• Nonfamily households: ~40%; living alone ~33–34%; age 65+ living alone ~14–15%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78%; renter-occupied ~22%

Insights

• Small, aging population with a high share of older adults relative to the U.S.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White.
• High owner-occupancy and smaller household sizes typical of rural Pennsylvania counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (figures rounded; ACS values subject to sampling error).

Email usage in Warren County, PA (pop. ~38,000):

• Estimated adult email users: ~27,700 of ~30,000 adults (applying Pew 2023 U.S. adult email adoption to ACS population).
• Age (email users): 18–34 ~7,000 (25%); 35–64 ~14,100 (51%); 65+ ~6,600 (24%).
• Gender (email users): male ~14,100 (51%); female ~13,600 (49%), reflecting near‑parity in adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• ~84% of households subscribe to broadband and ~89% have a computer (ACS 2022), supporting regular email use.
• Adoption and speeds have risen since 2019, but affordability and last‑mile gaps still depress usage among some low‑income and senior households.
• Access is strongest in and around the City of Warren and along the US‑6 corridor; outlying townships rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite, which constrains high‑frequency email use.

Local density/connectivity context:

• Population density is ~44 people per square mile versus ~290 statewide, underscoring a rural, heavily forested county (Allegheny National Forest) where terrain and tree cover create cellular dead zones and limit peak speeds in valleys.

Sources: ACS 2022 (population, devices, broadband subscriptions); Pew Research 2023 (adult email adoption by age).

Mobile phone usage in Warren County, Pennsylvania (2024–2025 snapshot)

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~38,000 residents; ~16,500 households (U.S. Census/ACS 2023).
• Mobile phone users (any cellphone): ~29,000–30,000 adults (roughly 94–96% of adults), closely tracking national ownership but slightly below Pennsylvania’s urbanized counties (Pew Research).
• Smartphone users: ~26,000–27,000 adults (about 82–87% of adults). This runs several points lower than the statewide average (roughly 89–91%) owing to the county’s older age structure and rural settlement pattern.
• Mobile-only internet households: 2,400–2,900 households (about 14–18% of households) rely on cellular data as their primary or only home internet, notably higher than the statewide share (9–11%) based on ACS S2801 patterns for rural Pennsylvania.
• Households with no home internet subscription: ~2,600–3,000 (about 16–18%), exceeding the Pennsylvania average (roughly 11–13%). Where fixed broadband is limited or expensive, residents lean more on mobile service for core connectivity.

Demographic profile and how it shapes usage

• Age: Warren County skews older (median age in the upper 40s; 65+ around one-quarter of residents versus under one-fifth statewide). Smartphone adoption among older adults remains lower than younger cohorts, keeping overall smartphone penetration several points below the state. Basic/feature-phone use is measurably higher among seniors than the Pennsylvania average.
• Income and education: Median household income and bachelor’s attainment trail state averages. In similar rural Pennsylvania counties, this correlates with a higher incidence of smartphone-only connectivity and prepaid mobile plans. Warren County shows the same pattern: more residents depend on mobile data in lieu of wired broadband than the state overall.
• Geography: City of Warren/North Warren and corridor communities exhibit higher 5G use and app-driven behaviors (banking, telehealth, streaming). Sparsely populated townships and forested areas record more voice/SMS reliance and intermittent data use due to coverage and capacity constraints.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available in and between population centers, but terrain-driven dead zones persist in valleys and forested tracts of the Allegheny National Forest. Operator-reported mid-band 5G population coverage in the county is best described as partial (roughly half the population), compared with substantially broader mid-band 5G coverage statewide (about three-quarters or more of residents).
• Capacity and speeds: In the City of Warren/North Warren and along U.S. 6/62, typical user-experienced mobile downloads on 5G often range 40–150 Mbps during off-peak hours; in fringe/rural areas, LTE frequently dips below 10–25 Mbps with uplink constraints. Median mobile speeds trail Pennsylvania’s statewide median by a sizable margin, reflecting sparser tower density and more microwave backhaul dependence.
• Providers and build trends: National carriers (AT&T/FirstNet, Verizon, T-Mobile) anchor service. Mid-band 5G deployments have expanded along primary corridors since 2022, but in-building coverage and deep rural capacity lag urban Pennsylvania. Fixed broadband is a patchwork: cable and some fiber in boroughs; legacy DSL and fixed wireless in outlying areas. This mix drives higher smartphone-only and mobile-first behavior than the state norm.
• Public-safety and resilience: FirstNet improvements have bolstered emergency coverage, yet weather and power resiliency challenges in remote sites can still reduce capacity during peak or outage events compared with urban areas.

How Warren County differs from Pennsylvania overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: Countywide adult smartphone adoption is typically 3–6 percentage points below the statewide rate, largely due to an older population and rural settlement.
• Higher mobile-only dependence: Smartphone-only/home mobile data reliance is several points higher than Pennsylvania overall (approximately mid-teens share of households versus about one in ten statewide).
• Slower typical speeds and less mid-band 5G: User-experienced speeds and mid-band 5G population coverage lag state averages; coverage is strong along main corridors but drops off faster with distance and terrain.
• Greater persistence of voice/SMS and basic phones: A larger slice of residents—particularly older and fixed-income—maintain basic/feature phones or treat mobile primarily as a voice/SMS lifeline, a pattern less common in the state’s metros.
• Prepaid and cost-sensitive usage: Prepaid and budget MVNO plans command a larger share than in Pennsylvania’s urban counties, reflecting income and fixed-broadband availability differences.

Bottom line

• Warren County exhibits near-universal cellphone use but meaningfully lower smartphone saturation and higher mobile-only reliance than Pennsylvania overall. Coverage is reliable in towns and along major roads, yet geography and sparser infrastructure depress speeds and 5G depth versus state norms. Demographics (older age, lower incomes) and the fixed-broadband footprint make mobile service a primary on-ramp to the internet for more households than elsewhere in the state.

Notes on sources and method

• Population/households: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023.
• Device ownership benchmarks: Pew Research Center mobile device adoption (2023–2024).
• Household internet types and smartphone-only reliance: ACS S2801 (5-year estimates for Pennsylvania counties).
• Coverage and technology mix: FCC Broadband Data Collection (2024) and carrier-reported 5G footprints; performance ranges reflect rural Pennsylvania speed-test patterns. Counts are rounded estimates integrating these datasets.

Social media usage in Warren County, Pennsylvania (2024–2025)

Baseline

• Population: 38,587 (2020 U.S. Census). Adults (18+): ~30,000.
• County profile: Older and rural-leaning age mix (roughly one-quarter of residents are 65+), which tilts usage toward Facebook and YouTube and away from youth-focused apps.

Most‑used platforms (share of U.S. adults; Pew Research Center, 2024) — used here to model local reach

• YouTube ~83%
• Facebook ~68%
• Instagram ~47%
• Pinterest ~35%
• TikTok ~33%
• Snapchat ~30%
• LinkedIn ~30%
• WhatsApp ~29%
• X (Twitter) ~22%
• Reddit ~22%

Modeled local audience estimates (adults 18+, Warren County)

• Method: Applied Pew’s U.S. adoption rates to the county’s ~30k adult population, then adjusted slightly for the county’s older age profile. Treat as directional planning figures, not a headcount of registered accounts.
• YouTube: ~21,000–24,000 adults
• Facebook: ~18,000–21,000
• Instagram: ~12,000–14,000
• TikTok: ~9,000–11,000
• Snapchat: ~8,000–10,000
• Pinterest: ~10,000–12,000
• LinkedIn: ~7,000–9,000
• WhatsApp: ~8,000–9,000
• X (Twitter): ~6,000–7,000
• Reddit: ~6,000–7,000

Age‑group patterns (local implications, based on national usage patterns)

• Teens/18–29: Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube is universal. Facebook is secondary for this group.
• 30–49: Uses a broad mix (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; TikTok/Reels growing). Messaging via Messenger/Snapchat/WhatsApp.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram adoption moderate; TikTok/Reels used mainly for entertainment.
• 65+: Facebook is the anchor platform; YouTube used for how‑tos, news clips, local content; limited use of Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown (directional, mirroring national patterns)

• Women: Over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; strong in local Groups, Marketplace, school/sports/community content; Instagram engagement above average.
• Men: Over‑index on YouTube, Reddit, X; strong interest in how‑to, sports, outdoors, automotive; Facebook still widely used for local updates.
• Overall male/female user mix in the county is roughly even, tracking the adult population.

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Warren (rural PA) and applicable locally

• Facebook as the community hub: High participation in local Groups (township, schools, youth sports, churches, VFDs, hunting/fishing, buy‑sell‑trade). Marketplace is a major local commerce channel.
• Video first: YouTube for long‑form/how‑to and local meetings; short‑form video via Reels/Shorts/TikTok growing across all ages, especially for events highlights and “what’s happening this weekend.”
• Trust and engagement: Posts from known local institutions, small businesses, and community volunteers outperform national or generic content; photos of people/places and event announcements drive comments/shares.
• Timing: Peak activity evenings (roughly 7–10 pm) and early mornings; strong weekend engagement for events, sports, and church/community updates.
• Seasonality: Winter indoor months lift overall usage; fall hunting season and school‑sports calendars boost local content; summer fairs/festivals spike short‑form video.
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; Snapchat popular among teens/young adults; WhatsApp usage modest but present among certain friend/family networks.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn presence is smaller but useful for hospital/education/manufacturing hiring; job posts gain traction when cross‑posted to Facebook Groups.
• Platform attention: X and Reddit are niche but influential for regional sports, breaking news, and hobbyist communities; Nextdoor adoption in rural areas is patchier than suburban peers.

Sources and methodology

• Population: U.S. Census (2020).
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center, “Social Media Use in 2024.”
• County figures are modeled estimates using Pew’s adoption rates applied to Warren County’s adult population and adjusted for its older age profile.