Brazoria County

Which reference year would you like? I can provide the latest ACS 2023 1-year estimates (current, modeled) or 2020 Census counts (fixed baseline).

Brazoria County, TX (pop. ≈380k) is a high-connectivity suburban county in the Houston metro. Email usage is widespread:

• Estimated email users: ~300k–330k residents (≈80–85% of the population), based on near‑universal email among internet users and high local internet adoption.
• Age distribution (approx.): 18–49: 95%+ use email; 50–64: ~90%; 65+: ~75–85%. Teens also have high email access via school accounts.
• Gender split: ~50/50; minor differences by age group only.

Digital access and trends:

• Roughly 9 in 10 households have a home broadband subscription; computer ownership is mid‑90% range. Smartphone‑only internet access is common for a minority (~10–15% of households) and growing.
• Urbanized north (Pearland/SH‑288 corridor, Alvin, Lake Jackson/Angleton) has dense cable/fiber coverage and typical home speeds 100 Mbps+; southern/rural areas have more reliance on fixed wireless, satellite, or older DSL and face slower speeds/availability.
• Local density: ~230 people per square mile overall, with the majority concentrated in the northern suburbs—where connectivity is strongest.

Notes: Figures are estimates synthesized from U.S. adoption patterns and ACS/FCC-reported connectivity levels for similar Texas suburban counties.

Below is a county-level view built from publicly available indicators (ACS/Census population, Pew smartphone adoption, industry coverage reports) and local context. Figures are rounded estimates, useful for planning rather than compliance.

Headline user estimates (2024–2025)

• Population: roughly 380,000–400,000 residents.
• Unique mobile users: about 345,000–365,000 people (roughly 88–92% of total population, reflecting high adult and teen adoption and some uptake among children).
• Active mobile lines: about 430,000–500,000 (roughly 1.2–1.35 lines per user). Brazoria runs a bit higher than the Texas average on lines per user because many petrochemical, logistics, public-safety, and field-service workers carry employer devices in addition to personal phones.
• Smartphone-only internet households: slightly below the Texas average overall due to strong wireline availability in the north of the county, but with pockets at or above the state rate in portions of Angleton, Freeport/Clute, and rural tracts.

Demographic usage patterns

• Age
  • 13–24: near-universal smartphone ownership; heavy video/social use; strong 5G device mix in the north (Pearland/Manvel/Alvin).
  • 25–44: highest multi-line share (work + personal); heavy commuting drives daytime usage along SH 288.
  • 45–64: very high ownership; extensive navigation, messaging, and work apps.
  • 65+: smartphone ownership around 75–80% in Brazoria, a few points higher than Texas overall, linked to higher incomes and suburban healthcare/telehealth adoption in the north.
• Income and geography
  • North (Pearland/Manvel/Alvin): higher incomes, postpaid family plans, newer 5G phones, heavy use of bundled carrier add‑ons; lower smartphone‑only dependence due to fiber/cable broadband.
  • Central/south (Angleton/Lake Jackson/Clute/Freeport) and rural west/coastal: more prepaid/MVNO usage, older devices, and higher reliance on mobile data where wireline is weaker.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic residents (about one-third of the county) show elevated smartphone‑only internet reliance in specific tracts versus non‑Hispanic White and Asian households, but still a bit lower than the statewide Hispanic average because of suburban broadband in the north.
  • Black residents (low‑teens share) have strong 5G access in Pearland/Manvel corridors; mobile is a primary connection for entertainment and social platforms.
  • Asian residents (mid‑single‑digits share) cluster in higher‑income Pearland areas; high iPhone/postpaid share and strong fixed broadband adoption lead to lower smartphone‑only rates.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Coverage
  • All three national carriers provide countywide population coverage; strongest along SH 288, SH 35, SH 36, and SH 6, and in Pearland, Alvin, Angleton, Lake Jackson, and Freeport.
  • Coverage thinning and dead zones occur in wetlands/wildlife refuge areas and some coastal strips (Surfside Beach/Quintana), especially indoors or during peak tourist periods.
• 5G availability and performance
  • Mid‑band 5G is widespread in the north/central cities and along SH 288; more patchy toward the coast and in sparsely populated tracts.
  • Typical outdoor user speeds: roughly 100–300 Mbps in well‑covered suburban zones; 10–50 Mbps in rural/coastal stretches or indoors in industrial facilities. Latency is generally better than rural Texas averages due to proximity to Houston core networks.
• Capacity and reliability
  • Network load spikes: weekday commuter peaks on SH 288; seasonal surges at beaches and during plant turnarounds at industrial sites.
  • Coastal hardening is a priority (backup power, redundant backhaul). Post‑Harvey/Uri investments have improved uptime compared with many inland counties.
• Backhaul and local assets
  • Dense fiber backhaul along SH 288 and major arterials supports macro sites and small cells in Pearland/Manvel; microwave and fewer fiber routes serve coastal/wetland areas.
  • Public safety uses FirstNet extensively; several petrochemical and port facilities employ private LTE/CBRS for operations, which helps keep some enterprise traffic off consumer networks.
• Home broadband interplay
  • Fiber and cable are broadly available in northern and central cities; rural pockets rely on fixed wireless or 5G home internet. This dampens mobile data dependence in the north versus the state average but leaves rural/coastal pockets more mobile‑reliant.

How Brazoria differs from Texas statewide trends

• Higher multi‑line penetration: Employer‑issued phones are more common due to the industrial base and field operations, pushing lines‑per‑user above the state average.
• Slightly higher senior smartphone adoption: Suburban income and healthcare access raise 65+ ownership a few points above Texas overall.
• Better 5G reach and speeds than rural Texas: Proximity to Houston core networks and dense backhaul yield above‑average 5G availability and performance, though still below inner‑metro Houston.
• Lower overall smartphone‑only household share than the state, but sharper intra‑county contrast: Northern suburbs skew toward fixed broadband; certain central/coastal tracts exceed the state’s smartphone‑only rate.
• Coastal resilience focus: Outage mitigation, backup power, and corrosion management are bigger planning factors than in many inland counties.
• Commuter‑driven usage pattern: Daytime demand concentrates along SH 288 and northward corridors, creating a pronounced weekday diurnal profile not seen in many Texas counties of similar size.

Planning implications

• Capacity additions and small cells yield the highest ROI along SH 288, in Pearland/Manvel growth areas, and near industrial hubs during turnaround seasons.
• Target affordability and device‑upgrade programs to central/southern tracts where prepaid and older devices are concentrated.
• Maintain coastal hardening and rapid‑deploy COWs/COLTs for storms and summer beach surges.
• Leverage private LTE/CBRS partnerships at ports/plants to segment enterprise traffic and preserve consumer QoS nearby.

Below is a concise, locally tuned snapshot. Figures are modeled by applying recent U.S. platform-usage rates (Pew Research 2023–2024) to Brazoria County’s population and age mix (ACS), so treat them as directional estimates.

Topline user stats (Brazoria County)

• Population: ~380,000
• Social media users (13+): ~230,000–260,000
• Adults (18+) using at least one platform: ~70–75%
• Daily use among users: roughly 60–70% check at least one platform daily

Age mix of the local social audience (approximate share of users)

• 13–17: ~10%
• 18–29: ~24%
• 30–49: ~40%
• 50–64: ~18%
• 65+: ~8%

Gender breakdown (users)

• ~52% female, ~48% male overall
• Skews: women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X

Most-used platforms (adults, county ≈ U.S. adult usage; teens differ)

• YouTube: ~80–85%
• Facebook: ~65–70%
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• TikTok: ~30–35% (much higher among 13–29)
• Snapchat: ~28–32% (especially 13–29)
• Pinterest: ~30–35% (major female skew)
• LinkedIn: ~28–32% (notably among engineers/technicians/managers)
• X (Twitter): ~20–25%
• Reddit: ~20–25%
• Nextdoor: ~15–20% (strong in suburban/HOA neighborhoods)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the local hub: school districts, city/county emergency pages, community groups (lost & found pets, garage sales, high school sports), and event discovery (Brazoria County Fair, markets). Many small businesses rely on FB Pages + Messenger for service.
• Short-form video rules attention: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for local food, fishing/boating, Surfside Beach, and weekend plans; creators often cross-post to Facebook.
• Neighborhood talk happens on Nextdoor and Facebook Groups; HOA, safety, and local services threads get heavy engagement.
• Messaging-first engagement: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are preferred contact channels; DMs often outperform phone/email for quick replies and support.
• Hispanic audiences (large locally) lean Facebook and WhatsApp; bilingual content and WhatsApp broadcast lists perform well.
• Work/life cadence: early-morning and evening peaks align with plant/shift schedules (Freeport/Lake Jackson/Angleton corridors); weekend spikes tied to outdoor and family activities.
• Jobs and training: Facebook Groups and LinkedIn are common for petrochemical, construction, logistics, and healthcare roles; practical, credential-focused posts outperform corporate branding.
• News and alerts: Residents follow local outlets and government on Facebook; X usage spikes during severe weather/hurricane season for real-time updates.
• Trust cues: Comments, shares in local groups, and creator endorsements heavily influence perceived credibility; UGC and before/after posts beat polished ads.

Notes on methodology

• Estimates are derived from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption by age, applied to Brazoria County’s ACS age/sex profile; teen rates draw on Pew’s 2023 teen report. Percentages reflect adult adoption; teen preferences skew more to YouTube/TikTok/Snapchat.