Wasatch County

Wasatch County, Utah — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: ~42,000 (2023 Census Bureau estimate; fast-growing county)

Age

• Median age: ~33
• Under 18: ~30%
• 18 to 64: ~58–59%
• 65 and over: ~11–12%

Sex

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50%

Race/ethnicity (Hispanic is an ethnicity; values sum to ~100%)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~80–82%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~15–17%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: ~0.6–0.8%
• Black/African American: ~0.4–0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.2%

Households

• Total households: ~13,000–14,000 (ACS 2019–2023)
• Average household size: ~3.3 persons
• Family households: ~75–78% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~45–47%
• Homeownership rate: ~75–80%

Insights

• One of Utah’s faster-growing counties, with a young, family-oriented population and a sizable Hispanic community alongside a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) majority.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2023) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

• Scope: Wasatch County, Utah (≈41,000 residents; ≈1,200 sq mi; ≈34 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈26,500 adults. Basis: ≈28,800 adults (≈70% of population) × ≈92% adult email use.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate counts):
  • 18–34: ≈33% (≈8,700)
  • 35–54: ≈34% (≈9,000)
  • 55–64: ≈17% (≈4,500)
  • 65+: ≈16% (≈4,300)
• Gender split among email users: near parity (≈50% female, ≈50% male), mirroring the county’s balanced population.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ≈95% of households have a broadband subscription; fixed 25/3 Mbps access covers the vast majority of residents in the Heber Valley population centers.
  • Gigabit cable/fiber is widely available in Heber City–Midway; rural outskirts more often rely on DSL or fixed wireless with lower throughput.
  • 5G service covers primary corridors and towns; smartphone adoption is very high, sustaining frequent mobile email use.
  • Post‑2020 remote/hybrid work and digital services have entrenched daily email reliance across working-age adults; seniors remain lower but steadily increasing adopters.
• Connectivity context: Population is concentrated in the Heber Valley, enabling dense last‑mile infrastructure, while mountainous terrain and public lands create sparse, costlier builds in peripheral areas.

Mobile phone usage in Wasatch County, Utah — summary (2023–2024)

Overall usage and adoption

• Population baseline: ~42,000 residents (2023 estimate). Households: ~12,800.
• Mobile phone users: ~38,000 residents (≈90% of the population).
• Smartphone users: ~35,500 (≈93% of mobile users; ≈85% of residents).
• Cellular-only home internet: ~2,200 households (≈17% of households) rely primarily on a mobile data plan for home internet, a higher share than the statewide average (≈12%), reflecting exurban growth areas where wired options are limited or under construction.

Demographic breakdown of mobile users

• Age
  • 13–24: ≈20% of users; near-ubiquitous smartphone use among high-school and college-age residents.
  • 25–44: ≈38% of users; essentially universal smartphone adoption (>98%).
  • 45–64: ≈27% of users; smartphone adoption in the mid-90% range.
  • 65+: ≈15% of users; smartphone adoption ≈88–90%, higher than typical rural counties due to higher incomes and education levels.
• Income and education
  • Upper-income households show near-universal smartphone adoption (>98%) and higher multi-line plans; lower-income households remain highly connected (>90%) but are more likely to be cellular-only for home internet.
  • Higher educational attainment in the county correlates with earlier uptake of 5G-capable devices and heavier use of mobile productivity apps.
• Household structure
  • Larger family sizes (above state average) translate to higher per-household line counts and earlier adoption of phones among teens (especially 13–17).

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and 5G
  • Broad 4G/5G coverage across Heber City, Midway, and the US‑40/US‑189 corridors. Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile “UC” and Verizon C‑Band) is active in the Heber Valley, delivering multi‑hundred‑Mbps performance in-town.
  • Coverage remains patchier in canyons and around parts of Jordanelle; service degrades on mountain roads and in backcountry areas common for recreation.
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is present along primary corridors, improving public-safety reliability and spillover capacity for commercial users during incidents.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Ongoing fiber buildouts (e.g., UTOPIA Fiber in Heber City; All West fiber footprints; incumbent telco upgrades) are expanding high-capacity backhaul that directly benefits 5G site capacity and consistency.
  • Fixed wireless ISPs (e.g., Utah Broadband, Rise) are widely used on hilltops/ridges and continue to serve growth areas pending fiber completion.
• Seasonal load patterns
  • Tourism and second-home traffic produce pronounced weekend and seasonal peaks (winter sports, summer lake use), with observable congestion around events and holiday periods, particularly on US‑40/189 and near resort-adjacent developments.

How Wasatch County differs from statewide Utah trends

• Higher cellular-only home internet reliance: ~17% of households vs ~12% statewide, driven by rapid residential growth at the edges of existing cable/DSL footprints.
• More consistent mid‑band 5G availability in population centers than many rural counties, aided by proximity to the Wasatch Front and ongoing fiber backhaul investments.
• Seasonal surges and commuter flows create sharper time-of-day and day-of-week demand spikes than the statewide norm, influencing radio capacity and quality-of-service planning.
• Slightly older median age than the Utah average but higher incomes and education levels lift senior smartphone adoption above typical rural Utah rates.
• Device turnover to 5G-capable phones appears faster than rural-state averages due to income and work-from-home/commute flexibility, which increases mobile hotspot use and multi-line family plans.

Key takeaways

• Mobile adoption is effectively universal among working-age adults, and smartphone penetration countywide is very high.
• Wasatch’s growth, resort/second-home profile, and outdoor recreation create infrastructure stress patterns that differ from the state average, with stronger in-town 5G capacity but more pronounced edge/canyon gaps.
• Fiber backhaul expansion is the single most important near-term lever improving mobile performance; as builds complete, expect steadier 5G mid‑band speeds and reduced event-driven congestion in Heber and Midway.

Wasatch County, Utah: Social media snapshot (2024)

How this was built

• Definitive local demographics are from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS/QuickFacts). Platform usage rates are from Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use study; localized figures below apply those benchmark rates to the county’s age/gender profile to produce practical, directionally accurate estimates for Wasatch County.

Population and user base

• Population: approximately low-40,000s (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimate; fast-growing county in Utah’s Wasatch Back).
• Internet access: Utah households have high broadband adoption; Wasatch County is comparably high, enabling near–statewide social media access.
• Share of adults using at least one social platform: ≈70–75% (benchmarking Pew’s national “any social media” rate to Utah’s high-connectivity context).

Age and gender profile (local)

• Age mix: Skews young relative to the U.S. Roughly:
  • Under 18: about 30%
  • 18–29: about 14–16%
  • 30–49: about 32–36%
  • 50–64: about 10–12%
  • 65+: about 10–12%
• Gender: roughly even split (about 49–50% female, 50–51% male).

Most-used platforms (percent of adults; Pew 2024 national benchmarks, which closely reflect likely local usage)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Reddit: ~22%
• X (Twitter): mid–20%s
• WhatsApp: low–20%s Local tilt: Given Wasatch County’s younger skew and family orientation, expect Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to run a few points above U.S. averages among under-35s; Facebook remains dominant for 30+ and for community groups/marketplace.

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Wasatch (and supported by Utah usage patterns)

• Community and family hubs: Facebook Groups and Messenger for schools, youth sports, church/community coordination, lost-and-found, and local alerts; Facebook Marketplace for person-to-person sales.
• Visual discovery and local business marketing: Instagram Reels and Stories for restaurants, outfitters, real estate, home services; Pinterest for home/DIY, events, outdoor lifestyle planning.
• Youth communication: Snapchat as the default chat and Stories platform for teens and young adults; TikTok for entertainment, trends, and local “things to do.”
• Outdoor and seasonal content: Spikes in ski/board, fishing, boating, and trail content; short-form video performs best for tourism and weekend planning.
• Event-driven peaks: High engagement around school-year calendars, fairs, holidays, weather events, and seasonal road/trail conditions.
• Professional and in-commuter use: LinkedIn adoption present among professionals commuting to Utah/Summit/Utah County tech and healthcare corridors; employer-brand and hiring posts see solid traction.
• Local news and alerts: Facebook Pages/Groups and Instagram posts from city/county offices, first responders, and school districts outperform X for reach; X remains niche for real-time updates among power users.

Age-specific usage highlights (localized from Pew)

• Under 30: Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat lead; YouTube is near-universal. Facebook usage lags but is still used for groups/events.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram strong; TikTok growing for parents and creators; Marketplace usage is high.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube primary; Pinterest and LinkedIn moderate; TikTok/Instagram use increasing via Reels/shorts.
• 65+: Facebook first, YouTube second; other platforms low but rising, especially for family content.

Gender patterns (localized from Pew)

• Women: Higher use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong engagement with community groups, parenting/education, home and lifestyle content.
• Men: Higher use of Reddit and X; YouTube strong across both; tech/outdoors and local sports content over-index.

Key takeaways for Wasatch County

• Reach: Expect roughly three-quarters of adults to be reachable on at least one platform, with YouTube and Facebook providing the widest coverage.
• Activation mix: For broad local reach use Facebook + Instagram; add TikTok and Snapchat for under-35 reach; lean on YouTube for video discovery and durable search.
• Format: Short-form vertical video drives outsized engagement for events, recreation, and local business showcases; Facebook Groups/Marketplace remain conversion workhorses for community and local commerce.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey/QuickFacts (Wasatch County, UT; latest available)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption by site and by age/gender)