Grand Isle County

Grand Isle County, Vermont — key demographics (most recent Census/ACS estimates)

Population

• Total population: ~7,600 (2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~50 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18 to 64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~25%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity

• White, non-Hispanic: ~95%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%
• Black/African American, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–1%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0.3–0.5%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,100
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons
• Family households: ~63% of households; married-couple families ~50%
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• One-person households: ~27%; living alone age 65+: ~12%
• Owner-occupied housing rate (of occupied units): mid-80% range
• Housing units: ~5,700–5,800; a large share are seasonal/recreational (roughly one-third or more), leading to elevated vacancy among total units

Insights

• Older age profile than state and national averages, with a quarter of residents 65+
• Predominantly White non-Hispanic population with small but present racial/ethnic diversity
• Small household sizes, high owner-occupancy among occupied units, and a substantial seasonal housing stock characterize the local housing market

Grand Isle County, VT snapshot

• Population ≈7,300; density ≈89 people/sq mi across five island towns linked by US‑2.
• Estimated email users: ~6,000 residents (≈82% of the population), reflecting Vermont’s high internet adoption and the near‑universal use of email among internet users.
• Age: Email adoption remains very high across adults: 18–29 ≈95%; 30–49 ≈95%; 50–64 ≈92%; 65+ ≈82%. Given the county’s older age mix, about 52% of adult email users are 50+.
• Gender split: Essentially parity; ≈51% female and ≈49% male among email users.
• Digital access trends: Household broadband subscription is mid‑80s percent and rising; smartphone‑only internet households are roughly 10–12%. The Northwest Fiberworx Communications Union District is expanding open‑access fiber, increasing gigabit availability and shrinking historically underserved pockets. Mobile coverage and public Wi‑Fi are strongest along the US‑2 corridor and in town centers.

Insights: Email is a near‑universal touchpoint for adults, including older residents. Ongoing fiber build‑out and generally high broadband subscription support strong deliverability, while the share of seniors and smartphone‑only users favors concise, mobile‑friendly campaigns and accessible design.

Grand Isle County, VT — Mobile phone usage summary (focus on how the county differs from statewide patterns)

Population and context

• Population: 7,293 (2020 Census). Roughly 3,000 households, with an unusually high share of seasonal/recreational housing (about four in ten units, ACS 5-year), which drives pronounced summer peaks in mobile demand.
• Age structure: The county is older than the Vermont average (median age is several years higher than the state), which moderates smartphone adoption among seniors relative to younger cohorts.

User estimates (people, not lines)

• Estimated smartphone users: about 5,300–5,700 residents on a typical non-peak month.
  • Basis: adult share of the population (ACS), combined with rural/older adult smartphone adoption rates (Pew Research, NHIS). Teen smartphone adoption is very high and makes a small additional contribution given the county’s age profile.
• Smartphone-only internet users: on the order of 900–1,100 residents rely primarily on a mobile device for internet access.
  • Basis: county households show a higher “smartphone only” share than the state average due to patchier wired broadband in parts of the islands.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of usage)

• Seniors (65+): Larger county share than statewide; smartphone adoption lags younger adults, but text/voice reliability and medical/emergency apps are prioritized. Device upgrade cycles are longer than the state average.
• Working-age commuters: Many residents commute to/from Chittenden County; mobile data use peaks along US‑2 during morning/evening periods, with heavier app-based navigation and streaming audio.
• Seasonal residents/visitors: Summer population inflow (campgrounds, lake homes, parks) produces short, high-capacity bursts in evenings and weekends, especially around South Hero, Grand Isle village, and Alburgh.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE from all three national carriers spans the US‑2 corridor and town centers; indoor coverage becomes variable along interior shoreline roads, on Isle La Motte’s north/west shores, and outer Alburgh peninsulas.
  • 5G is present but predominantly low-band. T‑Mobile’s extended-range 5G provides the most continuous blanket; AT&T and Verizon low-band 5G/DSS appear in and around population clusters. Mid-band 5G (capacity layers) is sparse and largely “spills over” from Chittenden County toward South Hero; mmWave is not a factor.
• Capacity pinch points
  • Summer evenings near beaches, marinas, campgrounds, and state parks; US‑2 causeways during peak commute; special events and holiday weekends.
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Fiber backhaul follows US‑2 and town centers, with microwave still used for lake crossings/last links. Outages and weather over the causeways can temporarily degrade capacity; sites with generator backup perform noticeably better during storms.
• Public safety and cross-border effects
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 provides low-band coverage for first responders on key corridors; LMR remains primary for public safety. Proximity to Québec introduces cross-border RF management; near-border devices may briefly register weaker signal or different bands, affecting data rates.

How Grand Isle differs from the Vermont statewide picture

• Adoption level: Household smartphone adoption sits in the upper-80s percent in Grand Isle versus low-90s statewide—roughly 3–5 percentage points lower, driven by an older age mix and more coverage variability away from the US‑2 spine.
• Smartphone-only reliance: 2–4 percentage points higher than the state, reflecting pockets with limited or costlier wired broadband and more frequent hotspot tethering.
• Seasonality: Far greater seasonal swings in active users and data throughput than the state overall due to one of Vermont’s highest shares of seasonal homes and tourism.
• 5G depth: Statewide, mid-band 5G capacity is growing around larger towns; in Grand Isle, low-band dominates and mid-band capacity layers remain limited to edge coverage from Burlington-area sectors.
• Network planning: Grand Isle’s load is defined by narrow transport corridors and shoreline clusters rather than the more distributed small-town pattern seen across much of Vermont, requiring corridor-focused capacity adds and temporary/small-cell solutions in summer.

Key takeaways for planners and providers

• Ensure low-band coverage continuity and harden US‑2 corridor sites; prioritize mid-band sector adds pointed toward South Hero/Grand Isle village to relieve seasonal congestion.
• Expand fiber backhaul to island edge sites to reduce microwave bottlenecks and storm sensitivity.
• Target digital inclusion for older adults (assistive features, training) and improve indoor coverage solutions for shoreline homes.
• Prepare surge capacity for summer weekends (temporary cells, additional carriers on shared towers, spectrum rebalancing).

Sources and methods

• U.S. Census 2020 (population, household counts), ACS 5‑year S2801 and housing characteristics (computer/smartphone access, seasonal housing share), Pew Research Center/NHIS (smartphone adoption by age/rural), FCC provider-reported coverage layers and carrier public 5G disclosures (infrastructure characteristics). Estimates above translate these data to county scale and reflect conditions through 2024.

Social media usage in Grand Isle County, VT (2025 snapshot)

Key population and access

• Residents: ~7,500; adults (18+): ~6,100
• Broadband adoption: ~85% of households
• Adult social media users (any platform): ~4,900 (≈80% of adults)

Most-used platforms among adults (modeled local reach)

• YouTube: ~78%
• Facebook: ~71%
• Instagram: ~34%
• Pinterest: ~29%
• TikTok: ~22%
• LinkedIn: ~21%
• Snapchat: ~17%
• X (Twitter): ~14%
• Reddit: ~11%
• Nextdoor: ~9% Notes: Percentages are shares of adults; usage overlaps across platforms.

Age profile of local social media users

• 18–29: ~15%
• 30–49: ~32%
• 50–64: ~28%
• 65+: ~25% Insight: The user base skews older than the U.S. average; roughly half of users are 50+.

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~52% female, 48% male
• Platform skews:
  • Facebook: slight female tilt (~55% of local users on Facebook are women)
  • Instagram: near even (~51% female)
  • TikTok: slight female tilt (~55% female)
  • Pinterest: strongly female (~70–75% female)
  • Reddit and X: male-leaning (~65–70% male)

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community backbone: High engagement with town pages, school and civic updates, Facebook Groups, and Marketplace. Buy/sell/trade and local services perform especially well.
• Video is rising: Short-form vertical video (Reels, TikTok) gains reach even among 50–64; cross-posting Reels to Facebook increases local visibility.
• Seasonal dynamics: Activity spikes late spring–early fall with tourism/second-home residents; event content, boating/fishing, and dining posts perform best in-season.
• Discovery and research: YouTube is widely used for how‑to, home/DIY, outdoor recreation, and product research; reviews and walkthroughs influence local purchasing.
• Messaging for service: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are common for appointment-setting and customer support among local businesses.
• Community trust: Older users prefer closed or moderated groups; posts with named local admins, recognizable landmarks, and practical info (road conditions, school notices, weather) get above-average engagement.
• Ads and targeting: Geo-targeted Facebook/Instagram boosts within 15–25 miles convert well; lookalikes based on page engagers outperform broad state targeting for small budgets.

Method in brief

• Figures are modeled local estimates for 2025 by applying Pew Research Center 2024 platform adoption by age/gender to Grand Isle County’s age and gender profile (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5‑year). Rural/older adjustments were applied where Pew reports significant variance. Numbers are rounded for clarity.