Island County

Island County, Washington – key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (DHC) and 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates.

Population size

• 86,857 (2020 Census)
• ~87,800 (ACS 2019–2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~43 years
• Age distribution (ACS 2019–2023):
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–24: ~7%
  • 25–44: ~24%
  • 45–64: ~26%
  • 65 and over: ~22%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; mutually exclusive, percent of total)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~10%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~5%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~6–7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~35,500
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~63% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Tenure: ~70% owner-occupied, ~30% renter-occupied

Insights

• Older age profile than Washington state overall, with roughly one in five residents age 65+.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with Hispanic/Latino as the largest minority group.
• High homeownership rate and smaller household sizes typical of semi-rural/coastal counties.

Island County, WA snapshot

• Population and density: 86,857 residents (2020 Census) across 208 sq mi of land, ≈417 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~65,000 adult users. Method: 2020 Census adult share ≈79% and Pew Research internet/email adoption by age applied locally (≈95% of ages 18–29, 94% of 30–49, 90% of 50–64, 78% of 65+).
• Age distribution of users (approx.): 18–29 ≈18%, 30–49 ≈31%, 50–64 ≈29%, 65+ ≈22%.
• Gender split: Near parity; men and women use email at comparable rates, yielding roughly a 50/50 user mix.
• Digital access trends: ACS data indicate high device and subscription uptake in Washington and similar coastal counties; Island County aligns closely, with about 9 in 10 households maintaining a broadband subscription and widespread smartphone adoption. Reliance on mobile data is growing, particularly in pockets with weaker wired service, while fiber buildouts and 5G coverage have expanded in and around population centers since 2021.
• Local connectivity context: Two island geographies (Whidbey and Camano) linked by bridges and ferries shape infrastructure. Cable, DSL, fixed wireless, and increasing fiber provide primary access; satellite is a viable fallback in sparse areas. These conditions support strong email penetration but with rural pockets exhibiting slower speeds and higher mobile-only use.

Mobile phone usage in Island County, Washington — 2024 snapshot

Headline estimates

• Population baseline: 86,857 (2020 Census). Household count: roughly 35,000–36,000.
• Unique mobile phone users: 70,000–75,000 residents actively use a mobile phone on a typical month.
  • Adult smartphone users: about 63,000–66,000 (assumes ~90% adult smartphone ownership, consistent with recent Pew Research).
  • Teen smartphone users (13–17): ~4,000–5,000.
• Active handset lines: 80,000–95,000 (human-held lines; excludes IoT). This reflects multiple-line users (e.g., work/personal) and is slightly above one line per resident in population centers.
• Households with a smartphone: 32,000–33,000, or roughly 90–93% of households (in line with ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns).
• Households relying primarily on cellular for home internet: 3,200–4,200 (about 9–12% of households), higher than the statewide share.

Demographic patterns that shape usage (and how they differ from Washington overall)

• Older age structure:

  • Island County median age is in the mid‑40s, about five years older than the Washington median.
  • Residents 65+ are roughly 22–25% of the county versus ~17–19% statewide.
  • Impact: Smartphone ownership among older adults is high but not universal; basic-phone use and landline retention are more common than the state average. This moderates overall smartphone‑only dependence compared with Washington as a whole.

• Large military/veteran community:

  • Island County has one of the highest veteran shares in Washington (around twice the state average) due to NAS Whidbey Island and associated households.
  • Impact: Higher incidence of multiple mobile lines per person (work + personal), strong uptake of unlimited plans, and above‑average use of device financing and carrier discounts targeted at military families. This pushes per‑capita handset lines above what the age profile alone would predict.

• Household composition and income:

  • Household incomes are close to, but slightly below, Washington’s median; cost‑sensitivity leads to notable adoption of value and MVNO plans alongside postpaid. Mixed plan portfolios within families are common (e.g., one premium postpaid line for hotspot reliability, others on MVNOs).
  • Impact: Price‑tier segmentation is sharper than statewide; premium network access is concentrated among commuters, military, and home‑office users in weaker‑signal pockets.

Usage behaviors and access

• Smartphone dependence:
  • Adults: ~90% smartphone ownership; near‑universal among 18–44; materially lower (but rising) among 65+.
  • Device‑only households: Cellular‑only home internet is notably more common than statewide, particularly in central/south Whidbey and interior Camano areas where wired options are limited.
  • Seasonal patterns: Summer tourism (Deception Pass, Coupeville events, South Whidbey beaches) produces pronounced weekend congestion spikes on all carriers, with users relying more on Wi‑Fi offload in town centers.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE: Near‑universal along populated corridors—Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland/Langley, Clinton ferry terminal, and Camano’s eastern neighborhoods. Persistent weak zones exist in forested interiors and coastal bluffs.
• 5G:
  • Low‑band 5G blankets most populated areas and travel corridors (SR‑20 and SR‑525), improving reach but not always capacity.
  • Mid‑band 5G (capacity layer) is concentrated around Oak Harbor, Whidbey’s south‑end towns (Freeland/Langley), Clinton ferry approaches, and eastern Camano near Stanwood. Interior and western Camano, central Whidbey farmland, and Deception Pass gorge see patchy mid‑band service.
• Carriers:
  • T‑Mobile generally leads 5G coverage breadth; AT&T’s FirstNet footprint is strong around public safety and base‑adjacent areas; Verizon offers consistent rural LTE and expanding C‑band capacity near denser nodes.
  • Fixed‑wireless 5G home internet (T‑Mobile/Verizon) is available in and around Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland/Langley, Clinton, and eastern Camano; adoption aligns with the higher cellular‑only household share.
• Wireline backhaul and fiber:
  • South Whidbey: Whidbey Telecom’s BiG GiG fiber serves Langley, Freeland, and surrounding neighborhoods, providing robust backhaul for nearby mobile sites and high‑quality Wi‑Fi offload.
  • Oak Harbor/Coupeville: Multiple fiber routes support the NAS and municipal cores; capacity is better than in rural tracts.
  • Camano Island: Ziply Fiber and cable plant improvements have expanded on the east side and along primary roads, while interior/western pockets still lean on DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular.
• Ferry and shoreline effects:
  • Ferry crossings (Clinton–Mukilteo) and some coastal bluffs experience handoff‑related drops and variable uplink; signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling usage are notably higher than statewide in waterfront and metal‑roof homes.

What’s distinctly different from the Washington state picture

• Higher cellular‑only home internet reliance, driven by island geography and uneven wireline coverage, versus lower statewide dependence on cellular for primary home access.
• A bimodal user base: a sizeable older cohort with somewhat lower smartphone dependence alongside a large active‑duty/veteran community with multiple lines and high mobility needs—this duality is less pronounced statewide.
• More pronounced seasonal congestion due to tourism intensity on limited road corridors and park areas.
• Carrier mix and plan choice skew more toward a split of premium postpaid (coverage/capacity priority for work and base access) and MVNO/value lines in the same households, producing sharper intra‑household segmentation than the state average.

Bottom‑line numbers to plan around

• 70,000–75,000 active mobile phone users countywide.
• 63,000–66,000 adult smartphone users; 4,000–5,000 teen smartphone users.
• 32,000–33,000 households with at least one smartphone.
• 3,200–4,200 households using cellular as their primary home internet.
• 4G LTE is effectively countywide where residents live; meaningful mid‑band 5G capacity is clustered around Oak Harbor, South Whidbey towns, ferry approaches, and eastern Camano, with rural interior pockets still constrained.

Data notes: Population and household baselines reflect the 2020 Census and recent ACS patterns; smartphone ownership rates align with 2023–2024 Pew Research for adults, scaled to Island County’s older age mix; cellular‑only home‑internet share is inferred from ACS “Internet Subscriptions” patterns and observed rural gaps; carrier coverage and fixed‑wireless availability reflect 2023–2024 rollouts observable in Island County.

Island County, WA — social media usage snapshot (2024)

Headline user stats

• Population baseline: ~87,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2023 estimates).
• 13+ population (est.): ~74,000.
• Social media users (13+, est.): ~57,500 (≈78% of 13+; ≈66% of total population).
• Adult users (18+, est.): ~52,500 out of ~68,700 adults (≈76%).

Age profile (estimated users and penetration)

• Teens 13–17: ~5,200 residents; ~95% use any social media → ~5,000 users.
• 18–29: ~13,900 residents; ~95% use → ~13,200 users.
• 30–49: ~20,900 residents; ~89% use → ~18,600 users.
• 50–64: ~13,900 residents; ~77% use → ~10,700 users.
• 65+: ~20,000 residents; ~50% use → ~10,000 users.

Gender breakdown

• Overall: usage is roughly even by gender in aggregate. Expect a near 50/50 split of users countywide, with platform-specific skews:
  • More women on Facebook, Pinterest, Nextdoor.
  • More men on YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter).
  • Instagram, TikTok are broadly balanced, skewing younger rather than by gender.

Most-used platforms (adults, applying Pew 2024 U.S. adoption rates to Island County’s adult population; individuals can use multiple platforms)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults → ~57,050 users.
• Facebook: ~68% → ~46,740.
• Instagram: ~47% → ~32,300.
• Pinterest: ~35% → ~24,060.
• LinkedIn: ~30% → ~20,620.
• TikTok: ~33% → ~22,680.
• Snapchat: ~27% → ~18,560.
• X (Twitter): ~22% → ~15,120.
• Reddit: ~22% → ~15,120.
• WhatsApp: ~21% → ~14,430.
• Nextdoor: ~19% → ~13,060.

Teen platform usage (13–17; applying Pew teen rates)

• YouTube ~95% → ~5,000 teen users.
• TikTok ~67% → ~3,500.
• Instagram ~62% → ~3,240.
• Snapchat ~60% → ~3,130.
• Facebook ~32% → ~1,670.
• X (Twitter) ~23% → ~1,200.
• Reddit ~20% → ~1,040.

Behavioral trends observed/expected locally

• Facebook as the community hub: High engagement with city/county agencies, schools, public safety, ferry and road updates, events, buy/sell/trade, and base-related groups (NAS Whidbey community). Facebook Messenger is a primary contact channel for local businesses.
• Nextdoor for neighborhood coordination: Homeowner, neighborhood watch, lost/found pets, and municipal notices; skewed toward homeowners and 35+.
• YouTube for how-to and civic content: Local government streams/recordings, DIY, boating, gardening, and outdoor content (e.g., Deception Pass, hiking).
• Instagram and TikTok for discovery: Tourism, dining, markets, and outdoor recreation content drive weekend plans and small-business discovery; short-form video outperforms static posts for reach.
• Marketplace and local commerce: Facebook Marketplace and group sales are dominant for secondhand goods; Instagram shops used by boutiques; LinkedIn used for professional/defense-adjacent recruiting.
• News and alerts: Facebook pages, X (Twitter) feeds from WSDOT Ferries and local agencies, and community groups are primary for real-time incident and ferry disruption updates.
• Demographic split in participation: Younger users concentrate on TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram stories; older residents favor Facebook and Nextdoor for community information. Reddit and Discord are niche but present among tech, gaming, and military-affiliated users.

Method notes

• Counts are modeled by applying Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. platform adoption rates (2024 adults; 2023–2024 teens) to Island County’s age structure (U.S. Census Bureau 2020–2023). Platform percentages are “share of adults who use each platform,” so sums exceed 100% because many people use multiple platforms.

Key sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults); Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology (latest wave).
• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2023 population/age estimates for Island County, WA.