Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Washington — Key demographics (most recent U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates unless noted)

Population size

• Total population: ~34.8k
• 2020 Census count: ~33.0k (growth since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~58
• Age distribution: under 18 (13%), 18–64 (53%), 65+ (~34%)
• Notable: Among the oldest age profiles in Washington; seniors comprise about one-third of residents

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, not Hispanic: ~86–87%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5–6%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~2%
• Asian: ~1–2%
• Black or African American: <1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <0.5%

Households

• Households: ~16.5–17k
• Average household size: ~2.0 persons
• Family households: ~58–60% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–50%
• Households with children under 18: ~15–18%
• Living alone: ~30–35% of households
• Housing tenure: owner-occupied ~72–78%; renter-occupied ~22–28%

Insights

• Older, retiree-heavy community with small household sizes
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with modest Hispanic and Native representation
• High homeownership relative to renters

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; 2020 Decennial Census (total count).

Jefferson County, WA snapshot

• Population and density: ≈34,000 residents (2023 est.); ~19 residents per square mile.
• Digital access: About 92% of households have a computer and ~84% have a broadband subscription (ACS 2018–2022). Connectivity is strongest in Port Townsend and along the US‑101 corridor; rural and interior areas have spottier service. Jefferson PUD and state-funded projects have been expanding fiber to underserved pockets, improving speeds and reliability.
• Estimated email users: ≈27,000 residents (roughly 75–80% of the population), based on local broadband/device access and the well‑established finding that over 90% of online adults use email.
• Age distribution and email usage: The county skews older—roughly one‑third of residents are 65+, with the remainder mostly 25–64. Email is near‑universal among ages 25–64 and high among 65+ (slightly lower than midlife adults). Youth email use is lower than adults but common by high school age.
• Gender split among users: Mirrors the population’s slight female majority (~51% female, ~49% male).
• Trendline: Email usage is stable to rising, driven by ongoing fiber buildouts and widespread smartphone adoption; the main constraint remains last‑mile access in sparsely populated areas rather than interest or skills.

Mobile phone usage in Jefferson County, Washington (2024 snapshot)

Context

• Population and households: roughly 34,000 residents, about 16,000 households, with an adult share that is higher than the state average due to fewer children.
• Age structure: median age near 59, one of the oldest in Washington (state median ~39). This single factor is the strongest driver of county-level differences in mobile adoption versus statewide figures.

User estimates

• Any mobile phone ownership (adults): 93–96% of adults.
• Smartphone adoption (adults): 82–86% of adults, below Washington’s ~89–91%.
• Feature/basic phone users: 7–10% of adults, concentrated among residents 65+.
• Mobile-only home internet (households relying primarily on a cellular data plan and without fixed broadband): 10–12% of households, higher than the state’s ~7–8%.
• Households with two or more mobile lines: 56–60% (lower than the state’s ~63–66% due to smaller households and more single retirees).
• Seasonal effect: summer tourism and festivals around Port Townsend raise active device counts and data loads meaningfully on weekends and during events, producing larger peak-to-off-peak swings than the state average.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of the county-state gap)

• Age
  • 18–29: small share of the adult population; smartphone adoption ~95%.
  • 30–49: below state share; adoption ~94–96%.
  • 50–64: larger-than-average share; adoption ~80–85%.
  • 65+: among the highest shares in WA; adoption ~60–65%.
  • Net effect: the older age mix pulls overall smartphone adoption down 4–7 percentage points versus the state.
• Income and housing
  • Median household income below the state median; higher prevalence of single-person retiree households.
  • Greater propensity to rely on lower-cost plans and to use mobile as the sole home internet connection in areas lacking affordable wired service.
• Geography within the county
  • Highest smartphone and 5G use: Port Townsend, Tri-Area (Chimacum–Port Hadlock–Irondale), and along US‑101/State Route 20 corridors.
  • Lower adoption and more feature-phone retention in sparsely populated western and backcountry areas where coverage is intermittent.

Digital infrastructure

• Carrier presence
  • Verizon, AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), and T‑Mobile all operate countywide.
  • Market share skews toward Verizon and AT&T outside towns due to broader rural LTE footprints; T‑Mobile is competitive in Port Townsend and along main corridors.
• Coverage and technology
  • 5G low-band: present in and around Port Townsend/Tri‑Area and along US‑101; acts as the default in town but falls back to LTE in forested and mountainous areas.
  • 5G mid-band (capacity 5G): primarily in Port Townsend and select nearby sectors; limited reach beyond town centers.
  • LTE is the workhorse technology across much of the county; dead zones persist in parts of the Olympic Peninsula interior, valleys, and shorelines.
• Backhaul and middle-mile
  • Fiber backhaul present in population centers via regional providers and public utility infrastructure; microwave backhaul is used to reach remote cell sites.
  • Outside the towns, limited middle-mile options constrain rapid 5G densification relative to state urban counties.
• Reliability and resilience
  • Terrain and distance from core networks make the county more susceptible to localized outages and speed variability than state averages.
  • Public-safety coverage has improved with FirstNet buildouts, but wilderness and park areas still have substantial gaps.

How Jefferson County differs from Washington state overall

• Lower overall smartphone penetration driven by an older population profile.
• Higher share of households that are mobile-only for home internet, reflecting both availability and affordability of fixed broadband.
• More pronounced seasonal spikes in network load due to tourism, producing greater variability in speeds and congestion.
• Slower and less uniform 5G capacity deployment beyond the primary towns; LTE remains dominant outside corridors.
• Carrier selection is more coverage-driven (favoring broader rural footprints) than in metro counties where price and capacity dominate choices.

Key takeaways

• Estimated 24,000–26,000 adult smartphone users reside in Jefferson County, with 2,000–3,000 adults still using basic phones.
• Around 1 in 9 households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet, a higher rate than the state, underscoring the importance of mobile networks for digital access.
• Infrastructure constraints and the county’s age and settlement patterns are the main reasons its mobile usage trends diverge from Washington’s statewide profile.

Social media usage in Jefferson County, Washington (2025 snapshot)

How these figures were derived

• Modeled estimates for Jefferson County adults (18+) using Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates, weighted by the county’s older-skewed age profile from recent ACS/Census data. Figures rounded; expect ±3–5 percentage points.

User stats

• Adult social media penetration: about 67% of adults use at least one social platform.
• Most-used platforms by share of all adults:
  • YouTube: 73%
  • Facebook: 62%
  • Instagram: 36%
  • Pinterest: 28%
  • LinkedIn: 23%
  • TikTok: 21%
  • X (Twitter): 17%
  • Snapchat: 15%
  • Reddit: 13%
• Note: Platforms overlap; many residents use more than one.

Age groups (adult population structure is older than the U.S. average)

• 18–29: ~10% of adults; ~90% use social media. Heavy on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; light on Facebook.
• 30–49: ~24% of adults; ~81% use social media. Mixed use; YouTube and Facebook strong, Instagram growing; TikTok moderate.
• 50–64: ~27% of adults; ~73% use social media. Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram/Pinterest moderate; TikTok/X lower.
• 65+: ~39% of adults; ~50% use social media. Facebook and YouTube lead by a wide margin; limited use of Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown

• Adults in the county skew slightly female; social media users mirror this: roughly 53% women, 47% men.
• Platform tendencies:
  • Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; steady on Instagram.
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
  • LinkedIn is balanced to slightly male among working-age users.

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub. High participation in local Groups and Pages for Port Townsend and surrounding areas (events, buy/sell/trade, volunteer calls, local government updates, emergency/winter weather road and ferry notices).
• YouTube is strong across ages for how‑to content (home, boating, gardening), arts/music, and local event recordings; longer watch times among 50+.
• Instagram is the visual showcase for tourism, hospitality, arts markets, and outdoor recreation; engagement strongest among under‑50s and visitors.
• Pinterest has above-average traction for crafts, fiber arts, gardening, home projects—aligning with local maker and retiree interests.
• TikTok presence is smaller but growing among under‑35s; travel discovery for Olympic Peninsula content performs well.
• X and Reddit are niche, used mainly for regional news, tech/policy discussion, and ferry/highway updates.
• Format and timing: Photo galleries and short video (30–90 seconds) perform best; live streams work for civic meetings and performances. Engagement peaks mid-morning and early evening; weekends favor event content.
• Discovery and trust: Local, place‑specific posts with recognizable landmarks, practical info (closures, tides, trail conditions), and clear calls to action outperform generic content. Posts from official agencies, nonprofits, and well-known community figures earn higher trust and shares.

What this means for outreach

• Prioritize Facebook and YouTube for reach, reliability, and community conversation.
• Use Instagram for destination marketing, venues, and visual storytelling; pair with short reels.
• Leverage Pinterest for how‑to and evergreen guides; LinkedIn for professional and nonprofit recruiting.
• Keep messages accessible for older users: clear text, captions on video, minimal jargon; cross-post important notices to Facebook and YouTube.