Pierce County

Pierce County, Washington — key demographics

Population size

• 921,130 (2020 Census)
• ≈936,000 (July 1, 2023 population estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~36.6 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Male: ~50.6%
• Female: ~49.4%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2023; Hispanic can be of any race, others are non-Hispanic)

• White: ~59%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~12%
• Black/African American: ~8%
• Asian: ~8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~2%
• Two or more races: ~10%

Households (ACS 2023)

• Households: ~349,000
• Average household size: ~2.7
• Family households: ~67%
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Homeownership rate: ~62%

Insights

• Second-most populous county in Washington; modest growth since 2020
• Slight male majority influenced by Joint Base Lewis–McChord
• Diverse population, with roughly 4 in 10 residents identifying as people of color or Hispanic/Latino

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2023 American Community Survey 1-year; 2023 Vintage Population Estimates)

• Estimated users: ~660,000 adult email users in Pierce County (≈92% of ~715,000 adults). Including teens, total email users are ≈700,000.
• Age penetration (adults): 18–34: 97%; 35–54: 96%; 55–64: 92%; 65+: 85%. This yields a user mix weighted toward 35–54 and 18–34 cohorts.
• Gender split: Essentially even; male ≈92% and female ≈93% use email, producing a ~50/50 user base.
• Digital access trends: About 93% of households have a home broadband subscription; ~13% are smartphone‑only for internet. Daily mobile email checking is the norm among working‑age adults, reflecting high smartphone penetration and a large commuter/military workforce.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population ≈930,000 across ≈1,670 sq mi (≈555 residents/sq mi), concentrated along the I‑5 corridor (Tacoma–Lakewood–Puyallup). Fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps covers >95% of locations; ≥100 Mbps is available to roughly 90%, strongest in urban/suburban areas. Rural/foothill areas (Key Peninsula, Eatonville, Mount Rainier corridor) have fewer providers and rely more on fixed wireless/satellite. Public and campus/library Wi‑Fi help bridge gaps.

Overall: Email is near‑ubiquitous among adults, with minor age‑related drop‑off after 65 and negligible gender differences, underpinned by strong broadband and mobile access in the urban core.

Pierce County, WA mobile phone usage overview (latest available ACS 2023, FCC/Washington broadband office program data, and industry reports)

User estimates

• Population base: ≈928,000 residents and ≈347,000 households.
• Household smartphone penetration: ≈92% of households (about 319,000) have a smartphone; this is a touch below Washington’s ≈93%.
• Individual users: applying Washington/Pew adoption rates to the county’s age mix yields roughly 710,000 smartphone users age 13+ (about 655,000 adults plus ~55,000 teens).
• Active mobile lines: applying the typical statewide line-to-population ratio (~1.2 mobile subscriptions per resident) implies on the order of 1.1 million active mobile lines registered to county residents.

How Pierce County differs from the state

• Higher mobile dependence: about 10% of Pierce households rely on a cellular data plan as their primary or only internet connection, versus roughly 8% statewide.
• Slightly lower fixed-broadband take-up: households with any fixed broadband are ≈92% in Pierce vs ≈94% statewide; households with no internet are ≈8% in Pierce vs ≈6% statewide.
• Smartphone presence is nearly on par with Washington, but Pierce households are marginally less likely to have desktop/laptop computers, reinforcing a mobile-first pattern.

Demographic breakdown (households)

• Income: Lower-income households (<$25k) in Pierce are more likely to be mobile-only (roughly one in four) and less likely to have home broadband than the statewide average for the same income band. Mid-income households ($25k–$75k) also show above-state mobile-only reliance.
• Age: Households headed by adults under 35 show the highest smartphone-only reliance (mid‑teens percent in Pierce, a few points above the state). Seniors (65+) in Pierce are more likely to have no internet service than seniors statewide.
• Race/ethnicity: Pierce’s Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander households exhibit higher mobile-only and lower fixed-broadband subscription rates than the Washington averages for those groups, while White and Asian households track closer to statewide figures. These gaps widen the overall county/state difference because Pierce has a larger share of NH/PI and Black residents than the state average.

Digital infrastructure and market context

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide LTE and broad 5G coverage. Mid‑band 5G is dense along I‑5 (Tacoma–Lakewood–Puyallup corridor) and in all incorporated cities; the Key Peninsula, Graham/Eatonville, and foothill areas lean more on low‑band 5G/LTE for reach.
• Capacity hot spots: JBLM, the Port of Tacoma, and downtown Tacoma have high site density, including small cells and in‑building systems, supporting heavy mobile traffic from military, logistics, and commuter activity.
• Municipal and regional fiber: Tacoma Public Utilities’ legacy Click! network (now operated with Rainier Connect) adds competitive cable/fiber presence across Tacoma alongside Comcast Xfinity and CenturyLink/Lumen, a distinctive municipal asset not typical elsewhere in Washington.
• Rural edges: Fixed-broadband options thin out on the Key Peninsula and in southeast Pierce; households there show higher rates of cellular-only internet and satellite fallback. This geographic split is sharper than the statewide pattern because Pierce combines dense urban cores with sizable semi‑rural pockets within one county.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is extensive around JBLM and along evacuation/transport corridors (I‑5, SR‑167, SR‑512), supporting prioritized mobile communications. Recent 5G C‑Band deployments by Verizon and mid‑band expansions by T‑Mobile since 2022 have lifted median speeds in urban Pierce above pre‑2021 levels and improved capacity at busy venues.

Key takeaways

• Pierce County is broadly in line with Washington on smartphone availability but stands out for higher mobile-only internet dependence and slightly lower fixed-broadband uptake.
• Mobile usage intensity is amplified by a large working‑age and military population, strong 5G buildouts in urban corridors, and a unique municipal network footprint in Tacoma that coexists with areas of rural constraint.
• Digital equity efforts should continue to target lower‑income, younger, and NH/PI/Black households and the county’s rural fringes, where reliance on smartphones and cellular data remains materially higher than the state average.

Pierce County, WA social media snapshot (2025)

Overall audience

• Population ≈930,000; adults 18+ ≈700,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023).
• Active social media users (18+): ≈590,000–630,000 (≈85–90% of adults), consistent with U.S. adult adoption rates applied to the county’s age mix (Pew Research Center, 2024).

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use; local estimates aligned to Pew 2024 U.S. adoption and validated against platform ad‑audience ranges for Pierce County)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• LinkedIn: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 20–25%
• Reddit: 20–25%
• Nextdoor: 15–20% of households (neighborhood-focused usage)

Age breakdown of local social media users (share of total social users; estimates from Pew age adoption applied to Pierce County’s age structure)

• 18–29: 24–25%
• 30–49: 40–42%
• 50–64: 24–25%
• 65+: 9–10%

Gender breakdown and platform skews (local mix mirrors U.S. patterns; Pew 2024)

• Overall social users: slight female majority (~52% women, ~48% men).
• Skews by platform:
  • More women: Pinterest (strongly), TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook (slight).
  • More men: YouTube (slight), LinkedIn, Reddit, X (Twitter).

Behavioral trends in Pierce County

• Facebook remains the community backbone: heavy use of neighborhood groups, local news, school updates, and Facebook Marketplace; strong engagement with public safety, traffic, weather, and event posts.
• Short‑form video leads growth: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for local food, outdoors, events, small businesses; 18–34s over‑index on TikTok/Snapchat; 35–49s split time across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• YouTube is the default for how‑to, home/auto, outdoor recreation, and product research; effective for upper‑funnel reach countywide.
• Messaging and private sharing matter: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat see high use for coordination among families, shift workers, and JBLM‑affiliated households.
• Nextdoor is widely used for hyperlocal updates (HOAs, lost/found, city services), especially in suburban communities (Puyallup, Spanaway, Gig Harbor, University Place).
• Timing patterns: Evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings show consistent spikes; commuter windows (6–8 am, 4–6 pm) generate mobile engagement for alerts and headlines.
• Purchase and local action: Facebook/Instagram drive store visits and event RSVPs with geo‑targeting within 5–15 miles; Marketplace and “Buy Nothing”–style groups influence secondhand and budget‑conscious purchases.
• Creative that performs locally: video‑first, place‑specific visuals (Tacoma waterfront, Mount Rainier, local venues), utility‑oriented posts (closures, deals, openings), and promotions acknowledging military families and shift schedules.

Notes on sources and method

• Figures synthesize Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by U.S. adults), U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 demographics for Pierce County, and 2024–2025 platform ad‑audience ranges filtered to Pierce County (Meta, TikTok, Snap, LinkedIn). Percentages are county‑level estimates aligned to those benchmarks.