Thurston County

Thurston County, Washington — key demographics

Population size

• 304,011 (2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)
• 294,793 (2020 Census); +16.9% vs. 2010 (252,264)

Age

• Under 5 years: ~5%
• Under 18 years: ~21%
• 65 years and over: ~18%
• Median age: ~39

Sex

• Female: ~50.4%
• Male: ~49.6%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; Hispanic is any race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~72%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~10%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): ~6%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic): ~1–2%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~6–8%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~118,000
• Persons per household: 2.49
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~66% (renters ~34%)
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Median household income: roughly high-$80Ks to low-$90Ks
• Poverty rate: ~9%

Insights

• Population continues steady growth post-2020, with moderate aging (nearly 1 in 5 residents are 65+).
• Household structure skews toward smaller households (2.49 persons) with about two-thirds owner-occupied.
• Racial/ethnic diversity is meaningful but below the state’s most urban counties; Hispanic/Latino and Asian populations are the largest minority groups.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (V2023); American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates; 2020 Decennial Census (Thurston County, WA).

Thurston County, WA snapshot (2024 est.)

• Estimated email users: ~215,000 adults. Basis: ~303,400 residents; ~79% adults; ~94% internet adoption in WA; ~92% of online adults use email.

• Age distribution of email users:

  • 18–34: ~25%
  • 35–54: ~33%
  • 55–64: ~17%
  • 65+: ~25% Email use is near‑universal under 65 and moderately lower among 65+.

• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male, mirroring county demographics; usage rates are effectively parity by gender.

• Digital access and trends:

  • ~95% of households have a computer; ~92% have a broadband subscription; ~7–8% have no home internet.
  • ~13% are smartphone‑only internet households.
  • Home broadband adoption has risen roughly 3–4 percentage points since 2019.

• Local density/connectivity facts:

  • Population density ≈420 people/sq mi (concentrated in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater corridor).
  • Fixed broadband (≥25/3 Mbps) is available to the vast majority of residents; higher‑speed tiers (≥100/20) are most common along the I‑5 corridor, while rural south/west areas see more DSL/satellite reliance, which correlates with slightly lower email adoption among older and rural households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2022–2023), Pew Research Center (internet/email adoption), FCC National Broadband Map (2024).

Mobile phone usage in Thurston County, Washington — 2025 snapshot

Headline numbers

• Population base: ~309,000 residents (2024 state estimate). Roughly 78% are adults (≈241,000).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈217,000 (derived by applying current national adult smartphone ownership of ~90% to the local 18+ population).
• Total human smartphone users (adults + teens): ≈238,000–245,000. This folds in high teen ownership (nationally ~95% among ages 13–17) and a smaller share of 8–12-year-olds.
• Device density: Households and workplaces in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater core drive multi-line ownership (personal + work lines), so the number of active lines meaningfully exceeds the number of users, especially among public-sector employees.

Demographic breakdown (usage implications)

• Age
  • 18–49: Near-universal smartphone use (mid- to high-90%); heaviest 5G data consumption, streaming, and hotspot/tethering.
  • 50–64: High ownership (around 90%); strong uptake of 5G-capable devices over the past two upgrade cycles.
  • 65+: Ownership materially lower than younger cohorts but still the majority; applying current national rates (~75–80%) to Thurston’s older-adult population yields ≈41,000–45,000 senior smartphone users. Feature phone and basic-plan usage are most concentrated here.
• Income and plan type
  • Median household income in Thurston trails the statewide median (county ≈mid–high $80Ks vs Washington ≈low–mid $90Ks). That gap shows up in plan mix: a slightly higher share of prepaid and budget MVNO plans than in the Puget Sound core, and a modestly higher incidence of shared-data or entry unlimited tiers.
  • “Mobile-only” internet (households that rely on a cellular data plan rather than fixed broadband) is notably present in the rural south and west of the county and in price-sensitive households. The share is higher than in King/Snohomish counties but lower than in Washington’s most rural counties.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • Thurston’s population is less ethnically diverse than the state average. Carriers and MVNOs that emphasize affordability and multilingual support see outsized traction in the Yelm, Rochester, and south-county markets compared with the Olympia core, but the gaps by race/ethnicity in smartphone ownership are smaller than the gaps by age and income.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 5G footprint
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G across the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater urban area and along the I‑5 corridor, with mid‑band 5G widely available in the core and along major commute routes (I‑5, SR‑510 to Yelm, US‑101 toward Shelton).
  • Outside the core, coverage transitions quickly: towns like Yelm, Tenino, Rainier, and Rochester have solid 4G/5G in-town, but capacity and indoor penetration drop on the outskirts. Capitol State Forest, Black Hills, and river valleys west/south of Littlerock have persistent dead zones where voice/SMS may fall back to limited service.
• Capacity and performance
  • Commute-hour congestion along I‑5 through the JBLM/Olympia corridor is a recurring constraint; carriers have added mid‑band spectrum (n41/n77) and densified sites near interchanges and state campuses, but peak-time speeds in those segments still trail off-peak performance more than the state average.
  • Downtown Olympia and state campus areas benefit from small cell infill and C‑band deployments; these zones show higher median download speeds and lower latency than the county average.
• Backhaul and middle‑mile
  • Robust middle‑mile fiber from multiple providers (e.g., Lumen/CenturyLink, Comcast Business, regional public networks such as NoaNet) underpins macro sites in the urban core and along highways. Rural macro sites are more likely to rely on microwave backhaul, which constrains capacity upgrades relative to Puget Sound’s core counties.
• Public safety and enterprise
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is prioritized along state facilities and transport corridors, reflecting Thurston’s state-government concentration; this has knock-on benefits for commercial users who share upgraded sites.

How Thurston County differs from Washington state overall

• More pronounced urban–rural gradient: Coverage and capacity drop off faster outside the main urban core than in most west-side counties, elevating the share of households that rely on mobile service as a primary or backup connection in the south and west of the county.
• Slightly higher reliance on budget and prepaid plans than the statewide mix, reflecting the local income profile and a large commuter/service workforce, while still maintaining high overall smartphone penetration in the urban core.
• Heavier peak-time congestion relative to population size on I‑5 and feeders due to state campus schedules and JBLM-adjacent commuting patterns; this creates a wider peak/off‑peak performance gap than Washington’s statewide average.
• Faster mid‑band 5G buildout than many rural counties (thanks to proximity to the Seattle–Tacoma footprint), but fewer ultra‑dense small-cell deployments than King/Snohomish—so top-end performance is available in targeted zones rather than uniformly across neighborhoods.
• Device and line ownership skew: A higher share of public-sector employees and contractors inflates multi-line households (personal + employer-provided), which pushes active line counts above what income alone would predict and keeps flagship-device penetration healthy in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater area.

Actionable takeaways

• Expect roughly 215,000–225,000 adult smartphone users in the county today, with total human smartphone users approaching a quarter-million when teens are included.
• 5G marketing and capacity investments should prioritize: I‑5 interchanges and park-and-rides; downtown Olympia/state campuses; and fast-growing edges (Hawks Prairie/Lacey, Yelm corridor).
• Affordability and coverage messaging resonates more in Yelm, Tenino, Rainier, and Rochester; performance and premium-device messaging performs best in Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater.
• Maintaining redundant backhaul and adding sector capacity on rural macro sites will materially improve user experience, as microwave-fed sites are the first to bottleneck during peaks and emergencies.

Thurston County, WA social media snapshot (2024)

Headline user stats

• Population base used: ≈304,000 residents (2023 estimate). Residents age 13+: ≈255,000.
• Estimated social media users (13+): ≈192,000 (≈75% of residents 13+; ≈63% of total population), derived by applying Pew Research Center U.S. usage rates to the county’s age mix.
• Daily use: A majority of local users engage daily, mirroring national patterns in which the leading platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) are checked at least once a day.

Age breakdown of users (share of all social users; modeled from Pew age-specific adoption)

• 13–17: ≈9% (≈17,000 users) — near-universal use; heavy on Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram.
• 18–29: ≈21% (≈40,000) — highest multi-platform intensity; TikTok, Instagram, YouTube dominant.
• 30–49: ≈35% (≈67,000) — broadest platform mix; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Messenger, LinkedIn.
• 50–64: ≈22% (≈42,000) — strong on Facebook, YouTube; rising Instagram use.
• 65+: ≈14% (≈27,000) — Facebook and YouTube lead; Nextdoor is meaningful for neighborhood info.

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ≈52% women, ≈48% men (county population is roughly half female, half male; women slightly over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X).
• Platform skews: Pinterest strongly female; Reddit and X skew male; Nextdoor and Facebook skew slightly female; LinkedIn roughly even.

Most-used platforms among adults (18+) in Thurston County Applied from Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult usage rates to the county’s adult population (~237,000). Percentages are adult reach; counts are local estimates.

• YouTube: ~83% (≈196,000 adults)
• Facebook: ~68% (≈161,000)
• Instagram: ~47% (≈111,000)
• Pinterest: ~35% (≈83,000)
• TikTok: ~33% (≈78,000)
• Snapchat: ~30% (≈71,000)
• LinkedIn: ~30% (≈71,000)
• Facebook Messenger: ~46% (≈109,000)
• WhatsApp: ~29% (≈69,000)
• X (Twitter): ~28% (≈66,000)
• Reddit: ~23% (≈55,000)
• Nextdoor: ~17% (≈40,000) — notably relevant for local neighborhoods and city updates

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor are primary for neighborhood updates, lost-and-found, buy/sell/trade, road closures, school and parks info, and city/county agency posts (Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater).
• Short-form video growth: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery of local eateries, outdoor spots, festivals, and small businesses; 18–34s lead creation and sharing.
• Civic/utility following: Residents commonly follow emergency management, transit, and weather feeds on Facebook, X, and YouTube; livestreamed public meetings and how-to/civic explainer videos perform well on YouTube.
• Private-by-default communication: Messenger, WhatsApp, and Snapchat underpin family, school, youth sports, faith, and hobby coordination; group chats often outperform public pages for rapid response.
• Professional footprint: LinkedIn engagement is elevated by the region’s public-sector and professional workforce; popular for hiring, policy, and STEM/civic networking.
• Content style: Authentic, hyper-local visuals (before/after, trails, markets, “what’s open today”), clear event details, and helpful tips outperform polished ads. Trust is highest for local institutions, verified pages, and well-moderated groups.

Notes on method

• Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult platform usage rates and age-specific adoption to Thurston County’s demographic structure (U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2023). Teen adoption rates use recent Pew research on U.S. teens. Local platform rankings and behaviors align with these benchmarks and known suburban/civic patterns in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater area.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption; age splits; messaging usage)
• Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology (teen adoption patterns)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1-year, Thurston County demographics
• Washington OFM/Census population estimates (2023 county totals)