Dane County

Key demographics — Dane County, Wisconsin

• Population

  • 2023 estimate: ~575,000 (2020 Census: 561,504)

• Age

  • Median age: ~35–36 years
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 65 and over: ~14%

• Sex

  • Female: ~50%
  • Male: ~50%

• Race and ethnicity (ACS estimates)

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~76–77%
  • Black or African American: ~6%
  • Asian: ~6–7%
  • Two or more races: ~5–6%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7–8%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
  • Note: Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity and overlaps with race categories.

• Households

  • Total households: ~240,000–245,000
  • Average household size: ~2.3 persons
  • Family households: ~55%
  • Households with children under 18: ~27%
  • One-person households: ~31–33%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 American Community Survey 1-year; 2020 Decennial Census). Figures rounded.

Summary for Dane County, Wisconsin (estimates)

• Email users: 500,000–520,000 residents (about 88–92% of people age 13+), extrapolated from 2023 population (570k) and national email adoption rates (Pew/eMarketer).
• Age mix of email users (approx.): 13–17: 6%; 18–34: 38%; 35–54: 31%; 55–64: 12%; 65+: 13%. Adoption is near-universal among 18–64; slightly lower for teens and 65+ but still high.
• Gender split among users: roughly 50% female / 50% male; gender differences in email adoption are minimal nationally.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is high (about 90–94%, per recent ACS-style measures), above the Wisconsin average.
  • Madison and inner suburbs have widespread cable/fiber (often 300 Mbps–1 Gbps); 5G home internet is expanding. Rural townships still face lower fixed-speed options and more reliance on mobile-only access.
  • Strong institutional connectivity (UW–Madison, state government, libraries, schools) sustains daily email use and public Wi‑Fi access.
• Local density/connectivity context: Population density is roughly 470–480 people/sq mi; a majority live in the Madison–Sun Prairie–Fitchburg–Middleton corridor, where broadband coverage and speeds are highest.

Notes: Figures are modeled from national adoption applied to local population and recent public broadband data; treat as directional.

Below is a concise, locally oriented picture of mobile phone usage in Dane County, Wisconsin, highlighting how it differs from statewide patterns.

Executive snapshot

• User base: Roughly 450,000–500,000 smartphone users in Dane County, driven by a younger age profile, high college enrollment, and strong labor-force participation around Madison.
• Mobile-only tendencies: Cellular-only internet households and wireless-only (no landline) adults are modestly higher than the Wisconsin average, concentrated in student- and renter-heavy areas near UW–Madison and downtown.
• Network quality: Near-ubiquitous 4G LTE outdoors and broad 5G coverage across the Madison metro; capacity drops and indoor gaps persist at the rural fringe and in low-lying or wooded areas west and northwest of the city.
• Distinct from state trend: Faster 5G uptake, heavier mobile data use among 18–34-year-olds, and more dense deployments (small cells/DAS) around campus and major venues than typical Wisconsin counties.

User estimates

• Total smartphone users: About 450,000–500,000 individuals.
  • Method: 2023 population in the high-500,000s; adult share plus very high teen smartphone adoption; local adoption rates slightly above state due to age/education mix (Pew Research smartphone adoption ~90%+ among U.S. adults; Dane’s age mix pushes local effective rate up).
• Wireless-only adults (no landline): Roughly 70–80% of adults, likely a few points higher than the Wisconsin average due to a large student/renter base (NHIS “wireless substitution” patterns).
• Cellular-only internet households: Approximately low-teens percent, slightly above statewide averages, with the highest concentration in student-dense tracts; many households also maintain wired broadband, so countywide “broadband of any type” remains high (ACS S2801 patterns).

Demographic breakdown (how Dane County differs from Wisconsin overall)

• Age
  • More 18–34-year-olds (students and early-career workers) than the state average. This group shows near-universal smartphone ownership, heavier app-based services use (mobility, food delivery, campus apps), and greater tolerance for mobile-only connectivity.
  • 65+ adoption is higher in Dane than in many Wisconsin counties, reflecting higher education and income—translating into more smartphone use among seniors than the state average.
• Education and income
  • Higher educational attainment and household incomes correlate with high device quality (newer models), more lines per household, and strong willingness to pay for postpaid and 5G plans—above the state average.
• Housing and tenure
  • More renters and multi-tenant buildings around Madison: greater reliance on mobile and Wi‑Fi, more MVNO/prepaid lines among students, and more cellular-only internet households than the statewide pattern.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • A more diverse population than the state average supports higher use of OTT messaging and calling apps; device ownership remains high across groups, aided by campus and employer device programs.
• Urban–rural split within the county
  • Urban/suburban Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton, and Sun Prairie enjoy excellent LTE and mid-band 5G capacity; rural western and northern townships see more indoor coverage challenges and lower mid-band 5G signal quality than the metro core.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and 5G footprint
  • 4G LTE: Nearly countywide outdoors from all three national carriers along major corridors (I‑39/90/94, US‑12/18 Beltline).
  • 5G: Broad low-band 5G countywide; strong mid-band 5G capacity across the Madison metro and campus areas. Rural edges lean more on low-band 5G/LTE with lower peak speeds.
  • Indoor coverage gaps: Persist in older brick buildings, basements, and hilly/wooded zones west/northwest of Madison; boosters, Wi‑Fi calling, and small cells mitigate in pockets.
• Capacity hotspots and densification
  • UW–Madison campus, Capitol/downtown, the Beltline, and major venues (e.g., stadiums/arenas) have denser deployments (small cells/DAS) than typical Wisconsin counties due to event-driven surges and student density.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Robust metro fiber (including the Madison-area research/municipal fiber backbones and university networks) underpins extensive 5G backhaul and enterprise Wi‑Fi, a differentiator versus many WI counties.
• Public safety and reliability
  • Strong FirstNet presence (AT&T) and overlapping carrier coverage near state/county government complexes; rural dead zones still occur in a few fringe areas, as seen on FCC mobile coverage maps.
• Performance
  • Speed tests typically rank Madison-area 5G performance above Wisconsin’s statewide median due to mid-band spectrum depth and network densification; suburban and rural Dane speeds taper toward state averages.

Trends that stand out from Wisconsin’s statewide pattern

• Earlier and heavier 5G adoption, especially mid-band, with better median speeds in the Madison metro than typical statewide results.
• Higher share of mobile-only internet households in student/renter areas, even as overall home broadband adoption remains strong.
• More device-per-person density (work + personal phones, wearables) and newer handset mix, linked to education and income.
• More dense small-cell/DAS buildouts around campus and event venues than most Wisconsin counties.
• Smaller, concentrated coverage gaps compared with many rural counties, but still present at the county’s rural edges.

Data notes and sources to validate/refresh

• American Community Survey (ACS) S2801 (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions) for county vs state: smartphone presence, cellular-only subscriptions, broadband of any type.
• ACS age/tenure tables for Dane County to refine age and renter share.
• Pew Research Center smartphone adoption for national age-based benchmarks.
• CDC/NCHS NHIS Wireless Substitution for wireless-only adult estimates by state.
• FCC National Broadband Map (mobile) and carrier coverage maps for 4G/5G footprints; Ookla/OpenSignal for speed/comparison.

Below is a concise, decision-ready snapshot. Because platform companies and the State don’t publish county-level usage, figures are estimates that apply recent Pew Research Center U.S. adoption rates to Dane County’s demographics (ACS), adjusted for the county’s younger, highly educated profile (UW–Madison, tech/biotech).

Headline user stats

• Population: ~570k (Dane County). Residents age 13+ ≈ 490k.
• Estimated social media users: ~400k–430k (roughly 70–75% of total residents; ~80–88% of age 13+).
• Gender split (county overall): ~50/50; the active social audience likely skews slightly female overall due to heavier use of Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest.

Most‑used platforms (estimated share of Dane County adults who use each)

• YouTube: 85–88%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 50–60%
• TikTok: 35–45%
• Snapchat: 30–40% (boosted by university-age residents)
• LinkedIn: 32–40% (higher with local education/tech mix)
• Pinterest: 34–38% (skews female, 25–54)
• X (Twitter): 25–30%
• Reddit: 22–28% (tech/university skew)
• Nextdoor: 18–25% (stronger in suburbs: Middleton, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie)
• WhatsApp: 20–28% (international students/professionals)

Age patterns (who uses what, directionally)

• 13–17: Very high YouTube; TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram dominate. Minimal Facebook.
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+; Instagram ~75–85%; Snapchat ~60–70%; TikTok ~60–70%; Facebook ~30–40%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%; Facebook ~70–80%; Instagram ~50–55%; TikTok ~25–35%; LinkedIn ~40–45%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~70–75%; YouTube ~80%+; Pinterest ~30–40%; Instagram ~25–35%; TikTok ~15–20%.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube lead (~55–65% each); Nextdoor ~20%+; Instagram/TikTok lower (≤20%).

Gender breakdown (behavioral skews you can plan around)

• Women: Overrepresented on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat; tend to engage with community groups, events, schools, local services.
• Men: Overrepresented on YouTube, Reddit, X; higher participation in news, sports, tech, and local transit/city policy threads.
• Net effect: County’s active social audience leans slightly female overall; platform choice varies sharply by gender.

Behavioral trends to know

• Short‑form video first: Reels/Shorts/TikTok are primary discovery for food, nightlife, music, Badgers sports, and campus life; local businesses increasingly repost across IG+TikTok+YouTube Shorts.
• Groups > pages for local info: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor drive neighborhood news, school updates, lost/found, public safety, weather, and municipal notices. Reddit (r/madisonwi) is influential for city issues, openings/closings, and Q&A.
• Messaging layers: Snapchat is a core channel for college‑age coordination; WhatsApp/Messenger common among international students and research staff.
• Time patterns: Commute hours and late evenings are peaks; student-heavy spikes Thu–Sat evenings. Daytime engagement strong for public agencies and local media on Facebook/X.
• Multi-platform habits: Most users maintain 3–5 active platforms; younger users split attention (IG/TikTok/Snap), older users concentrate on Facebook/YouTube. Cross-posting is expected; native video performs best.
• B2B and recruiting: LinkedIn over-indexes for UW, healthcare, state government, tech/biotech; thought leadership and hiring content perform well.

Notes on method and sources

• Estimates blend Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption by age/gender with ACS demographics for Dane County and qualitative adjustments for UW–Madison’s presence. Exact county-level platform counts aren’t publicly reported.