If you want effective, well-targeted social media marketing, you must understand which demographics are using social media the most. While it’s not always a good idea to generalize, chances are good that it’s not your older adults who are Tweeting and reading status updates on a Friday night. According to Pew Research and DocStoc, social media is most heavily dominated by suburban and urban residents, ages 18-29 years old.

Let’s take a closer look at who’s using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram so that you can tailor your marketing strategies to appeal to these demographics.

Who’s Using Social Media the Most?

By Gender:

  • Males: 62%

  • Females: 71%

By Age:

  • 18-29: 83%

  • 30-49: 77%

  • 50-64: 52%

  • 65+: 32%

By Household Income:

  • >30K: 72%

  • 30-49K: 65%

  • 50-74K: 66%

  • 75K+: 66%

By Population Density:

  • Urban: 70%

  • Suburban: 67%

  • Rural: 61%

By Education Level:

  • High School or Less: 66%

  • Some College: 69%

  • College Degree: 65%

By Race:

  • White: 65%

  • African American: 68%

  • Hispanic: 72%

Which Social Sites are Most Appealing – and to Whom?

  • Pinterest: Women, rural residents, some level of education or higher, moderate to higher incomes, white

  • Facebook: Women, 18-29 year olds

  • Twitter: 18-29 year olds, urban residents, African Americans

  • Instagram: Women,18-29 year olds, urban residents, African Americans, Hispanics

Which Social Media Sites Do Online Adults Use the Most?

  • Facebook: 67%

  • LinkedIn: 20%

  • Twitter: 16%

  • Pinterest: 15%

  • Instagram: 13%

  • Tumblr: 6%

A Few More Interesting Facts

  • Since 2005, the 18-29 year old age group has continued to have higher social networking usage than any other age group. There is less usage as age increases.

  • It’s true that 18-29 year olds have the highest percentage of social media usage, but their numbers dropped for the first time in December 2012, from 92% to 83%. This is the lowest recorded usage in 2 years.

  • In fact, all ages dropped in usage in 2012, except for the 30-49 age group, which increased from 73% to 77%. (Hmm…could it be that the people turning 30 are moving into this age category and bringing up the numbers?)

Well, there you have it, at a glance. The demographics of social media users. How will you tailor your marketing strategies to fit these users?