Snapchat is one of the most popular social media apps, especially among young people. With its fun filters and disappearing messages, Snapchat has become a favorite way for friends to communicate. But which demographics are the biggest Snapchat users?
Teenagers Use Snapchat the Most
By far, teenagers make up the largest percentage of Snapchat’s daily active users. According to Snapchat’s own internal data from 2022, 90% of 13-24 year olds in the United States use Snapchat. This amounts to around 90% of the Gen Z population having an active Snapchat account.
There are a few key reasons why teenagers love Snapchat:
- It’s a visual platform made for sharing photos and videos, which appeals to younger generations.
- The ephemeral messaging feature gives teens a fun, low-pressure way to communicate without posts lingering permanently.
- Snapchat is seen as the cool, trendy social app among middle schoolers and high schoolers.
- Teens enjoy using Snapchat’s creative filters, lenses, and Bitmoji avatars.
- Snapchat’s Stories feature provides a window into their friends’ lives and highlights the best moments of their day.
With the majority of their peers actively using Snapchat, teenagers want to be part of the in-crowd and join the conversation happening there. Snapchat has ingrained itself into youth culture, cementing its status as the social media app of choice for teens.
Young Adults Are Also Major Snapchat Users
While teenagers are clearly Snapchat’s biggest market, young adults aged 18-24 also show high usage rates of the app. An estimated 80% of young adults in the U.S. use Snapchat daily. For this demographic, many habits and preferences form during the high school years stay constant going into early adulthood.
Young adults turn to Snapchat for many of the same reasons as teens:
- They’re comfortable using camera-based apps and prefer visual sharing.
- Snapchat is an easy way to stay casually connected to their social circles.
- The Stories and Discover pages provide entertainment and news catered to their interests.
- Sending Snaps back and forth makes up a large part of their daily conversations.
Additionally, young adults use Snapchat to communicate with friends from high school who have gone off to different colleges and universities. Snapchat helps them keep these long-distance friendships active even when they can’t meet up in person.
Who Else Uses Snapchat?
While Snapchat is clearly dominated by teenagers and young adults, other age groups have steadily increased their Snapchat use in recent years. Here’s a look at the Snapchat usage breakdown across U.S. age groups:
| Age Group | Percentage Who Use Snapchat |
|---|---|
| 13-17 years old | 90% |
| 18-24 years old | 80% |
| 25-29 years old | 71% |
| 30-49 years old | 46% |
| 50-64 years old | 14% |
| 65+ years old | 3% |
As the table shows, usage declines significantly as age increases. But around 50% of 30-49 year olds are now on Snapchat at least occasionally. Even in the 50-64 age range, 14% are Snapchat users. This indicates the app has been gradually expanding beyond just the youth demographic.
Gender Breakdown of Snapchat Users
Looking at gender, females are a bit more likely to use Snapchat than males:
- 71% of female internet users in the U.S. are on Snapchat.
- 61% of male internet users in the U.S. are on Snapchat.
This gender gap exists across all age groups, but is most pronounced among younger users. Among U.S. teenagers age 13-17, 94% of girls use Snapchat compared to 85% of boys. The app’s fun selfie filters, camera features, and emphasis on communication seem to resonate more with female users.
Geographical Usage Patterns
Snapchat has users all across America and worldwide. But when looking at usage percentage among internet users in different U.S. regions, some interesting geographical differences emerge:
- The West has the highest Snapchat usage at 72% of internet users.
- The Midwest comes next at 65% usage.
- 64% of internet users in the Northeast are on Snapchat.
- The South trails slightly with 57% usage.
In general, Snapchat penetration is highest on the U.S. coasts and slightly weaker in the Southern states. Geography doesn’t impact Snapchat adoption as much as age, but the regional divides are notable.
Urban vs Suburban vs Rural Usage
Population density also impacts Snapchat usage throughout the United States:
- In urban areas, 70% of internet users are on Snapchat.
- 68% of suburban internet users have Snapchat.
- Only 51% of rural internet users are Snapchat users.
Snapchat has its strongest foothold in dense, metropolitan areas where the young demographic it targets is concentrated. Adoption declines gradually moving to the suburbs and rural locations.
Snapchat Usage Based on Income
Looking at household income reveals an interesting trend:
| Income | Snapchat Usage % |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | 47% |
| $30,000 – $49,999 | 59% |
| $50,000 – $74,999 | 66% |
| $75,000 – $99,999 | 68% |
| Over $100,000 | 61% |
Snapchat usage is actually highest among middle income groups making $50,000-$100,000 per year. The very low and very high ends of the income scale use Snapchat the least. The young parents and professionals in the middle income brackets seem to be Snapchat’s sweet spot.
Conclusion
In review, Snapchat continues to be dominated by teenagers and young adults in their teens through mid-20s. These generations have grown up using social media apps on their phones. But Snapchat has also successfully broadened its appeal to reach about 50% of 30-49 year olds. While still weak with older and rural users, Snapchat has crossed age and geographical barriers better than platforms like TikTok.
As Snapchat expands its content and capabilities in the future, it has potential to extend further beyond just the youth demographic. But its bread and butter will continue to be teens and young adults looking for fun, visual communication with friends.