Mineral County

Mineral County, Colorado — key demographics

Population size

• 865 residents (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year)

• Under 18: ~15%
• 18 to 64: ~51%
• 65 and over: ~34%
• Median age: ~58 years Interpretation: Skews older compared with state and U.S. averages.

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~83%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~14%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Black: <1%
• Asian: <1% Interpretation: Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic population.

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~430
• Average household size: ~2.0 persons
• Family households: ~60% (married-couple ≈ half of all households)
• Nonfamily households: ~40%
• Households with children under 18: ~1 in 5
• Households with someone age 65+: ~4 in 10 Interpretation: Small households, many older-adult households.

Notes: Figures are American Community Survey 5-year estimates; margins of error are larger due to the county’s small population. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census; ACS 2018–2022 (tables S0101, DP02/DP05).

• Context: Mineral County, CO population 865 (2020 Census) across roughly 875–880 sq mi, ≈1 person per sq mi. About 95% of land is public, concentrating residents and connectivity in/near Creede and making last‑mile buildout costly.
• Estimated email users: ~670 residents use email regularly (about 78% of the population), reflecting rural broadband adoption and near‑universal email use among internet users.
• Age mix (est., share of population): Under 18: 12%; 18–34: 14%; 35–54: 24%; 55–64: 18%; 65+: 32%.
  • Email adoption by age (est., share within group): 18–54: 90–95%; 55–64: ~90%; 65+: ~75%; teens: ~80%.
• Gender split (est.): Male 53–55%, Female 45–47%. Email use is roughly even by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Broadband is strongest in Creede; outlying areas rely on DSL/WISP or satellite; canyon terrain limits mobile coverage.
  • Fixed 100/20 Mbps coverage is patchy outside town; Starlink and other LEO satellite options are filling gaps.
  • Public access points (library, school, lodging/business Wi‑Fi) support residents without reliable home service.
  • Seasonal population swings increase demand on limited backhaul.
• Insight: Extremely low density and high public‑land share keep infrastructure sparse; email reliance remains high, but access quality varies sharply by location.

Mobile phone usage in Mineral County, Colorado — summary and estimates

Context

• Population and geography: Mineral County had 865 residents in the 2020 Census, spread across rugged, high-elevation terrain centered on Creede and the US‑149 corridor. The mountainous topography and extensive public lands constrain tower siting and radio line‑of‑sight, shaping usage and infrastructure.

User estimates (point-in-time, 2024-scale estimates derived from census age mix and national adoption benchmarks)

• Residents with a mobile phone (any type): ~740 people, about 85% of the total population.
• Residents using a smartphone: ~650 people, about 75% of the total population (about 79–80% of adults 18+).
• Age gradient in smartphone use:
  • 18–49: ~95% smartphone adoption.
  • 50–64: ~80–85%.
  • 65+: ~60–65%. This skews lower than Colorado’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (≈88–90%) because Mineral County’s population is older on average.
• Mobile-only internet reliance: materially higher than the state average. An estimated 15–25% of households rely primarily on cellular or satellite for home internet (roughly 2× the Front Range norm), reflecting limited wired broadband beyond townsites.

Demographic factors shaping usage

• Older age structure: Approximately one-third of residents are 65+, and about one-quarter are 50–64. This reduces overall smartphone penetration vs. the state and increases the share of voice/text or basic/LTE-only devices among year‑round residents.
• Seasonal and tourism dynamics: A high share of seasonal housing and strong summer visitation produce sharp, time‑bound spikes in device counts and data traffic, unlike the weekday commuter peaks typical in metro Colorado.
• Income and plan mix: Median household incomes are lower than the state median, which, combined with seasonal residency, tilts some users toward prepaid plans, budget devices, and hotspot-based home internet instead of high‑capacity fiber plans.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is less diverse than Colorado overall (predominantly non‑Hispanic White with a smaller Hispanic share), which has limited direct impact on device adoption but correlates with the older age profile that does.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Coverage footprint:
  • Service is strongest in and immediately around Creede and along US‑149; coverage drops quickly in canyons, basins, trailheads, and backcountry.
  • 4G LTE from the national carriers is the practical baseline; 5G is present primarily as low‑band coverage near town and along the highway. Mid‑band, high‑capacity 5G is sparse to absent, and mmWave is not a factor.
• Capacity and performance:
  • Capacity is adequate off‑season in town but can degrade during summer weekends and events when the transient population multiplies.
  • Outside town, signal quality often limits users to low‑throughput LTE or forces roaming/satellite.
• Backhaul and redundancy:
  • Fiber backhaul reaches Creede; outside of town, sites often rely on long fiber runs, microwave hops, or legacy copper-fed DSL backhaul. Single‑path backhaul increases the risk of outage during fiber cuts, avalanches, or wildfire incidents.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) coverage tracks the highway/town footprint and improves device priority for responders during incidents, but off‑corridor coverage remains thin.
• Constraints on expansion:
  • Steep terrain, federal land permitting, and grid/power constraints keep macro‑site density low and complicate placement of mid‑band 5G sectors that need clearer lines of sight.

How Mineral County differs from Colorado overall

• Adoption: Overall smartphone penetration is 8–12 percentage points lower than the statewide rate due to the older age mix; seniors’ smartphone use lags the state by roughly 15–20 points.
• Connectivity mix: Reliance on cellular hotspots and satellite for primary home internet is roughly double the state share, reflecting limited wired options beyond Creede.
• Coverage pattern: Service is corridor‑centric with extensive dead zones; statewide, 5G mid‑band now blankets most metro areas, but Mineral’s 5G is largely low‑band and capacity constrained.
• Traffic patterns: Peak loads align with tourism and seasonal homes rather than daily commuter cycles; networks experience pronounced, short‑term congestion spikes during summer and holiday periods.
• Resilience: Fewer sites and longer backhaul runs increase the impact of single failures and severe weather compared with redundant, meshed metro networks along the Front Range.

Implications

• For residents: Expect reliable voice/SMS and moderate LTE data in town; plan for offline maps, Wi‑Fi calling, or satellite messaging in backcountry. Seniors and fixed‑income users are more likely to keep LTE‑only devices or basic plans.
• For visitors and seasonal workers: Bring multi‑carrier or eSIM options if coverage is critical; congestion is most noticeable during peak tourist weeks.
• For providers and planners: The biggest gains come from adding mid‑band sectors in town, filling highway gaps with low‑band small macros, improving fiber/backhaul redundancy into Creede, and strategic colocations that respect terrain and permitting limits.

Social media usage in Mineral County, Colorado (2025 snapshot)

How this was built: Where county-level survey data do not exist, figures are modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media usage (including rural, age, and gender splits) applied to Mineral County’s population base (U.S. Census 2020). Numbers are rounded ranges to avoid false precision.

Headline user stats

• Population base: 865 residents (U.S. Census 2020). Estimated adult population: 680–700.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~80–85% of adults → about 550–600 people.
• Device mix: Predominantly mobile; desktop usage mainly for Facebook groups/Marketplace and YouTube.

Most-used platforms (adult reach in Mineral County; estimated share of adults, with rough counts)

• YouTube: 80–82% → ~540–570 adults
• Facebook: 63–68% → ~430–470 adults
• Instagram: 38–44% → ~260–310 adults
• Pinterest: 30–36% → ~200–250 adults
• TikTok: 25–30% → ~170–210 adults
• Snapchat: 22–26% → ~150–180 adults
• WhatsApp: 16–20% → ~110–140 adults
• X (Twitter): 16–20% → ~110–140 adults
• Reddit: 16–20% → ~110–140 adults
• Nextdoor: 9–12% → ~60–85 adults Notes: Facebook and YouTube are the clear reach leaders. Instagram and Pinterest are the next tier; TikTok and Snapchat skew younger; LinkedIn remains niche in sparsely populated areas and is not a top-five platform locally.

Age-group usage patterns (share of adults within each age group who use the platform; patterns mirror rural U.S. rates)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~90%+, Instagram ~75–80%, Snapchat ~60–65%, TikTok ~60%+, Facebook ~40–45%.
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~90%+, Facebook ~70%+, Instagram ~50–55%, TikTok ~35–40%, Snapchat ~30%+.
• Ages 50–64: YouTube ~80%+, Facebook ~65–70%, Instagram ~25–30%, TikTok ~15–20%.
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~50%, YouTube ~55–60%, Instagram ~12–18%, TikTok ~5–10%. Implication: Facebook dominates for 50+, while Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat concentrate among under-40s. YouTube is strong across all ages.

Gender breakdown (directional skews among adult users)

• Women: Higher likelihood of using Facebook and Instagram; strong over-index on Pinterest; slightly higher on Snapchat and TikTok.
• Men: Higher likelihood of using YouTube and Reddit; modestly higher on X. Local net effect: Facebook’s active community usage and Pinterest-driven project/DIY interest are pulled up by women; YouTube and Reddit communities skew male.

Behavioral trends observed/expected in a rural, mountain, tourism-driven county

• Community coordination: Facebook Groups are the hub for local news, wildfire and road updates (US 160/149 corridors), school/municipal notices, events (e.g., Creede theatre and festivals), lost-and-found, and mutual aid. Marketplace is widely used for gear, vehicles, and seasonal rentals.
• Seasonal spikes: Summer tourism brings short-term surges in Instagram and TikTok activity tied to outdoor recreation, local businesses, and events; YouTube searches rise for trail, fishing, OHV, and camping content. Off-season activity concentrates on Facebook Groups and YouTube how-to content.
• Content formats: Short-form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives discovery; long-form YouTube for trip planning and DIY/maintenance; photo carousels on Instagram for businesses and attractions; Facebook text/photo posts for community info and buy/sell.
• Engagement cadence: Evenings and weekends see the highest local engagement; morning check-ins for weather/conditions updates. Mobile-first interactions due to dispersed broadband availability.
• Information sourcing: Locals rely on a small set of trusted Pages/Groups and word-of-mouth amplification. Event and emergency information spreads fastest via Facebook shares; official agencies that cross-post to Facebook and Instagram see outsized reach.
• Visitor vs. resident split: Visitors skew Instagram/TikTok for discovery and reviews; residents skew Facebook/YouTube for utility and community. Businesses that post Reels/Shorts tied to conditions (“river levels today,” “trail status”) capture both audiences.
• Niche platforms: Nextdoor footprint is patchy due to low housing density; WhatsApp/FB Messenger are common for work crews, volunteer groups, and sports/activities coordination; Reddit/X usage exists but is secondary for local news.

Key takeaways

• Reach leaders: YouTube (80% of adults) and Facebook (65%) are indispensable for county-wide coverage.
• Growth/younger reach: Instagram (40%) and TikTok (28%) are the most efficient ways to reach under-40s and visitors.
• Activation channel: Facebook Groups and Marketplace are the most reliable for immediate, local action; short-form video drives discovery beyond the county.

Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (national and rural/age/gender breakouts); U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Mineral County population). Figures are modeled local estimates based on these sources.