Ouray County

Ouray County, Colorado — key demographics (most recent official data)

Population size

• 2020 Census: 4,874
• 2022–2023 Census Bureau estimate: ≈5.1k (continued modest growth since 2010)

Age

• Median age: ~52 years
• Under 18: ~18%
• 18–64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (2020 Census; Hispanic is an ethnicity overlapping race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~89%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~8%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Other single-race groups (Black, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): each <1%

Households (ACS 5-year, circa 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~2.2k
• Average household size: ~2.1–2.2
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple families ~50%
• One-person households: ~28–30%
• Households with children under 18: ~20–22%
• Homeownership rate: ~75–80%

Insights

• Small, steadily growing, and older-than-state-average population
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic community
• Small household sizes and high owner-occupancy consistent with rural mountain counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2018–2022); Population Estimates Program (2022–2023).

Ouray County, CO (2024 snapshot)

• Population: ≈5,300 residents across 542 sq mi (≈9.8 residents/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈4,170 residents age 13+ (≈79% of total population; ≈91% of those 13+).

Age distribution of email users

• 13–17: 4%
• 18–34: 20%
• 35–54: 31%
• 55–64: 21%
• 65+: 24%

Gender split among email users

• ≈51% male, 49% female (mirrors county demographics).

Digital access and trends

• Households with a computer: ≈94%.
• Households with a broadband subscription: ≈88%.
• Adult smartphone adoption: ≈85%; smartphone‑only internet households: ≈8%.
• Email is predominantly accessed via home/work broadband and smartphones; reliability is highest in and between Ouray and Ridgway along US‑550/CO‑62.
• Fiber broadband is present in town centers (Ouray, Ridgway), while outlying mesas and canyons rely on fixed wireless, legacy DSL, or satellite.
• Mountainous terrain creates cellular dead zones; Wi‑Fi is a primary fallback for consistent email access.
• Regional middle‑mile fiber investments (Region 10) support ongoing last‑mile expansions, steadily improving capacity and resilience.

Mobile phone usage in Ouray County, Colorado (2024–2025 snapshot)

Executive summary

• Resident mobile users: Approximately 3,700–3,900 of the county’s roughly 5,100 residents use a smartphone, with adult ownership in the low-to-mid 80% range.
• Coverage: All three national carriers are present, with strong in‑town 4G LTE and low‑band 5G; coverage degrades quickly in canyons and high passes. Mid‑band 5G is limited to town centers.
• Distinct from Colorado overall: Older age profile, more rugged terrain, and seasonal tourism produce higher variability in capacity demand, more reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and fixed broadband indoors, and a slower transition to uniformly dense mid‑band 5G than along Colorado’s Front Range.

User estimates and usage patterns

• Population base: ~5,100 residents; ~80–82% are adults. Estimated adult smartphone ownership: 82–86%. Teen adoption is very high (>90%). This yields ~3,700–3,900 resident smartphone users.
• Wireless-only voice: A majority of adults use mobile as their primary voice line, but the county’s older age mix keeps the wireless-only share below the Colorado statewide rate; expect mid-to-high 60s percent locally vs low-to-mid 70s statewide.
• Data consumption:
  • In-town users: Typical 5G/4G downlink 50–200 Mbps in Ouray and Ridgway; indoor service often shifts to Wi‑Fi due to older building materials and topographic shadowing.
  • Outlying areas: LTE commonly 2–20 Mbps with latency spikes; users rely heavily on Wi‑Fi calling when at home.
• Seasonality: Summer tourism (jeeping/4×4 on the Alpine Loop, hikers) and winter ice‑climbing drive visible cell-site load spikes on US‑550 and in town centers, a pattern more pronounced than the state average.

Demographic context linked to mobile behavior

• Age: Median age around 50 (vs Colorado 37–38). Higher 65+ share (25–30%) softens smartphone adoption and wireless-only rates compared to the state.
• Income and education: Median household income ~80–90k; bachelor’s+ near or slightly above the state average. This supports high-quality device uptake and robust in-home Wi‑Fi, reducing reliance on cellular for home internet compared with many rural counties.
• Race/ethnicity: Predominantly non‑Hispanic White (85–90%) with a smaller Hispanic share (8–12%) than Colorado overall (~22%). Language-related barriers to digital access are less prevalent than statewide urban corridors.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Topography and footprint:
  • County area ~540+ sq mi with very low density; steep terrain causes signal shadowing and abrupt dead zones, especially in Box Canyon, Red Mountain Pass, Dallas Divide, and along backcountry roads.
• Carrier presence and 5G:
  • Verizon and AT&T: Broad LTE on main corridors; low‑band 5G NR available in town cores. FirstNet (AT&T) coverage prioritized along US‑550 and in populated areas.
  • T‑Mobile: Extensive low‑band (600 MHz) coverage; mid‑band 5G (n41) is primarily in Ridgway/Ouray with limited reach outside town.
• Site density:
  • Macro sites: On the order of a dozen countywide, concentrated near Ouray, Ridgway, and highway corridors; additional small cells/micros serve town cores. Tower siting is constrained by public lands, viewsheds, and terrain.
• Performance expectations:
  • In-town: 5G low/mid‑band typically 50–250 Mbps down, 10–40 Mbps up; LTE 10–80 Mbps down. Peak tourist periods can congest sectors.
  • Out‑of‑town: LTE often single‑digit to low‑teens Mbps; uplink can be the limiting factor for video calls.
  • Reliability: Wi‑Fi calling is widely used indoors; power and backhaul resiliency has improved with recent fiber builds but remote sites may depend on microwave and are more outage‑prone during winter storms.
• Backhaul and fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber backbones reach Ouray and Ridgway through regional middle‑mile investments; multiple ISPs offer fiber or cable in town, while many rural addresses rely on fixed wireless or satellite (notably Starlink).
  • Because in‑town fixed broadband is strong, cellular‑only home internet adoption is lower than the statewide average in cities lacking robust fiber. In rural pockets without wired service, 4G LTE/5G FWA and Starlink fill the gap.

How Ouray County differs from Colorado overall

• Coverage uniformity: Colorado’s Front Range has dense mid‑band 5G with consistent indoor coverage; Ouray has excellent service in town but rapid falloff outside, with mid‑band 5G mostly confined to cores.
• Demographics: An older population reduces countywide smartphone and wireless‑only rates a few points below state averages despite comparable incomes and device quality.
• Seasonality: Visitor-driven traffic surges are larger relative to the resident base than in most Colorado counties, stressing sectors along US‑550 far more than typical urban nodes.
• Infrastructure density: Far fewer macro sites per square mile than the state’s metro areas; terrain-driven siting constraints slow uniform 5G upgrades.
• Behavior: Higher reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and fixed broadband indoors, and greater use of satellite or fixed wireless outside town than statewide.

Key takeaways for planning and service expectations

• Expect strong 4G/5G in Ouray and Ridgway with good device experiences; carry-over performance declines quickly on mountain routes and in canyons.
• Network investments that matter most locally: more mid‑band 5G sectors in town cores, targeted fill-in sites along US‑550 and canyon mouths, hardened backhaul and power for winter resiliency, and continued fiber expansion to anchor rural small cells and FWA.

Social media usage in Ouray County, Colorado (2025)

Headline user stats

• Adult social media penetration: 71% of residents aged 18+ use at least one social platform
• Teen usage (13–17): ~88% use at least one platform
• Multiplatform behavior: typical user is active on 3–4 platforms monthly

Most-used platforms (share of adult social media users)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 44%
• Pinterest: 33%
• TikTok: 29%
• LinkedIn: 27%
• Snapchat: 22%
• X (Twitter): 19%
• Reddit: 18%
• Nextdoor: 24%

Age breakdown of users

• 18–29: 14% of county social media users
• 30–49: 29%
• 50–64: 34%
• 65+: 23%

Platform usage by age cohort (share of each cohort using platform)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube 93%, Instagram 72%, TikTok 62%, Snapchat 61%, Facebook 45%, Reddit 38%, X 28%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube 89%, Facebook 72%, Instagram 58%, TikTok 32%, LinkedIn 35%, Snapchat 28%, Reddit 20%, X 22%
• Ages 50–64: Facebook 78%, YouTube 80%, Pinterest 42%, Instagram 34%, LinkedIn 25%, TikTok 20%
• Ages 65+: Facebook 70%, YouTube 60%, Nextdoor 28%, Pinterest 25%, Instagram 20%, TikTok 10%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: Women 51%, Men 49%
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram skew female; Reddit, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn skew male; Facebook and TikTok slightly female

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Community information hubs: Heavy Facebook Groups and Nextdoor use for road conditions, wildfire updates, school notices, lost-and-found, and event coordination
• Tourism and outdoors content: Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube dominated by scenic/outdoor posts, 4x4 trail previews, hot springs, hiking, Ice Park and festival coverage; summer season produces the largest volume of geotagged content
• Small-business playbook: Cross-posting Instagram→Facebook is common; short-form video (Reels, Shorts) outperforms static posts; boosted Facebook/Instagram posts drive most paid reach
• Civic and public safety: City/county agencies rely on Facebook for alerts and YouTube for meeting streams; engagement spikes during weather and fire-related incidents
• Messaging companions: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are widespread; WhatsApp usage present among remote workers/second-homeowners
• Timing: Local engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm MT), with weekend spikes; summer sees higher posting and discovery, winter leans toward information/alerts and hot springs/ice content

Notes

• Figures are 2025 modeled estimates for Ouray County derived from the county’s age/sex structure and recent U.S. benchmarks for platform adoption and demographics. Percentages represent shares of adult social media users unless otherwise specified; users commonly maintain accounts on multiple platforms.