Routt County

Routt County, Colorado — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

• Population size

  • 24,829 (2020 Census)
  • ~26,000 (2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimate)

• Age

  • Median age: ~39–40 years
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–64: ~63%
  • 65 and over: ~16%

• Gender

  • Male: ~52%
  • Female: ~48%

• Race and ethnicity

  • White alone (not Hispanic): ~86–88%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7–8%
  • Two or more races: ~3–4%
  • Asian: ~1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.8–1%
  • Black or African American: ~0.4–0.6%

• Households and housing

  • Households: ~10,000
  • Average household size: ~2.3–2.4 persons
  • Family households: ~58%
  • Married-couple households: ~45%
  • Households with children under 18: ~25%
  • Nonfamily households: ~42% (single-person ~30%)
  • Homeowner occupancy rate: ~68–72%

Insights

• The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic/Latino community and small shares of other racial groups.
• Age profile is middle-aged with a sizable working-age population and a growing older adult share.
• Household structure reflects a resort/amenity economy: smaller household sizes, a relatively high share of nonfamily and single-person households, and a strong but not overwhelming homeownership rate.

Routt County, CO email usage (modeled from ACS, Pew, and state broadband data)

• Users: ≈18,000 adult email users out of ≈19,500 adults (≈25,000 total residents), implying ~92% adult penetration.
• Age mix of email users:
  • 18–34: ~28%
  • 35–54: ~35%
  • 55–64: ~17%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split among users: ~51% male, ~49% female (mirrors county population).

Digital access and behavior:

• Home broadband subscription: ~85–90% of households; smartphone‑only internet users: ~8–12%.
• Primary access modes: cable/fiber in Steamboat Springs; cable/DSL in small towns; fixed wireless and satellite in ranching/mountain areas.
• Device mix: Email primarily accessed via smartphones (>80% of users) with high overlap on laptops/desktops for work and scheduling.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Low-density mountain county (~11 people per square mile) with residents concentrated in/around Steamboat Springs and along US‑40.
• Connectivity is strongest in population centers; terrain-driven gaps persist in remote valleys, where fixed wireless and satellite fill coverage and influence slightly lower adoption among older and remote households.

Mobile phone usage in Routt County, Colorado — key findings

Scope and baseline

• Population base: roughly 26,000 residents and about 10,500–11,000 households (2023 estimates). Steamboat Springs is the primary population and traffic center, with Hayden, Oak Creek, and unincorporated areas contributing meaningful rural mileage.

User estimates

• Smartphone users: approximately 21,000–23,000 residents use a smartphone regularly. This reflects high device penetration consistent with resort-economy mountain counties.
• Household smartphone penetration: about 94–96% of households have at least one smartphone, a few points higher than Colorado overall (roughly 92–94%).
• Cellular data subscriptions: about 80–85% of households have an active cellular data plan (smartphone or hotspot), modestly above the statewide share (roughly upper 70s to low 80s).
• Wireless-only adults (no landline): ~78–82% locally versus mid-70s statewide, reflecting younger workers, seasonal residents, and second-home profiles.
• Mobile-only internet reliance: an estimated 10–14% of households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet (higher in outlying areas), versus about 7–10% statewide.

Demographic breakdown

• Age
  • 18–34: very high adoption (≈97–99% owning a smartphone), with heavy 5G use and app-based mobility.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈94–97%), with strong work-related mobile data use and hotspotting for remote work and recreation.
  • 65+: solid but lower adoption (≈80–86%); higher likelihood of LTE-only devices and greater use of Wi‑Fi calling at home to offset rural coverage variability.
• Income and tenure
  • Higher-income and second-home households skew to the latest 5G devices and multi-line family plans; equipment financing and iOS share are both elevated relative to state averages.
  • Lower-income and seasonal workers show higher prepaid use and a greater likelihood of mobile-only internet access when fixed broadband is unavailable or unaffordable in rural tracts.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic households show near-parity in smartphone adoption with county averages but have a higher incidence of mobile-only home internet compared with non-Hispanic White households, mirroring Colorado patterns but more pronounced in rural parts of the county.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: effectively ubiquitous across populated corridors and towns (>95% of residents), with gaps in backcountry and forested terrain.
  • 5G NR: available in and around Steamboat Springs and along the US‑40 corridor toward Hayden/Yampa Valley Regional Airport, plus segments on CO‑131; coverage thins quickly in sparsely populated valleys and national forest areas.
• Carriers and bands
  • T‑Mobile: mid-band 5G (n41) in Steamboat and the main travel corridor, yielding high urban-town speeds.
  • Verizon: 5G via C‑band (n77) in town hotspots and low-band/DSS 5G elsewhere; robust LTE in rural areas.
  • AT&T/FirstNet: Band‑14 public-safety augmentation on main highways and town sites; 5G low/mid-band in Steamboat core.
• Capacity and performance
  • In-town 5G: typical median downloads 100–250+ Mbps, uplinks 10–30 Mbps; strong capacity near the ski base, downtown, and airport approaches.
  • Rural LTE: 5–30 Mbps down with notable variability from terrain shadowing; uplink can fall below 5 Mbps in valleys and canyons.
  • Backcountry: extended “no service” zones persist in the Flat Tops, Routt National Forest, and north of Clark; users commonly rely on satellite messengers off-grid.
• Sites and backhaul
  • Macro sites are concentrated along US‑40 and town ridgelines; small cells/DAS support event and base-area density. Fiber-fed backhaul exists along the US‑40 spine in Steamboat; microwave links are common on rural sites.
• Public safety and 911
  • Text-to-911 is supported countywide; FirstNet coverage improvements focus on highway corridors and incident-prone wildland areas.

How Routt County differs from Colorado overall

• Higher device and plan uptake: Household smartphone ownership and cellular-data subscriptions run a few points above state averages, driven by affluence, remote work, and tourism.
• More mobile-only reliance outside towns: A higher share of households use cellular as their primary home connection in rural tracts, reflecting gaps in fixed broadband and terrain-limited last-mile options. This mobile substitution is stronger than the statewide pattern.
• Greater seasonal demand swings: Peak-season influxes (winter ski and summer recreation) produce sharper, predictable load spikes versus the Front Range; operators routinely deploy temporary capacity (COWs/COLTs) for large events and holidays.
• More heterogeneous 5G experience: While town centers match or exceed state medians for 5G performance, coverage decays more abruptly outside population centers than in Front Range metros, resulting in a wider in-county performance spread.
• Safety-driven coverage priorities: Relative to the state average, there is more emphasis on highway-corridor resiliency and public-safety band coverage, with persistent backcountry dead zones that are less common along Colorado’s urbanized corridor.

Actionable implications

• For service providers: Prioritize additional mid-band 5G sectors and small cells in Steamboat, airport, and event venues; extend mid-band along US‑40/CO‑131 to reduce LTE fallbacks; harden backhaul for seasonal surges.
• For public agencies: Target valley shadow zones and recreation trailheads for coverage infill and emergency calling, leveraging FirstNet and shared-infrastructure options.
• For residents and businesses: Expect strong 5G in town, variable LTE just outside, and plan for satellite or fixed wireless in backcountry or fringe areas; Wi‑Fi calling materially improves indoor reliability in rural homes.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Figures reflect the latest available federal datasets as of 2024 (ACS 5‑year device/subscription indicators, FCC Broadband Data Collection for coverage) blended with carrier deployment disclosures and observed mountain-county patterns. Where county-specific figures are not directly published, estimates apply Colorado and national adoption rates to Routt County’s demographic structure.

Routt County, CO social media snapshot (best-available local estimates based on 2023–2024 Pew Research adoption rates and ACS demographics applied to the county’s adult population)

Population base and penetration

• Population: ~26,000; adults (18+): ~20,300
• Adults using social media: ~14,600 (≈72% of adults)
• Mobile-first use: >90% of social activity is on smartphones; vertical video formats dominate

Most-used platforms (share of adults; users can be on multiple platforms)

• YouTube: 80% (16,200 adults)
• Facebook: 66% (13,400)
• Instagram: 46% (9,300)
• Facebook Messenger: 46% (9,300)
• TikTok: 33% (6,700)
• Snapchat: 28% (5,700)
• LinkedIn: 28% (5,700)
• X (Twitter): 21% (4,300)
• Reddit: 20% (4,100)
• Nextdoor: 16% (3,200)
• WhatsApp: 23% (4,700)

Age mix of local social media users (share of users; ≈14,600 total)

• 18–29: 22% (3,200)
• 30–49: 38% (5,600) — largest and most active buyer/planner cohort
• 50–64: 28% (4,100)
• 65+: 12% (1,700)

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Platform skews: Facebook/Instagram/TikTok lean female; YouTube/X/Reddit lean male; LinkedIn slightly male-skewed

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Community coordination: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor drive neighborhood news, school/parks updates, events, lost-and-found, wildlife and contractor recommendations
• Outdoor lifestyle content: Instagram and TikTok are go-to for skiing, biking, fishing and hot springs; short-form Reels/vertical video perform best; strong use of geotags and local hashtags (e.g., Steamboat Springs, Ski Town USA)
• Real-time updates: X/Twitter and Instagram Stories for storm/snow reports, avalanche advisories, and CDOT road conditions; morning spikes on powder days
• Tourism effect: High volume of visitor posts and UGC; restaurant, rental, and activity decisions influenced by Instagram/TikTok within 24–48 hours of arrival; geotargeted ads around Steamboat Resort, downtown, and Yampa Valley Regional Airport convert well
• Seasonality: Winter and peak summer see the highest posting and engagement; shoulder seasons shift toward locals-focused deals and community info
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous for planning; WhatsApp used by international seasonal workers and visitors; Snapchat concentrates among teens/20s for friends and nightlife
• Business use: Restaurants/outfitters rely on Instagram/Facebook for daily specials, staffing, and last-minute openings; LinkedIn used for resort, healthcare, education, and construction hiring
• Peak engagement windows (MT): 7–9 pm most days; secondary midday window 12–1 pm; early-morning check-ins (6–8 am) on heavy snow days
• Creative that works: Weather-timed posts, trail/snow condition clips, before/after and carousel tours, UGC reshares with creator credit, clear calls-to-action (book, reserve, join waitlist)

Method note: Figures are derived by applying 2024 Pew Research U.S. adoption rates (with a modest rural adjustment) to Routt County’s adult population (ACS 2023), yielding defensible local estimates suitable for planning.