San Juan County

San Juan County, Colorado — Key Demographics

Population size

• 705 (2020 Decennial Census)
• Approximately 750 (2023 Census Bureau population estimate)

Age

• Median age: about mid-40s (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: roughly 15%
• 65 and over: roughly 20%

Gender

• Male: about 55–56%
• Female: about 44–45%

Racial/ethnic composition (Census/ACS)

• White alone: roughly high-80s to low-90s percent
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): roughly 10–15%
• Two or more races: low- to mid-single digits
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black: each at about 0–2% (very small counts)

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: roughly mid-300s
• Average household size: about 2.0 persons
• Family households: about 40–45% of households; nonfamily households: about 55–60%
• Tenure: owner-occupied roughly 60–65%; renter-occupied roughly 35–40%
• Notable seasonal/occasional use housing stock drives high vacancy relative to occupied households

Notes

• Figures combine 2020 Decennial Census (population count) and ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates (age, sex, household characteristics, race/ethnicity breakdowns). Small population size means margins of error are larger than in more populous counties.

San Juan County, CO snapshot

• Population and density: 705 residents (2020 Census); ~2 people per square mile, concentrated in Silverton.
• Estimated email users: ≈535 residents use email at least monthly.
  • Basis: ~78% adults → ~550 adults; ~92% of U.S. adults use email → ~506 adult users; plus ~30 teen (13–17) users.
• Age distribution of email users (approx. share of users):
  • Under 30 (13–29): 24% (130 users)
  • 30–49: 32% (170 users)
  • 50–64: 24% (125 users)
  • 65+: 20% (110 users)
• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male (email adoption shows minimal gender gap nationally).
• Digital access and connectivity trends:
  • Extremely low housing density and steep alpine terrain concentrate reliable fixed broadband in-town; outlying areas rely more on DSL/satellite and experience patchy cellular service.
  • Mobile-only internet users are present, and public/library Wi‑Fi is an important access point.
  • Seasonal weather and topography raise deployment costs and slow upgrades, so speeds and subscription rates trail urban Colorado norms, though service is adequate for routine email for most in-town households.

Overall: Email usage is prevalent among adults, skewing toward working-age residents, with access strongest in Silverton and weaker in remote tracts due to geography and sparse infrastructure.

Mobile phone usage in San Juan County, Colorado (focus: what differs from statewide patterns)

Headline numbers

• Resident population: 705 (2020 Census).
• Estimated resident mobile-phone users (any cellphone): 560–600.
• Estimated resident smartphone users: 520–560. How the estimate was derived: applied current U.S. adoption rates (Pew Research, 2023–2024: ~90% of adults own a smartphone; ~95% own a cellphone of any type; teens 13–17 ~95% smartphone access) to a small, rural, older-skewing county population.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of usage)

• Older age mix than Colorado overall:
  • Smartphone adoption by age (U.S. benchmarks): 18–29 ~96%, 30–49 ~97%, 50–64 ~90%, 65+ ~76%.
  • Because San Juan County’s population skews older than the state average, its overall smartphone penetration is several points lower than Colorado’s urban counties.
• Household and housing pattern:
  • High share of seasonal/part-time housing (tourism economy) reduces fixed home-broadband take-up and raises reliance on mobile data and Wi‑Fi calling when in town. That produces a higher “smartphone-only internet” share than the state average in peak seasons.
• Income and affordability:
  • Small-county labor markets and seasonal employment increase the use of prepaid plans and BYOD work phones relative to postpaid family plans seen in metro Colorado.
• Workforce/visitor effects:
  • Summer tourism (Alpine Loop/US‑550) and winter backcountry recreation produce pronounced daily/seasonal spikes in active devices relative to the small resident base, stressing the few local sectors and backhaul links.

Digital infrastructure (what’s on the ground)

• Coverage footprint:
  • Reliable LTE/voice is clustered in and near Silverton and along US‑550 approaches (Molas/Coal Bank/Red Mountain Pass corridors). Large backcountry basins and high-alpine areas remain unserved or “SOS only.”
  • 5G availability is limited and primarily low-band/DSS near town; mid-band 5G footprints are patchy; mmWave is not a factor.
• Capacity and backhaul:
  • Few macro sites cover large terrains; sectors carry mixed tourist and through-traffic loads with constrained microwave or limited fiber backhaul, so speeds are highly variable by time of day/season.
• Indoor coverage:
  • Many metal/stone structures and steep valley walls degrade indoor signal; Wi‑Fi calling is commonly used in residences and businesses.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet/AT&T coverage prioritizes highway corridors and the townsite; outside those, incident response relies on radio, satellite messengers, or SOS features on newer phones.

How San Juan County differs from Colorado overall

• Lower and spottier 5G availability: The county’s 5G footprint (especially mid-band) is far smaller than along Colorado’s Front Range and I‑25/I‑70 corridors.
• More “zero-bar” geography: A far higher share of land area and trail/jeep road miles have no commercial signal, even where Colorado statewide maps show near-ubiquitous LTE/5G in population centers.
• Greater reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and offline workflows: Residents and workers routinely depend on Wi‑Fi for voice/SMS and use offline maps/messaging due to dead zones—behaviors far less common in metro counties.
• Higher seasonal loading and variability: Tiny resident base versus heavy tourist inflows creates outsized peak-hour cell congestion compared with the steadier demand curves seen statewide.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration: The county’s older age mix and patchy coverage pull overall smartphone-adoption a few points below state urban rates despite near-universal phone ownership among working-age adults.
• More prepaid and device-mix diversity: Seasonal workers and visitors increase the share of prepaid/SIM-only lines and satellite-capable devices compared with Colorado’s postpaid-dominant metro markets.

Bottom line

• Expect roughly 520–560 resident smartphone users in San Juan County, with near-universal ownership among working-age adults but a noticeable adoption gap among residents 65+. Usage habits are shaped more by geography and infrastructure than by preferences: people lean on Wi‑Fi calling in town, plan for offline use in the backcountry, and see large seasonal swings in network performance. Compared with Colorado overall, San Juan County has less 5G, more dead zones, and a higher dependence on workarounds to stay connected.

San Juan County, CO social media snapshot (2025) Note: County-level measurement is limited. Figures below are best-available modeled estimates for adult residents (18+) based on recent U.S. Census/ACS demographics and 2024–2025 Pew Research platform adoption; small-population margins apply.

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform monthly: 72% (est.)
• Daily social users (of all adults): 49% (≈68% of social users; est.)
• Multi-platform users (use 2+ platforms monthly): 58% of social users (est.)

Most-used platforms (share of adult residents using monthly)

• YouTube: 78% (est.)
• Facebook: 63% (est.)
• Instagram: 38% (est.)
• TikTok: 24% (est.)
• Snapchat: 18% (est.)
• X (Twitter): 17% (est.)
• LinkedIn: 14% (est.)
• Reddit: 12% (est.)
• Nextdoor: 11% (est.)

Age-group breakdown (share of each group using the platform monthly)

• 18–29: any social 93%; YouTube 95%; Instagram 74%; TikTok 66%; Snapchat 62%; Facebook 56%; X 20%; Reddit 28%
• 30–49: any social 85%; YouTube 88%; Facebook 72%; Instagram 52%; TikTok 28%; Snapchat 23%; X 19%; LinkedIn 23%
• 50–64: any social 72%; YouTube 73%; Facebook 70%; Instagram 26%; TikTok 12%; LinkedIn 14%; X 15%
• 65+: any social 54%; YouTube 58%; Facebook 55%; Instagram 15%; TikTok 8%; LinkedIn 8%

Gender breakdown (share of adult residents using monthly)

• Women: any social 74% (est.); Facebook 66%; Instagram 42%; TikTok 27%; YouTube 76%; Pinterest 20%; X 15%; Reddit 8%; LinkedIn 13%
• Men: any social 70% (est.); YouTube 81%; Facebook 60%; Instagram 34%; TikTok 21%; X 19%; Reddit 16%; LinkedIn 15%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the civic hub: Local groups (town updates, road/avalanche conditions, buy-sell-trade, events) drive the highest community engagement and shares.
• Visual-first for tourism and outdoors: Instagram Reels and YouTube see strong seasonal spikes tied to scenic content, trail/4x4 conditions, leaf-peeping, and winter sports.
• Seasonal cadence: Summer traffic rises with visitors and event posts; winter surges around safety, closures, avalanche info, and weather alerts.
• Messaging over broadcasting: High reliance on Facebook Messenger and IG DMs for coordination; X is niche and news-oriented.
• Micro-influencers > large creators: Small, locally embedded accounts outperform on engagement per follower; cross-posting between Facebook and Instagram is common.
• Content that performs: Timely service info (closures, utilities), hyper-local stories, user-generated scenery, volunteer calls, and small-business promos; posts with clear utility and location tags outperform generic content.
• Posting windows: Early morning (6–9 a.m.) and early evening (6–9 p.m.) weekdays, plus weekend late-morning, yield the most interactions.