San Miguel County

San Miguel County, Colorado – key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau data)

Population size

• Total population: 8,072 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~8,100 (Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~39.8 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~16–17%
• 18–64: ~68–69%
• 65 and over: ~14–15%

Gender

• Male: ~54–55%
• Female: ~45–46%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; mutually exclusive where noted)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~82–84%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~12–13%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–1%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~0.3–0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0.3–0.6%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~3,500–3,600
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.1–2.2
• Family households: ~40–45% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~18–20%
• Single-person households: ~28–32%
• Housing units: ~7,500–8,000
• Occupied housing (household) tenure: ~60–65% owner, ~35–40% renter
• High seasonal/second-home presence; vacancy largely seasonal/recreational

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

San Miguel County, CO (pop. 8,200; area 1,289 sq mi) has low density (6 residents/sq mi), with residents concentrated in Telluride, Mountain Village, and Norwood.

Estimated email users

• ~6,300 residents use email regularly (≈92% of adult residents), reflecting high digital adoption typical of Colorado mountain resort communities.

Age distribution of email users (share of users)

• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~40%
• 50–64: ~24%
• 65+: ~16%

Gender split among email users

• ~54% male, ~46% female, mirroring the county’s adult population profile.

Digital access and connectivity trends

• Strong fixed broadband and Wi‑Fi availability in Telluride/Mountain Village; slower DSL/satellite remain in sparsely populated western tracts.
• Mobile 4G/5G coverage is robust in towns and along main corridors, but canyons and remote mesas experience gaps.
• Seasonal tourism and a sizable professional/remote‑work cohort drive high daily email use and multi‑device access.
• Public access points (libraries, schools, municipal hotspots) supplement last‑mile gaps for outlying residents.

Overall, email penetration is effectively universal among working‑age adults in population centers, with access constraints primarily affecting scattered, low‑density areas.

Mobile phone usage in San Miguel County, Colorado — 2024 snapshot

User estimates

• Resident base: Approximately 8,100–8,300 people; about 6,300–6,600 are adults (ACS-derived population structure).
• Resident smartphone users: 6,300–6,800, combining:
  • Adults: roughly 5,600–5,900 (about 88–92% adult ownership, consistent with Colorado/Pew adoption applied to local age mix).
  • Teens (13–17): roughly 700–900 (about 80–90% ownership, national teen benchmark applied to county youth share).
• Household penetration: About 90–94% of households have at least one smartphone; roughly 10–15% of households rely on a smartphone data plan as their primary internet access (ACS Computer and Internet Use proxies applied to county scale).
• Seasonal/visitor load: On peak festival and ski weekends in Telluride/Mountain Village, active devices in market can reach 15,000–25,000, several times the resident baseline. Carriers routinely add temporary capacity during major events (e.g., Bluegrass, Film Festival).

Demographic breakdown (effects on usage)

• Age
  • 25–44: Largest share of daily smartphone usage; near-universal ownership (>95%) typical for this cohort. Heavy use for shift coordination, gig/seasonal work, and navigation.
  • 45–64: High ownership (≈90%); strong use for work communications and travel.
  • 65+: Ownership lower than younger cohorts but high relative to rural averages (≈75–85%) given income and healthcare access needs; increasing year over year.
• Income and housing
  • Affluent second‑home owners and professionals show high multi‑device penetration and heavy data use, but strong Wi‑Fi offload at home/condos reduces peak cellular strain.
  • Seasonal and service‑sector workers (higher renter share) are more likely to be “smartphone‑only” for internet, pushing higher mobile data dependency than permanent residents.
• Language and education
  • Hispanic/Latino share is lower than the Colorado average, so Spanish‑dominant mobile UX demand is smaller than statewide. Educational attainment is high in resort towns, aligning with above‑average app adoption and digital government/service use on mobile.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage pattern
  • Strongest LTE/5G coverage in Telluride, Mountain Village, and along CO‑145/CO‑62 corridors; substantial dead zones persist in canyons, mesas, and backcountry. Backcountry trailheads frequently drop to SOS/none.
  • 5G is available in the main towns; outside them, LTE is the norm with rapid falloff in terrain‑shielded areas.
• Capacity and backhaul
  • Macro sites cluster near towns and highways; mountaintop/microwave‑backhauled sites serve valleys and passes, which constrains capacity versus fiber‑fed urban sites.
  • Event‑time COWs/COLTs and small cells are deployed to handle festival/ski surges; venues and lodgings provide extensive Wi‑Fi to offload traffic.
• Reliability
  • Power resiliency and microwave path weathering are material concerns; carriers emphasize battery backup and generator access because wildfire/avalanche closures can delay refueling.
  • E911 and Wireless Emergency Alerts are critical during wildfire and avalanche seasons; text‑over‑LTE and Wi‑Fi calling are commonly used to overcome marginal coverage indoors.

How San Miguel County differs from Colorado statewide

• Higher seasonality and volatility: Device counts and data demand swing sharply with tourism and events; the Front Range counties have steadier, commuter‑driven profiles.
• More pronounced coverage gaps: Mountain topography creates far more no‑service pockets than the state average, making offline maps, Wi‑Fi calling, and SMS‑first communication more common.
• Heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi offload in town cores: Resorts and hospitality venues offload a larger share of traffic than typical Colorado metros, stabilizing experience despite limited spectrum/backhaul at altitude.
• Greater share of smartphone‑dependent workers among renters/seasonal staff: Smartphone‑only internet use is elevated in this subpopulation compared with statewide patterns.
• Network augmentation as standard practice: Temporary cells and spectrum re‑tuning during festivals are routine in San Miguel, whereas statewide needs are less event‑concentrated.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2023–2024 estimates synthesized from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (population and device/connection indicators), Pew Research Center adoption rates by age, and known seasonal attendance patterns for Telluride events, adjusted to the county’s size and housing mix. These provide defensible ranges where carrier‑level subscription counts are not publicly disclosed.

San Miguel County, CO — social media usage (2025 snapshot)

County and connectivity

• Population: ~8,100 residents (ACS 2019–2023 5-year).
• Broadband-connected households: ~88–92% (high for a rural county; FCC + ACS).
• Adult population (18+): ~6,800.

User base and composition

• Total social media users (13+): ~5,900 (≈73% of total population).
• Adult users (18+): ~5,450 (≈80% of adults).
• Gender among users: ~53% male, ~47% female (county’s male-skewed population offsets women’s slightly higher national adoption).
• Users by age group (share of all users):
  • 13–17: ~8%
  • 18–29: ~23%
  • 30–49: ~39%
  • 50–64: ~22%
  • 65+: ~8%

Most-used platforms among adult users (multi-platform; penetration of adult social users)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~64%
• Instagram: ~51%
• Pinterest: ~37%
• TikTok: ~36%
• Snapchat: ~34%
• LinkedIn: ~33%
• X (Twitter): ~24%
• Nextdoor: ~24%
• Reddit: ~23%

Local behavioral trends to know

• Strong seasonality: Posting, Stories, and short-form video spike during winter (ski season) and summer festivals (Telluride Bluegrass, Film, Jazz); engagement jumps around event hashtags and geotags (Telluride, Mountain Village, Bridal Veil, Silverton, Imogene, Ophir).
• Visual-first culture: Instagram Reels/TikTok dominate discovery for backcountry, hiking, skiing, dining, and lodging; high save/share rates for trail conditions, avalanche/safety, and “before/after storm” reels.
• Community coordination: Facebook Groups and Nextdoor are primary for housing, road/wildfire updates, lost-and-found, school and rec announcements; posts with utility information outperform promotional content.
• Visitor vs. local split: A large share of content comes from visitors; locals and businesses use Instagram Stories and Facebook Events to reach visitors in-trip. Geotargeted ads perform best during arrival windows and weekend peaks.
• Messaging-driven commerce: Instagram DMs and WhatsApp coordinate reservations, private chefs, guides, transport, and gear rentals; fast response times materially lift conversion during peak weeks.
• Younger workforce habits: Seasonal workers (late teens to early 30s) skew heavier to Snapchat and TikTok for daily communication and shift swaps; job discovery and roommate searches often start in Facebook Groups.
• Reputation loop: Google/Maps and TripAdvisor matter for first touch, but mid-funnel proof is built on Instagram grids/Reels and recent UGC; creators with outdoor credibility outperform generic influencers.
• Dayparts and devices: Engagement peaks 7–9 a.m. and 4–8 p.m. (“après-ski/evening scroll”); content is overwhelmingly mobile-first, with iOS over-indexing.

How these figures were derived

• Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year for population, age structure, and sex ratio.
• Platform penetration and age/gender adoption: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024. Local platform shares reflect Pew benchmarks adjusted modestly for San Miguel’s age mix, education/affluence, tourism intensity, and observed platform tendencies in mountain resort counties (e.g., higher Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat, elevated Nextdoor, slightly lower Facebook among younger adults).
• Connectivity: FCC fixed broadband availability and ACS computer/broadband indicators.

Numbers are modeled local estimates for 2025 using the county’s ACS demographics and Pew’s platform/adoption rates by age and gender, with small adjustments for resort-market behavior.