Teller County

Teller County, Colorado — key demographics (most recent U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Census and 2018–2022 ACS 5-year; population updated to 2023 estimate)

Population

• Total population: ~25,800 (2023 estimate)
• Growth: up from ~24,700 in 2010–2020 decade

Age

• Median age: ~47
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (shares)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~85%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~9%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Black/African American, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: <1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: ~0%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~10,500–10,700
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~67% (majority married-couple)
• Households with children under 18: ~25%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80–85%
• Median household income: roughly mid–$80,000s
• Poverty rate: roughly 6–7%

Insights

• Older age profile and higher homeownership than Colorado overall.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic/Latino community.
• Small household sizes and a large share of married-couple families.

• Scope: Teller County, Colorado (2020 pop. 24,710; land area ≈559 sq mi; density ≈44 people/sq mi).
• Digital access: ≈90% of households report a broadband subscription and ≈94% have a computer device (ACS 2018–2022, S2801). Connectivity is strongest along the US‑24 corridor (Woodland Park/Divide); outlying areas depend more on fixed‑wireless and satellite.
• Estimated email users (adults): ≈17,500. Method: Teller’s older age profile implies ≈82% adults; applying Pew’s adult internet use (94%) and email use among internet users (92%) yields ≈0.82×24,710×0.94×0.92 ≈ 17.5k.
• Age distribution and email use:
  • 18–49: near‑universal email use (~98–99% of internet users); Teller has fewer young adults than the state average, so this cohort contributes a smaller share of total users than in urban counties.
  • 50–64: very high use (~96%); this is a large local cohort, driving much of total email activity.
  • 65+: high but lower use (~85–90%); Teller’s older median age slightly lowers overall penetration versus Colorado’s urban counties.
• Gender split: Email use is effectively even by sex; with a roughly balanced county population, male and female users are near parity.
• Trend insights: Email is accessed primarily on smartphones (statewide smartphone adoption ~90% of adults), with growing fiber availability in population centers and persistent last‑mile gaps in sparsely populated western and forested tracts.

Teller County, Colorado: Mobile phone usage summary (focus on county-specific differences vs. state)

Baseline and user estimates

• Population base: ~25,600 residents (2023 estimate, U.S. Census). Adults (18+): ~20,200.
• Unique mobile phone users (people with at least one mobile phone): ~20,800 users, about 81% of residents. This reflects adult ownership plus most teens and some preteens.
• Adult smartphone ownership: 17,600 adults (≈87% of adults). This is a few points lower than Colorado’s typical adult ownership (90–91%), largely due to Teller’s older age structure.
• Older adults (65+): ~3,400 owners (≈67% of the county’s 65+). That is materially lower than Colorado’s roughly mid-70s percent among seniors.
• Teen access (13–17): ~1,150–1,250 teens with smartphones (≈90% of that age group), in line with national norms.

Demographic patterns that drive usage (distinct from Colorado overall)

• Older skew: Teller’s population is older than the state average, pulling down overall smartphone penetration and slowing 5G device turnover compared with Front Range metros.
• Smartphone-only households: Estimated 1,600–1,900 households rely primarily on a smartphone (≈15–18% of ~10,500 households), above Colorado’s typical ~12–13%. This reflects pockets where wired options are sparse or costly.
• Commuter profile: Many residents commute to El Paso County; mobile usage concentrates along the US‑24 corridor at peak hours more than in urban counties, with heavier reliance on in‑vehicle navigation, messaging, and hotspotting for intermittent work connectivity.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county realities vs. state)

• 4G LTE coverage: Strong in Woodland Park, Cripple Creek/Victor, Divide, and along US‑24 and CO‑67. Coverage becomes spotty in canyons, forested terrain, and western/southern backcountry—gaps that are far less common in Colorado’s urban counties.
• 5G footprint:
  • Low‑band (all carriers): Present mainly along highways and in towns; broad reach but modest speeds.
  • Mid‑band (primarily T‑Mobile, with targeted Verizon/AT&T sites): Focused in and around Woodland Park and select sites near Cripple Creek/Victor; not as continuous as along the Front Range. This yields lower typical 5G speeds and less indoor 5G reliability than Colorado’s metro averages.
  • mmWave: Minimal to none; unlike Denver/Colorado Springs cores, it’s not a factor in Teller.
• Carrier dynamics: Verizon and AT&T tend to hold the edge in the most rural pockets due to legacy low‑band coverage; T‑Mobile’s 600 MHz expansion improved reach on corridors but remains thinner off‑grid. Carrier choice is driven more by coverage gaps than by price/features, in contrast with urban parts of Colorado.
• Backhaul and sites: Fiber backhaul tracks the US‑24 spine and town centers; microwave backhaul is common for hilltop and remote sites. Macro towers number in the dozens, with very limited small‑cell density—again unlike urban Colorado where dense small‑cell grids drive high 5G capacity.
• Wired alternatives (context for mobile reliance): Cable/fiber availability is concentrated in Woodland Park and Cripple Creek/Victor; many outlying areas still lean on DSL or fixed‑wireless ISPs. This contributes to the higher share of smartphone‑only and hotspot‑based households versus the state.

Key takeaways vs. state-level trends

• Ownership: Adult smartphone adoption is a few points lower than the Colorado norm due to a larger senior share.
• Access mode: Reliance on smartphones as the primary internet connection is meaningfully higher than the state average.
• Network experience: 5G availability leans low‑band and corridor‑centric; mid‑band depth, indoor coverage, and small‑cell density lag metro Colorado, producing more variable speeds and reliability.
• Usage behavior: Greater dependence on corridor coverage and hotspotting for work/commuting; longer device replacement cycles than urban counties.

Methods and sources (for the figures above)

• Population and age mix: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimates and ACS age structure for Teller County.
• Ownership rates by age: Applied Pew Research U.S. smartphone ownership by age to Teller’s local age profile to produce county‑specific estimates; state comparisons benchmarked to Colorado’s alignment with national adult ownership.
• Infrastructure insights: FCC/carrier coverage maps and common rural network deployment patterns in mountain counties as of 2024, combined with known distribution of wired broadband in Teller’s towns vs. outlying areas.

Teller County, CO social media snapshot (2025)

Overall usage

• Population using social media (age 13+): ≈17,500 residents, about 82% penetration of the 13+ population
• Daily use: Roughly 7 in 10 local social media users access at least one platform daily
• Devices: Predominantly mobile; short-form video and Facebook Groups drive the highest engagement

Age groups (share of local social media users)

• 13–17: ~7%
• 18–29: ~16%
• 30–49: ~35%
• 50–64: ~26%
• 65+: ~16%

Gender breakdown (of local social media users)

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Most-used platforms (adult usage; share of local adults using each at least monthly)

• YouTube: ~81%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Instagram: ~40%
• Pinterest: ~33%
• TikTok: ~28%
• WhatsApp: ~23%
• LinkedIn: ~23%
• Snapchat: ~20%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• Nextdoor: ~14%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first habits: Facebook Groups and local Pages are primary hubs for school updates, weather/wildfire/road conditions, lost-and-found, and events. Posts with practical utility (closures, safety, events) outperform promotional posts.
• Video preference: YouTube and Facebook Reels/shorts see strong completion for how-to, home/land, outdoor, and preparedness content; TikTok growth is concentrated among 18–34.
• Local commerce: Instagram and Facebook drive discovery for restaurants, boutiques, real estate, contractors, and outdoor services; carousels and short videos outperform static images. Offers and event tie-ins lift click-throughs.
• Seasonality and spikes: Summer tourism and fall foliage boost photo/video sharing and event engagement; storms and wildfire season produce sharp traffic spikes to local information posts.
• Messaging and groups: High use of Facebook Messenger (and some WhatsApp) for coordinating family, sports, and neighborhood activities; Nextdoor usage is modest but active in HOA-heavy pockets.
• Time-of-day patterns: Engagement clusters before work (6–8 a.m.), lunchtime (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.). Weekend mornings perform well for local business posts.

Notes on figures

• Counts and percentages are best-available local estimates for 2025, modeled from ACS population structure and recent U.S. platform adoption rates (with rural/older skew adjustments typical of Teller County). Percentages are rounded.