Weld County

Weld County, Colorado – Key Demographics

Population

• 328,981 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~34.7 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~27%
• 18–64: ~62%
• 65 and over: ~11%

Sex

• Male: ~50.5%
• Female: ~49.5% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race/Ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~62%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~31%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~118,000
• Average household size: ~2.9
• Family households: ~74% (average family size ~3.4)
• Households with children under 18: ~37%
• Married-couple households: ~55%
• Housing tenure: ~71% owner-occupied, ~29% renter-occupied

Insights

• Fast-growing county with a relatively young age structure and larger household sizes than national averages.
• Substantial Hispanic/Latino population (~31%).
• High homeownership rate (~71%).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates. (Estimates shown without margins of error for brevity.)

• Estimated email users: ≈260,000 residents. Basis: 2023 population ≈360,000; ~73% adults; ~92% of adults use email (plus most teens), yielding ~260k regular users.
• Age distribution (usage rates): 18–29 ≈96%; 30–49 ≈95%; 50–64 ≈91%; 65+ ≈85%. Practically universal among working-age adults; strong but slightly lower among seniors.
• Gender split: ~50/50. Email adoption is effectively equal among men and women (≈91–93% in both), so the active user base mirrors the county’s near-even sex ratio.
• Digital access trends:
  • Households with a computer: ≈93%.
  • Households with broadband internet: ≈88% (ACS 2018–2022), up notably from mid‑2010s.
  • Mobile-only internet households: ≈12–15%, indicating substantial smartphone-based email use.
  • 5G and high-speed cable/fiber are concentrated along the I‑25/Greeley–Evans corridor, supporting high daily email engagement; adoption and speeds taper in eastern rural areas.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Land area ≈4,000 sq mi; population density ≈90 residents/sq mi. Urban centers (Greeley, Windsor, Evans, Fort Lupton) drive higher connectivity and email intensity; lower-density eastern townships show the largest remaining fixed-broadband gaps, though overall county availability and subscriptions are in the high-80s to mid-90s percent range.

Mobile phone usage in Weld County, Colorado — key figures, drivers, and how it differs from the statewide picture

Bottom line

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 215,000–235,000 adults in Weld County use a smartphone (modeled for 2022–2023). This estimate applies Pew Research Center’s 2023 U.S. adult smartphone adoption rate (90%) to Weld’s adult population based on U.S. Census counts.
• Household smartphone access: well over 9 in 10 Weld County households have a smartphone, consistent with the American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 findings for Colorado and large Front Range counties.
• Cellular-reliant households: reliance on cellular data for home internet is meaningfully higher in Weld than the Colorado average, driven by rural tracts in the east and by cost-sensitive households in Greeley–Evans. This is evident in ACS “Computer and Internet Use” tables showing higher cellular-plan subscription rates and lower fixed-broadband adoption in rural counties than in metro core counties.

How the estimate was derived

• Population base: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Weld County population 328,981) with ACS 5-year age structure to approximate adults 18+. Applying Pew’s 2023 adult smartphone ownership rate (90%) yields ~215k–235k adult smartphone users in 2022–2023 as Weld’s population grew.
• Household device/internet access: ACS S2801/S2802 (2018–2022 5-year) show Colorado’s household smartphone presence above 90%; county-level patterns place Weld slightly below metro-core counties (Denver/Boulder) but on par with suburban Front Range peers, with higher cellular-plan take-up in rural tracts.

Demographic breakdown and usage implications

• By age: Like the state, younger adults in Weld (18–49) are near-universal smartphone adopters, while older adults (65+) lag. Applying Pew’s 2023 age-specific rates to Weld’s age mix implies:
  • 18–49: near-saturation smartphone use (95%+), accounting for the majority of users countywide
  • 50–64: high adoption (~90%), with notable mobile-only banking, messaging, and video usage
  • 65+: rising adoption (roughly three-quarters), but more likely than younger groups to retain voice/text-centric usage and to supplement with LTE home hotspots rather than fiber/cable where fixed broadband is sparse
• By race/ethnicity: Weld’s Hispanic/Latino community is about 3 in 10 residents, materially above the state share. Applying Pew’s 2023 smartphone ownership levels by race/ethnicity indicates Hispanic adults in Weld are as likely as or more likely than non-Hispanic White adults to own smartphones, which elevates overall mobile messaging, social/video, and mobile-first communication in Greeley–Evans and Fort Lupton/Dacono corridors.
• By income and geography: Household income in several Weld tracts trails the state median, and the county includes large rural areas. ACS internet-subscription patterns show that lower-income and rural households subscribe to fixed broadband at lower rates and are more likely to rely on cellular data plans. In Weld, that translates to:
  • Higher share of cellular-only or cellular-primary home internet use than the Colorado average
  • Heavier use of unlimited/discounted mobile plans and hotspots for school/work in rural schools and unincorporated communities

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: All three nationwide operators (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) report near-universal 4G LTE coverage in populated parts of Weld. 5G coverage is continuous along the Front Range and primary corridors (I‑25, US‑85, US‑34) including Greeley, Evans, Windsor, Frederick/Firestone, and expanding into Fort Lupton and Platteville. Eastern Weld’s agricultural tracts are largely low-band 5G/LTE with wider cells and fewer sites, prioritizing reach over capacity.
• Capacity and speeds: Where mid-band 5G (2.5–3.7 GHz) is deployed—most notably T‑Mobile and Verizon near Greeley–Evans and along I‑25—users see strong median speeds and lower latency. In outlying census tracts east of Eaton, Ault, and Keenesburg, speeds are notably lower and more variable due to macro-only site spacing and limited mid-band overlays, which depresses countywide medians relative to the Colorado state median.
• Backhaul and fiber: Capacity upgrades have followed new fiber laterals along the US‑34 and US‑85 corridors. Rural eastern tracts depend more on microwave or long fiber laterals, which constrains mid-band densification and keeps capacity expansions slower than in Colorado’s core metros.

What’s different about Weld County vs. the Colorado average

• More cellular-reliant households: Weld’s share of households relying primarily on cellular data for home internet is higher than the state average due to its mix of rural tracts and cost-sensitive households. This drives heavier mobile data usage per line outside fixed-broadband footprints.
• Wider intra-county performance gap: Weld exhibits a sharper urban–rural split in mobile performance than the state overall. Near Greeley–Evans and the I‑25 edge, mid-band 5G brings metro-like speeds; east of those corridors, coverage is strong but capacity-limited, producing lower median speeds and more frequent LTE fallbacks.
• Demographics amplify mobile-first behavior: A larger Hispanic population share and a younger family profile in Weld lift messaging, social video, and mobile-first commerce/education usage above what income alone would predict, even as fixed-broadband take-up lags Denver/Boulder.
• Network build priorities: Operator investment has prioritized the Front Range growth axis (Windsor–Severance–Greeley–Evans) and logistics corridors, leaving slower 5G mid-band buildout east of US‑85 compared with Colorado’s core metros.

Sources and vintage

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and ACS 2018–2022 5-year (Tables S2801/S2802: Computer and Internet Use) for household device and subscription patterns and demographic composition
• Pew Research Center, 2023, Trends in Mobile Device Ownership for adult smartphone adoption by age, income, education, and race/ethnicity
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024 releases) and carrier public coverage maps for LTE/5G footprint and spectrum mix along Weld corridors

Practical implications

• For service providers: Emphasize mid-band 5G infill east of US‑85 and along school/ag hubs; expand affordable plans/hotspot programs targeting cellular-primary households.
• For public sector: Pair rural 5G small-cell/macro adds with fiber backhaul grants; continue device and digital skills initiatives for older adults to close the usage gap.

Weld County, CO social media snapshot (2024–2025)

Population and access

• Population: ≈351,000 (ACS 2022)
• Internet access: ~88–90% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS 2022)
• Overall social media users: ≈240,000–260,000 residents use social media monthly (≈80–85% of residents age 13+)

User mix (share of social media users)

• Age groups: 13–17: 9% | 18–24: 12% | 25–34: 20% | 35–44: 18% | 45–54: 15% | 55–64: 14% | 65+: 12%
• Gender: ~51% women, ~49% men overall
  • Skews by platform: Women lean higher on Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat; men lean higher on YouTube/X/Reddit

Most-used platforms (share of residents age 13+ using monthly; modeled ranges)

• YouTube: 82–86%
• Facebook: 64–70%
• Instagram: 44–49%
• TikTok: 35–40%
• Snapchat: 34–38%
• X (Twitter): 18–22%
• LinkedIn: 16–22%
• Nextdoor: 10–15%
• WhatsApp: 20–28% (notably higher among Hispanic/Latino residents)

Behavioral trends in Weld County

• Local-first engagement: Facebook Groups and Marketplace dominate neighborhood updates, school district communications (e.g., Greeley-Evans D6, Windsor/Severance), buy/sell (autos, farm and ranch equipment), and event organizing (county fair, sports).
• Bilingual content matters: With ~30%+ Hispanic/Latino population, Spanish/English posts, captions, and customer service increase reach and response rates.
• Short-form video growth: Reels/TikTok drive discovery for food, local events, real estate, and small businesses; creators repurpose to Facebook Reels to capture older demos.
• Neighborhood networks: Nextdoor usage is strongest in suburban municipalities (e.g., Windsor, Severance, Frederick/Firestone) for HOA, safety, and services; Facebook groups fill similar roles in Greeley and rural towns.
• Time-of-day patterns: Morning (6–9 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.) peaks; noticeable off-peak activity among shift workers (energy, agriculture) overnight and pre-dawn.
• Youth channels: Teens/young adults (UNC students and area high schools) skew toward Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok; YouTube is universal for all ages.
• Civic and weather spikes: Severe weather, road closures (US‑85/I‑25), and local policy (growth, oil & gas, schools) trigger rapid, high-engagement bursts on Facebook and YouTube.
• Messaging ecosystems: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp usage is meaningful for family, church, and community groups, especially Spanish-speaking households.

Notes on methodology

• Figures synthesize ACS 2022 Weld County demographics, Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. social media adoption by platform and age, and platform planning-tool benchmarks to produce county-level estimates. Ranges reflect modeling uncertainty typical for county-level social metrics.