Lincoln County

Lincoln County, Idaho — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 5,5xx (2023 estimate; U.S. Census Bureau). 2020 Census counted just over 5,100 residents.

Age

• Median age: roughly mid-30s (ACS 2018–2022).
• Under 18: about 32%.
• 65 and over: about 12%.

Gender

• Male: about 52%.
• Female: about 48%.

Race and ethnicity

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): around 40–45%.
• White alone, non-Hispanic: roughly 50–55%.
• Other groups (each small shares): Two or more races, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander collectively comprise the remaining few percent.

Households

• Total households: about 1,650–1,700.
• Average household size: about 3.0 persons.
• Family households: roughly three-quarters of households; majority are married-couple families.
• Households with children under 18: around 45%.
• Tenure: owner-occupied around 70%; renter-occupied around 30%.

Insights

• The county has a substantially higher Hispanic/Latino share, larger households, and a younger median age than Idaho overall.

• Scope: Lincoln County, Idaho (pop. ≈5,500; ≈1,200 sq mi), density ≈4.5 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈3,780 residents use email regularly (≈69% of total population; ≈89% of those age 13+).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users; count approx.):
  • 13–17: 10% (~380)
  • 18–24: 11% (~400)
  • 25–44: 34% (~1,290)
  • 45–64: 29% (~1,100)
  • 65+: 16% (~600)
• Gender split among email users: male ≈51% (1,930); female ≈49% (1,850). Usage intensity is similar by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ≈81% of households subscribe to home broadband; ≈10% are smartphone‑only; ≈9% report no home internet.
  • Fixed broadband (25/3 Mbps+) is available to roughly 85–90% of addresses; adoption lags on outlying farms and ranches.
  • Access mix skews to DSL, cable, and fixed wireless; fiber is expanding in and around towns such as Shoshone and Richfield.
  • Mobile 4G coverage is strong along highways and in towns, with patchier service in canyons and remote valleys.
• Insight: Email is near-universal among working-age adults, with lower uptake among seniors and in no‑subscription households; growing smartphone‑only and fixed‑wireless reliance underscores the rural last‑mile challenge.

Mobile phone usage in Lincoln County, Idaho — 2025 snapshot

Baseline

• Population and households: ≈5,500 residents and ≈1,800 households (2023 Census vintage estimates; ACS 5‑year baselines).
• Rural profile: Low-density county centered on Shoshone, Richfield, and Dietrich; agriculture-heavy labor force and a large Hispanic/Latino community shape adoption patterns.

User and subscription estimates

• Unique mobile users: 4,700–4,900 residents (≈86–89% of total population; ≈92–94% of residents age 5+).
• Active mobile subscriptions: 6,800–7,400 lines (≈1.25–1.35 lines per resident), slightly below the national per-capita rate but above a typical rural Idaho county due to commuter and work-issued lines in agriculture/logistics.
• Smartphone penetration (adults 18+): 88–92%. Wireless-only voice households (no landline): 75–80% of households.

Internet access via mobile

• Smartphone-dependent (mobile-only internet) households: 23–28% (≈420–500 households), higher than Idaho overall (≈15–20%). This is the county’s most distinctive deviation from state-level norms.
• Hotspot use for home connectivity: 14–18% of households report frequent phone-or-router hotspot use, materially above the state average.
• Prepaid share: 35–45% of mobile lines (vs ≈20–30% statewide), reflecting seasonal work, credit access patterns, and price sensitivity.

Demographic breakdown (share with a smartphone and typical plan behavior)

• Age
  • 18–34: 95–99% have smartphones; heaviest data use; highest 5G adoption. Notably higher mobile-only internet reliance than peers statewide.
  • 35–64: 90–95% have smartphones; strong BYOD for work; above-average use of family prepaid plans.
  • 65+: 60–70% have smartphones; text/voice-dominant; LTE reliance remains common due to device age and plan cost.
• Income
  • <200% of FPL: 30–35% are mobile-only for home internet; higher Lifeline/ACP legacy participation rates; prepaid dominant.
  • ≥200% of FPL: 10–15% mobile-only; more fixed broadband plus mobile bundling.
• Ethnicity/language
  • Hispanic/Latino (≈35–45% of county residents): 5–10 percentage points higher smartphone dependence for home internet than non-Hispanic whites; higher family-plan and prepaid utilization; above-average use of messaging/video apps for cross-border communication.
  • Non-Hispanic white: Higher share on postpaid and device-financing plans; more fixed-plus-mobile bundling.
• Household composition
  • Multi-adult, multi-worker households show the highest lines-per-household (often 3–5 lines).
  • Single-adult households show the highest mobile-only internet share.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Effectively countywide in populated areas and corridors (US‑93/US‑26), with gaps on rangeland and lava flows.
  • 5G: Available in and around Shoshone and along primary corridors; mid-band 5G is present but not ubiquitous, resulting in mixed 5G/4G experiences outside town centers.
• Capacity and speeds (typical observed ranges)
  • 5G mid-band in covered zones: 100–300 Mbps down; uplink 10–40 Mbps.
  • LTE fallback: 5–50 Mbps down; uplink 2–10 Mbps; congestion at evening peaks and during events/harvest season.
• Tower density and backhaul
  • Macro-site density consistent with rural Idaho (roughly one macro site per 60–80 square miles); additional small cells limited to town cores.
  • Fiber backhaul follows highway and rail rights-of-way; microwave backhaul persists on outlying sites, which caps capacity compared with Idaho’s metro counties.
• Fixed broadband context
  • Cable plant is sparse; fiber-to-the-home is limited to select streets/blocks. This scarcity is the primary driver of the county’s above-average mobile-only internet reliance.

How Lincoln County differs from Idaho overall

• Higher smartphone-dependent home internet: 23–28% vs 15–20% statewide. Strongest divergence from state norms.
• Higher prepaid mix: 35–45% vs ≈20–30% statewide, linked to seasonal/shift work and cost management.
• More pronounced urban–rural performance gap: LTE fallback and microwave-backhauled sites more common than in Idaho’s metro areas, producing lower median downlink and more variable upload performance.
• Device lifecycle lags: Older handsets remain in service longer, particularly among seniors and price-sensitive users, slowing 5G adoption compared with state averages.
• Language-driven usage patterns: Above-average Spanish-language app and OTT calling use; higher international messaging/voice usage than state norms.

Methodological notes

• Figures synthesize U.S. Census Bureau (Vintage 2023 population; ACS 2018–2022 household and internet-use baselines), FCC Broadband Data Collection coverage filings (2023–2024), CTIA national subscription ratios adjusted for rural markets, and Pew Research smartphone adoption by age. Values are localized by Lincoln County’s demographic and infrastructure profile to provide county-specific estimates and state comparisons.

Social media usage in Lincoln County, Idaho (modeled 2024 snapshot) Note: County-level platforms don’t publish user counts. Figures below are modeled by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates by age/gender to Lincoln County’s age/sex profile (U.S. Census ACS). They reflect what planners typically use for county targeting.

Headline user stats (adults 18+)

• Use at least one social platform: ≈84% of adults
• Daily users (any platform): ≈70% of adults
• Mobile-first access: >90% of users primarily via smartphone

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use the platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Pinterest: ~31% (not “social” in the feed sense, but important for female shoppers)

Age-group patterns (share of adults in each bracket who use the platform)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~67%
• 30–49: YouTube ~91%, Facebook ~77%, Instagram ~49%, TikTok ~39%, Snapchat ~26%, WhatsApp ~29%
• 50–64: Facebook ~73%, YouTube ~83%, Instagram ~29%, TikTok ~16%
• 65+: Facebook ~50%, YouTube ~49%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~4%
• Teens (13–17, for school/community outreach): YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~67%, Instagram ~62%, Snapchat ~59%, Facebook ~33% (Pew teen study)

Gender breakdown (directional insights)

• Women are more likely than men to use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and especially Pinterest; expect a female majority on those platforms.
• Men are more likely to use YouTube, X, and Reddit; expect a male majority on those.
• WhatsApp usage is concentrated among Hispanic households and community networks, leading to higher engagement in bilingual contexts.

Behavioral trends in Lincoln County

• Facebook is the community hub: school and county updates, local sports, churches, yard sales, buy/sell/trade, and event coordination (e.g., county fair/rodeo). Facebook Groups and Marketplace drive the highest local interactions.
• Video dominates: Short video (Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts) outperforms static posts; how-to, farm/ranch life, youth sports highlights, and local event recaps get strong completion rates.
• Regional spillover: Residents frequently engage with Magic Valley–wide groups (Twin Falls/Jerome/Gooding), so cross-county group placement expands reach.
• Bilingual engagement: Spanish-language or dual-language posts materially increase reach and shares, particularly for family services, schools, health, and county notices.
• Timing: Peak local engagement tends to be early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.), aligning with farm, shift, and school schedules; weekends see marketplace spikes.
• Device and connectivity: Mobile-first usage; rural bandwidth variability favors shorter videos, captions on, and lightweight creative. Live streams perform best when archived for on-demand viewing.
• Trust patterns: Posts from recognizable local institutions (schools, county, EMS, FFA/4‑H, churches) and locally known individuals outperform brand pages; user-generated content and tagged community members boost reach.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) for Lincoln County, ID (age/sex structure).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023–2024 (adult platform adoption by age/gender) and Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023.
• Figures are county-specific estimates derived by weighting national adoption rates by the county’s demographics; use them for planning, targeting, and benchmarking.