Oneida County

Oneida County, Idaho — key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• 4,700 (approx.) — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate
• 4,564 — 2020 Census count

Age

• Median age: about 36–37 years
• Under 18: ~30%
• 18–64: ~53%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive where noted)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~90–91%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~1%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Other race groups each: <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~1,600
• Average household size: ~2.9 persons
• Family households: ~73–75% of households
• Married-couple families: ~63–66% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~35–38%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~80–83% of occupied units
• Renter-occupied housing: ~17–20%

Insights

• Small, predominantly non-Hispanic White population with a relatively young, family-oriented profile and larger-than-average household sizes.
• High homeownership and a large share of married-couple family households.

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

Email users (est., 2024): ~3,300 residents (age 15+) in Oneida County, ID use email regularly. This is based on a ~4,700 population, ~70% adults, and national rural email adoption of ~90% among internet users.

Age distribution of email users (share of users):

• 15–24: ~16%
• 25–44: ~31%
• 45–64: ~32%
• 65+: ~21%

Gender split:

• Overall county population is roughly even; email usage is near-parity. Estimated email users: ~51% male, ~49% female.

Digital access and usage trends:

• Home internet: ~70–75% of households have fixed broadband; another ~15–20% are smartphone‑only, reflecting rural access patterns.
• Daily behavior: ~80–85% of email users check email daily; mobile dominates personal email access.
• Work vs. personal: With a small local employer base, ~25–35% use email weekly for work; personal/education/government communications drive most volume.

Local density/connectivity:

• Population density ~4 people per square mile across ~1,200 sq. miles; most residents cluster in/around Malad City along I‑15.
• Best fixed broadband (cable/fiber) is concentrated in Malad City; outlying areas rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. LTE/5G coverage is strongest along the I‑15 corridor, with patchier service in remote areas.

Mobile phone usage in Oneida County, Idaho (as of 2023–2024)

Headline findings distinct from Idaho overall

• Adoption trails the state by several points outside the I‑15 corridor, and 5G is far less continuous away from Malad City and the freeway. Users rely more on LTE in rural benches and canyon areas than the state average.
• A higher share of households use mobile service as their primary or only internet connection (mobile-only households around 20–24% vs roughly 15–17% statewide), driven by sparse fixed broadband options outside Malad City.
• Prepaid penetration and extended device upgrade cycles are higher than the state average, reflecting older age structure and lower-density rural incomes. This yields more basic/LTE-only devices and slightly lower average data speeds than in Idaho’s metro counties.
• Cross‑border dynamics with Utah (I‑15 travel and shopping/work trips to Box Elder and Cache counties) influence carrier choice and network selection more than in interior Idaho counties.

User estimates

• Population base: about 4,600 residents.
• Age 12+ population: roughly 3,860.
• Mobile phone users (any cellphone) age 12+: approximately 3,600 (about 94% of age 12+), slightly below the Idaho average.
• Smartphone users age 12+: approximately 3,330 (about 86% of age 12+). This is 4–6 percentage points below Idaho’s statewide smartphone penetration.
• Non‑smartphone users age 12+: about 270 (feature/flip devices, often 65+ and cost‑sensitive users).
• Household reliance: an estimated 20–24% of households are mobile‑only for home internet (hotspots or phone tethering), higher than the state share due to limited wireline competition outside Malad.

Demographic breakdown of users

• By age (ownership rates and estimated smartphone users):
  • 12–17: ~91% smartphone ownership; about 420 teen smartphone users. Teens are highly app/social heavy but constrained by patchy 5G off the corridor.
  • 18–34: ~93% smartphone ownership; about 810 users. Migration/commuting to Utah increases roaming and interstate data usage relative to the Idaho average.
  • 35–64: ~88% smartphone ownership; about 1,540 users. Larger share on family and prepaid value plans than state average.
  • 65+: ~72% smartphone ownership; about 560 users. Highest basic‑phone retention and voice/SMS reliance in the county; emergency connectivity and medical alerts are prominent use cases.
• Plan mix and spending:
  • Prepaid share: roughly 30–35% of lines (vs ~20–25% statewide), with MVNOs popular for price sensitivity and because retail carrier stores are distant.
  • Average upgrade cycle: about 3–4 years (longer than metro Idaho’s ~2–3 years), leaving more LTE‑only devices in circulation.
• Work and travel:
  • I‑15 traffic through Malad City drives weekday and weekend usage spikes atypical for a county this small; apps with navigation, payments, and media see higher transient demand compared with interior rural counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage pattern:
  • Strongest service along I‑15 and in Malad City (macro sites from Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile). 5G coverage is present along the freeway; T‑Mobile typically has the broadest 5G footprint there, with Verizon mid‑band/C‑band nodes near town and AT&T 5G more intermittent.
  • Outside the corridor (Samaria, Holbrook, Stone, rural benches), users often fall back to LTE on low‑band spectrum. Mountainous terrain (Malad Range) produces localized dead zones and fringe coverage, especially in canyons and on north‑south rural roads.
• Speeds and reliability:
  • Typical freeway/town speeds: 80–250 Mbps on 5G mid‑band (T‑Mobile), 50–150 Mbps on Verizon where C‑band is live; AT&T often 20–80 Mbps with LTE/5G low‑band. Outside those areas, 5–20 Mbps LTE is common, with occasional drops to sub‑5 Mbps in valleys and canyons.
  • Latency is stable on I‑15 but more variable off‑corridor due to sparse site density.
• Capacity drivers:
  • Traffic surges tied to weekend travel on I‑15 and local events in Malad City can temporarily congest sectors, a pattern less pronounced in Idaho’s metro counties where dense site grids absorb peaks.
• Emergency and redundancy:
  • E911 coverage is solid along I‑15 and in town; off‑grid recreation areas experience gaps that are more frequent than the statewide norm. Households without fixed broadband use LTE/5G hotspots for backup connectivity more often than the Idaho average.

How Oneida differs from Idaho overall

• Adoption: Smartphone and any‑cellphone ownership are both a few points lower than the state average due to older age mix and rural geography.
• Network experience: 5G availability and speeds fall off sharply outside the freeway/town area, unlike metro Idaho where 5G is contiguous; LTE remains the practical baseline in much of the county.
• Plan economics: Higher prepaid/MVNO share and longer device retention reduce the penetration of the newest 5G handsets compared to state averages.
• Usage profile: A larger slice of households rely on mobile data for home needs. Per‑line data consumption is bimodal—very high for mobile‑only homes but lower for basic‑phone users—creating more variability than in the state’s urban counties.

Practical implications

• Carriers see outsized ROI from adding or upgrading one or two macro sites or deploying additional mid‑band 5G sectors just off I‑15 and toward Holbrook/Samaria to stabilize off‑corridor coverage.
• Prepaid and value postpaid plans with robust hotspot allowances, Wi‑Fi calling, and low‑band coverage are particularly well‑matched to the county’s needs.
• Public safety and healthcare providers should prioritize coverage audits and satellite/FirstNet fallbacks for canyon and bench locations where LTE/5G is inconsistent.

Oneida County, Idaho social media snapshot (2024; modeled from ACS demographics and Pew Research platform-usage rates)

County baseline

• Population: ~4,670
• Adults (18+): ~3,080; Teens (13–17): ~440
• Gender: ~50% female, ~50% male
• Internet access: smartphone-first; household broadband in the low- to mid-80% range (ACS)

Overall reach

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~2,220 (≈72% of adults)
• Teens (13–17) using at least one platform: ~420 (≈95% of teens)
• Adult user base by gender (all platforms): ~52% women, ~48% men

Most-used platforms (adults, estimated users and penetration)

• YouTube: ~2,560 users (83%)
• Facebook: ~2,100 (68%)
• Instagram: ~1,450 (47%)
• Pinterest: ~1,080 (35%)
• TikTok: ~1,020 (33%)
• Snapchat: 930 (30%) Notes: X/Twitter (27%), LinkedIn (30%), Reddit (22%), WhatsApp (~25%) are meaningful but smaller.

Age groups (share using any social media and estimated users)

• 13–17: 95% → ~420 users
• 18–29: 84% → ~670 users
• 30–49: 81% → ~790 users
• 50–64: 73% → ~410 users
• 65+: 45% → ~340 users

Gender patterns by platform (adults)

• Facebook: ~54% women / 46% men
• Instagram: ~54% women / 46% men
• TikTok: ~54% women / 46% men
• Snapchat: ~58% women / 42% men
• Pinterest: ~74% women / 26% men
• YouTube: ~48% women / 52% men
• X/Twitter: ~44% women / 56% men
• Reddit: ~34% women / 66% men

Behavioral trends observed in small, rural counties like Oneida

• Facebook as the community hub: highest daily reach for local news, school/city/county pages, church and civic events, buy-sell-trade groups, and Marketplace. Messenger is heavily used for direct coordination.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is near-universal for how-to/DIY, outdoor, ag and mechanical repair content; TikTok/Reels are strong for short-form entertainment among under-35s.
• Messaging over posting for youth: Teens and 18–29s rely on Snapchat and Instagram DMs; public posting rates are lower than viewing.
• Peak activity windows: Evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mid-days show the strongest local engagement; weekday mornings and mid-afternoons are softer.
• Local commerce: Facebook and Instagram drive most local-business engagement; click-to-call and directions requests outperform site visits. Marketplace is a key channel for P2P sales.
• Device reality: Smartphone-dominant access; bandwidth variability nudges creators toward short, captioned video and image carousels over long HD streams.
• Content that performs: Local sports and school highlights, event reminders, service-business before/after visuals, seasonal outdoor content, quick how-tos, and posts with clear utility (hours, closures, road/weather notes).

Method notes and sources

• Demographics from U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018–2022 (population, age, gender, broadband).
• Platform penetration and age/gender skews from Pew Research Center (Social Media Use 2023–2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023).
• County figures are modeled by applying Pew adoption rates to Oneida’s age/gender structure; platform percentages reflect adults unless noted.