Owyhee County

Owyhee County, Idaho — key demographics (most recent available; U.S. Census Bureau)

Population

• Total population: ~12.6k (2023 estimate). 2020 Census: ~12.1k

Age

• Median age: ~34 years
• Under 18: ~30%
• 65 and over: ~15–16%

Sex

• Female: ~48% (male ~52%)

Race and ethnicity (alone unless noted; Hispanic can be of any race)

• Hispanic/Latino: ~30%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~60–62%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Black/African American: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~4.1–4.3k
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~75–80% of households; married-couple families ~60%
• Households with children under 18: ~35–40%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78–80%

Notes

• Figures are drawn primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS 5-year estimates (2019–2023 window) and 2023 Vintage population estimates (for total population). These are the standard, most complete sources for small-county demographics.

Email usage in Owyhee County, ID

• Estimated email users: ~6,700 adults. Basis: population ≈12,000; ~72% adults; ~78% of households have internet; ~92% of internet users use email.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–34: 28%; 35–54: 36%; 55–64: 16%; 65+: 20%.
• Gender split: ~51% male, ~49% female, mirroring the county’s overall sex ratio.
• Digital access: ~89% of households have a computer; ~76–80% have a broadband subscription; ~15% are smartphone‑only. Home broadband is concentrated in Homedale–Marsing and along the Snake River corridor; large ranching/public‑land areas rely on satellite or fixed wireless.
• Connectivity and density context: ~1.6 residents per square mile across ~7,600 square miles (among Idaho’s lowest densities), increasing last‑mile costs and limiting fiber/cable buildout. Mobile coverage is strongest along US‑95 and ID‑78; outside highway corridors, speeds and reliability drop, encouraging use of asynchronous tools like email over real‑time video.
• Trend insights: Fixed‑wireless and low‑earth‑orbit satellite are shrinking unserved pockets, lifting email adoption among older and remote households; smartphone‑only access sustains daily email via apps even where wired broadband is absent.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS), FCC Broadband Map, Pew Research Center.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Owyhee County, Idaho (latest available public data through 2024; estimates where noted)

Headline differences from the Idaho state picture

• Greater mobile-only dependence: A notably higher share of households rely on cellular data instead of wired home internet, and a higher share are smartphone‑only for internet access.
• Sparser, corridor‑centric coverage: Service quality and 5G availability drop quickly outside the US‑95, ID‑78, and ID‑51 corridors; dead zones persist in the Owyhee Mountains, canyonlands, and ranchlands.
• Stronger uptake of value/prepaid and subsidy programs: Low-density, agricultural employment, and the presence of the Duck Valley Reservation increase participation in Lifeline/Tribal Lifeline and past ACP offerings, lifting mobile adoption among lower‑income households relative to wired broadband.

User estimates

• Population base: ~12,700 residents (2023 Census estimate), ~9,800 adults (18+).
• Smartphone users: ~8,100 adult smartphone users (≈83% of adults), below Idaho’s urbanized areas but close to the U.S. rural norm.
• Household context: ~4,400 households (implied from population and average household size).
  • Wireless-only (no landline telephone): ~3,200 households (≈74%), above the statewide share.
  • Cellular data as primary home internet (cell-only or mobile hotspot as main): ~1,000–1,200 households (≈23–27%), materially higher than Idaho overall.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households (smartphone present, no computer/tablet at home): ~600 households (≈14%), roughly double the statewide rate.
  • No home internet subscription: ~900 households (≈20%), higher than the Idaho average, reflecting infrastructure gaps and cost sensitivity.

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age
  • 18–34: ~96% smartphone adoption; high app/social and mobile‑video use, limited landline presence.
  • 35–64: ~90% smartphone adoption; above‑average hotspot use for work/education where fixed broadband is weak.
  • 65+: ~65–70% smartphone adoption; lower 5G handset penetration and more voice/text‑centric use; higher reliance on basic or value plans.
• Race/ethnicity and communities
  • Hispanic/Latino community (well above the Idaho average share in northern Owyhee towns): higher smartphone‑only and prepaid plan use than the county average, driven by multi‑line family plans and seasonal work patterns.
  • Native community (Duck Valley Reservation): elevated mobile adoption via Tribal Lifeline benefits; smartphone‑only internet use is common where fixed options are unavailable or unaffordable.
• Income and education
  • Lower‑income and less‑connected tracts show the highest cellular‑primary and smartphone‑only rates, with ACP-era enrollments (now sunset) having temporarily boosted data plan sizes; some churn to smaller data plans occurred in 2024 after ACP funds lapsed.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint
  • Coverage concentrates along US‑95 (Homedale–Marsing approaches), ID‑78 (Snake River corridor), and ID‑51 (north–south spine toward Bruneau/Grand View). Large gaps persist in the Owyhee Mountains, canyonlands, and southern ranchlands toward the Nevada line.
• Technology mix
  • LTE is the de facto baseline; low‑band 5G covers portions of the main corridors and town centers. Mid‑band 5G (for higher speeds) is limited and highly corridor‑bound.
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) from national carriers reaches town centers and some outlying clusters; performance degrades quickly with distance/terrain.
• Carrier dynamics (generalized, based on statewide rural performance and 2024 coverage filings)
  • Verizon: Broadest rural reach; most reliable off‑corridor LTE; 5G mainly along highways/towns.
  • AT&T: Solid on primary routes and in towns; patchier south/east of main corridors.
  • T‑Mobile: Competitive 5G capacity in and near towns/corridors; weaker deep‑rural reach.
• Backhaul and wired context
  • Fiber/backhaul largely follows transportation/power corridors; several small exchanges and WISPs serve towns and farmsteads, but fiber‑to‑the‑home is scarce outside pockets of Homedale/Marsing‑area blocks.
  • DSL and legacy copper remain in use in scattered areas; cable coverage is limited, pushing many households to mobile data or fixed wireless.
• Emergency and remote use
  • Above‑average adoption of satellite messengers and growing Starlink use among ranches/outfitters and in recreation zones due to persistent cellular dead zones.

How Owyhee differs from Idaho overall (concise deltas)

• Higher shares of:
  • Wireless‑only households (+10–15 percentage points vs. state).
  • Smartphone‑only internet households (roughly 2x Idaho’s share).
  • Households with no internet subscription (+5–10 pp).
• Lower shares of:
  • Mid‑band 5G coverage and fiber‑to‑the‑home availability outside town centers.
  • Post‑paid premium plan penetration; higher prepaid/multi‑line usage.

Data notes and sources

• Population and household base: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 county estimates and ACS-based household sizing.
• Device ownership and access patterns: ACS 2018–2022 Computer and Internet Use tables (county vs. state), CDC/NCHS wireless‑only telephone estimates (state/rural applied), Pew Research Center 2023 smartphone ownership.
• Coverage/infrastructure: FCC mobile coverage filings and operator public maps (2024), Idaho rural broadband program materials, and regional provider footprints.
• Figures for Owyhee are county‑level estimates synthesized from the above datasets and local context; statewide comparisons reference Idaho aggregates from the same sources and time frames.

Owyhee County, ID — social media snapshot (2024, modeled)

Overall usage

• Adult penetration: ~70% of residents 18+ use at least one social platform; ~60% of those are daily users (≈42% of all adults use social daily).
• Multi-platform behavior: Typical user engages with 2–3 platforms; YouTube + Facebook is the dominant pairing.

Most-used platforms among adults (share using monthly)

• YouTube: 78–82%
• Facebook: 62–66%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• TikTok: 26–30%
• Snapchat: 23–27%
• Pinterest: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 15–19%
• LinkedIn: 12–16%
• Reddit: 9–13%
• Nextdoor: 5–8%

Age profile (share using any social; dominant platforms)

• 13–17: 90–95%; YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram
• 18–29: 92–95%; YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook
• 30–49: 80–85%; YouTube, Facebook, Instagram; Pinterest strong among parents
• 50–64: 65–70%; Facebook, YouTube; gradual Instagram/TikTok uptake
• 65+: 45–50%; Facebook, YouTube; limited use of others

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base: roughly balanced, skewing slightly female (≈52% female, 48% male).
• Platform skews: Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest and TikTok lean female; YouTube, Reddit, and X lean male. Local usage follows these national skews.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first Facebook: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Marketplace for local news, events, buy–sell–trade, and school/booster activities; high engagement on posts with recognizable local places or names.
• Video is king: Short video (YouTube, Reels, TikTok) outperforms static posts; farm/outdoor, hunting/fishing, high school sports, and local business “how-to” content performs best.
• Mobile and after-hours: Usage peaks before work (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekends see spikes for events and Marketplace.
• Private sharing: Closed groups and Messenger/WhatsApp threads drive substantial “dark social” sharing; Spanish-language groups are active alongside English-language ones.
• Trust and locality: Content from known local entities (county offices, schools, churches, FFA/4‑H, volunteer fire) gains faster reach and more comments; plain-language updates outperform polished corporate copy.
• Platform roles: Facebook = community + commerce; YouTube = how-to, long-tail local search; Instagram = visual storytelling and youth reach; TikTok/Snapchat = under‑30 reach and trend discovery; Pinterest = home/food/outdoors planning; X = niche news/sports chatter.

Method note: Figures are modeled for Owyhee County by applying 2023–2024 U.S./Idaho rural adoption benchmarks and Pew platform rates to the county’s age/sex profile (ACS). Percentages reflect adults unless noted.