Washington County

Washington County, Idaho — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5‑year estimates unless noted)

Population

• Total population: ~10,400
• 2020 Census count: ~10,500

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~24%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~89–91%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1–1.5%
• Asian alone: ~0.5–0.7%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1–0.2%
• Two or more races: ~8–9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~22–24%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~69–71%

Households

• Number of households: ~4,000
• Average household size: ~2.55–2.60
• Family households: ~65–67% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48–52% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27–30%
• Nonfamily households: ~33–35%
• Living alone, 65+: ~12–14% of households

Insights

• Older age structure than Idaho overall, with about one in four residents 65+
• Notable Hispanic/Latino community (~1 in 4 residents)
• Predominantly family households, with a majority of married-couple families

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5‑year (tables DP05, S0101, S1101) and 2020 Decennial Census.

• Scope: Washington County, Idaho (pop ≈10,500; land ≈1,450 sq mi; density ≈7–8 people/sq mi), predominantly rural with service clustered around Weiser, Cambridge, and Midvale.
• Estimated adult email users: ≈7,400 adults use email (applying Pew U.S. adult email adoption to local adult population).
• Age distribution (population): 0–17: 24%; 18–34: 19%; 35–54: 25%; 55–64: 12%; 65+: 20%.
• Email adoption by age (localized from national rates): 18–34 ≈95%; 35–54 ≈96%; 55–64 ≈90%; 65+ ≈80%—usage is near‑universal among working‑age adults, somewhat lower among seniors.
• Gender split: ≈51% male / 49% female; email adoption is effectively parity (gap <2 percentage points).
• Digital access trends:
  • Households with any internet: ≈88%; with broadband subscription (cable/DSL/fiber): ≈80%.
  • Smartphone ownership is high; ≈15% of households are smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • Fixed fiber is limited outside town centers; many outlying areas rely on DSL, fixed‑wireless (WISPs), or satellite.
  • Connectivity and speeds are strongest along U.S.‑95 corridors and in town cores; service quality drops in sparsely populated agricultural and foothill areas.
• Insight: Email remains a staple communication tool across demographics; improving last‑mile broadband (especially fiber and mid‑band wireless) would most benefit seniors and remote households.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Washington County, Idaho

User estimates

• Population base used: ~11,000 residents (2023-era county size), with ~78% adults and ~6–7% teens (13–17).
• People who use a mobile phone of any kind: ~8,500 (about 78–80% of residents).
• Smartphone users: ~7,300 (about 66–68% of residents; roughly 85% of adult mobile users carry a smartphone).
• Cellular-only home internet households: ~16% of households rely primarily on a cellular data plan for home internet (roughly double-digit points higher than in wired-strong urban Idaho), equating to about 650–700 households in the county.
• Multi-line/SIM intensity: Line-to-person ratios are elevated by hotspotting and farm/ranch IoT, yielding more active lines than unique users; practical planning should assume >1.0 lines per adult user.

Demographic breakdown

• Age
  • 18–34: Very high smartphone penetration (~94–96% of mobile users).
  • 35–64: High penetration (~88–91% of mobile users).
  • 65+: Lower but growing smartphone use (~68–74% of mobile users), with many remaining voice/text-centric; overall mobile phone (any type) use among seniors ~88–90%.
• Income and affordability
  • Households under ~$35k show markedly higher smartphone-only internet reliance (about one-quarter of such households), reflecting lower fixed-broadband adoption and budget-driven plan selection.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic households in the Weiser area exhibit above-average smartphone-only reliance (low-20s percent) compared with non-Hispanic White households (low-to-mid teens), consistent with statewide affordability and work-pattern effects but more pronounced locally.
• Geography within the county
  • Valley-floor population centers (Weiser; US‑95 corridor) show higher 5G device uptake and data use per line than foothill and canyon areas (Midvale, Cambridge surrounds), where weaker signal quality and plan economics nudge users toward voice/SMS and offline modes.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and radio layers
  • County coverage is anchored by low-band LTE and 5G across the US‑95 and ID‑201 corridors and the Weiser valley, with dead zones and edge performance issues in canyons, benches, and timbered hills.
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layer) is concentrated in and around Weiser; it thins out quickly outside town. mmWave is not a factor.
• Sites and topology
  • Macro sites cluster near Weiser, along US‑95, and on a handful of ridge/mountain locations; infill is sparse away from the valley. Expect sector loading to spike during events and harvest season.
• Backhaul
  • Fiber follows major road and utility corridors and ties into robust intercity routes just across the Snake River (Ontario/Payette area), while many rural sites depend on microwave backhaul. This split underlies the town-versus-hinterland performance gap.
• Public safety and resiliency
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is present along main corridors and around Weiser; redundancy beyond these areas relies on single-path microwave and generator-backed macro sites, which can extend restoration times after severe weather or wildfire events.

How Washington County differs from Idaho statewide

• Smartphone penetration among adult mobile users is lower by roughly 3–5 percentage points than the state’s urbanized average, primarily due to an older age profile and income mix.
• Cellular-only home internet dependence is meaningfully higher (mid-teens share of households in the county versus single-digit to low-teens statewide), driven by limited fixed-broadband options in outlying areas and price sensitivity.
• 5G experience skews toward coverage-first low-band, with limited mid-band capacity outside Weiser; statewide urban corridors see broader mid-band 5G footprints and higher median speeds.
• Prepaid and budget plans constitute a larger share of active lines than Idaho’s metro areas, reflecting seasonal work, credit access, and cost control; hotspot use per line is higher than the state average.
• Seasonal fluctuations are more pronounced: during agricultural peaks, temporary workers raise device counts and inbound roaming on corridor sites, increasing sector loading beyond typical rural patterns.

Operational implications and insights

• Plan for elevated cellular-only demand and hotspot usage in network design, device procurement, and digital service delivery.
• Targeted improvements to mid-band 5G and backhaul around Weiser and along US‑95 would yield outsized benefits versus uniform rural buildouts.
• Senior-focused adoption support (device training, telehealth readiness) can close much of the residual gap in smartphone use.
• Public-facing services should be optimized for low-bandwidth, mobile-first access, with offline-capable workflows for residents in fringe-signal areas.

Washington County, ID social media snapshot (short)

Adult platform usage (estimated share of county adults who use each platform)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~38%
• Pinterest: ~33%
• TikTok: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~17%
• Reddit: ~15%
• Nextdoor: ~8%

Age-group highlights

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 93%, TikTok 63%, Snapchat 60%, Instagram 59%, Facebook 33% (strong daily use among heavy users)
• 18–29: Very high on YouTube; Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok dominate; Facebook is used but secondary
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube anchor usage; Instagram and Pinterest are meaningful; TikTok adoption emerging
• 50–64: Facebook leads; YouTube strong; Pinterest solid; TikTok and Instagram moderate
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube are primary; limited use of other apps

Gender breakdown

• Overall local social audience is roughly balanced male/female, mirroring the county’s population
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Snapchat skew female; Instagram leans female; TikTok slightly female-leaning; Reddit and X skew male; Facebook and YouTube are close to gender-balanced

Behavioral trends

• Community-first Facebook: Local Groups drive daily engagement for school sports, church and booster updates, events, yard sales, lost/found, and county alerts; Marketplace is a primary channel for buy/sell, farm and ranch gear, and vehicles
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels, TikTok) gets outsized reach; YouTube how-to, hunting/fishing, small-engine and ag equipment content perform well; local sports highlights and event recaps travel widely
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default for adults; Snapchat is the go-to for teens/young adults; Instagram DMs used by boutiques and food spots
• Local news and civic info: High responsiveness to posts about weather, roads, fire restrictions, school calendars, fairs/rodeo, elections, and public safety
• Seasonality and timing: Engagement peaks evenings (6–10 pm) and weekend mornings; seasonal spikes around planting/harvest, hunting seasons, holidays, back-to-school, and fair week
• Creative that works: Faces and places people recognize, concise captions, vertical video, and clear calls-to-action; geo-targeted offers and event-tied posts outperform generic branding
• Platform roles: Facebook is the hub for community and commerce; Instagram for visual branding and product discovery; TikTok for youth reach and viral local moments; YouTube for education/evergreen search; LinkedIn mainly for recruitment; Nextdoor usage remains niche

Notes on figures and method

• Statistics are modeled local estimates using 2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption rates (with rural adjustments) applied to Washington County’s age structure (ACS 2018–2022). Teens’ app percentages are from Pew’s 2023 Teens & Tech survey. County-level small-population uncertainty is approximately ±5–10 percentage points for platform shares.