Hancock County

Hancock County, Illinois — key demographics (most recent Census/ACS)

Population size

• 17,708 (2020 Decennial Census)
• ~17,2k (2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimate), down from 19,104 in 2010

Age

• Median age: ~45 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~55%
• 65 and over: ~24%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

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

• White: ~94–95%
• Black or African American: ~0.7–0.8%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2–0.3%
• Asian: ~0.2–0.3%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0–0.1%
• Some other race: ~0.5–0.7%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households and families

• Households: ~7,500–7,700
• Families: ~4,600–4,900
• Average household size: ~2.25
• Average family size: ~2.8–2.9
• Married-couple households: ~53–56% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~23–26%
• Households with a person 65+ living alone: ~14–16%
• Tenure: ~77–80% owner-occupied; ~20–23% renter-occupied

Insights

• Small, aging, and predominantly White rural county with slow, steady population decline since 2010.
• Household structure skews toward married couples and owner-occupied housing, with smaller household sizes and a relatively large senior share.

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

Hancock County, IL email usage (2025 estimate)

• Population and density: 17,620 residents (2020 Census); ~22 people per square mile (very low-density, rural).
• Estimated email users: ~12,600 adult users. Basis: ~13,750 adults (≈78% of population) with ~92% email adoption among adults (Pew Research, 2023).

Age distribution of email users (share and count):

• 18–29: 15% (1,900)
• 30–49: 32% (4,000)
• 50–64: 28% (3,500)
• 65+: 25% (3,150) High adoption in all groups, with lower—but rising—usage among 65+.

Gender split among users:

• Female 51% (6,400)
• Male 49% (6,200) Email adoption is effectively parity by gender; the slight female majority mirrors local demographics.

Digital access and connectivity trends:

• Broadband subscription: ~82–85% of households (ACS trends for rural Illinois), up steadily since 2017.
• No home internet: ~10–13% of households; smartphone‑only internet: ~12–15%.
• Device access: ~85–90% of households have a computer and/or tablet; smartphone penetration exceeds 90% among adults.
• Low population density and dispersed housing increase last‑mile costs; fixed wireless and mobile broadband play a larger role outside town centers. Fiber availability is expanding but remains uneven beyond communities like Carthage, Hamilton, and Nauvoo.

Mobile phone usage in Hancock County, Illinois (2024 snapshot)

Key takeaways (how the county differs from the Illinois average)

• Lower smartphone adoption and fewer active lines per resident than the state average.
• Higher reliance on cellular as the primary home internet connection (mobile-only households).
• Slower and more variable mobile speeds, with mid-band 5G far less prevalent outside town centers.
• Older population mix dampens overall smartphone penetration relative to Illinois.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 10.8–11.6 thousand residents.
  • Basis: county adult population and rural adoption rates imply 78–83% adult smartphone adoption, vs Illinois at roughly 86–88%.
• Active mobile lines: about 14–15 thousand SIMs across all ages (roughly 0.8–0.9 lines per resident), vs Illinois closer to 1.0–1.1 lines per resident.
• Households relying on cellular as their only internet (mobile-only): estimated 14–17% of households, notably above Illinois at roughly 10–12%.
• Multiline households: below the state share, reflecting fewer connected devices per household and fewer tablet/hotspot lines.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone usage (about 90–93%), close to the state rate; heavier use of app-based services and mobile payments.
  • 35–64: high usage (about 82–87%); more likely than younger adults to maintain both mobile and fixed broadband when available.
  • 65+: substantially lower usage (about 55–65%); more basic voice/text usage and lower rates of mobile-only home internet. The county’s higher share of older adults than Illinois pulls down overall adoption.
• Income and education
  • Households under $35,000 are disproportionately mobile-only for home internet (roughly 22–30% within this income band), higher than the county average and above state rates for the same band.
  • Households with some college or less show higher dependence on unlimited/prepaid plans and hotspots for home connectivity than Illinois overall.
• Geography within the county
  • Town centers (e.g., Carthage, Hamilton, Warsaw) show higher 5G availability and better speeds; rural areas between towns have larger dead zones and lower median speeds, increasing reliance on external antennas and signal boosters.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Network availability
  • All four national carriers operate in the county. 4G LTE is broadly available along primary corridors and in towns; coverage thins in low-lying and timbered areas and along some county roads.
  • 5G availability is primarily low-band; mid-band 5G (the main driver of higher speeds) is concentrated in or near towns and along major routes, materially less widespread than in Illinois metro areas.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical town-center speeds reach tens of Mbps, adequate for video streaming and telehealth; speeds drop markedly in fringe and agricultural areas, where single-digit to teens Mbps are common during peak hours.
  • Illinois statewide median mobile speeds are substantially higher due to broader mid-band 5G deployment; Hancock County lags particularly on upload performance and consistency under load.
• Reliability and indoor coverage
  • Macro cell sites cover highways reliably; in-building coverage can be weak in metal-roof structures common in the county. External antennas and carrier-provided femtocells are frequently used to stabilize service.
• Redundancy and competition
  • Fewer overlapping mid-band 5G footprints limit true network redundancy outside towns; users are more sensitive to carrier choice by location than the Illinois average.

Trends versus Illinois

• Adoption: county adult smartphone adoption is roughly 4–8 percentage points lower than the state average, driven by older age structure and lower income.
• Mobile-only households: 2–6 points higher than Illinois, reflecting gaps in fixed broadband availability and affordability.
• Performance: materially below the state median for mobile speeds and capacity, with greater variance by micro-location.
• Upgrade cycles: slower device turnover; a larger share of 4G-only devices remains in active use than statewide.

What this means for planning and outreach

• Carrier selection materially affects outcomes in rural tracts; location-specific testing remains prudent.
• Programs that pair device upgrades with signal solutions (boosters, outdoor antennas) will close practical coverage gaps more effectively than device upgrades alone.
• Affordability initiatives, data plan education, and hotspot lending can help mobile-only households meet remote work and telehealth needs.
• Any expansion of mid-band 5G or small cells in town centers will yield outsized benefits given current capacity constraints.

Method notes

• Figures are synthesized from the latest available federal datasets (American Community Survey 2018–2022 five-year estimates for household internet modalities and demographics; FCC Broadband Data Collection for reported mobile coverage) and national adoption research (Pew/NTIA) applied to the county’s demographic profile. Where no single official county-level smartphone metric exists, values are presented as transparent model-based estimates and deltas versus Illinois statewide benchmarks.

Hancock County, Illinois — Social Media Usage Snapshot (2025, modeled from 2024–2025 Pew Research Center social media adoption rates and U.S. Census local age mix for a rural Midwestern county)

Overall usage

• Adults (18+): ~70% use at least one social platform
• Teens (13–17): ~90% use at least one social platform
• Daily activity among adult users: ~72% check daily; ~40% check multiple times per day

Age profile (share of each group using social media)

• 13–17: ~90%
• 18–29: ~93%
• 30–49: ~84%
• 50–64: ~73%
• 65+: ~48%

Gender breakdown (among local social media users)

• Women: ~53%
• Men: ~47%

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults who use each platform; people use multiple platforms)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Instagram: ~38%
• Pinterest: ~32%
• TikTok: ~27%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• LinkedIn: ~23%
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• WhatsApp: ~18%
• Reddit: ~14%

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook-centric community behavior: Local groups, school and church pages, and Facebook Marketplace drive the bulk of community information, buy/sell activity, event promotion, and recommendations for local services.
• Video-first consumption: Short-form video (YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels) sees the fastest growth; tutorials, local sports highlights, and event recaps perform well.
• Messaging as a service channel: Facebook Messenger (and Snapchat for younger residents) is commonly used to ask businesses about hours, pricing, and availability; quick responses materially improve conversion.
• Private/closed-group engagement: High participation in invite-only or neighborhood groups for trust and safety; these groups outperform public pages for discussion and referrals.
• Time-of-day peaks: Usage clusters before work/school (6–8 a.m.) and in the evening (7–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes around local events, games, and county fairs.
• Content that travels: School activities, youth sports, obituaries, weather alerts, hunting/harvest updates, and local history posts get above-average reach and shares.
• Platform skews:
  • Older adults lean heavily on Facebook and YouTube; Pinterest usage is strong among women 30–64 for recipes, crafts, and home projects.
  • 18–34s split time across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube; TikTok growth is steady but still trails Facebook/YouTube in overall reach.
  • X (Twitter) is niche, used mainly for sports, state news, and national headlines; LinkedIn is used primarily by educators, healthcare, and small-business owners for networking and hiring.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying 2024–2025 Pew Research platform adoption and age-cohort usage rates to Hancock County’s rural Midwestern age structure; results reflect rural skew (older median age) which lifts Facebook/Pinterest slightly and tempers TikTok/Snapchat relative to national adult averages.