Mercer County

Mercer County, Illinois — key demographics

Population size

• 15,699 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: 45.8 years
• Under 18: 22.1%
• 65 and over: 22.6%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: 50.4%
• Male: 49.6%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 93.0%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 2.9%
• Two or more races: 3.0%
• Black or African American alone: 0.5%
• Asian alone: 0.3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: 6,473
• Average household size: 2.39
• Family households: 63.7% of households
• Married-couple families: 51.1% of households
• Households with children under 18: 27.0%
• Nonfamily households: 36.3%
• Householders living alone: 28.4% (65+ living alone: 13.3%)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 80.0%

Insights

• Small, slowly declining rural population with an older age profile (median age ~46; nearly the same share 65+ as under 18).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with small but present Hispanic and multiracial segments.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple and owner-occupied homes, with relatively small household sizes.

Mercer County, IL snapshot (2020 Census): population 15,699; ≈27.6 people/sq mi (largely rural).

Estimated email users: ≈11,200 adults. Method: adults ≈77.7% of population (2020 Census age share) × 92% of U.S. adults use email (Pew Research).

Age distribution of email users (est., reflecting Mercer’s older profile):

• 18–29: ~14%
• 30–49: ~30%
• 50–64: ~29%
• 65+: ~27%

Gender split among users: roughly mirrors residents (~51% female, ~49% male).

Digital access and trends:

• ACS computer/internet-use data place Mercer County in the low‑80s% of households with a broadband subscription and low‑90s% with a computer; mobile‑only internet households are in the low‑teens.
• Broadband adoption trails the Illinois average (mid/upper‑80s%), but availability has been improving via fiber/coax buildouts and fixed‑wireless expansion.
• Most occupied addresses have at least one fixed broadband option; multi‑provider competition clusters in Aledo and along main corridors, with sparser outlying townships relying more on mobile/satellite.

Insights: Email penetration is mature across all adult ages; the largest user blocks are 30–64. Connectivity gaps are driven by rural density and last‑mile distance, not lack of overall coverage, suggesting adoption assistance and reliability upgrades will yield the biggest gains.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Mercer County, Illinois

Scope and sources used

• Baseline population and households: U.S. Census 2020.
• Adoption rates: Pew Research Center mobile adoption (latest available through 2023) applied to Mercer County’s age profile; American Community Survey (ACS) computer/internet indicators to anchor local-vs-state gaps.
• Figures are presented as point estimates for Mercer County with brief rationale; statewide values are for comparison.

User estimates (Mercer County)

• Population and households
  • Population: 15,699 (2020 Census).
  • Households: approximately 6,600.
  • Adults (18+): about 12,100 (≈77% of population), reflecting an older-than-state age mix.
• Mobile phone and smartphone users (adults)
  • Any mobile phone: about 11,500 adults (≈95% of adults).
  • Smartphones: about 10,300 adults (≈85% of adults), derived by applying age-specific smartphone rates (very high among under-50, lower among 65+) to Mercer’s older age structure.
• Households that are wireless-only (no landline)
  • Estimated around 4,600 households (≈70%), close to but slightly below Illinois overall (≈72–74%), reflecting a modestly higher retention of landlines among seniors.
• Smartphone-dependent internet users (adults who rely primarily on a smartphone for home internet)
  • Estimated 24–28% in Mercer County, higher than Illinois overall (≈19–21%), consistent with lower fixed-broadband availability in rural areas.

Demographic breakdown shaping usage

• Age
  • Seniors (65+) make up a larger share of Mercer County than Illinois (roughly low-20s% vs mid-teens% statewide), which pulls down overall smartphone penetration and increases the share of basic/voice-first users.
  • Under 50 cohorts in Mercer mirror statewide usage (smartphone ownership in the mid- to high-90s%), so most of the gap comes from older residents.
• Income and education
  • Median household income is below the Illinois median; combined with limited fixed broadband options outside Aledo and other towns, this increases reliance on mobile data, prepaid plans, and smartphone-only connectivity.
• Geography and work patterns
  • Dispersed rural settlement and commuting to the Quad Cities/Muscatine areas accentuate on-the-road mobile usage and expose users to cross-border roaming and river-valley shadowing along the Mississippi corridor.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix
  • 4G LTE coverage is broad along primary corridors (US-67, IL-17, IL-94) and in population centers (e.g., Aledo), with indoor signal attenuation and spotty performance in low-lying river areas and sparsely populated farmland.
  • 5G is present in and near Aledo and along major routes; coverage is predominantly low-/mid-band. mmWave is not a factor. Countywide land-area coverage is materially less uniform than Illinois’ metro corridors.
• Performance expectations
  • Typical rural 4G download speeds range from low-teens to a few tens of Mbps outdoors, with larger indoor drop-offs in fringe areas. Mid-band 5G nodes provide triple-digit Mbps where available but are limited in spatial footprint.
• Network resilience
  • Weather-related outages and power events have a bigger relative impact than in urban Illinois because of longer backhaul spans and fewer redundant paths per square mile.
• Fixed-broadband context (shaping mobile reliance)
  • Cable service is centered in Aledo and a few towns; DSL remains common in the countryside; fiber-to-the-home exists but is patchy and driven by cooperatives or targeted builds. Overall fixed-broadband choice and fiber availability are below state averages, reinforcing higher smartphone-only and mobile-first behavior.

How Mercer County trends differ from Illinois overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration (driven by a larger 65+ share), despite similar near-universal mobile phone ownership.
• Higher share of smartphone-dependent internet users, reflecting sparser fixed-broadband infrastructure outside town centers.
• Slightly lower wireless-only (no landline) household share than the state, due to greater landline retention among older residents.
• Less consistent 5G availability and greater reliance on 4G for everyday use; more pronounced indoor coverage gaps and terrain-related dead zones than typical in Illinois’ metro counties.
• Higher variance in observed speeds and reliability, with greater sensitivity to weather and distance from towers/backhaul.

Key numbers at a glance (Mercer County)

• Adults with any mobile phone: ~11,500
• Adults with a smartphone: ~10,300
• Wireless-only households (no landline): 4,600 (70%)
• Smartphone-dependent adults for home internet: ~3,000 (24–28%)
• Population: 15,699; households: ~6,600

Notes on estimation

• Adult smartphone count reflects age-adjusted application of Pew mobile adoption rates to Mercer’s older age profile (which reduces overall penetration vs Illinois).
• Smartphone-dependent share reflects ACS-reported rural broadband adoption gaps and observed statewide rates, adjusted upward for Mercer’s rural composition.

Mercer County, IL: social media snapshot (modeled from the latest definitive sources)

At-a-glance

• Population: ~15,700 residents (U.S. Census, 2020). Adults (18+): ~12,250.
• Households with broadband: ~84% (ACS 2018–2022, Computer & Internet Use; county-level rural average).
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~8,800 (≈72% of adults; Pew Research Center national rate applied to local adult population).

Most-used platforms (share of adults; estimated local adult users)

• YouTube: 83% → ~10,160 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~8,330 adults
• Instagram: 47% → ~5,760 adults
• Pinterest: 35% → ~4,290 adults
• TikTok: 33% → ~4,040 adults
• Snapchat (close behind): 30% → ~3,670 adults Note: Shares are Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates; counts are estimates when applied to Mercer County’s adult population. Individuals use multiple platforms; totals overlap.

Age groups (usage patterns)

• 18–29: Very high on YouTube; heavy Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Facebook used but not primary for posting.
• 30–49: Broadest mix; Facebook and YouTube dominate daily use; Instagram growing; TikTok use moderate.
• 50–64: Facebook is the hub (Groups, Marketplace); YouTube for how‑tos, news, local sports. Instagram/TikTok lower but rising via Reels/Shorts.
• 65+: Facebook for family, church, community pages; YouTube for tutorials/local content; limited Instagram/TikTok.

Gender breakdown (patterns)

• Overall user base is roughly even by gender (county population is near 50/50).
• Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest (crafts, recipes, local groups/Marketplace).
• Men over-index on YouTube (news, sports, DIY) and X/Reddit (sports, markets, tech). Instagram usage is balanced to slightly female-leaning.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Midwest counties (and expected locally)

• Facebook Groups and Marketplace are the community backbone: buying/selling farm equipment, yard sales, lost-and-found pets, school activities, game-day updates, church and fair events.
• Local news and public safety: Strong followership of city/county, sheriff, EMS, fire, school districts, and weather pages; engagement spikes during storms, road closures, and elections.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for longer how‑tos and local sports streams; short-form Reels/Shorts/TikTok for quick updates and business promos.
• Messaging > public posting: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs for transactions and coordination; many residents lurk more than they post.
• Commerce funnel: Discovery via Facebook/Instagram posts/Reels; contact via Messenger; in-person pickup common. Reviews and word-of-mouth in Groups drive trust.
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (commute/school run), lunch, and 7–10 p.m.; weekends surge for events and Marketplace.
• Privacy cautiousness: Preference for closed Groups; lower Twitter/X and Reddit penetration; Nextdoor presence limited compared with Facebook Groups.

Sources and method

• Population/broadband: U.S. Census Bureau 2020; ACS 2018–2022.
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center (2024) U.S. adult usage. Local counts are modeled by applying Pew percentages to Mercer County’s adult population.