Pike County

Pike County, Illinois — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 14,739 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: 14,096 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: 44.8 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 21.0%
• 65 and over: 23.5%

Gender

• Male: 50.4%
• Female: 49.6% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: 93.2%
• Black or African American alone: 3.1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
• Asian alone: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: 3.3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.2%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 91.4%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: 6,061
• Persons per household: 2.31
• Family households: 61.9% of households
• Married-couple households: 49.1% of households
• Households with children under 18: 26.5%
• One-person households: 30.2%; with someone 65+ living alone: 13.5%
• Housing units: 7,619; owner-occupied rate: 78.8%

Insights

• Small, declining, and older-leaning population relative to state/national averages.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with small minority and Hispanic populations.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple and owner-occupied homes, with small average household size.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (2023).

Pike County, IL (pop. 14.7k) is predominantly rural, with low density (17 people/sq. mile), shaping digital access and email habits.

Estimated email users: ~11,300 residents (age 13+) use email regularly.

Age distribution (share using email):

• 13–17: ~88%
• 18–34: ~96%
• 35–54: ~95%
• 55–64: ~90%
• 65+: ~75%

Gender split: Roughly even; ~51% female, ~49% male among email users.

Digital access and usage trends:

• ~80% of households have an internet subscription (vs. ~87% statewide), indicating a 7-point adoption gap typical of rural Illinois.
• ~88% of households have a computer and/or smartphone; smartphone access is widespread, with ~14% of households likely mobile-only.
• Daily email use is common: ~70% of email users check at least once per day; heavier reliance skews to working-age adults.

Local connectivity facts:

• Dispersed housing and farm-to-market road networks raise last‑mile costs; fixed wireless and satellite fill gaps outside towns.
• Email adoption is strongest in and around Pittsfield and other populated centers, with lower rates in remote townships due to patchier broadband.

Mobile phone usage in Pike County, Illinois — summary and county-vs-state contrasts

Context and scale

• Population base: Pike County’s total population is roughly 14–15 thousand, with about 11–12 thousand adults (18+). The county is non‑metropolitan and predominantly rural, with a notably older age profile than Illinois overall.
• Estimated mobile users: 10–11 thousand residents use a mobile phone; 9.5–10.2 thousand are smartphone users (derived from rural-adjusted adoption rates applied to the county’s adult population).
• Household dependence: An estimated 8–12% of households rely on mobile data as their primary at‑home internet connection, versus roughly 5–7% statewide. This “mobile-only” dependence is a consistent rural differential.

Demographic breakdown (county patterns vs Illinois)

• Age
  • Pike County has a substantially higher share of adults 65+ than Illinois overall. Smartphone ownership among seniors is lower than the statewide average, producing a larger “basic phone” and “no mobile internet” segment among older residents.
  • Among working-age adults (25–64), ownership is near-ubiquitous, but Pike’s rate is a few points lower than the state average and skews more toward Android and prepaid plans, reflecting price sensitivity.
• Income and education
  • Median household incomes are lower than the Illinois median, and educational attainment is lower. These factors correlate with:
    • Higher prepaid penetration and longer device replacement cycles.
    • Greater likelihood of using a single handset per household and sharing hotspots for home connectivity.
    • A larger mobile-only internet cohort compared with Illinois overall.
• Youth and families
  • Teen and young adult smartphone access is widespread but slightly more constrained than statewide (later age for first device; more stringent data caps), often tied to family plan economics and coverage consistency outside town centers.

Usage patterns and behavior

• Data usage: Average per‑line monthly data use is below the Illinois urban average due to more limited mid‑band 5G capacity and conservative plan choices, but hotspotting is used more frequently for homework, telehealth, and seasonal work needs.
• App mix: Higher reliance on utility and messaging apps (banking, government services, weather, farm/logistics, hunting/fishing) and slightly lower penetration of bandwidth-intensive streaming compared with Illinois metro users.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE is the baseline across most populated and travel corridors; it remains the primary layer for voice and data reliability in fringe areas.
  • 5G is present primarily as low‑band coverage countywide, with mid‑band 5G capacity concentrated along major highways and in/around towns (for example, near I‑72 and Pittsfield). mmWave is not a factor.
• Providers
  • All three national carriers operate in the county, with UScellular also present. Network selection often hinges on localized tower proximity rather than brand preference, more so than in Illinois’ metro counties.
• Terrain effects
  • River bluffs, tree cover, and low-density spacing between towers create pockets of weak indoor signal and dead zones on secondary roads—conditions more pronounced than the state average.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Several rural sites rely on microwave backhaul, which can cap peak throughput and increase latency compared with fiber-fed urban Illinois sites. This keeps typical rural downlink speeds below Chicago-area and other metro benchmarks even where 5G is advertised.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Where cable or fiber is not available, households more often lean on mobile hotspots or fixed wireless access (FWA) plans. FWA uptake is higher than the statewide average in unserved/underserved tracts, but performance is sensitive to line-of-sight and sector load.
• Emergency and seasonal load
  • Seasonal events (harvest, hunting season, fairs) cause localized congestion spikes. Public-safety coverage is generally reliable along primary routes but can degrade in valleys—an issue less common in flatter, urbanized parts of Illinois.

How Pike County differs from the Illinois state picture

• Lower overall smartphone adoption (especially 65+) and higher basic‑phone retention.
• Higher share of prepaid lines, longer device lifecycles, and more conservative data plans.
• Greater reliance on mobile-only internet and hotspotting due to patchier fixed broadband options.
• Network experience is driven by low‑band 5G/LTE coverage with limited mid‑band capacity zones; typical speeds and indoor reliability trail metro Illinois.
• Carrier choice is unusually location‑specific; residents are more likely to switch or carry backup SIMs based on tower proximity than brand loyalty trends seen statewide.

Key figures at a glance (rounded, county-level)

• Adults (18+): ~11–12k
• Mobile phone users: ~10–11k
• Smartphone users: ~9.5–10.2k
• Households primarily using mobile data at home: ~8–12% (vs Illinois ~5–7%)
• Seniors’ smartphone adoption: materially lower than the state average; seniors make up a larger share of Pike’s population than Illinois overall

Sources and methods

• User counts are derived from Pike County’s population and age structure (U.S. Census/ACS) combined with recent smartphone adoption benchmarks for rural and older cohorts (e.g., Pew Research Center, 2023) and rural-urban differentials observed in FCC and ACS internet-use datasets.
• Infrastructure points synthesize publicly available carrier coverage disclosures, FCC National Broadband Map observations for rural Illinois, and known performance characteristics of low‑band vs mid‑band 5G in non‑metro counties.

Pike County, Illinois — social media snapshot (modeled, current as of 2024)

How this was built

• Population base: ~14,700 residents (2020 Census). Adults (18+): ~11,500.
• Platform reach rates: Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use report (with minor adjustments for rural patterns: Facebook slightly higher; Instagram/Twitter slightly lower than national averages).
• Figures below express estimated share of Pike County adults using each platform and the approximate number of adult users.

Most-used platforms (percent of adults; ≈ user counts)

• YouTube: 82% (9,400 adults)
• Facebook: 70% (8,050)
• Instagram: 40% (4,600)
• Pinterest: 32% (3,700)
• TikTok: 30% (3,450)
• Snapchat: 24% (2,750)
• LinkedIn: 21% (2,400)
• X (Twitter): 20% (2,300)
• Reddit: 19% (2,200)
• WhatsApp: 19% (2,200)

Age-group usage patterns (share of adults in each bracket using platform; national rates applied locally)

• YouTube: 18–29 ~95%; 30–49 ~93%; 50–64 ~83%; 65+ ~61%
• Facebook: 18–29 ~67%; 30–49 ~76%; 50–64 ~69%; 65+ ~62%
• Instagram: 18–29 ~78%; 30–49 ~49%; 50–64 ~35%; 65+ ~15%
• TikTok: 18–29 ~62%; 30–49 ~39%; 50–64 ~24%; 65+ ~10%
• Snapchat: 18–29 ~68%; 30–49 ~26%; 50–64 ~13%; 65+ ~4%

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base mirrors the county’s adult population split (roughly half female, half male).
• Platform skews:
  • Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat (Pinterest especially strong among women).
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter, and slightly on LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Illinois communities like Pike County

• Facebook is the community hub:
  • Heavy use of Groups (schools, churches, youth sports, hunting/fishing clubs, local buy/sell).
  • Marketplace is a top commerce channel for vehicles, equipment, farm/ranch and household items.
  • Local news, weather, road closures, public safety updates see the highest comment and share activity.
• Video-first habits:
  • YouTube dominates for how‑to/DIY, equipment repair, hunting/fishing content, and school sports highlights.
  • TikTok consumption is growing among under‑35; creation is concentrated in a smaller, active minority.
• Younger cohorts (teens/20s):
  • Prefer Instagram Stories/Reels, Snapchat messaging/Stories, and TikTok for entertainment and trends.
  • Lower posting on Facebook; FB use is more for events and keeping up with family.
• Older cohorts (50+):
  • Facebook is primary; frequent sharing of local announcements, fundraisers, obituaries, community photos.
  • YouTube used for tutorials, local interest, and entertainment.
• Messaging and outreach:
  • Facebook Messenger and SMS are default; WhatsApp remains niche except among specific friend/family networks.
• Engagement timing:
  • Peaks in evenings (6–9 p.m.) and weekends; seasonal spikes around fairs, harvest/sports seasons, and severe weather.
• Advertising and outreach implications:
  • For reach 30+: prioritize Facebook (Page posts + Groups + Marketplace + event listings) with occasional YouTube prerolls.
  • For under‑35: short‑form video on Instagram Reels and TikTok; Snapchat for quick reach and geofilters around events.
  • Creative featuring community faces, local landmarks, and clear calls-to-action outperforms generic brand creative.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Pike County, IL population baseline).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by U.S. adults, age and gender patterns). Figures above apply Pew’s rates to Pike County’s adult population and modest rural adjustments to reflect observed rural usage patterns in the Midwest.