Putnam County

Key demographics — Putnam County, Illinois

Population size

• 5,637 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 2023 Census estimate: about 5,5xx, continuing a small decline since 2010

Age

• Median age: about 47 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~49–50%
• Male: ~50–51%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023; shares may not sum to 100 due to rounding and Hispanic overlap with race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~90–92%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~5–7%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Black or African American: ~0.3–0.6%
• Asian: ~0.2–0.4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.1–0.3%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~2,300–2,400
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~64–66% of households; average family size ~2.8–2.9
• Married-couple households: ~52–56%
• Households with children under 18: ~24–27%
• Living alone: ~30–33% of households; age 65+ living alone: ~12–15%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~80–85% of occupied units

Insights

• Small, aging population with a modest decline since 2010
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a small but present Hispanic/Latino community
• High homeownership and smaller household sizes typical of rural Illinois counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2023).

Putnam County, IL email usage snapshot

• Population baseline: ≈5,600 residents. Estimated email users: ≈4,100 (≈73% of residents; ≈88% of adults).
• Gender split among users: ≈50% female (≈2,050) and ≈50% male (≈2,050); no meaningful usage gap by gender.
• Age distribution of email users (≈4,100 total):
  • 18–29: ≈13% (≈530)
  • 30–49: ≈34% (≈1,390)
  • 50–64: ≈28% (≈1,150)
  • 65+: ≈25% (≈1,030)
• Use patterns: About 60% of adult users check email daily; mobile email is dominant (well over half of users access via smartphone).
• Digital access:
  • ≈82% of households have a home broadband subscription.
  • ≈10–12% rely primarily on cellular data.
  • ≈6–8% lack home internet entirely.
  • Smartphone adoption among adults is ~85%, supporting on-the-go email access.
• Local density/connectivity: Illinois’ smallest county by area and least populous; ≈33 residents per square mile. Fixed broadband coverage exceeds 90% of addresses, but adoption lags in scattered rural areas and river-adjacent pockets.
• Trend insight: Email adoption is stable to slightly rising, with gains concentrated among older adults as devices and service plans improve; affordability and digital skills remain the main barriers.

Mobile phone usage in Putnam County, Illinois — 2024 snapshot

Executive takeaways

• Putnam County is Illinois’ smallest county by population (2020 Census: 5,637). Its older, more rural profile and sparse infrastructure mean mobile adoption and performance patterns differ from the state’s urban-heavy aggregate.
• Mobile phone ownership is near-universal, but overall smartphone penetration and 5G performance trail Illinois’ metro counties; reliance on mobile-only home internet is notably higher than the statewide average.

User estimates (modeled)

• Adult population baseline: approximately 4,400–4,600 adults (derived from 2020 Census total population and typical rural age structure).
• Adults with any mobile phone: roughly 4,200–4,500 (95–97% of adults; aligned with national cell-phone ownership).
• Adults with a smartphone: roughly 3,800–4,100 (85–90% of adults; slightly below state-level urban counties due to older age mix).
• Households that are smartphone-/cellular-only for home internet: approximately 15–20% of households, versus Illinois overall closer to the low-teens. This gap is driven by patchy wired broadband in unincorporated areas and the adequacy of LTE/low-band 5G for basic needs.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption and heavy app use; video/social drive peak evening loads.
  • 35–64: high smartphone adoption; significant use of hotspotting for farm/small-business tasks where wired service is weak.
  • 65+: adoption materially lower than younger cohorts but still majority; more voice/SMS, telehealth, and messaging; larger use of Wi‑Fi calling to overcome indoor signal issues.
• Income and housing:
  • Lower-income and rental households show higher smartphone-only reliance, reflecting cost sensitivity and limited cable/fiber footprints outside town centers.
  • Owner-occupied rural homes frequently augment service with external antennas/boosters; hotspot devices are common.
• Work and mobility:
  • Commuters to nearby employment centers (e.g., LaSalle–Peru, Ottawa, Princeton) lean on navigation, messaging, and music streaming; midday rural cells see modest utilization, with evening residential peaks.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: countywide outdoor coverage from all three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) along primary corridors and towns (Hennepin, Granville, Standard, Mark, McNabb, Putnam); indoor coverage can be inconsistent in metal-roof buildings and river-adjacent low spots.
  • 5G: low-band 5G present in/near towns and along main routes; mid-band 5G is spotty and largely confined to denser pockets; mmWave is effectively absent.
• Capacity and speeds (typical real-world ranges):
  • Low-band 5G: roughly 30–120 Mbps down, wide-area coverage.
  • LTE fallback: roughly 5–40 Mbps down, variable by sector load and distance.
  • Mid-band 5G, where available: 150–400+ Mbps down, but limited footprint.
• Backhaul and towers:
  • Macro-site spacing typical of rural Illinois; sectors prioritized along IL highways and the Illinois River corridor. Limited small-cell density compared with metro Illinois constrains capacity growth.
• Fixed broadband context:
  • Cable internet largely limited to town grids; DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite fill gaps in unincorporated areas. This mixed fixed-broadband picture directly increases mobile hotspot and smartphone-only behaviors.

How Putnam County differs from Illinois overall

• Adoption mix:
  • Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration than urban/suburban counties due to an older age structure, yet near-universal basic mobile phone ownership.
  • Higher share of smartphone-/cellular-only home internet households compared with the state average, reflecting infrastructure gaps and cost trade-offs.
• Network experience:
  • Lower availability of mid-band 5G and fewer densification sites than metro areas; median mobile speeds are correspondingly lower and more variable at the cell edge.
  • Greater reliance on LTE fallback and on signal-boosting solutions (external antennas, in-home repeaters) than is typical in Illinois’ urban counties.
• Carrier mix and plans:
  • Heavier footprint for AT&T and Verizon in fringe areas where coverage resiliency is decisive; MVNO adoption is common but constrained by rural roaming/priority differences.
  • Higher uptake of unlimited data and hotspot add-ons, used to supplement or replace fixed broadband.

Implications

• Public services and healthcare should assume dependable LTE/low-band 5G access but plan for offline-capable workflows and Wi‑Fi calling guidance in indoor dead zones.
• Businesses should optimize apps and content for low-to-moderate bandwidth and variable latency; supporting SMS and lightweight web experiences improves reach.
• Infrastructure investment that expands mid-band 5G and town-edge cable/fiber will materially reduce mobile-only dependence and raise median user speeds.

Sources and methodology

• Population baseline: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; Putnam County is Illinois’ least populous county).
• Adoption rates: Pew Research Center national adult device ownership (2023) applied to a rural/older age profile to estimate county figures; smartphone-only household share benchmarked against ACS device/subscription patterns for rural Illinois counties.
• Coverage/performance: synthesized from FCC mobile coverage mapping (2023–2024) and typical rural Illinois field performance ranges across carriers.

Putnam County, IL social media usage (2025 snapshot)

Topline

• Population: 5,637 (2020 Census). Adults ≈ 4,400.
• Estimated adult social media penetration: ~71% of adults (≈ 3,100 users), consistent with Pew’s measured adoption among rural U.S. adults.

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated share of all adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~81%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~40%
• Pinterest: ~36%
• TikTok: ~26%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• LinkedIn: ~24%
• WhatsApp: ~23%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• Reddit: ~17%

Age pattern (share within each age group using at least one social platform; platform skews in parentheses)

• 18–29: 90%+ use social media; heavy on YouTube (95%), Instagram (78%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%), Facebook (67%).
• 30–49: 82%; YouTube (91%), Facebook (73%), Instagram (49%), TikTok (39%), Snapchat (25%), LinkedIn (~38%).
• 50–64: 73%; Facebook (73%) and YouTube (83%) dominate; Instagram (29%), TikTok (~15%).
• 65+: 50–53%; Facebook (50%) and YouTube (60%) lead; Instagram (14%), TikTok (~7%).

Gender breakdown (usage skews; shares are of adults)

• Overall adoption: women slightly higher than men.
• Platform skews:
  • Women: Facebook higher than men; Pinterest markedly higher (~50% women vs ~15% men nationally).
  • Men: YouTube higher (~mid‑80s% men vs low‑80s% women); Reddit higher (~~29% men vs ~12% women); X slightly higher for men.

Behavioral trends in a small rural county context

• Facebook is the community hub: local news alerts, school and municipal updates, events, buy/sell groups, and business pages. Most local businesses prioritize Facebook over other platforms.
• Messaging is fragmented: Facebook Messenger and SMS dominate for adults; Snapchat for teens/young adults; WhatsApp niche (family/international ties).
• Video is utility‑driven: YouTube for how‑to, hunting/outdoors, home/auto repair, and high school sports highlights; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok) is growing but creator base is small.
• Platform mix by life stage: Under‑35s split time across Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok; 35+ consolidate on Facebook and YouTube; 65+ are primarily on Facebook with light YouTube.
• Engagement windows: Peaks early morning (commute/school), evening (7–10 pm), and weekend mornings; midday activity from retirees.
• Nextdoor/LinkedIn: Nextdoor presence is limited; LinkedIn is used by a minority of working professionals, mainly for job search and networking beyond the county.

Notes on method and sources

• Figures are modeled for Putnam County by applying Pew Research Center’s measured platform adoption by age, gender, and rural residence (Social Media Use in 2023/2024) to a small rural Illinois county profile; population base from U.S. Census (2020). Percentages shown are of adults unless noted.