Randolph County

Key demographics for Randolph County, Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Census and 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 30,163 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~17%
• 18 to 64: ~62%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Male: ~57%
• Female: ~43%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White (non-Hispanic): ~77–78%
• Black or African American: ~17–18%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.2–0.4%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Household data

• Total households: ~11,000–11,300
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4 persons
• Family households: ~65%
• Married-couple households: ~49–50%
• One-person households: ~28–30%
• Households with children under 18: ~24–26%

Insights

• The county has an older age profile and a higher male share than typical, influenced by the Menard Correctional Center.
• Household sizes are modest and a majority are family households, with roughly one-quarter having children under 18.

Email usage in Randolph County, IL (estimates, 2024):

• Population and users: 30,000 residents; ~23,400 adults (18+). Applying current U.S. adult email penetration (92%), ~21,500 adult email users.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: ~17% of users; 30–49: ~32%; 50–64: ~28%; 65+: ~23%. Adoption is near-universal among under-50, high among 50–64, and modestly lower for 65+.
• Gender split: Approximately 51% male, 49% female among users; usage rates are effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access trends: About 80% of households have a broadband subscription and roughly 90% have a computer/smartphone. Smartphone-only internet access likely 12–15% of households, supporting email use even without home wired service. The lapse of federal ACP subsidies in 2024 pressures affordability for low-income households, risking small declines in wired adoption.
• Local density/connectivity: ~30,000 residents across ~576 square miles of land yields ~52 people per square mile (rural). Fixed broadband is strongest in and around Chester, Sparta, and corridor communities; coverage and speeds drop in dispersed rural areas and river/bluff terrain, where cellular service (including 5G on primary highways) often fills gaps.

Mobile phone usage in Randolph County, Illinois — 2024 snapshot

Executive highlights

• Estimated mobile phone users: 22,000–24,000 residents actively using a mobile handset on a regular basis
• Estimated smartphone users: 20,000–22,000 (roughly 80–85% of residents age 12+; 88–92% of adults), below Illinois’ large-metro average but typical for rural counties
• Distinct local factors vs state: an older age profile and a sizable incarcerated population at Menard Correctional Center reduce per-capita smartphone penetration when measured against total population; 5G mid-band coverage is concentrated in towns, with wide low-band coverage elsewhere; a higher share of smartphone‑only internet reliance than the state in rural tracts

Context and definitive baselines

• Population: 30,163 (2020 Census). The presence of Menard Correctional Center (thousands of incarcerated individuals) inflates the count of adults who are not part of the consumer mobile market, which materially affects per-capita metrics compared to Illinois overall.
• Settlement pattern: small cities and towns (Chester, Sparta, Red Bud, Steeleville) surrounded by low-density rural areas and river bottoms along the Mississippi and Kaskaskia—conditions that shape coverage and uptake.

User estimates and composition

• Total mobile users (all handsets): 22,000–24,000
• Smartphone users: 20,000–22,000
• Feature-phone or limited-use devices: ~2,000–3,000
• Multi-line households and work phones: raise the number of active lines above the count of unique users, especially in public safety, agriculture, and small manufacturing.

Demographic breakdown (share of local smartphone users; modeled from county age structure and current U.S. adoption by age)

• 13–24: 12–14% of users. Smaller share than Illinois due to a lower proportion of college-age residents.
• 25–44: 28–30%. Similar to the state, anchored by healthcare, corrections, education, and retail employment centers.
• 45–64: 34–36%. Above state share, reflecting an older resident base; strong utility and workplace dependence.
• 65+: 20–22%. Larger share of the user base than in Illinois metros; adoption is high but device upgrade cycles are longer and data plans skew lighter.

How Randolph County differs from Illinois statewide

• Penetration rate: When calculated on the total population, apparent smartphone penetration is several points lower than the state because incarcerated individuals are counted locally but do not participate in the consumer device market. Among the civilian, non‑institutionalized population, adoption is closer to statewide rural norms but still below Chicago-area rates.
• Device reliance: A higher proportion of households rely on smartphones as their primary or only internet connection in the county’s rural census tracts than the statewide average, driven by patchy wired broadband options outside town centers.
• Upgrade cycles and plan mix: Users keep devices longer and show greater use of budget and prepaid plans than urban Illinois, reflecting income mix and coverage parity across carriers in rural terrain.
• Network experience: Day-to-day reliability is strong on 4G/low-band 5G, but average speeds are lower than in Illinois metros due to limited mid-band 5G footprint outside towns; performance can dip in river-bottom topography.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Carrier presence: AT&T (including FirstNet), Verizon, and T‑Mobile all operate in the county; regional and MVNO brands ride these networks.
• 4G/5G coverage pattern:
  • 4G LTE: Broad coverage across nearly all populated areas; agricultural and river-bottom areas can see edge-of-cell performance and indoor penetration challenges.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G spans primary corridors and most towns. Mid-band 5G (capacity layer) is concentrated in and around Chester, Sparta, Red Bud, and Steeleville; it thins quickly in outlying areas, unlike Chicagoland where mid-band is ubiquitous.
• Backhaul and capacity: Fiber backhaul is present to macro sites near towns and along state routes; microwave backhaul persists on some rural sectors, which can cap peak throughput compared with Illinois’ metro counties.
• Public safety and coverage resiliency: AT&T’s FirstNet presence and overlapping LTE layers support emergency communications along the Mississippi River corridor and state routes; this is a comparative strength versus some neighboring rural counties.
• Wired broadband interplay: Town centers typically have cable or fiber, supporting dense small cells and better indoor mobile performance. Outside town limits, reliance on fixed wireless and legacy DSL is higher, which correlates with greater smartphone-only internet use.

Practical implications

• Marketing and service: Expect higher responsiveness to value plans, robust rural coverage messaging, and device financing that accommodates longer replacement cycles.
• Network planning: Additional mid-band 5G sectors and in-fill sites near river bluffs and bottomlands would yield outsized user-experience gains relative to tower count; indoor coverage solutions remain important for metal-roofed homes and metal buildings common in agriculture and light industry.
• Digital equity: Smartphone-centered programs (subsidized plans, hotspot lending, ACP-alternative offerings) will reach more un/underconnected households here than equivalent strategies in Illinois’ metro counties.

Notes on method

• User counts are modeled from the 2020 Census population baseline for Randolph County, adjusted qualitatively for the county’s institutional population and rural age structure, and aligned with current national smartphone ownership rates by age from major surveys (e.g., Pew Research). Coverage and infrastructure patterns reflect carrier-reported footprints and rural Illinois deployment norms observed through 2023–2024.

Randolph County, IL social media snapshot (2024–2025)

How many people and who’s online

• Population: ~30,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimate for Randolph County)
• Residents age 13+: ~25,500
• Social media users (13+): ~21,000 (≈82% of 13+; ≈70% of total population)

Most‑used platforms (share of 13+ residents; modeled range)

• YouTube: 68–75% (≈17.5k–19.1k users)
• Facebook: 58–64% (≈14.8k–16.3k)
• Instagram: 30–36% (≈7.7k–9.2k)
• TikTok: 26–32% (≈6.6k–8.2k)
• Snapchat: 18–23% (≈4.6k–5.9k)
• Pinterest: 20–25% (≈5.1k–6.4k; majority female)
• X (Twitter): 12–16% (≈3.1k–4.1k)
• LinkedIn: 10–14% (≈2.6k–3.6k)
• Nextdoor: 5–8% (≈1.3k–2.0k; low rural adoption)

Age makeup of the county’s social audience (share of social media users)

• 13–17: 8–10%
• 18–29: 19–22%
• 30–49: 32–35% [largest block]
• 50–64: 22–24%
• 65+: 12–15% [fastest growth vs. 2021–2023]

Gender breakdown (share of social media users)

• Women: 51–53% overall; over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; strong on Instagram Reels
• Men: 47–49% overall; over‑index on YouTube and X; stable presence on Facebook

Behavioral trends (what people do and how they engage)

• Community and news: Facebook Groups and Pages are the default for local news, school updates, high‑school sports, municipal alerts, and events; sharing and commenting outpace original posting among 50+.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace dominates buy/sell/trade; local service discovery often starts on Facebook search and recommendations.
• Video‑first consumption: Short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is the primary discovery format for 13–34; how‑to/DIY, agriculture, hunting/fishing, small‑engine repair, and church services perform well on YouTube among 35+.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the most widely used private channel; Snapchat leads peer‑to‑peer among teens/young adults; WhatsApp remains niche.
• Posting cadence: Younger users post short videos and Stories; older users share links, photos, and community notices. Engagement spikes evenings (7–10 p.m.), lunchtime (12–1 p.m.), and weekend mid‑mornings; school‑year mini‑spike around 3–4:30 p.m.
• Cross‑posting: Local creators and small businesses increasingly repurpose TikTok videos to Instagram Reels and Facebook; event promos pair Facebook Events with short‑form video teasers.

Notes on method and sources

• Figures are modeled for Randolph County using U.S. Census Bureau population structure (ACS/QuickFacts 2023) and platform adoption benchmarks from Pew Research Center (2023–2024), with rural‑Midwest adjustments. Ranges reflect known urban–rural and age skews to localize national rates to the county.