Schuyler County

Schuyler County, Illinois — key demographics

Population size

• 6,902 (2020 Census)
• 6,56x (2023 population estimate; continuing gradual decline)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (2020 Census; percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding)

• White alone: ~95%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~93%

Households (ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates)

• Total households: ~2.8–2.9k
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple families: ~54%
• With children under 18: ~27%
• Nonfamily households: ~34%
• Living alone: ~30% (about half of these are 65+)

Insights

• Small, aging, predominantly White population with modest household sizes and a gradual population decline.

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

Schuyler County, IL snapshot (2025)

• Population ≈6,700; density ≈15 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈5,150 residents (~77% of total; ~91% of adults).

Age distribution of email users

• 13–17: ~8% (≈390 users)
• 18–34: ~21% (≈1,090)
• 35–49: ~24% (≈1,210)
• 50–64: ~26% (≈1,360)
• 65+: ~21% (≈1,100)

Gender split among users

• ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors the county’s population profile).

Digital access and trends

• Households with fixed internet subscription: ≈78%; mobile‑only internet: ≈14%; limited/no regular internet: ≈8%.
• Connectivity is densest in and around Rushville; fiber/coax options are most available there, while many rural townships rely on fixed wireless or legacy DSL.
• Email usage is stable overall and continues to rise among adults 65+, driven by healthcare portals, government services, and smartphone adoption.
• Rural geography and low population density constrain last‑mile buildouts, but incremental upgrades are improving speeds and reliability along main corridors and near population centers.

Mobile phone usage in Schuyler County, Illinois — 2025 snapshot

Population context

• Population (2020 Census): 6,902; land area ~437 sq mi (very rural, low density)
• Older than the state average: residents 65+ are roughly 21–23% of the population vs ~17% statewide

User estimates (people, not SIMs)

• Total residents using a mobile phone (any type): approximately 5,700–5,900
  • Basis: about 95% of adults use a mobile phone, plus high teen adoption and partial adoption among ages 10–12
• Smartphone users: approximately 4,900–5,200
  • Adults: ~83% smartphone adoption (age-adjusted rural rate) across an estimated 5,400–5,700 adults yields roughly 4,500–4,800 adult smartphone users
  • Teens 13–17: ~95% smartphone adoption adds ~350–420 users
• Basic/legacy phone users: about 600–900 (skewed heavily to 65+)
• Prepaid/MVNO share: materially higher than in metro Illinois; estimate 30–40% of personal lines (vs roughly a quarter statewide), reflecting price sensitivity and patchy credit access
• Wireless-only home internet (cellular-only): about 350–500 households, or roughly 13–18% of households (vs ~7–9% statewide), consistent with limited wired broadband choices outside Rushville

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–49: near-state smartphone penetration (>90%), multiple devices per person are common
  • 50–64: mid-80% smartphone adoption; many rely on cellular hotspots for home connectivity
  • 65+: roughly 55–65% smartphone adoption; a larger share keep basic phones, emphasize voice/SMS reliability and larger-key devices
• Income and plan type
  • Greater reliance on prepaid and discount MVNO brands (e.g., Straight Talk, Consumer Cellular, Visible, Boost) than in urban Illinois
  • Higher share of “smartphone-only” households (phone as primary internet) due to cost and limited wired alternatives
• Work and education
  • Cellular hotspots and phone tethering are common for remote work, ag-tech telemetry, and student access outside town limits

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet public-safety), Verizon, T‑Mobile; UScellular has notable rural footprint and in‑building reach
• 4G LTE: broadly available along primary corridors (US‑67, IL‑103, IL‑100, IL‑101) and in/around Rushville, Littleton, Browning
• 5G
  • Low‑band (“coverage 5G”) is common countywide but offers LTE‑like performance in many areas
  • Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile n41; C‑band on AT&T/Verizon) is limited—primarily near Rushville and along major highways—yielding pockets of 100–400 Mbps but not countywide
• Performance
  • Typical rural LTE/low‑band 5G speeds: ~5–40 Mbps down / 2–10 Mbps up outside towns; noticeable variability by carrier and terrain
  • Dead zones and weak‑signal pockets occur in river bottoms, wooded areas, and lowlands near the Illinois River; Wi‑Fi calling is frequently necessary indoors on the fringes
• Backhaul and wireline context
  • Fiber is present to anchor institutions (schools, clinics, public safety), with limited last‑mile fiber outside town centers
  • Legacy DSL remains in outlying areas; cable broadband availability is concentrated around Rushville; fixed‑wireless ISPs fill gaps
• Public safety and resiliency
  • FirstNet Band 14 coverage present along primary routes and population centers; volunteer fire/EMS and farm operations also lean on commercial LTE for dispatch apps and telemetry
  • Power backup on rural sites varies; brief outages can affect single‑carrier coverage, encouraging multi‑carrier or satellite fallback for critical users

How Schuyler County differs from Illinois overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: about 83% among adults locally vs roughly upper‑80s to ~90% in Illinois’ metros
• Older age mix reduces high‑end smartphone adoption and app intensity compared with state averages
• More cellular‑only households: estimated 13–18% vs roughly 7–9% statewide, reflecting scarcer wired options and cost sensitivity
• More prepaid/MVNO usage (30–40%) vs a lower statewide share
• Slower and more variable mobile speeds, with fewer mid‑band 5G zones than urban/suburban Illinois and more terrain‑related dead zones
• Heavier reliance on phones for home internet via tethering/hotspots, agriculture/telemetry, and public‑safety apps

Key takeaways

• Roughly 5.8k residents use a mobile phone and about 5.0k use a smartphone, but adoption skews lower among seniors
• Coverage is adequate on primary routes and in Rushville; mid‑band 5G capacity is still sparse outside town
• Mobile networks shoulder a larger share of the county’s broadband burden than in most of Illinois, with prepaid plans and smartphone‑only access notably higher

Sources and methods

• Population and age structure: U.S. Census (2020 Decennial) and ACS patterns for rural Illinois
• Smartphone and cellphone adoption rates: Pew Research Center (2023–2024) national and rural breakouts applied to the county’s older age mix
• Cellular‑only household estimates: ACS internet subscription patterns for rural IL counties, scaled to Schuyler’s household base
• Coverage and performance: FCC provider filings and rural IL deployment patterns for AT&T/FirstNet, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular, plus known characteristics of low‑band vs mid‑band 5G in rural markets

Social media snapshot: Schuyler County, Illinois (2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: 6,902 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020)

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72% of adults (Pew Research Center, 2024, U.S. benchmark)
• Teens using social platforms: >90% (Pew Research Center, 2023, U.S. benchmark)
• Local estimate: roughly 4,700–5,100 residents of Schuyler County use social media, driven by high teen uptake and ~70%+ adult penetration

Most-used platforms (share of U.S. adults who use each; local ranking typically mirrors this in rural counties)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Reddit: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~19% Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024

Age profile (likelihood of using any social media; U.S. adults)

• 18–29: ~84%
• 30–49: ~81%
• 50–64: ~73%
• 65+: ~45% Implication locally: the county’s user base skews younger for multi-platform use, with Facebook and YouTube providing the widest reach into older age brackets

Gender breakdown (patterns seen in U.S. rural and small‑town contexts)

• Overall usage: roughly balanced men vs. women
• Platform skews:
  • Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X
  • Snapchat and TikTok skew younger more than by gender

Behavioral trends observed in rural counties like Schuyler

• Community coordination lives on Facebook: heavy use of Groups, local news pages, churches, schools, sports, and Marketplace; event-driven spikes around fairs, sports, and school calendars
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, agriculture, equipment repair, hunting/fishing, and local sports highlights; short-form discovery via Facebook Reels/Instagram Reels/TikTok among under-40s
• Messaging > posting: high reliance on Facebook Messenger/Instagram DMs for local business inquiries and peer coordination; public posting frequency is moderate while private sharing is high
• Local commerce: Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups are primary for secondhand goods; Instagram Shops usage present among younger sellers, but reach remains Facebook-led
• News and alerts: Facebook is the default for weather, closures, and emergency updates; X usage is niche and more state/national-news oriented
• Time-of-day engagement: peaks before work/school (6:30–8:00 a.m.) and evenings (7:00–10:00 p.m.); weekend midday bumps tied to events and sports
• Platform depth by age:
  • Teens/20s: TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram daily; YouTube for how‑tos and entertainment
  • 30s–50s: Facebook daily, Instagram occasionally; YouTube regular; TikTok growth among 30–39
  • 60+: Facebook and YouTube dominate; minimal TikTok/Snapchat
• Nextdoor penetration is limited in low-density areas; Facebook Groups fill the neighborhood role

Notes on interpretation

• Percentages are from Pew Research Center (2024 adults; 2023 teens) and represent best-available U.S. benchmarks; local adoption in Schuyler County typically tracks these patterns given similar rural media habits. For precise, platform-specific local counts, advertisers commonly use platform ad-planning tools and first-party page analytics.