Shelby County

Shelby County, Illinois — Key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates unless noted)

Population size

• Total population: ~20,700
• 2020 Census count: ~21,000 (small decline since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~23%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White (alone): ~96%
• Black or African American (alone): ~0–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0–1%
• Asian (alone): ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

Household data

• Households: ~8,700
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48% of households
• One-person households: ~29% (about half of these age 65+)
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~77–79% of occupied units
• Average family size: ~2.8

Insights

• Population is slowly declining and older than the U.S. average, with about one in four residents age 65+.
• The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small racial/ethnic minority shares.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple and owner-occupied households, with relatively small household sizes.

• Population and density: Shelby County, IL had 20,990 residents in 2020 across ~759 sq mi (≈27.6 people/sq mi), indicating a sparsely populated, rural market.
• Estimated email users: 15,100 adult users. Method: adults ≈78% of population (16,400); 92% of U.S. adults use email (Pew), yielding ≈15.1k local adult email users.
• Age distribution (usage rates): Email is near-universal among younger adults and tapers modestly with age—18–29 (99%), 30–49 (96%), 50–64 (92%), 65+ (85%). Given Shelby County’s older profile, expect a larger share of email users to be 50+ than in urban Illinois.
• Gender split: Near parity. U.S. adoption is essentially equal (women ~91%, men ~90%), so local email users are roughly 50/50.
• Digital access and trends: Household broadband subscription is about 80% and computer ownership about 90% (ACS 2018–2022 patterns for similar rural IL counties), with steadily rising subscriptions since 2016 and growing smartphone reliance among some households. Rural dispersion and low density contribute to patchier fixed high-speed options outside Shelbyville and major corridors, but mobile coverage supports consistent email access.
• Connectivity insight: Lower density raises last‑mile costs, making email a dependable, low‑bandwidth channel for reaching most adults countywide.

Shelby County, IL mobile usage snapshot (2022–2024)

User estimates

• Total mobile users: approximately 15,000–17,000 individuals use a mobile phone in the county at least weekly, driven by near-universal adoption among working-age adults and teens.
• Smartphone users: roughly 14,500–15,500, reflecting strong but slightly below–Illinois-average smartphone adoption in rural and older populations.
• Mobile-only internet households: about 12–15% of households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet, higher than the Illinois average.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: Very high smartphone penetration (near-saturation, ~93–96%). Heaviest mobile data usage per user; multiple lines per household are common.
  • 35–64: High penetration (~85–90%); work-driven usage and hotspotting for home connectivity in areas with limited wired broadband.
  • 65+: Moderate smartphone penetration (~65–75%), meaningfully lower than the state average. Voice-and-text–centric users are more prevalent, with gradual migration to smartphones for telehealth and banking.
• Income and education
  • Lower-income and non-college households show above-average reliance on prepaid plans and MVNOs; device replacement cycles are longer than the state average.
  • Mobile-only internet is notably higher among cost-constrained households and renters in smaller towns.
• Urban–rural split within the county
  • Shelbyville and main corridors see stronger 4G/5G performance and device adoption.
  • Outlying townships have more LTE-only usage, weaker indoor coverage, and greater dependence on external antennas/hotspots.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint
  • All three nationwide carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide countywide LTE coverage; 5G is present on primary roads and in population centers, with T-Mobile generally showing the broadest mid-band 5G footprint, AT&T the most consistent low-band 5G/FirstNet presence, and Verizon 5G availability tied to selective C-band deployments.
  • mmWave 5G is effectively absent; rural service is anchored by low- and mid-band spectrum.
• Capacity and performance
  • Speeds are adequate for typical apps but vary widely by location; mid-band 5G areas deliver strong performance, while fringe and indoor rural locations can drop to single-digit Mbps on LTE.
  • Congestion appears during evening peaks around schools and civic facilities; backhaul improvements track with ongoing fiber builds.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber expansion by regional ISPs and electric cooperative projects has improved backhaul to towers near towns and along highways, indirectly lifting mobile performance; some farm and river-bottom areas remain on microwave or long copper backhaul.
• Emergency and public safety
  • AT&T FirstNet sites cover key corridors and public-safety locations; coverage reliability is prioritized over raw throughput in these zones.

How Shelby County trends differ from Illinois overall

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption: Older age structure and rural distribution produce a modest adoption gap versus the Illinois average, especially in the 65+ cohort.
• Higher mobile-only internet reliance: A larger share of households use cellular as their primary or backup internet, reflecting patchy wired broadband and cost considerations.
• More prepaid and MVNO usage: Price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier selection favor prepaid plans to a greater degree than statewide patterns.
• Slower 5G saturation: 5G is present but less uniformly than in metro Illinois; mid-band 5G is concentrated along main corridors and in towns, with many areas still LTE-first.
• Greater location variability: Performance and indoor coverage vary more sharply by micro-location than in urban Illinois, with notable differences between town centers and outlying farmsteads.

Definitive statistics anchor points

• Population baseline: about 21,000 residents, with a higher-than-state share of adults 65+, which directly correlates with slightly lower smartphone penetration and higher basic-phone retention.
• Household connectivity mix: county household smartphone access is a few percentage points below the Illinois average; households with no wired internet subscription are several points higher than the state average, aligning with the elevated share of mobile-only households.
• Carrier presence: three nationwide mobile networks with LTE countywide and 5G in and around Shelbyville and along primary routes (US-51, IL-16/32/128); no meaningful mmWave footprint.

Implications

• User base growth will be incremental and driven mainly by upgrades among older adults and second-line additions in working-age households.
• The biggest improvements in user experience will come from mid-band 5G fill-in and continued fiber backhaul expansion, not from new spectrum bands.
• Addressing indoor coverage and fringe LTE performance remains the primary gap relative to state-level urban markets.

Shelby County, IL — social media usage snapshot (2025, data-driven estimates)

Population base

• Total population: ~20,500
• Age 13+: ~16,800 (≈82% of population)
• Monthly social media users (any platform): ~12,600 (≈75% of age 13+)

Age-group adoption (share of each cohort using social media)

• 13–17: ~93%
• 18–29: ~90%
• 30–49: ~83%
• 50–64: ~72%
• 65+: ~50%

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Women: ~53%
• Men: ~47% Notes: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit/X. Nonbinary users are present but too small a base locally for reliable percentage reporting.

Most-used platforms in the county (share of age 13+ using each platform monthly; rounded)

• YouTube: ~70%
• Facebook: ~64%
• Instagram: ~32%
• TikTok: ~29%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• Pinterest: ~22% (majority women)
• LinkedIn: ~14% (skews toward college-educated professionals)
• X/Twitter: ~12% (news/sports-heavy audience)

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook is the community backbone: groups for schools, churches, civic updates, local sports, garage sales; Marketplace is heavily used for farm/household items. Events and posts with specific local relevance perform best.
• Video is dominant: short-form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) growth among under-35; practical how-to and local “faces” content outperforms polished creative. YouTube is the go-to for tutorials, repairs, ag/DIY, and product research across ages.
• Messaging and DMs matter: Facebook Messenger is the default for coordinating locally; Instagram DMs among 18–34. Expect quick responses to queries about hours, inventory, and appointments.
• Time-of-day engagement: peaks after work (6–9 pm) and weekends; secondary lift around lunch (11:30 am–1 pm). School calendars and local sports seasons noticeably shift attention and topics.
• Discovery and decision-making: word-of-mouth amplified by Facebook Groups; reviews and recommendations in comments influence local purchases. Offer-led posts (clear price, location, dates) outperform brand-only messages.
• Youth split attention: teens/early 20s spend most time on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram is the public-facing profile. Cross-post short video with native captions and music where possible.
• Device reality: primarily mobile; vertical video, concise copy, and click-to-call or map actions increase conversion.

How to read these numbers

• Figures are 2025 local estimates built from U.S. Census county population and age structure, combined with recent Pew Research platform adoption by age/gender and rural Illinois patterns; scaled and rounded to Shelby County. Suitable for planning and audience sizing.