Fountain County

Key demographics — Fountain County, Indiana (U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Census and 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates)

• Population

  • Total: ~16.3–16.5k (16,479 in 2020 Census; ~16.3k in 2023 estimate)

• Age

  • Median age: ~43 years
  • Under 18: ~22–23%
  • 65 and over: ~19–20%

• Gender

  • Male: ~50–51%
  • Female: ~49–50%

• Race and ethnicity (shares; ACS, non-Hispanic unless noted)

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~94–95%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~0.2–0.3%
  • Asian (non-Hispanic): ~0.2–0.4%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

• Households

  • Number of households: ~6,600–6,800
  • Persons per household (avg): ~2.4–2.5
  • Family households: ~65–70% of households
  • One-person households: ~25–30% of households

Notes: Figures are rounded to reflect survey estimates for a small county.

Fountain County, IN — estimated email usage

• Population baseline: ~16.5K residents; rural density ~40–45 people per sq. mile.
• Estimated email users: 11–13K (roughly 70–80% of total residents; 85–95% of adults), based on census-size estimates and typical U.S. adoption rates.

Age distribution of email users (share of users)

• Under 18: 6–8% (school-driven accounts; less frequent use)
• 18–34: 20–25%
• 35–64: 45–50% (work, services, commerce)
• 65+: 20–25% (rising adoption, some mobile-only)

Gender split

• Approximately even (about 49–51% either way; no material usage gap by gender).

Digital access and trends

• Broadband availability is mixed for a rural county; roughly 75–85% of households have a home broadband subscription, with remaining access via mobile data or shared/public connections.
• Connectivity is strongest in/near towns and along main corridors; more dead zones in sparsely populated areas.
• Smartphone-centric email use is common; residents often rely on mobile carriers for primary internet.
• Growth areas: seniors’ adoption, mobile-only households, and use of email for telehealth, government services, and school communication.

Notes: Figures are estimates derived from county population and national/Indiana rural adoption benchmarks.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Fountain County, Indiana (focus on differences from statewide patterns)

How many users (estimates)

• Population base: about 16–17K residents; roughly 78% are adults.
• Adults with any mobile phone: 11.9K–12.3K (≈93–95% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: 10.7K–11.3K (≈83–88% of adults), a few points below Indiana’s overall rate.
• Teens/children with a mobile phone: about 2.0K–2.4K (roughly 55–65% of minors, concentrated in ages 12–17).
• Total mobile phone users (all ages): about 13.9K–14.6K.
• Total smartphone users (all ages): about 12.4K–13.4K.

What’s different from the Indiana average

• More “mobile-only” connectivity: An estimated 18–24% of households rely on cellular data as their primary or only home internet option (several points higher than the state average). This shows up in heavier reliance on phones for banking, school portals, telehealth, and job searches in homes without fixed broadband.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration overall, driven by age: The county’s older age structure puts overall smartphone ownership 2–5 points below the state rate; gaps are largest among 65+.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO usage and longer device replacement cycles: Price sensitivity leads to above-average use of prepaid and discount carriers and keeping devices longer than the state average.
• Android-leaning mix: Android share is likely higher than the state’s, reflecting price mix and prepaid adoption.
• Coverage-driven behaviors: More use of voice/SMS and Wi‑Fi offload in fringe coverage areas; greater use of in‑home signal boosters than in metro counties.

Demographic breakdown (directional)

• Age
  • 18–29: near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+), close to state.
  • 30–49: very high adoption (≈90%+), close to state.
  • 50–64: moderately lower than state (≈75–85%).
  • 65+: meaningfully lower than state (≈55–65% vs ≈70%+ statewide), with more basic/feature phone retention.
• Income/education
  • Low-to-moderate income households are more likely to be mobile-only and prepaid, with heavier reliance on hotspotting from phones for home use.
  • Households without a bachelor’s degree show higher mobile-only rates than the state average.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White; small Hispanic/Latino and other minority populations tend to have high smartphone adoption, but their small share limits countywide impact.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Macro coverage pattern
  • 4G LTE is widespread; 5G is present primarily along the I‑74 corridor and in/near towns (Covington, Veedersburg, Attica). Interior rural areas often fall back to LTE.
  • Mid-band 5G (fast, capacity‑oriented) appears clustered around highways/towns; countywide mid-band depth lags metro Indiana.
• Performance and gaps
  • Speeds are generally strong near I‑74 and town centers; variability increases on secondary roads and in low‑lying areas near the Wabash and wooded ravines, with occasional dead zones and in‑building attenuation in older farmhouses/metal buildings.
  • More households use external antennas or boosters than in urban counties.
• Competition and options
  • All three national mobile networks serve the area; fixed options vary by location: cable in town centers, legacy DSL in many rural areas, and growing fixed‑wireless (including cellular‑based home internet) on the fringes.
  • Satellite (e.g., LEO constellations) fills some unserved/underserved pockets, reinforcing mobile-first behavior where fixed service is weak.
• Community access
  • Public libraries and schools commonly provide Wi‑Fi and device/hotspot lending that supplements weak home broadband—used more heavily here than in metro counties.

What this means for planners and providers

• Prioritize mid-band 5G infill away from the I‑74 spine and improve backhaul to rural sites to reduce capacity dips.
• Senior-focused onboarding (devices with larger UI, training) could close the biggest ownership gap vs. state.
• Prepaid/MVNO-friendly retail and repair presence matters; support for signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling can materially improve user experience.
• Partnerships around homework/telehealth hotspots have outsized impact given the higher mobile-only share.

Notes on method

• Estimates are derived from national and Indiana benchmarks (e.g., Pew smartphone ownership, ACS internet-use patterns, FCC coverage data) adjusted for Fountain County’s rural profile, age structure, and income. Figures are directional ranges intended for planning, not point estimates.

Here’s a concise snapshot of social media use in Fountain County, Indiana. Figures are estimates derived from recent U.S. and rural-Midwest patterns (Pew and platform-reported trends) scaled to the county’s size (~16–17K residents; ~12–13K adults). Use ranges where local data are sparse.

Overall use

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72–78% (about 9–10K people)
• Daily social users: ~55–65% of adults
• Smartphone ownership: ~80–85% of adults
• Home broadband: ~70–80% of households (coverage varies outside towns like Covington, Attica, Veedersburg)

Most-used platforms (adults; estimated reach)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 60–70% (still the community hub)
• Facebook Messenger: 55–65%
• Instagram: 30–40%
• Snapchat: 25–35% overall; 60–80% among under-30s
• TikTok: 20–30% overall; 50–65% among under-30s
• Pinterest: 25–35% (skews female 25–54)
• X/Twitter: 10–15%
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (professional niches)
• Reddit: 10–15%
• Nextdoor: <5% (limited footprint in rural areas)

Age patterns (platform likelihoods)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 90%+, Snapchat 75–85%, TikTok 70–80%, Instagram 60–70%, Facebook low
• 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram 70–80%, Snapchat 60–70%, TikTok 55–65%, Facebook 50–60%
• 30–49: Facebook 70–80%, YouTube ~90%, Instagram 40–50%, Snapchat 30–40%, TikTok 25–35%
• 50–64: Facebook 70–75%, YouTube 80–85%, Pinterest 35–45%, Instagram 25–35%, TikTok 15–20%
• 65+: Facebook 50–60%, YouTube 45–55%, Pinterest 20–30%, others lower

Gender breakdown

• Overall active-user mix is roughly even with a slight female skew (about 52–55% female).
• Platform skews: Pinterest strongly female; Snapchat slightly female; Reddit and X skew male; Facebook near-balanced with a slight female tilt.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: heavy use of Groups for local news, schools/athletics, 4-H, county fair, churches, buy/sell/trade, lost-and-found, road and weather updates.
• Marketplace behavior: strong reliance on Facebook Marketplace; live sale videos and event promos perform well.
• Trust and engagement: posts from known locals, public safety, schools, churches, and small businesses drive higher shares/comments; user-generated photos of local places/people perform best.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is common for appointments, quotes, and customer service; WhatsApp is limited; teens/20s favor Snapchat DMs; SMS/iMessage remain prevalent.
• Content formats: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) for events, behind-the-scenes, sports highlights; YouTube for how-tos, church services, local-interest long form. Clear text overlays and captions help.
• Timing: engagement clusters early morning (7–9 a.m.), lunch, and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend community/event posts over-index.
• Discovery: word-of-mouth and shares in local Groups matter more than hashtags; boosting community posts with small budgets is effective.
• Topics that overperform: weather alerts and closures, school news and sports, local deals, obituaries and memorials, community spotlights, farm/rural life content.

Notes

• Figures are directional estimates; exact county-level platform metrics aren’t publicly reported. For precision, pair this with platform ad tools (geo-targeted reach for Covington/Attica/Veedersburg) and local page/group insights.