Fulton County Local Demographic Profile
Which reference year would you like these figures from?
- 2020 Decennial Census (official counts)
- ACS 5-year estimates (most recent available; best for age, race/ethnicity, and household details)
Also, for “household data,” do you want just number of households and average household size, or also family vs. nonfamily, marital status of householders, and housing tenure?
Email Usage in Fulton County
Fulton County, IN snapshot
- Population ~20.5k; density ~55 people/sq mi (2020 Census). Rural, with services concentrated in Rochester; connectivity thins in outlying townships.
Estimated email users
- 14.5k–16k residents use email at least monthly (about 70–78% of all residents; roughly 85–92% of adults), based on national/state adoption applied to local demographics.
Age distribution of email users (est.)
- 13–17: 5–7%
- 18–34: 20–22%
- 35–54: 35–38%
- 55–64: 15–17%
- 65+: 18–22%
Gender split (est.)
- ~49% male, ~51% female among users; minimal usage gap by gender.
Digital access trends
- Household broadband subscription roughly upper‑70s to ~80% (ACS-style rural IN rates), with higher adoption in/around Rochester and along U.S. 31; more gaps in outer rural areas.
- Many residents access email primarily via smartphones; a meaningful minority are smartphone‑only for home internet.
- Public libraries/schools provide important Wi‑Fi access points.
- Mix of cable/fiber in denser areas and DSL/fixed‑wireless elsewhere; satellite remains a fallback in dead zones.
Notes: Figures are estimates derived from Census population, typical rural Indiana age structure, and national email adoption benchmarks (Pew/ACS).
Mobile Phone Usage in Fulton County
Summary: Mobile phone usage in Fulton County, Indiana (focus on what differs from statewide patterns)
Snapshot
- Rural county of roughly 20,000 residents, anchored by Rochester and small towns (Akron, Kewanna, Fulton). Older age profile and lower density than Indiana overall.
User estimates (2025)
- Total mobile phone users: about 15,500–17,000 unique people.
- Smartphone users: about 13,500–15,000.
- Feature‑phone users: roughly 1,500–2,500, concentrated among seniors.
- Smartphone‑only internet households (no fixed broadband): likely modestly higher than the Indiana average, on the order of low‑ to mid‑teens percentage of households.
Demographic breakdown and usage patterns
- Age:
- 65+: smartphone adoption around the low‑ to mid‑60% range; higher reliance on voice/SMS, larger screens, and medical/emergency apps. This group’s size in Fulton County is above the state share, pulling overall smartphone penetration a few points below the Indiana average.
- 50–64: high adoption (roughly 80–90%), but more feature‑phone retention than urban counties; slower upgrade cycles.
- 30–49 and 18–29: near‑universal smartphone use (90%+), driving most app/data consumption.
- Teens (13–17): very high smartphone use (≈95%); school‑provided devices and parental controls common.
- Income and plan mix:
- Median household income trails the state, so cost sensitivity is higher. Expect a higher share of prepaid/MVNO lines and smaller data buckets than the Indiana average.
- Device replacement cycles are longer; refurbished and mid‑tier Android models are more common.
- Platform and apps:
- Android share likely higher than state average, iOS somewhat lower (a common rural Midwest pattern).
- Practical, utility‑oriented usage (messaging, weather, farm/market apps, navigation) over heavy, always‑on streaming; video use is growing where mid‑band 5G or strong LTE is available.
- Work/life patterns:
- Daytime usage peaks tied to agriculture, logistics, and trades. Wi‑Fi calling is an important workaround for metal buildings and fringe indoor coverage.
Digital infrastructure points (what stands out locally)
- Coverage and technology:
- 4G LTE is broadly available outdoors; indoor reliability varies in outlying farmhouses and metal structures.
- Low‑band 5G (coverage‑first spectrum) is widespread; mid‑band 5G with higher speeds is concentrated in/near Rochester and along major corridors (e.g., U.S. 31), with patchier reach in low‑density areas. mmWave is effectively absent.
- Compared with the state average, Fulton County relies more on low‑band 5G/LTE, so real‑world speeds skew lower and more variable outside town centers.
- Fixed broadband alternatives:
- Cable and fiber are strong inside Rochester but thin out quickly; legacy DSL remains in pockets.
- As a result, cellular‑based fixed wireless access (FWA) from national carriers is marketed to a larger share of addresses than in metro Indiana, and adoption is noticeably higher. This, in turn, raises evening cellular network load in certain sectors.
- Backhaul and towers:
- Macro sites cluster near Rochester, towns, and highways; flat terrain aids reach but doesn’t fully solve indoor penetration. Signal boosters are common in homes, barns, and shops.
- Fiber backhaul is best along major routes; secondary roads rely more on microwave or longer fiber laterals, constraining mid‑band 5G build‑outs compared with urban Indiana.
- Public/anchor connectivity:
- Schools, libraries, and county facilities act as Wi‑Fi anchors and device‑charging hubs; these are more critical to access than in larger Indiana cities.
- Public safety:
- FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is available and widely used by first responders; rural mutual‑aid operations still keep interoperability with Verizon devices. Priority access matters more here than in urban areas during storms and outages.
How Fulton County differs from Indiana overall
- Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration due to an older age mix; a larger feature‑phone residual among seniors.
- Higher share of prepaid/MVNO lines and mid‑tier Android devices; longer device replacement cycles.
- Greater dependence on cellular FWA for home internet, driving a higher share of smartphone‑only households.
- Network experience relies more on low‑band 5G/LTE; mid‑band 5G coverage and speeds are less ubiquitous than the state average.
- Indoor coverage gaps are more common; Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters play a bigger role in everyday reliability.
Notes on method and uncertainty
- User counts are estimates combining county population, an age structure typical of rural northern Indiana, and recent national smartphone adoption rates by age (e.g., Pew Research). Infrastructure points reflect statewide carrier deployments and common rural buildout patterns as of 2024–2025. For address‑level availability and exact coverage, consult carrier maps and local ISPs.
Social Media Trends in Fulton County
Below is a concise, estimate-based snapshot of social media usage in Fulton County, Indiana. Figures are modeled from Pew Research (2023–2024) U.S. usage patterns, rural-Midwest adjustments, and Fulton County’s population profile; think of them as “good local estimates,” not a county-run survey.
Estimated user base
- Population: ~20.4k residents; residents age 13+ ~17k.
- Social media penetration (13+): ~72–78% use at least one platform monthly ≈ 12–13.5k users.
- Household broadband is moderate; mobile access helps close gaps, so usage is broad even in areas with weaker home internet.
Age profile (share using at least one platform)
- 13–17: 90–95%
- 18–29: 85–90%
- 30–49: 75–85%
- 50–64: 60–70%
- 65+: 40–50% Notes: Teens and 18–29s are heavy multi-platform users; 50+ skews to Facebook and YouTube.
Gender breakdown (of local social users)
- Female: ~53–55% of users; Male: ~45–47% (slight female tilt due to Facebook/Pinterest).
- Platform lean: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, X/Twitter, Reddit.
Most-used platforms among adults (18+) in Fulton County
- YouTube: ~75–80%
- Facebook: ~65–70% (Facebook Groups strong: community, schools, buy/sell)
- Instagram: ~30–40%
- TikTok: ~25–35% (but 13–24s: ~65–80%)
- Snapchat: ~20–30% (13–24s: ~60–70%)
- Pinterest: ~25–30% (mostly women 25–54)
- X/Twitter: ~12–18%
- LinkedIn: ~10–15% (lower in rural labor mix)
- Reddit: ~10–15% (higher among men 18–34)
- Nextdoor: <5% (limited neighborhood coverage)
Behavioral trends to know
- Community-first engagement: Facebook Groups drive local discourse (schools, youth sports, churches, county services, road closures, weather). Marketplace is a top destination for buy/sell/trade.
- Video is king: YouTube for how-tos, equipment and home/auto repair; short-form video (TikTok/Reels) growing for local businesses, events, and creators.
- Youth patterns: Snapchat for messaging and day-to-day social; TikTok/YouTube for entertainment and trends; Instagram for peer updates and sports highlights.
- Local business usage: Boosted Facebook posts and Reels outperform static posts; short videos with faces, pricing, and location cues do best. Weeknight early evening posting performs well.
- News and alerts: Severe-weather updates, school announcements, and local sports coverage pull strong engagement on Facebook; many follow regional TV/print pages there rather than visiting websites directly.
- Messaging: Facebook Messenger (broad across ages) and Snapchat (younger) dominate; WhatsApp is niche.
- Timing: Peaks around 6:30–8:30 a.m. and 7–9 p.m.; midday dip; weekend mornings good for events and sales.
Method notes
- Percentages reflect “share of adults using platform at least monthly,” adapted from national/rural benchmarks to Fulton County’s age and rural profile. For precision (e.g., campaign targeting), validate with page insights, platform ad-reach tools, and a quick local survey.
Table of Contents
Other Counties in Indiana
- Adams
- Allen
- Bartholomew
- Benton
- Blackford
- Boone
- Brown
- Carroll
- Cass
- Clark
- Clay
- Clinton
- Crawford
- Daviess
- De Kalb
- Dearborn
- Decatur
- Delaware
- Dubois
- Elkhart
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Fountain
- Franklin
- Gibson
- Grant
- Greene
- Hamilton
- Hancock
- Harrison
- Hendricks
- Henry
- Howard
- Huntington
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jay
- Jefferson
- Jennings
- Johnson
- Knox
- Kosciusko
- La Porte
- Lagrange
- Lake
- Lawrence
- Madison
- Marion
- Marshall
- Martin
- Miami
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Newton
- Noble
- Ohio
- Orange
- Owen
- Parke
- Perry
- Pike
- Porter
- Posey
- Pulaski
- Putnam
- Randolph
- Ripley
- Rush
- Scott
- Shelby
- Spencer
- St Joseph
- Starke
- Steuben
- Sullivan
- Switzerland
- Tippecanoe
- Tipton
- Union
- Vanderburgh
- Vermillion
- Vigo
- Wabash
- Warren
- Warrick
- Washington
- Wayne
- Wells
- White
- Whitley