Wells County

Wells County, Indiana — key demographics (latest available: 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

Population

• Total population: 28,180 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~28.6K

Age

• Median age: ~41 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and Hispanic origin

• White alone: ~95%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.6%
• Asian alone: ~0.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~93%

Households

• Number of households: ~11,000
• Average household size: ~2.55
• Family households: ~68% of households; married-couple households ~51% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~78%

Insights

• Small, steadily growing county with an older-than-state-average age profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with modest racial/ethnic diversity.
• Household structure is family- and owner-occupancy–oriented with moderate household size.

Wells County, Indiana snapshot (2020 Census population 28,180; ≈76 residents per sq. mile)

Estimated email users (18+): about 19,000 adults (roughly 87–90% of adults), reflecting near‑universal internet/email use among younger and middle‑aged adults and slightly lower use among seniors.

Age distribution of adult email users (approximate share of users):

• 18–29: ~16%
• 30–49: ~36%
• 50–64: ~28%
• 65+: ~20%

Gender split among users: effectively even (≈49% male, 51% female), mirroring the county’s population.

Digital access trends:

• Most households have broadband; adoption is in the mid‑80% range, with computer access above 90%. Smartphone‑only internet access is common for a minority of households (roughly one in ten to one in seven), especially outside town centers.
• Email is primarily accessed via smartphones and home/work broadband; usage has been reinforced by telehealth, school portals, e‑commerce, and government services since 2020.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population is concentrated in Bluffton and Ossian, with the remainder largely rural; this urban‑rural split drives a gap in fixed broadband speeds and reliability.
• Cable and expanding fiber serve the towns and main corridors, while rural areas rely more on DSL and fixed wireless, shaping when and how residents check email.

Mobile phone usage in Wells County, Indiana — 2024 snapshot

Headline estimates

• Population/adults: About 28,000 residents; roughly 21,500–22,000 adults.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile): ≈19,500–20,500 adults (about 90–93% of adults).
• Smartphone users: ≈17,800–18,700 adults (about 82–85% of adults).
• Households with a smartphone: ≈9,800–10,300 of ~11,200 households (about 87–92%).
• Households with a cellular data plan: ≈8,000–8,600 (about 72–76%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no laptop/desktop at home): ≈1,200–1,600 (about 10–14%).
• Households primarily relying on mobile broadband/FWA for home internet: ≈800–1,200 (about 7–11%), driven by T-Mobile and Verizon fixed wireless availability.

Basis: These are best-available county-level estimates derived from the 2020 Census population, ACS 2018–2022 “Computer and Internet Use” patterns for rural Indiana counties, Pew Research smartphone adoption (2023), and FCC carrier coverage filings through 2024.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone adoption (≈95%+), similar to state levels.
  • 35–64: High adoption (≈88–92%), modestly below the Indiana average.
  • 65+: ≈68–72% smartphone adoption (several points below statewide senior adoption), with more basic phone use and shared/household devices.
• Income
  • Households under $50k show strong mobile reliance for internet access; smartphone-only and cellular-only subscriptions are concentrated here and run above the state share.
• Geography within the county
  • Bluffton and Ossian: Highest 5G availability and app-based usage; faster median speeds and growing fixed wireless (home internet) uptake.
  • Outlying townships: Heavier LTE fallback, more data caps/plan-conscious behavior, and higher incidence of smartphone-only connectivity.

Digital infrastructure

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide countywide LTE; low-band 5G is broadly present. T‑Mobile mid-band 5G (n41) and Verizon C‑band (n77) are strongest in Bluffton, along US‑27/SR‑1 corridors, and near other population clusters; AT&T 5G is available in town centers with spottier mid-band outside them.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile Home Internet is widely offered in and around Bluffton and Ossian; Verizon 5G Home is available in select zones. FWA has become a meaningful substitute where cable/fiber is limited.
• Backhaul and fiber: Regional fiber from the local electric cooperative (AdamsWells) and private providers improves 5G backhaul in towns; legacy DSL and non-fiber cable persist in rural areas, sustaining mobile-reliant households.
• Performance contours: In-town mid-band 5G commonly delivers 100–300 Mbps, while rural edges often fall back to LTE with tens-of-Mbps and occasional single-digit Mbps in fringe spots. Coverage is generally reliable on primary roads; the flattish terrain limits but doesn’t eliminate rural dead zones.

How Wells County differs from Indiana overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration among seniors and slightly lower overall adult smartphone adoption than the state average, reflecting older age mix and rural profile.
• Higher dependence on mobile-only or mobile-first internet at home, with a larger share of smartphone-only households than the statewide share.
• Mid-band 5G coverage is more localized (towns and corridors) than the state average; a greater share of rural residents operate on LTE or low-band 5G.
• Faster growth in FWA adoption (2023–2024) relative to fiber/cable upgrades, whereas many Indiana metro areas saw larger fiber overbuilds.
• Usage behavior skews toward plan-conscious data use outside towns; app usage and streaming growth lag urban Indiana where mid-band 5G and fiber are ubiquitous.

Key takeaways

• About 18–19 thousand adults in Wells County use smartphones, and roughly one in ten households still rely mainly on mobile devices or FWA for home internet.
• The county’s main divergence from Indiana is not access to basic mobile service—which is broadly available—but the mix: more LTE/low-band 5G outside towns, higher mobile dependence for home connectivity, and a modest senior adoption gap.
• Continued expansion of mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul beyond Bluffton and corridor zones would narrow speed and reliability gaps and reduce the county’s mobile-only dependence.

Wells County, IN social media snapshot (modeled from Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. usage and rural-Midwest patterns; county behavior closely aligns)

Most-used platforms among adults (adoption rates)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• Reddit: 22%

Age-group usage patterns (share of U.S. adults in each age band who use the platform; applied to Wells County)

• YouTube: 18–29: 93%; 30–49: 92%; 50–64: 83%; 65+: 56%
• Facebook: 18–29: ~67%; 30–49: ~77%; 50–64: ~73%; 65+: ~50%
• Instagram: 18–29: ~78%; 30–49: ~49%; 50–64: ~29%; 65+: ~15%
• TikTok: 18–29: ~62%; 30–49: ~39%; 50–64: ~25%; 65+: ~10%
• Snapchat: 18–29: ~65%; 30–49: ~30%; 50–64: ~14%; 65+: ~4%
• Pinterest: 18–29: ~40%+; 30–49: ~45%; 50–64: ~36%; 65+: ~18%

Gender breakdown (usage rates by gender; strongest skews)

• Pinterest: Women ~50% vs Men ~20% (female-skewed)
• TikTok: Women ~40% vs Men ~25% (female-skewed)
• Snapchat: Women ~34% vs Men ~26% (female-skewed)
• Reddit: Men ~29% vs Women ~17% (male-skewed)
• X (Twitter): Men ~31% vs Women ~24% (male-skewed)
• YouTube: Men ~86% vs Women ~81% (slight male skew)
• Facebook and Instagram: broadly balanced, slight female tilt

What this means in Wells County (behavioral trends)

• Facebook is the public square: heaviest daily reach across adults; strong use of Groups (schools, youth sports, buy/sell/trade, churches, local government). Marketplace is a top commerce touchpoint.
• YouTube is universal utility: how‑to, local sports highlights, product research; rising Connected TV viewing in households.
• Under‑35 attention splits to Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat: Reels/short‑form video dominates discovery; Snapchat is primary messaging/Stories for teens and college‑age.
• Pinterest matters for women 25–54: home projects, recipes, crafts, weddings; strong seasonal traffic (holidays, back‑to‑school, gardening).
• LinkedIn is niche but useful for hiring in healthcare, education, and manufacturing/maintenance roles; Facebook remains the volume channel for recruitment.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is dominant; WhatsApp usage exists but is smaller than national average; SMS still widely used for business reminders.
• Content that performs: local faces and names, school and sports updates, severe weather and road conditions, event calendars, giveaways, before/after project photos, short vertical video with captions.
• Cadence and timing: weekday morning (7–9 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evening (7–10 p.m.) see engagement spikes; weekends favor family/sports content.
• Ad planning:
  • Reach/awareness: Facebook + YouTube first, add Instagram for under‑40 reach.
  • Consideration: short video (Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts) with clear CTAs.
  • Youth targeting: Snapchat + TikTok.
  • Women 25–54: Pinterest + Facebook.
  • Niche/tech audiences: Reddit and X for specific interest communities.

Notes

• Population context: Wells County’s 2020 Census population was roughly 28K; applying the above adoption rates yields a majority of adults active on Facebook and near‑universal exposure via YouTube.
• Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (adult platform adoption by age and gender); U.S. Census Bureau (population baseline). Percentages shown are the latest nationally representative figures used to model local usage.