Boone County

To ensure accuracy: do you want figures from the 2020 Census or the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5‑year estimates? Also, for “household data,” should I include items like number of households, average household size, family vs. nonfamily share, and homeownership rate?

Boone County, IA — estimated email usage (rounded, based on population ~26.6K and typical U.S. adoption)

• Estimated users: ~19,000–21,000 residents age 13+ use email (roughly 70–80% of total population; ~85–90% of 13+).
• Age pattern: Highest penetration among 18–49 (95–98%); strong among 50–64 (90–95%); lower but widespread for 65+ (80–90%); teens 13–17 commonly have school-provided accounts (80–90%).
• Gender split: Near parity (≈49–51% male/female among users).

Digital access and trends

• Most email is accessed on smartphones; multi-device use is common for working-age adults.
• Household broadband subscription is roughly mid-80% range (in line with Iowa averages); rural edges see more gaps.
• Fiber/cable widely available in towns; fixed wireless/DSL more common on farms and acreages; public Wi‑Fi via Boone, Ogden, and Madrid libraries and schools.
• 4G and growing 5G coverage along US‑30/IA‑17 corridors supports mobile email.

Local density/connectivity context

• Low-density, largely rural county with population concentrated in Boone, Ogden, and Madrid; outlying areas have longer last‑mile runs, affecting speeds and reliability.
• Proximity to Ames/Des Moines backbones aids service options in and near towns.

Boone County, IA — mobile phone usage snapshot (differences vs. Iowa overall highlighted)

User estimates (orders of magnitude; based on 2020–2024 ACS/Pew/FCC patterns and Boone’s ~26.5k residents)

• Any mobile phone users: roughly 21.5k–23.5k residents
  • Adults 18+: ~19.5k–20.5k (about 95–97% of adults have a cellphone)
  • Teens 12–17: ~1.4k–1.6k (≈95% have a phone, nearly all smartphones)
  • Children under 12 with phones: several hundred
• Smartphone users: about 18.5k–20.5k
  • Adult smartphone penetration: ~83–87% (slightly below the Iowa average by 1–3 points due to an older age mix)
• Plan mix: prepaid/MVNO likely 22–28% of lines (a few points higher than Iowa overall), with legacy postpaid dominant among households on family plans
• Mobile-only internet households: estimated 15–20% (noticeably higher than the state average), driven by rural gaps and the availability of 5G fixed‑wireless alternatives

Demographic patterns (local nuances vs. state)

• Age
  • 18–34: ~98–99% smartphone use (on par with Iowa)
  • 35–54: ~92–95% (on par)
  • 55–64: ~85–90% (slightly below)
  • 65+: ~60–70% smartphone, ~90% any cellphone (lower smartphone adoption than the state average; Boone has a slightly older population)
• Income
  • Under ~$40k: higher reliance on prepaid and discount MVNOs; above‑average likelihood of mobile‑only connectivity after the ACP wind‑down
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is predominantly White; smaller Hispanic community is younger on average and shows very high smartphone reliance (messaging apps, mobile remittances). Overall racial/ethnic differences are muted locally simply because the county is less diverse than the state.
• Work/commute
  • Commuters to Ames/Story County and the Des Moines metro skew toward heavier data use and faster take‑up of 5G plans than typical rural counties

Digital infrastructure and coverage (what stands out locally)

• 5G/LTE footprint
  • T‑Mobile: mid‑band 5G (n41 “UC”) in population centers like Boone, Madrid, and Ogden; extended low‑band 5G in rural tracts. Speeds in town commonly 200–500 Mbps where mid‑band is present. T‑Mobile’s performance lead in town is more pronounced than Iowa overall.
  • Verizon: broad LTE and low‑band 5G; C‑band 5G from the Ames/US‑30/I‑35 corridor spills into eastern/southern parts of the county. Some rural pockets remain LTE‑first. Verizon’s rural reliability remains strong, but its urban speed edge is smaller here than statewide.
  • AT&T: countywide LTE and low‑band 5G; C‑band concentrated toward larger metros (Ames/Des Moines) with partial benefits at the county’s edge. FirstNet Band 14 improves public‑safety coverage—more visible locally than in many Iowa counties.
  • UScellular: viable in rural areas; pending industry consolidation could shift roaming/coverage over the next 1–2 years. Locally, its role is still larger than the state average.
• Terrain gaps
  • Notable weak/variable signal in the Des Moines River valley (e.g., near Ledges State Park), along creeks, and on some gravel roads northwest of Boone—coverage variability is greater than the Iowa average because of topography.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Multiple fiber routes along US‑30 and into Boone via the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), Aureon, Mediacom, and local telcos (e.g., Ogden Telephone/Aureon; Minburn Communications touches Madrid). This supports decent cell backhaul and enterprise connectivity despite rural stretches.
• Fixed wireless and home internet
  • 5G FWA (T‑Mobile, Verizon) is widely available in towns and some rural edges; adoption is higher than the state average and contributes to the elevated share of mobile‑only households.
  • WISPs using CBRS for LTE fixed wireless serve farmsteads and exurban areas; external antennas/boosters are more commonly used than statewide.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Schools, libraries, and the DMACC Boone campus provide Wi‑Fi offload; these are important usage hubs compared with state averages for similarly sized places.

Trends that differ from the Iowa state picture

• Slightly lower senior smartphone adoption but higher reliance on mobile‑only connectivity overall (a combination of older demographics and rural broadband gaps)
• Faster in‑town 5G adoption and switching toward T‑Mobile (mid‑band coverage) than the statewide rural norm; Verizon/AT&T remain strong for coverage, with AT&T’s FirstNet particularly salient for public safety
• Coverage variability is more driven by river‑valley terrain than in many Iowa counties
• Greater uptake of fixed‑wireless home internet and signal‑boosting gear among farms and exurban users
• Retail and MVNO presence skewed a bit more to value/prepaid than the state average

Notes and confidence

• Figures are estimates synthesized from Census/ACS demographics, Pew Research on device adoption by age/income, FCC coverage and provider disclosures, and observed carrier build‑outs in central Iowa through 2024. Local conditions can vary block‑to‑block; verify exact availability with carrier address tools and recent FCC maps before making infrastructure decisions.

Boone County, IA — Social media snapshot (estimates)

Population and access

• Residents: ~26,700
• Internet/smartphone access: ~85–90% of households; smartphone ~80–85%
• Estimated social media users (13+): 16,000–18,000 (about 60–68% of residents; 70–75% of adults)

Age mix of users (share of local users)

• 13–17: 7–9% (near‑universal on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok)
• 18–29: 18–22% (heavy Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; YouTube daily)
• 30–49: 32–36% (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; rising TikTok/Reels)
• 50–64: 24–28% (Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest strong among women)
• 65+: 12–16% (Facebook primary; YouTube for news/how‑to)

Gender

• Overall users: ~52% women, 48% men
• Skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men slightly higher on YouTube, Reddit, X

Most‑used platforms (share of online adults using platform at least monthly; local estimates)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• TikTok: 25–30%
• Snapchat: 25–30% (dominant daily messenger for teens/20s)
• LinkedIn: 18–22%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 12–15%
• Nextdoor: 8–12%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first: Facebook Groups anchor school sports/boosters, county events/fair, buy‑sell‑trade, local news/weather; high comment activity on weather, road closures, school updates.
• Video-forward: Short Reels/TikToks and YouTube how‑tos, farm/outdoors, high school sports clips perform best; “faces from the community” lift completion and shares.
• Discovery path: Younger residents discover via Instagram Reels/TikTok; conversions often happen through Facebook Events, Pages, and Marketplace.
• Messaging > posting: Many lurk; Snapchat/IG DMs are default for under‑30; over‑40 share/reshare on Facebook more than they post originals.
• Timing: Engagement peaks weekdays 6–8am, 11:30am–1pm, and 7–9pm; weekend mornings strong for events and garage/marketplace posts.
• Commerce and jobs: Facebook Marketplace is the go‑to for classifieds; Facebook Groups outperform LinkedIn for local hiring. LinkedIn helps for specialized roles linked to Ames/Des Moines.

Note: Figures are estimates derived from Pew U.S. platform adoption (2023–24), rural/Iowa usage patterns, and Boone County demographics.