Carroll County

To keep this accurate: which reference year/source do you prefer?

• 2020 Decennial Census (baseline counts), or
• Latest Census Bureau estimates (2019–2023 ACS 5-year for age/sex/race/households + 2023 Population Estimates for total population).

I can then provide concise figures for total population, median age and age groups, sex split, race/ethnicity shares, number of households, average household size, and family vs. nonfamily households.

Carroll County, IA email usage snapshot (estimates)

• Population 20.7k; households ~8.7k; density ~36 people/sq mi. Largest hub: City of Carroll (10k), with cable/fiber; outlying townships rely more on fixed wireless/DSL.
• Estimated email users: 15–16k residents use email at least occasionally. Method: apply typical U.S. adoption by age to local population (older-leaning rural mix).
• Age: 18–49: ~95% use email; 50–64: ~90%; 65+: ~75–85%. Youth (13–17): ~75–85% via school and smartphones. Overall use skews slightly older than urban areas because the county’s age profile is older.
• Gender: Near parity; user base roughly mirrors population (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Digital access and trends: • Home broadband in roughly 80–85% of households; speeds of 100 Mbps+ common in Carroll and other towns where cable/fiber are present. • Rural areas see more fixed‑wireless service; pockets with slower DSL remain, affecting older and farmstead residents. • High smartphone adoption supports email on mobile; a notable share are smartphone‑only internet users. • Affordability remains a factor after the 2024 ACP wind‑down; libraries/schools continue to bridge access.

Below is a county-level view built from recent ACS demographics, rural mobile adoption patterns (Pew, CDC/NHIS), and typical carrier build-outs in western Iowa. Figures are estimates intended for planning, with emphasis on how Carroll County differs from Iowa overall.

Quick context

• Population and households: roughly 20–21k residents and ~8.5–9k households (2023 ACS range).
• Older age profile: residents 65+ are a larger share than Iowa overall (about 22–24% vs ~18% statewide). This is the single biggest driver of differences in mobile behavior.

Estimated mobile user base

• Smartphone users: about 13.5k–14.5k adult smartphone users (roughly 83–87% of adults, a few points below the state average due to the older age mix).
• Total active mobile lines/SIMs (phones, tablets, IoT, hotspots): approximately 21k–24k, or about 1.05–1.15 lines per resident. Rural counties tend to run slightly lower than the line-per-capita ratios seen in Iowa’s metros.
• Wireless-only households (no landline): estimated 58–64% in Carroll County vs roughly 69–72% statewide. Seniors retaining landlines keep the county below the state average.
• Mobile-broadband–only home internet (no fixed service): estimated 12–15% in the county vs roughly 15–18% statewide, reflecting comparatively good local fiber/coax availability that reduces reliance on phones/hotspots for home internet.

Demographic breakdown (what’s different vs Iowa)

• Age 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (≈95–98%) but a smaller share of the local population than statewide, so they contribute a smaller portion of total usage than in Iowa overall.
• Age 35–64: high adoption (≈90–93%) and the largest block of local users; data consumption skews toward work, navigation, and family media use.
• Age 65+: materially lower adoption (≈65–72%), more voice/text-centric plans, and higher likelihood of keeping a landline. This group’s size in Carroll County pulls down overall smartphone and wireless-only rates relative to Iowa.
• Income: lower-income households (<$50k) are more likely than higher-income peers to be mobile-only for internet, but Carroll’s above-average fiber footprint tempers this compared with similar rural counties.
• Work patterns: agriculture, logistics along US‑30, and trades drive demand for reliable coverage on rural roads and fields; machine telematics and simple IoT lines (grain bin sensors, pumps, fleet trackers) make up a slightly higher share of total lines than the statewide average.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Carrier mix and coverage:
  • Verizon and UScellular tend to be stronger in and around small towns and along US‑30; AT&T is present and boosted by FirstNet (Band 14) for public safety; T‑Mobile has improved but still trails its share in Iowa’s metros.
  • 5G mid‑band is concentrated near the City of Carroll and main corridors; outside those areas, service often falls back to LTE or low‑band 5G. That pattern lags the statewide (metro‑weighted) experience where mid‑band 5G is more common.
• Tower density: macro sites cluster around Carroll, Glidden, Coon Rapids, and along US‑30; coverage can thin on gravel roads and in river/valley areas (e.g., around the Middle Raccoon) compared with the solid, overlapping grids in urban Iowa.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Local fiber (e.g., Western Iowa Networks and other regional providers) and cable in town reduce pressure on mobile networks at home and help keep mobile‑only internet usage below the state average.
  • Fixed wireless home internet (from national carriers) is available in and around population centers but is less ubiquitous countywide than in Iowa’s larger metros.
• Public safety and 911: Iowa’s NG911 and FirstNet footprint support reliable wireless calling and location in the county; roaming and priority features are better established here than a decade ago, benefiting overall emergency reliability.

Key ways Carroll County differs from Iowa overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration and wireless‑only household share, primarily because of a larger 65+ population.
• Heavier relative presence of Verizon/UScellular and lighter T‑Mobile share than the statewide mix.
• Mid‑band 5G build‑out is spottier outside towns; rural users spend more time on LTE or low‑band 5G than the statewide average.
• Better-than-typical fiber access for a rural county reduces mobile-broadband–only households compared with Iowa overall.
• A modestly higher share of lines tied to agriculture and light‑industrial IoT/telematics.

Method notes and uncertainty

• County-level mobile figures aren’t published in a single source. Estimates combine ACS population/age structure with rural smartphone adoption rates and carrier deployment patterns observed across western Iowa. Ranges above are meant to be directionally accurate and to highlight deviations from Iowa’s statewide averages.

Carroll County, IA social media snapshot (2025, best-available estimates)

How these numbers were derived

• Total population ~20.4k; adults (18+) ~16k.
• Platform reach percentages are from recent U.S. adult usage (Pew Research, 2024). Applying those rates to the local adult population yields rough county estimates. Actual local usage can vary a few points.

Overall user stats

• Adults using at least one social platform: roughly 11k–13k (about 70–85% of adults, depending on whether YouTube is counted as “social”).
• Daily time: about 1.5–2.5 hours/day for typical users (U.S. average range).
• Access: Usage skews older than urban areas; Facebook and YouTube dominate.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated reach)

• YouTube: 83% (13.3k adults)
• Facebook: 68% (10.9k)
• Instagram: 47% (7.5k)
• Pinterest: 35% (5.6k; strongly female)
• TikTok: 33% (5.3k)
• Snapchat: 30% (4.8k)
• Also used: LinkedIn (20–30%, skews to college-educated 25–49), X/Twitter (22%), Reddit (22%), WhatsApp (21%), Nextdoor (~15–20%, limited coverage in small towns).

Age-group patterns (localized from national/rural trends)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok; Instagram strong; Facebook mostly for groups/teams and Messenger with parents/coaches.
• 18–29: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok daily; YouTube universal; Facebook used mainly for events, groups, Marketplace.
• 30–49: Facebook + Messenger are central; YouTube for how‑to/family content; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing; Marketplace highly used.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest popular (especially women); TikTok/Instagram present but secondary.
• 65+: Facebook first, YouTube second; Messenger common; others minimal.

Gender tendencies (directional)

• Women: More active on Facebook and Pinterest; slightly higher on Instagram/TikTok; strong engagement with school, church, community, and buy/sell groups.
• Men: More YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter; content around sports, hunting/fishing, ag/mechanics/DIY; Facebook for local groups/Marketplace.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Midwest counties

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups are the hub for local news, school updates, weather/road conditions, county fair and sports, churches, city/county notices. Engagement spikes during storms, school events, and elections.
• Marketplace reliance: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups are core commerce channels (farm/yard equipment, vehicles, furniture, tools).
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels consumption rising, especially farm life (“agtok”), DIY/home, recipes, hunting/fishing, Midwestern humor, and local business promos.
• Messaging over public feeds (younger users): Snapchat and Instagram DMs for day-to-day coordination; Facebook Messenger for families/teams.
• YouTube as utility: How‑to/repair (equipment, home, auto), product research, high school sports highlights, worship/live streams.
• Nextdoor limited; Facebook substitutes for neighborhood chatter in small towns.
• Timing: Peaks before work/school (6:30–8:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weather/emergency posts outperform any time.

Notes for using these figures

• Treat platform percentages as directional for planning and targeting; validate with page/group insights or brief local surveys if precision is required.