Cedar County

Do you want these figures from the 2020 Decennial Census (official counts) or the latest ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (most current estimates)? I’ll provide a concise, numeric summary once you confirm the preferred source.

Cedar County, IA (pop. ~18–19K) is largely rural. Based on Iowa/rural U.S. adoption patterns:

• Estimated email users: ~13–15K. Assumes ~80–85% internet adoption and 90–95% email use among internet users.
• Age usage: 18–49: ~95%+ use email; 50–64: ~90–95%; 65+: ~75–85%.
• Share of email users by age (approx.): 13–17: 5–7%; 18–34: 22–26%; 35–54: 35–40%; 55–64: 14–17%; 65+: 15–20%.
• Gender split: roughly even, ~51% female / 49% male among users (reflecting county demographics).

Digital access trends:

• ~80–85% of households report a broadband subscription; 10–20% are smartphone‑only internet users.
• Fiber and fixed‑wireless coverage are expanding in towns and along main corridors; remote farmsteads more often rely on fixed wireless or satellite.
• Public libraries and schools provide key no‑cost access; mobile email is common due to strong handset penetration.

Local density/connectivity:

• Low population density (~30–35 residents per square mile). Connectivity is typically stronger in and near towns such as Tipton and West Branch; outer rural areas see more variability in speeds and occasional coverage gaps.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Cedar County, Iowa (with county-level estimates and how patterns differ from Iowa overall)

Baseline and user estimates (rounded, indicative ranges)

• Population base: roughly 18–20 thousand residents; about 75–80% are adults.
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 11–13 thousand (assumes 80–86% smartphone adoption among adults, slightly below statewide).
• Wireless-only households: estimated 65–72% (generally a bit lower than the Iowa average in the low–mid 70s, reflecting a modestly higher persistence of landlines or VoIP in rural areas).
• Data-only/IoT lines: higher per capita than the state average due to farm, fleet, and equipment telemetry; these SIMs add meaningfully to total connections even though they are not “users.”

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Seniors (65+) make up a larger share than the state average and have lower smartphone adoption and lower mobile data use; more basic/flip phones remain in use. Younger cohorts mirror statewide habits (near-universal smartphone access), but the county skews older overall.
• Income and plan mix: A higher share of prepaid/MVNO plans and longer device upgrade cycles than the statewide average, driven by price sensitivity and smaller family plan penetration.
• Work and sector effects: Agriculture and small manufacturing increase the presence of data-only/M2M lines (e.g., equipment monitoring, bin sensors, telematics), a differentiator from more urban Iowa counties.
• Home broadband interplay: Where fiber has not yet reached farms/acreages, some households lean on cellular hotspots; conversely, in pockets served by rural telecom co-ops’ fiber, mobile data offload to Wi‑Fi is common. This split is more pronounced than at the state level.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carrier presence: All three national carriers operate in the county; UScellular also has a footprint in eastern Iowa’s rural areas. FirstNet (AT&T) public‑safety coverage is present and expanding.
• Radio layers: Wide‑area low‑band LTE/5G covers most roads and towns. Mid‑band 5G (faster but shorter‑range) is concentrated in and around towns (e.g., Tipton, West Branch, Mechanicsville) and along major corridors; mmWave is generally absent.
• Corridors and siting: Stronger site density and backhaul along I‑80 (south edge) and US‑30 (north) than in the interior countryside; coverage tends to thin on gravel roads, in timber, and in river bottoms (Cedar River), leading to more indoor‑coverage variability than seen in urban Iowa.
• Backhaul and power: Many rural sites rely on microwave with selective fiber upgrades; resilience is improving but storm‑related power or backhaul outages can still create localized dead zones—more of a rural county issue than a statewide average.
• Fixed wireless and home internet: 5G fixed‑wireless offers are available in and around towns/corridors; WISPs using CBRS and other bands serve parts of the countryside. Rural telecom cooperatives continue to extend fiber, which ultimately helps mobile backhaul too. The county’s balance of fixed‑wireless vs fiber is more rural‑weighted than the state average.

How Cedar County trends differ from Iowa overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption and a lower share of wireless‑only households than the statewide average (older age structure, more landline/VoIP persistence).
• Higher prevalence of data‑only/M2M lines tied to agriculture, boosting total SIMs per capita compared with urban counties.
• Greater reliance on low‑band LTE and more patchy mid‑band 5G outside towns; indoor coverage is more variable, especially away from I‑80 and US‑30.
• More prepaid/MVNO usage and longer device replacement cycles.
• Wider gap between well‑served pockets (towns/corridors with fiber and mid‑band 5G) and under‑served rural stretches, making experiences less uniform than state aggregates suggest.

Notes on estimation

• Ranges reflect rural vs urban adoption gaps seen in national and Iowa surveys (e.g., Pew, CDC wireless‑only estimates) applied to Cedar County’s population and age profile. For a precise point‑in‑time count, pair recent ACS population/age data with current FCC mobile coverage maps and carrier availability, then adjust using rural adoption differentials.

Cedar County, IA social media snapshot (modeled estimates)

Baseline

• Population: ~18.5k (ACS 2023 est.). People age 13+: ~15.5–16.0k.
• Monthly social media users: ~12–14k (≈75–85% of 13+), reflecting rural age mix.

Most‑used platforms (share of 13+; estimated ranges, with rough user counts)

• YouTube: 75–85% → ~11.5–13.5k
• Facebook: 65–75% → ~10.0–12.0k
• Instagram: 30–40% → ~4.7–6.3k
• TikTok: 25–35% → ~4.0–5.5k
• Snapchat: 25–35% → ~4.0–5.5k
• Pinterest: 25–35% → ~4.0–5.5k (skews female)
• LinkedIn: 15–25% → ~2.4–4.0k
• X/Twitter: 15–20% → ~2.4–3.2k
• WhatsApp: 10–15% → ~1.6–2.4k
• Reddit: 10–15% → ~1.6–2.4k
• Nextdoor: 3–7% → ~0.5–1.1k

Age patterns (tendencies)

• Teens (13–17): Near‑universal YouTube; heavy Snapchat; TikTok 60–70%; Instagram 40–50%; minimal Facebook.
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+; Instagram ~70%; Snapchat ~60%; TikTok ~60–70%; Facebook ~50–60%.
• 30–49: Facebook ~75–85%; YouTube ~80–90%; Instagram ~40–50%; TikTok ~30–40%; Pinterest strong among women.
• 50–64: Facebook ~70–80%; YouTube ~70–80%; Instagram ~25–35%; TikTok ~20–30%; Pinterest ~30–40% (women).
• 65+: Facebook ~60–70%; YouTube ~60–70%; others much lower.

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: roughly 51–53% women, 47–49% men (in line with U.S. usage).
• Platform skews: Pinterest (heavily female); Facebook (slight female tilt); TikTok/Snapchat (slight female tilt); Reddit and X/Twitter (male‑skewing); LinkedIn (slightly male).

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Midwest counties

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school updates, church/club activities, buy/sell groups, Marketplace, severe‑weather and road updates.
• Messaging > posting: many use Messenger/Snapchat DMs more than public posts; group chats for teams, classes, clubs.
• Video first: YouTube for DIY, home repair, ag/equipment, and local sports streams; short‑form (Reels/TikTok) rising in under‑40s.
• Shopping and promos: Marketplace and Facebook Events drive foot traffic; Instagram used by boutiques, salons, and eateries for promos; limited but growing TikTok commerce.
• Timing: Peaks before work (6:30–8:00 a.m.) and evenings (7:00–10:00 p.m.); weekend mornings also strong. Posting around local events/school schedules performs best.
• Seasonality: Back‑to‑school and high‑school sports spikes; spring storm season and fall harvest content see higher engagement.
• Advertising note: Effective geotargeting often uses a 15–30 mile radius to include nearby towns/counties due to small audience size.

Notes and sources

• Exact county‑level platform stats aren’t published; figures are modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media adoption data, platform‑specific skews, Cedar County’s ACS age mix, and rural Midwest usage patterns. Adjust up/down for specific towns, schools, or demographic pockets within the county.