Clinton County

Clinton County, Iowa (latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates; primarily ACS 2019–2023 5-year; 2020 Census where noted)

Population

• 2023 estimate: ~46,300
• 2020 Census: 46,460

Age

• Median age: ~43
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race/ethnicity

• White alone: ~87%
• Black or African American alone: ~5%
• Asian alone: ~0.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4–5%

Households

• Total households: ~19,900
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~58%
• Married-couple households: ~45–46% of all households
• Nonfamily households: ~42%
• Households with children under 18: ~25–26%
• Average family size: ~2.9

Notes: Figures rounded; sources are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5-year and 2020 Decennial Census.

Summary for Clinton County, IA (estimates)

• User count: Population ~46k. Adults ~36k. Applying typical U.S./Iowa email adoption (≈85–90% of adults) plus most teens using school email, estimate 33k–36k email users countywide.
• Age distribution of email use:
  • 18–49: ~90–95%
  • 50–64: ~85–90%
  • 65+: ~75–80%
  • Teens (13–17): ~75–85% (school-driven)
• Gender split: Email usage is near-parity by gender; with a slight female majority in the county population, users likely ~51–53% female, ~47–49% male.
• Digital access trends:
  • In line with Iowa averages (ACS statewide: ~92% of households have a computer; ~80–85% have a broadband subscription), Clinton County likely similar or slightly lower in rural areas.
  • Smartphone-only internet households ~10–15%.
  • Daily email checks are common among working-age adults; older adults’ usage is rising but lags.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Most residents live in and around Clinton and DeWitt, where cable/fiber coverage and 4G/5G service are densest.
  • Rural townships rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite; speeds and reliability vary, creating a modest urban–rural digital gap.

Notes: Figures extrapolated from Pew Research Center and ACS/FCC statewide data to the county’s population; local surveys may vary.

Below is a concise, decision‑oriented snapshot of mobile phone usage in Clinton County, Iowa, with directional estimates and how the county differs from Iowa overall. Where exact county figures aren’t publicly tabulated in one place, the numbers are bounded estimates derived from recent ACS “Computer and Internet Use” trends, FCC mobile coverage data, and rural Midwestern adoption patterns. Use these as planning ranges and validate locally with ACS S2801/B280xx, FCC Mobile Coverage, and carrier maps.

Executive overview

• Clinton County is a mixed small‑city/rural market (Clinton, DeWitt, Camanche plus wide farm/riparian areas) with broadly solid 4G coverage and town‑center 5G, but more variable rural performance than the state average.
• Smartphone adoption is high but a few points below the Iowa average, with a noticeably higher share of “smartphone‑only” households and prepaid usage tied to older age structure and lower incomes than the state.
• Network investment is concentrated along the US‑30/US‑61 corridors and in Clinton/DeWitt; river‑adjacent and low‑density western/northern townships show the widest performance gaps.

User estimates (2025 order‑of‑magnitude)

• Population base: roughly 46–47k residents; ~78% adults.
• Unique smartphone users: about 34–35k
  • Adults with smartphones: ~31–32k (adult ownership ~86–89%, a bit below Iowa’s ~88–92%).
  • Teens (12–17) with smartphones: ~3k (high adoption, similar to state).
• Households that are “smartphone‑only” for home internet: roughly 3.6–4.5k households (about 20–25% of households), higher than Iowa’s ~15–18%.
• Prepaid share of handset lines: materially above the Iowa average (directionally 30–40% locally vs ~25–30% statewide), reflecting income mix and coverage variability outside towns.

Demographic patterns and how they differ from Iowa

• Age
  • Seniors (65+): smartphone ownership around 70–75% locally vs ~77–80% statewide; more basic/older devices and smaller data plans are common.
  • Working‑age (25–54): near‑universal ownership; device replacement cycles run slightly longer than in metro Iowa.
• Income and plan type
  • Low‑ and moderate‑income households show higher reliance on smartphone‑only access and prepaid plans than the state average.
  • The ACP wind‑down in 2024–2025 likely lifted smartphone‑only reliance further in the county than statewide averages, because a larger share of eligible households were using mobile plans as primary internet.
• Urban vs rural inside the county
  • Clinton/DeWitt: device ownership and 5G use comparable to statewide mid‑sized cities; more postpaid family plans.
  • Rural townships: more prepaid, hotspot tethering, and feature‑phone retention among seniors; higher incidence of shared phones.
• Race/ethnicity
  • As in many Iowa counties, Black and Hispanic residents are at least as likely to own smartphones as White residents and more likely to be smartphone‑only for internet—this gap is slightly larger locally than statewide due to wireline availability and income differentials.

Digital infrastructure and performance (county specifics vs state)

• Carrier presence
  • All four national/regional operators are active: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular. UScellular remains an important rural coverage layer in and around the county compared with metro Iowa.
• Coverage and technology mix
  • 4G LTE: near‑ubiquitous along primary roads and towns; rural fields and timbered pockets show signal variability more often than the state average.
  • 5G: mid‑band 5G covers Clinton and DeWitt and main corridors (US‑30/US‑61); outside those areas, 5G is mostly low‑band with LTE‑like speeds. True high‑capacity 5G (C‑Band/NR mid‑band) is more spotty than in larger Iowa metros.
• Speeds and reliability (typical ranges)
  • Towns/corridors: 5G mid‑band commonly 100–300 Mbps down; LTE 20–80 Mbps.
  • Rural edges/river bends: LTE often 5–20 Mbps with occasional single‑digit pockets; uplink can be the bottleneck for telehealth/video.
  • Clinton County exhibits a wider urban‑rural performance spread than statewide norms.
• Tower siting and backhaul
  • Macro sites cluster in Clinton, DeWitt, Camanche and along US‑30/61; larger cells serve farm areas, so indoor penetration and capacity drop faster with distance than in better‑densified Iowa metros.
  • Backhaul is mixed fiber/microwave; fiber‑fed sites are concentrated in towns, contributing to the town‑rural speed gap more than at the state level.
• Interaction with wireline
  • Cable/fiber choices are solid in town but thin outside; this pushes more rural households to rely on phone hotspots and unlimited data plans, raising mobile network load compared with the average Iowa county with broader fiber co‑op coverage.

Behavioral/usage trends that differ from state‑level averages

• Higher smartphone‑only dependence for home internet, especially among low‑income and rural residents.
• Higher prepaid penetration and budget plans; slightly older device fleet.
• Heavier use of hotspot tethering for school/work in rural homes.
• App mix skews practical: ag/weather, Facebook/Marketplace, messaging, telehealth portals; lower participation in app‑based gig work than in metro counties.

Planning implications

• Capacity upgrades in Clinton and DeWitt will be felt broadly (school, healthcare, employer hubs), but targeted rural improvements—new or sectorized sites, mid‑band overlays, and fiber backhaul to rural macros—will close a larger gap here than in the average Iowa county.
• Programs that pair affordable postpaid family plans or fixed‑wireless with device support for seniors will likely outperform statewide averages due to the county’s age and income mix.

How to validate or refine these ranges quickly

• Adoption and device/plan mix: ACS 5‑year tables S2801, B28001/B28002/B28010 for Clinton County vs Iowa.
• Coverage and technology: FCC National Broadband Map (mobile layers: LTE/5G), plus carrier maps; crowd‑sourced speed data (Ookla, OpenSignal) by county.
• Infrastructure: FCC ASR (tower) data and state broadband office maps for fiber/backhaul presence.
• Affordability/ACP impact: past ACP enrollment counts by ZIP and school district E‑Rate/hotspot program data.

Below is a concise, best-available estimate for Clinton County, IA, based on 2023–2024 Pew Research Center U.S. social media benchmarks, adjusted for the county’s older-than-average age profile and rural/semirural mix. County-level measurement is limited; treat figures as directional ranges.

Snapshot/user stats

• Adult population base: roughly 36–37k adults (out of ~46k residents).
• Social media penetration: ~75–80% of adults use at least one platform ≈ 27–30k adult users. Including teens (13–17) brings total users to roughly 30–33k.

Age-group usage (share using any social platform)

• 13–17: 85–95%
• 18–29: 90–95%
• 30–49: 80–85%
• 50–64: 70–75%
• 65+: 45–55%

Gender breakdown (overall)

• Overall usage is similar by gender (roughly half male/female among users).
• Platform skews among county users (directional):
  • Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest: skew female
  • YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter): skew male
  • LinkedIn: near even, slight male tilt

Most-used platforms in Clinton County (share of adults using; multi-platform use is common)

• YouTube: 78–82%
• Facebook: 65–72%
• Facebook Messenger: 50–60%
• Instagram: 35–42%
• Pinterest: 28–35%
• TikTok: 24–30%
• Snapchat: 20–26% (heavily 13–29)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• LinkedIn: 18–24%
• Reddit: 12–18%
• Nextdoor: 5–10%

Behavioral trends to know

• Local-first on Facebook: High engagement in community groups (events, schools/sports, buy/sell, public safety, weather). Shares and comments drive reach more than original posts.
• Video is the default: YouTube for DIY, home/outdoor, auto, farm/rural topics; short-form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) rising with under-35s for food spots, humor, and local sports highlights.
• Messaging over posting for younger users: Snapchat and Instagram DMs for daily communication; public posting less frequent.
• Trust signals matter: Posts with clear local relevance (photos of recognizable places, school/team tie-ins, “shop local,” weather-related updates) outperform generic creative.
• Timing: Engagement tends to peak early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekends see strong community/event interaction.
• Commerce: Facebook and Instagram drive discovery for local boutiques, services, and restaurants; offers, giveaways, and limited-time promos convert well.
• Platform mix by age:
  • Under 30: Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram + YouTube
  • 30–49: Facebook + Messenger, YouTube; growing Instagram/Reels
  • 50+: Facebook dominant; YouTube for how-to and news
• Lower WhatsApp usage vs. national urban markets; SMS/Messenger more common for local coordination.

Method note

• Figures are inferred by applying recent U.S. platform adoption rates to Clinton County’s demographic profile (older median age than U.S., mixed rural/urban). Use for planning and targeting; for campaigns, validate with platform audience tools and page/group insights.