Floyd County

Key demographics — Floyd County, Iowa (latest ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates; rounded)

• Population: ~15,500
• Age
  • Median age: ~43.5 years
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 18–64: ~57%
  • 65 and over: ~21%
• Gender
  • Female: ~50.5%
  • Male: ~49.5%
• Race/ethnicity
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~89–91%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4–5%
  • Two or more races: ~3–4%
  • Black or African American: ~1%
  • Asian: ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Households and housing
  • Households: ~6,600
  • Average household size: ~2.3
  • Family households: ~60% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~47% of households
  • Nonfamily households: ~40%; living alone: ~33% (65+ living alone: ~13–15%)
  • Housing units: ~7,300; vacancy ~8–10%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. (Figures are rounded; margins of error apply.)

Snapshot: Email usage in Floyd County, Iowa

• Population base: ~16K residents; ~12–13K adults.
• Estimated email users: 10–12K adult users (using national-adult email adoption of ~85–95%); 11–13K including teens.
• Age distribution (approx., aligned to rural U.S. patterns):
  • 13–17: 70–85% use email (often school‑driven).
  • 18–29: >95%.
  • 30–49: ~95%.
  • 50–64: ~90%.
  • 65+: ~70–85% (higher among those with smartphones/home broadband).
• Gender split: No meaningful gap; email users are roughly 50/50 male/female. Slight female tilt among older users reflects population mix, not usage disparity.

Digital access and trends:

• Broadband at home: roughly four in five households (≈75–85%) subscribe, typical for rural Iowa; some rely on mobile-only service.
• Smartphone ownership in rural Iowa is high (~80–85%), supporting email access even where fixed broadband is limited.
• Connectivity varies by location: towns have cable/fiber/DSL options; farms and sparsely populated areas lean on fixed wireless or satellite.

Local density/connectivity context:

• Population density ~32 people per square mile (low vs. U.S. average), raising last‑mile costs and contributing to patchy high-speed coverage—key drivers of mobile-first email use.

Below is a planning-style summary drawn from recent statewide and rural U.S. adoption patterns, the county’s age/income profile, and typical rural network build-outs. Figures are estimates; small-county ACS samples and carrier maps can shift specifics year to year.

Topline

• Population context: Floyd County ~15.5K residents, older-than-Iowa average and more rural than the state overall.
• Key differences vs Iowa statewide: slightly lower smartphone penetration, higher share of mobile-only internet households, slower mid-band 5G build-out outside Charles City, and a larger-than-average UScellular/T-Mobile extended‑range footprint reliance.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: ~10.0–11.3K (roughly 80–85% of adults). Expect countywide ownership a few points below Iowa’s urban counties due to age and income mix.
• Any mobile phone users (smartphone or basic): ~12–13K residents, including teens; basic/feature phone retention is modestly higher than state average among seniors.
• Mobile-only internet households (no wired broadband, rely on cellular hotspots/phone tethering): ~14–18% of households (statewide often ~10–14%). In Floyd, this is elevated by patchy cable/DSL/fiber options outside Charles City.

Demographic breakdown (directional patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–29: near-saturation smartphone ownership (~95%+), similar to state.
  • 30–49: high ownership (~90%+), heavy app/data use similar to state.
  • 50–64: high but slightly lower than state metros (~80–88%).
  • 65+: notably lower than state average for this cohort (~60–70%); more basic phones and larger share on talk/text-centric plans.
• Income and education:
  • Low-to-moderate income households show higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans and on mobile-only home internet. The expiration of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024 likely had a larger local impact than in metro Iowa, nudging some households from wired to cellular-only or to lower-cost plans.
• Household type:
  • Farm and dispersed rural households more often use fixed wireless or cellular as primary internet; multi-line family plans common but with tighter data caps than in urban areas.
• Youth:
  • Teens mirror statewide high smartphone adoption, but device turnover is slower; refurbished devices and budget brands are more common than in metro counties.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • LTE remains the workhorse countywide.
  • Low-band 5G (coverage-first) is broadly present from AT&T and T-Mobile; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in/around Charles City and along main corridors, with patchier availability in outlying townships than in statewide averages.
  • Verizon’s C-band and T-Mobile’s n41 mid-band are more limited outside the county seat compared with Iowa’s larger metros.
• Carriers and market share tendencies:
  • UScellular retains a comparatively stronger rural presence in north/northeast Iowa than the statewide picture; T-Mobile’s 600 MHz “extended range” helps fill gaps; Verizon and AT&T provide solid LTE but mid-band 5G density lags urban counties.
  • Prepaid/MVNO share (e.g., Tracfone, Cricket, Metro, Visible) runs higher than the state average, reflecting price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier selection.
• Towers and backhaul:
  • Macro sites cluster around Charles City and along US‑18/IA‑27/218; spacing is wider in farm areas, producing more “edge‑of‑cell” conditions than typical in metro Iowa. Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed sites near towns and microwave in farther reaches, limiting mid-band 5G rollouts.
• Reliability and performance:
  • More frequent transitions between 4G and low‑band 5G, with noticeable speed variability outside the county seat. In-building coverage challenges persist in metal‑roofed structures and larger farm outbuildings.
• Public safety and alerts:
  • NG911 and Wireless Emergency Alerts are supported; text‑to‑911 availability aligns with Iowa’s statewide NG911 deployment.

How Floyd County differs from state-level trends

• Adoption: Overall smartphone penetration is a few percentage points lower, driven by an older age structure and slightly lower median incomes; feature phone use among seniors is higher than state average.
• Access: A higher proportion of households rely on cellular as their primary/only home internet due to spottier wired broadband beyond Charles City.
• Networks: Mid-band 5G and dense small-cell capacity trail the state’s urban counties; users depend more on low-band 5G/LTE. UScellular’s relevance and extended‑range spectrum (600/700 MHz) matter more locally than in many Iowa metros.
• Plans and devices: Greater reliance on prepaid/MVNO offerings, tighter data caps, and longer device replacement cycles than statewide norms.
• Usage patterns: Voice/SMS and practical apps (weather, ag, logistics) are relatively more prominent; high-throughput applications (multi-stream UHD, cloud gaming) are less consistent outside town centers.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Estimates synthesize rural Iowa ACS device/Internet-use patterns, Pew adoption by age/income, and known rural deployment tendencies; small-area margins of error apply.
• For precise figures, check the latest ACS S2801 (Computer and Internet Use) for Floyd County, carrier 5G/LTE maps around Charles City and US‑18/IA‑27 corridors, and Iowa’s broadband availability datasets for wired backhaul footprints.

Here’s a concise, practical snapshot for Floyd County, IA (pop. ~16k). Precise county-level social metrics aren’t publicly reported, so figures below use best-available benchmarks (U.S./rural Midwest patterns) and transparent estimates.

Estimated user base

• Estimated residents using at least one social platform: roughly 10,000–12,000 (about 60–75% of total population). Basis: national social-media penetration of the general population ~70–75%, adjusted slightly downward for rural age/broadband mix.

Age patterns (local tendencies)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; Instagram secondary; Facebook mostly for events/parents’ groups.
• 18–29: YouTube near-universal; Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat primary; Facebook for Groups/Marketplace and local events.
• 30–44: Facebook dominant for community, school, buy/sell; YouTube common; Instagram growing; Pinterest (women); TikTok rising.
• 45–64: Facebook primary; YouTube regular; some Instagram/Pinterest.
• 65+: Facebook for family, churches, community pages; YouTube for how-tos/news; limited use of others.

Gender tendencies

• Facebook: roughly balanced, slight female tilt in engagement.
• Instagram: slight female tilt.
• TikTok and Snapchat: female-skewed among younger adults.
• Pinterest: predominantly female.
• Reddit and X/Twitter: male-skewed.

Most-used platforms (rank locally and U.S. usage for context)

• Facebook: Likely the top local network for community news, Groups, Marketplace. U.S. adult usage ~two-thirds.
• YouTube: Very widely used across ages (how-tos, local sports highlights, product research). U.S. adult usage ~8 in 10.
• Instagram: Strong under 40, important for small businesses and events. U.S. adult usage ~half.
• TikTok: Fast-growing for under-40; strong short-video engagement, local food/retail discovery. U.S. adult usage ~one-third.
• Snapchat: Heavy among teens/20s for daily communication; limited older adoption. U.S. adult usage ~one-quarter.
• Pinterest: Project, recipe, and home/farm inspiration; concentrated among women 25–54. U.S. adult usage ~one-third.
• LinkedIn: Niche (education/healthcare/manufacturing pros, job seekers). U.S. adult usage ~one-third.
• X/Twitter and Reddit: Smaller local reach; used for breaking news, sports, niche interests. U.S. adult usage roughly one-fifth.

Behavioral trends to expect in Floyd County

• Community-first engagement: Local news, weather alerts, school updates, high school sports, county fair, church and nonprofit events, lost/found pets, obituaries.
• Facebook Groups + Pages are central: City/county/school pages, “what’s happening” groups, buy/sell/garage-sale groups; Messenger is a primary business contact channel.
• Marketplace is a major local commerce channel (farm/ranch, tools, vehicles, household).
• Short video consumption is rising: Facebook Reels/Instagram Reels/TikTok perform well for local food, retail promos, events, and sports highlights.
• Time-of-day spikes: Early morning (commute/school drop-off), lunch, and evening; weekends see strong event and Marketplace activity.
• Trust and traction: Posts from known local voices (schools, churches, coaches, small-business owners) draw higher engagement than generic branded content.
• Weather and public-safety events drive sharp, share-heavy spikes; concise updates with clear visuals perform best.

Notes on data

• County-level platform percentages aren’t directly published. Estimates above align with: Pew Research Center (U.S. social media use, 2021–2024), DataReportal Digital 2024 (U.S.), and rural Midwest adoption patterns. For planning, consider verifying audience size via platform ad tools (e.g., Facebook Ads location targeting for Floyd County) and local page/group membership counts.