Ida County

Ida County, Iowa — key demographics

Population size

• 7,005 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~45 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 5-year)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~93%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Black or African American: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.1%

Household data (ACS 5-year)

• Total households: ~3,000
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons

Insights

• Small, aging, predominantly White population with a balanced gender split and relatively small households.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates, most recent available)

Ida County, Iowa email usage snapshot

• Population and density: 7,005 residents (2020 Census) across ~432 sq mi, about 16 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ~5,700 residents use email regularly (modeled from Pew adult email adoption applied to Ida County’s age profile).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: 6%; 18–34: 20%; 35–54: 31%; 55–64: 18%; 65+: 25%. Usage is near-universal among working-age adults and strong among seniors, though seniors skew less toward daily use.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, 49% male, mirroring the county’s near-even population split.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Household internet access is high for a rural county, with the majority subscribing to fixed broadband and a meaningful minority relying on smartphone-only access.
  • Fixed broadband (25/3 Mbps) reaches most occupied locations; fiber is concentrated in towns (e.g., Ida Grove) with fixed wireless filling gaps in outlying areas.
  • Low population density (~16/sq mi) and long last-mile runs elevate deployment costs, shaping a mixed technology footprint and slightly lower median speeds than urban Iowa.
  • Adoption trends are stable-to-rising, driven by streaming, telehealth, and agriculture operations requiring reliable email and data connectivity.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Ida County, Iowa

Scope and sources

• Figures are 2020–2024 era estimates synthesized from U.S. Census Bureau ACS (S0101, S2801, 2018–2022 5‑year), Pew Research Center (2023 smartphone adoption by age and urbanicity), CTIA (2023 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants), and FCC Broadband Data Collection (2024 mobile availability). Where county-level data are not directly published, estimates are derived transparently from those benchmarks and Ida County’s known demographics.

User estimates

• Population baseline: 7,005 residents (2020 Census). 2023 population change is modestly negative; total remains about 6,900–7,100.
• Estimated mobile phone users (any mobile, not just smartphones): 5,500–5,900 residents (≈79–84% of total population), reflecting near-universal adult phone ownership in rural areas and lower adoption among younger children.
• Estimated smartphone users: 4,600–5,000 residents (≈66–71% of total), lower than the Iowa statewide share due to Ida County’s older age profile.
• Wireless subscriptions: Applying CTIA’s statewide subscriptions-per-capita to Ida County’s population implies roughly 8,000–8,600 active mobile lines in the county (includes phones, tablets, watches, and IoT).

Demographic breakdown affecting usage

• Age structure: Ida County has a larger 65+ share (about 25–27% vs ≈18–19% statewide). Given Pew’s 2023 finding that smartphone adoption is ≈61–65% among 65+ versus ≈95% among 18–49, this age mix pulls down overall smartphone penetration and sustains a higher share of basic/feature-phone users than the Iowa average.
• Household connectivity mix:
  • Households with a smartphone: ≈82–86% in Ida County (Iowa ≈88–91%).
  • Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely on cellular data/hotspots): ≈16–20% in Ida County (Iowa ≈12–14%).
  • Households with no home internet access: ≈13–15% in Ida County (Iowa ≈9–10%). These splits are consistent with ACS S2801 patterns for rural, older counties and translate into more mobile-reliant households locally than statewide.
• Income and education: Rural counties with lower median income and lower bachelor’s-attainment rates show higher prepaid and MVNO usage and more data-cap management behaviors (e.g., hotspotting, off-peak use). Ida County fits that profile more than the state as a whole.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • 4G LTE is the de facto baseline across towns and primary corridors; low-band 5G is present around town centers and along major routes, with mid-band 5G capacity mainly on/near US‑20 and other arterials. Outside those areas, many locations still operate on LTE, especially indoors at farmsteads.
  • Indoor coverage in metal/agricultural structures remains a pain point compared to urban Iowa, producing a higher incidence of Wi‑Fi calling reliance.
• Capacity and speeds: Aggregate mobile capacity is lower than the state average because 5G mid-band footprints are smaller and tower spacing is wider. Users typically see good performance in Ida Grove/Holstein and along highways, with noticeable slowdowns on rural secondary roads and in valleys.
• Site density and backhaul: Rural macro sites are spaced widely, with a mix of microwave and fiber backhaul. Fiber reach has improved along key corridors, but many sectors still operate with conservative channelization compared to metros, limiting peak throughput.
• Emergency and public services: Text-to-911 is available statewide in Iowa, including Ida County, supporting accessibility for mobile-only households.
• Fixed–mobile interplay: Fixed wireless access (LTE/5G) and satellite fill gaps where cable/fiber are absent, which reinforces smartphone-only and hotspot usage locally at rates above the statewide norm.

How Ida County differs from the Iowa state-level trend

• Lower overall smartphone penetration due to an older population share that is several points higher than the state average.
• Higher reliance on mobile service as a primary or fallback home connection (smartphone-only and hotspot use), tied to patchier fixed broadband availability outside towns.
• More 4G/LTE usage hours and less mid-band 5G time-on-technology than urban/suburban Iowa, resulting in lower median mobile speeds and more variability by location and time of day.
• Slightly higher prevalence of basic/feature phones among seniors and of prepaid/MVNO plans among cost-sensitive users.
• Coverage quality is more corridor- and town-centric; off-corridor indoor coverage challenges are more common than at the state level.

Key takeaways

• Expect roughly 5.5–5.9 thousand mobile phone users in Ida County, of whom about 4.6–5.0 thousand are on smartphones.
• Mobile connectivity plays a disproportionately important role for home internet access compared with the state average.
• The main constraints versus statewide norms are age-driven adoption gaps and a sparser 5G mid-band footprint; targeted investments in mid-band 5G sectors, in-building coverage solutions, and fixed broadband expansion would close most of the observed gaps.

Social media usage in Ida County, Iowa (2025 best-available modeled estimates)

Overall penetration

• Adults using at least one social platform: 78%
• Daily social media users: 58% of adults
• Primary device: mobile (≈90% of usage)

Age-group adoption (share of each group using social media)

• Ages 13–17: 92%
• 18–24: 96%
• 25–34: 90%
• 35–49: 84%
• 50–64: 74%
• 65+: 55%

Gender breakdown (adult usage rate)

• Women: 82%
• Men: 74%

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults; daily-use share in parentheses)

• YouTube: 66% (40% daily)
• Facebook: 63% (48% daily)
• Instagram: 29% (18% daily)
• Pinterest: 26% (10% daily; skews female)
• TikTok: 22% (15% daily; skews under 35)
• Snapchat: 20% (14% daily; concentrated under 30)
• X/Twitter: 12% (6% daily)
• LinkedIn: 11% (3% daily)
• Nextdoor: 4% (niche)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the community hub: High reliance on local Pages and Groups for school sports, church updates, farm/ranch swaps, garage sales, weather and road conditions, and obituaries. Facebook Events drive attendance for fairs, festivals, and school activities.
• Marketplace matters: Strong local buy/sell culture; listings for vehicles, farm equipment, tools, furniture, and rentals are highly active.
• Video for learning and hobbies: YouTube used for farm operations, equipment maintenance, DIY/home repair, hunting/fishing, cooking, and product research. Short-form (Reels/TikTok) used for quick tips and entertainment, especially by under-35s.
• Youth split: Teens and young adults gravitate to Snapchat (messaging, Stories) and TikTok (content creation/consumption), with Instagram for peers and local sports; Facebook mainly for coordinating with family and community.
• Peak activity windows: Evenings (7–10 p.m.) and lunch hour; engagement spikes around severe weather, harvest, school sports seasons, and community events.
• Messaging is integral: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat underpin day-to-day communication; many local businesses respond faster via Messenger than phone/email.
• Local business marketing: SMBs lean on Facebook/Instagram posts, Reels, boosted posts, and Marketplace listings; most conversions happen via DMs and click-to-call. Reviews and recommendations in Groups influence purchase decisions.
• Connectivity constraints: Patchy rural broadband nudges mobile-first behavior and favors compressed short video; offline/async consumption (downloads, later viewing) is common.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for Ida County based on: Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media adoption, rural-versus-urban deltas, Iowa’s age structure, and platform-level rural usage patterns. They represent best-available county-level estimates where direct county statistics are not published.