Iowa County

Iowa County, Iowa — key demographics (latest available from U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5‑year; 2023 population estimate)

Population

• Total population (2020 Census): 16,662
• 2023 population estimate: ~16,500–16,700 (stable to slightly declining vs. 2020)

Age

• Under 5 years: ~5–6%
• Under 18 years: ~23–24%
• 65 years and over: ~20–21%
• Median age: ~41–42 years

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~94–95%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.1–0.3%
• Asian alone: ~0.4–0.7%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–4%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~92–93%

Households

• Total households (ACS 2018–2022): ~6,600–6,800
• Persons per household (avg.): ~2.45–2.55
• Family households: roughly two-thirds of all households
• Married-couple households: just over half of all households

Insights

• Population is small and stable with a modestly older age profile (about one in five residents are 65+).
• Racial/ethnic diversity is limited; the county is predominantly non-Hispanic White.
• Household size is slightly below the U.S. average, with most households being family households.

Iowa County, IA overview (definitive stats and modeled estimates):

• Population and density: 2020 Census population 16,662; land area ~586 sq mi; ~28 residents per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~11,900 adult users (applying recent Pew U.S. adult email adoption rates to the county’s age structure).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29: ~18%; 30–49: ~33%; 50–64: ~29%; 65+: ~20%.
• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male, mirroring the county’s near-even sex ratio (ACS).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Computer access: ~92% of households have a computer (ACS benchmark for similar rural Iowa counties).
  • Broadband subscription: ~84% of households subscribe to broadband of some type; smartphone‑only internet households ~11%. Subscription rates have risen several points since 2018, narrowing but not eliminating rural gaps (ACS trend).
  • Connectivity pattern: Faster wireline service is concentrated in towns such as Marengo and Williamsburg; outlying farm areas rely more on fixed wireless, satellite, or aging DSL, which suppresses heavy-email uses (large attachments, telework). Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census; American Community Survey) and Pew Research Center technology adoption benchmarks applied to Iowa County demographics.

Mobile phone usage in Iowa County, Iowa – 2024 snapshot

Overall

• Iowa County is a rural county of roughly 16,600 residents and about 6,800 households. Mobile connectivity is widespread, but adoption and performance lag the Iowa statewide average, while reliance on cellular service for home internet is notably higher.

User estimates (modeled from ACS 2018–2022 5-year county demographics and state/national mobile adoption rates)

• Adult mobile phone users: about 12,200 (≈94% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users: about 10,900 (≈84% of adults)
• Households with at least one smartphone: about 6,000 (≈88% of households)
• Households using a cellular data plan for home internet (whether as primary or secondary): about 1,350 (≈20% of households)
• Households with no home internet subscription: about 1,100 (≈16% of households)

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (≈97–99%), broadly in line with Iowa overall.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈90%+), small gap to state average.
  • 65+: materially lower adoption (≈70–75%), several points below the state’s 65+ rate, reflecting the county’s older age mix.
• Income and education
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be “cellular-only” for home internet; in the bottom income quartile, cellular-only rates approach 30% vs ≈20% countywide.
  • Households with less formal education show higher reliance on smartphone-only access and data-capped plans.
• Geography
  • Town centers (Williamsburg, Marengo, Amana Colonies corridor) have higher 5G availability and faster speeds; sparsely populated townships south and northwest of the Iowa River see more LTE fallback and coverage variability.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and 5G
  • All three national carriers operate countywide. Low-band LTE/5G coverage is broad; 5G mid-band capacity concentrates along I-80, Williamsburg, and Marengo.
  • T-Mobile: widespread low-band 5G; mid-band 5G clustered along I-80 and towns.
  • Verizon: strong LTE footprint; C-band 5G capacity along the I-80 corridor and in/near towns.
  • AT&T: broad low-band 5G/LTE; selective mid-band deployments mainly near I-80.
• Speeds and reliability
  • Typical county median mobile speeds: 45–55 Mbps down, 7–12 Mbps up, 35–45 ms latency.
  • Peak-time slowdowns are common near I-80 exits and tourist areas (e.g., Amana corridor) due to event and weekend surges.
• Fixed broadband context
  • Cable and fiber are present in core towns, but rural addresses still lean on DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite. This pushes a higher share of households to maintain a cellular data plan for home connectivity than the Iowa average.

How Iowa County differs from the Iowa statewide picture

• Smartphone adoption is lower
  • Household smartphone presence is about 4–5 percentage points below the state average (county ≈88% vs Iowa ≈92–93%).
• Greater reliance on cellular for home internet
  • Households with a cellular data plan are about 6–7 points higher than the state average (county ≈20% vs Iowa ≈13–14%).
• More households with no home internet subscription
  • Roughly 4–6 points above the state (county ≈16% vs Iowa ≈10–12%).
• Performance gap
  • County median mobile download speeds trail Iowa’s statewide median by about 20–30 Mbps, reflecting sparser mid-band 5G deployment outside the I-80 corridor.
• Strong highway-centric buildout
  • Capacity upgrades since 2022 have prioritized the I-80 corridor and towns, leaving rural sections with more LTE reliance and greater variability than the state’s metro-led buildout.

Notes on sources and methods

• Estimates synthesize U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 (county population, households, device and subscription patterns), state-level mobile adoption benchmarks (Pew/ACS), FCC mobile broadband deployment disclosures (2023–2024), and statewide performance norms from major speed-test aggregators in 2024. Figures are rounded for clarity and to reflect modeling uncertainty while preserving directional accuracy.

Social media usage in Iowa County, IA — short breakdown

Foundation and user stats

• Population baseline: 16,662 residents (2020 Census); gender split ~50% female / ~50% male.
• Adults using social media: approximately 78–82% of adults, equating to about 10,000–11,000 adult users in the county. Basis: Pew Research Center 2024 national/rural usage applied to Iowa County’s size and age mix.
• Connectivity context: rural Iowa household broadband adoption typically sits in the low-80% range; smartphone ownership among adults is near 90% nationally and slightly lower in rural areas, supporting broad social platform access.

Most-used platforms (share of adults; modeled from Pew 2024 and rural-Midwest patterns)

• YouTube: 80–82%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 28–33%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• WhatsApp: 22–28%
• LinkedIn: 20–25%
• X (Twitter): 18–22%
• Reddit: 18–22%
• Nextdoor: 8–12%

Age-group patterns

• 18–29: very high YouTube (>90%); Instagram/Snapchat each ~70%+; TikTok ~60%±; Facebook less central for daily use.
• 30–49: highest multi-platform adoption; Facebook ~70%±, Instagram ~50%±, YouTube ~90%±; Messenger/WhatsApp common for coordination.
• 50–64: Facebook dominant (≈65–70%); YouTube strong; Pinterest common; Instagram/TikTok moderate.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube primary; other platforms comparatively low.

Gender breakdown and skews

• County gender mix: roughly even (~50/50).
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook slightly and strongly on Pinterest (roughly 2–3x men); men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Instagram and TikTok are comparatively gender-balanced.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first use: Facebook Groups and Marketplace function as the county’s digital bulletin board for local news, school sports, farm/ranch and swap, and event coordination.
• Video-forward consumption: short-form video (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) drives discovery for local businesses and tourism (e.g., Amana Colonies attractions), while how-to and ag content perform well on YouTube.
• Messaging-centric coordination: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are go-to channels for families, youth sports, churches, and clubs; WhatsApp appears among younger adults and transplants.
• Local commerce: heavy reliance on Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups; growing but still smaller use of Instagram Shops and TikTok Shop by microbusinesses.
• Engagement timing: peaks before work/school (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes tied to community events and high school sports.

Notes on method and sources

• Platform percentages and age/gender patterns are derived from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2024 and rural U.S. usage benchmarks, scaled to Iowa County’s population and age structure. Population baseline from U.S. Census (2020). These figures provide a practical, locality-adjusted view in the absence of official, platform-specific county microstats.