Jasper County

Key demographics — Jasper County, Iowa (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• Total population: 37,813 (2020 Census)
• Estimated population: ~37,8oo (2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~41.5 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~22–23%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Race and Hispanic origin (ACS 2019–2023; mutually exclusive, Hispanic shown separately)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~91%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: <1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~15,400
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~63% of households; married-couple families: ~49%
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Living alone: ~31% of households; 65+ living alone: ~12%
• Housing units: ~16,400; owner-occupied rate: ~76%; vacancy rate: ~6%

Insights

• Stable, modestly aging population with a median age in the low 40s
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with small but growing racial/ethnic diversity
• Household structure is family-leaning with high homeownership typical of Iowa counties

Jasper County, IA (2020 Census): 37,813 residents across 732 sq mi (≈52 people/sq mi). Newton (~15–16k) holds roughly 40% of the county’s population, concentrating connectivity along the I‑80 corridor.

Estimated email users: ≈28,400 adults (≈95% of the 18+ population), based on local age structure and national email adoption rates.

Age distribution of adult email users (approx. counts, share of adult users):

• 18–34: ≈7,350 (26%)
• 35–54: ≈9,800 (34%)
• 55–64: ≈5,570 (20%)
• 65+: ≈5,700 (20%)

Gender split: Near parity; email usage mirrors the population’s roughly even male–female composition with no meaningful gap.

Digital access trends:

• Household broadband subscription ≈85%; computer ownership ≈90–92%; smartphone‑only internet households ≈12–15% (ACS 2018–2022 patterns for similar Iowa counties).
• Email access is ubiquitous across working‑age adults and strong among seniors; smartphone reliance is significant where broadband is absent or cost‑constrained.

Connectivity facts: Access to 25/3 Mbps fixed broadband is widespread; ≥100/20 Mbps is common in towns (Newton, Colfax, Prairie City) but spottier in low‑density townships that lean on DSL or fixed wireless. These dynamics align with rural Iowa’s ongoing fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts.

Jasper County, IA — Mobile phone usage summary (focus on county-vs-state differences)

Population/context

• Residents: about 37,500 (2020 Census), roughly 15,000 households.
• Adults (18+): approximately 28,900 (about 77% of residents), with an older tilt than Iowa overall.

User estimates (adults)

• Mobile phone users (any type): 28,000–28,500 adults (about 97–99% of adults).
• Smartphone users: about 26,100 adults (≈90% of adults). Method: applied 2023 Pew age-specific smartphone adoption (97% ages 18–29, 96% 30–49, 92% 50–64, 76% 65+) to a rural-Iowa age mix for Jasper.
• Seniors (65+): roughly 6,600 adults; about 5,000 use smartphones, leaving an estimated 1,600 seniors using basic phones or without a mobile device.
• Households with at least one smartphone: about 13,500–13,700 (≈89–91% of households).
• Households relying on mobile data as primary home internet (cellular data plan with no fixed broadband): about 2,600–3,000 households (≈17–20%), a higher reliance than Iowa overall.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: A larger 65+ share than the state average depresses overall smartphone penetration and keeps a visible basic-phone segment; this gap is concentrated in rural townships.
• Income: Median household income runs modestly below the statewide median; this supports higher prepaid adoption and price-sensitive plans. Expect prepaid lines to comprise about 25–30% of active lines in the county versus roughly 20–22% statewide.
• Work patterns: A sizable commuter flow to the Des Moines metro and traffic along I‑80 shifts daytime usage toward the corridor and Newton, creating more pronounced peak-hour mobile traffic than typical rural counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint: All three national carriers operate countywide. 5G covers Newton, Colfax, and the I‑80 corridor; outside towns, service often drops to LTE with tighter capacity. Mid-band 5G (C-band/n41) is most consistently available in Newton and along I‑80 and is materially thinner in outlying areas compared with the statewide average.
• Performance: In-town median downloads commonly range 40–100 Mbps (higher where mid-band 5G is active); rural areas typically see 10–30 Mbps with greater variability and uplink constraints. This in–out gap is wider than Iowa’s statewide pattern due to fewer mid-band 5G sectors away from the interstate and Newton.
• Event-driven congestion: Iowa Speedway events in Newton create short-term sector saturation and throttled throughputs—a spike effect not seen in most Iowa counties.
• Public safety and resilience: Text-to-911 is supported. FirstNet coverage is present, with the most robust capacity in Newton and along I‑80; rural lanes rely more on low-band spectrum.
• Offload options: Public/library Wi‑Fi in Newton and smaller towns provides important offload and fills homework/telehealth gaps where fixed broadband is limited; uptake is higher than the statewide average in similarly sized cities.

How Jasper County differs from Iowa overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration due to an older population and more rural households; the basic-phone share is meaningfully higher among seniors.
• A larger slice of households rely on cellular data as their primary home connection (≈17–20% vs ≈14–16% statewide), reflecting patchier fixed broadband in rural tracts and post-ACP affordability pressure.
• Greater urban–rural performance spread: high-capacity 5G along I‑80 and Newton versus LTE-dominant service and lower uplinks in outlying areas; the statewide median masks these sharper local contrasts.
• More pronounced peak loads tied to commuting on I‑80 and major events, which temporarily degrade experience in Newton sectors more than typical for the state.

Implications

• Network planning: Additional mid-band 5G sectors and backhaul upgrades outside Newton—especially northeast/southwest rural tracts—would close the county’s capacity gap with the state.
• Adoption support: Senior-focused device coaching and subsidized plans can convert remaining basic-phone users, while targeted fixed-wireless or fiber in mobile-only clusters would relieve cellular networks and improve home connectivity.
• Emergency readiness: Maintaining low-band coverage and portable cell on wheels (COW) capacity for Speedway events and I‑80 incidents will stabilize throughput during spikes.

Jasper County, IA — social media usage (2024 modeled snapshot)

How many people are using it

• Residents using at least one social platform monthly (age 13+): ~27,000 (roughly three-quarters of residents)
• Adults (18+) who use social media: 85%; teens (13–17): 95%
• Daily users (18+): 71% of adults on at least one platform daily
• Average number of platforms used by adult users: 3.1

Most-used platforms (adult usage, share of 18+ who use each)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 42%
• Pinterest: 34%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 22%
• LinkedIn: 20%
• X (Twitter): 19%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 8%

Age-group profile (share of each age band using platform)

• Teens 13–17: YouTube 95%, Snapchat 75%, TikTok 70%, Instagram 65%, Facebook 25%
• 18–29: YouTube 95%, Instagram 78%, Snapchat 64%, TikTok 62%, Facebook 58%, X 37%, Reddit 35%
• 30–49: YouTube 90%, Facebook 76%, Instagram 52%, Pinterest 43%, TikTok 35%, Snapchat 26%, LinkedIn 32%, X 22%
• 50–64: YouTube 76%, Facebook 70%, Pinterest 36%, Instagram 32%, TikTok 20%, LinkedIn 18%
• 65+: YouTube 60%, Facebook 54%, Pinterest 24%, Instagram 20%, TikTok 12%

Gender breakdown (share of platform users in county)

• Overall social media user base: 53% women, 47% men
• Platform skew:
  • Facebook 56% women / 44% men
  • Instagram 55% / 45%
  • TikTok 57% / 43%
  • Snapchat 54% / 46%
  • Pinterest 78% / 22%
  • YouTube 48% / 52%
  • LinkedIn 44% / 56%
  • X (Twitter) 45% / 55%
  • Reddit 30% / 70%

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community backbone: local groups, school and youth sports updates, churches, county agencies, and Facebook Marketplace (strong for vehicles, tools, farm/ranch and home goods).
• Video is dominant: YouTube for DIY, home/farm maintenance, hunting/outdoors, sports highlights; short-form growth via TikTok and Instagram Reels among under-40s.
• Messaging is mobile-first: Facebook Messenger spans all ages; Snapchat is primary for under-30; WhatsApp remains niche.
• Local news and weather funnel through Facebook pages/groups; severe weather and public-safety alerts drive spikes in engagement.
• Events discovery is social: county fair, Iowa Speedway events (Newton), school concerts/athletics, community fundraisers.
• Usage peaks: early morning (about 6:30–8:30 a.m.) and evening (about 7–10 p.m.); weekends show longer video sessions.
• Device split: ~90% of social sessions are mobile; desktop use skews to work hours and LinkedIn/YouTube.
• Posting vs. lurking: roughly 1 in 10 adults post weekly; most engagement is viewing, reacting, sharing, and private messaging.
• Multi-platform overlap is common: Facebook + YouTube is the core; 18–34s layer Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat; a smaller professional niche uses LinkedIn.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Figures are best-available, county-level modeled estimates built from the county’s age/sex structure (U.S. Census Bureau/ACS) mapped to Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social platform adoption and usage by age and gender. Rural Midwest adjustments are applied where platforms over- or under-index (e.g., Pinterest higher among women; LinkedIn lower where white-collar share is smaller). Percentages represent share of adults unless noted.