Lyon County

Key demographics for Lyon County, Iowa

• Population size:

  • 2020 Census: 11,934
  • 2023 estimate (PEP): ~12,100 (modest growth since 2020)

• Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year):

  • Median age: ~36–37 years
  • Under 5: ~7%
  • Under 18: ~28%
  • 65 and over: ~16–17%

• Sex (ACS 2018–2022):

  • Male: ~50–51%
  • Female: ~49–50%

• Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; Hispanic is any race):

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~96%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~2%
  • Two or more races: ~1%
  • Black/African American: ~0.3%
  • Asian: ~0.2%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%

• Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022):

  • Total households: ~4,400–4,500
  • Average household size: ~2.7
  • Family households: ~73–75% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~65–70% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~35–37%
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80–85%

Insights:

• Small, rural county with steady population growth since 2020
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White and family-oriented
• Larger households and a higher share of children than the state average
• High owner-occupancy consistent with rural housing patterns

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; Population Estimates Program (2023); American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Email usage snapshot — Lyon County, Iowa

• Population baseline: 11,934 (2020 Census). Approx. 75% are adults ≈ 8,950.
• Estimated adult email users: ≈ 8,230, applying Pew Research’s ~92% email adoption among U.S. adults.
• Age distribution of users (estimated, using Iowa age mix and age-specific adoption): 18–34 ≈ 26%; 35–54 ≈ 34%; 55–64 ≈ 16%; 65+ ≈ 24%. Younger and prime‑working adults have near‑universal use; seniors’ use is lower but substantial.
• Gender split: Essentially even; email adoption shows no material gender gap, so users ≈ 50% female, 50% male, mirroring the population.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription in rural Iowa counties typically 80–87% (ACS), implying ≈ 4,000 of Lyon County’s households subscribe, with the remainder relying on mobile‑only or having no home internet.
  • Smartphone ownership is widespread; mobile‑only internet households are a minority but present, shaping on‑the‑go email access.
  • Rural digital divide persists at the last mile: fiber and cable concentrated in towns (e.g., Rock Rapids), with outlying farms more dependent on fixed wireless or DSL.
• Local density/connectivity: Low population density (~20 persons per square mile) increases per‑user infrastructure costs, which correlates with slightly lower broadband adoption than Iowa’s metro counties.

Mobile phone usage in Lyon County, Iowa — 2025 snapshot

At-a-glance user estimates

• Population baseline: roughly 12,000 residents; about 9,000 adults (18+).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 7,600–8,000 (roughly 82–88% of adults in a rural county profile).
• Total smartphone users (including teens 13–17): about 8,700–9,300.
• Mobile subscriptions: on the order of 12,000–13,000 active SIMs (about 100–110 per 100 residents), reflecting personal phones plus work/IoT lines.

Demographic patterns of use

• Age
  • 18–29: near-universal smartphone use (~93–97%).
  • 30–49: very high (~90–95%).
  • 50–64: solid majority (~80–85%).
  • 65+: moderate but growing (~60–70%); adoption is lower than the Iowa average because Lyon County skews older.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be “smartphone-only” for home internet; in Lyon County the share is meaningfully higher than the state average because fixed broadband is patchier outside of towns.
• Household composition
  • Family households with children have high device density (multiple smartphones per household).
  • Single-elderly households show the lowest smartphone penetration and higher prevalence of basic/flip devices.
• Work/sector effects
  • Agriculture and construction drive above-average use of cellular-connected equipment (trailers, telematics, farm machinery), raising the subscriptions-per-resident ratio and boosting data use during planting/harvest seasons.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), Verizon, and T-Mobile provide countywide service; UScellular devices frequently roam or operate via partner coverage in the area.
• 5G availability
  • Low-band 5G is broadly available across the county from the national carriers.
  • Mid-band 5G (T-Mobile n41; Verizon/AT&T C-band) is concentrated along US-75, IA-9, in/near towns such as Rock Rapids, Inwood, Larchwood, George, and in spillover from the Sioux Falls market; rural sections between towns are more likely to fall back to low-band 5G/LTE.
• Tower and backhaul footprint
  • Macro sites cluster along highways and around population centers, with sparser spacing toward the Big Sioux and Rock River corridors; cross-border sites in South Dakota and Minnesota materially contribute to coverage on the county’s western and northern edges.
  • Fiber backhaul is present in and between towns via regional providers; many farmsteads still rely on fixed wireless or older copper, increasing reliance on cellular hotspots.
• Public safety and reliability
  • E911 and FirstNet coverage is established; low-band spectrum (700/850 MHz) underpins resilient voice/VoLTE and text during weather events common to the region.

How Lyon County differs from the Iowa state profile

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration, driven by an older age mix and a higher share of basic phones among seniors, compared with the state average.
• Higher dependence on cellular for home internet among rural households because cable/fiber availability falls off quickly outside town limits; “smartphone-only” households are more common than the statewide rate.
• More pronounced carrier-by-carrier variability: T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G benefits areas near the Sioux Falls corridor; AT&T/Verizon low-band coverage is strong for voice and basic data in remote sections, but mid-band capacity is patchier than in Iowa’s metros.
• Cross-border effects are stronger than the Iowa average: residents near Larchwood and Inwood often receive stronger signal from South Dakota towers, and number porting to/from the Sioux Falls market is common.
• Device mix shows a noticeable slice of work-issued lines and IoT (ag telematics, security systems, and fleet trackers), lifting subscriptions per resident above what the county’s population alone would suggest.

Operational implications

• Expect good voice reliability across the county and solid 4G/low-band 5G data almost everywhere, with faster mid-band 5G capacity primarily in/near towns and along main corridors.
• For remote homes and farms, cellular hotspots can be a practical primary or backup connection; performance improves markedly with external antennas or fixed CPE on a line-of-sight to nearby towers.
• Businesses with bandwidth-sensitive needs should test multiple carriers on-site; performance differences are larger here than in Iowa’s urban counties.

Social media usage in Lyon County, Iowa (2025 snapshot)

Population and online access

• Residents: ~12,200 (2023 est.); adults 18+: ~9,000; teens 13–17: ~700–800
• Gender: ~50% male, ~50% female
• Connectivity: ~80% of households with home broadband; ~85% of adults own a smartphone
• Share of adults using at least one social platform: ~80–85%

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adult residents; estimates aligned to 2023–2024 Pew national adoption with rural-Midwest adjustments)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 28–32%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• LinkedIn: 18–22%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 15–20%
• WhatsApp: 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 5–10%

Age-group patterns (platform share within each age band)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~95%; TikTok ~65–70%; Snapchat ~60%; Instagram ~55–60%; Facebook ~30%
• Young adults (18–29): YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~75–80%; Snapchat ~60–65%; TikTok ~60–65%; Facebook ~65–70%
• Ages 30–49: Facebook ~70–75%; YouTube ~90%; Instagram ~50%; TikTok ~40%; Snapchat ~35%
• Ages 50–64: Facebook ~65–70%; YouTube ~80–85%; Instagram ~25–30%; TikTok ~20–25%
• 65+: Facebook ~50%; YouTube ~60%; Instagram ~15–20%; TikTok ~10–15%

Gender breakdown and skews

• County population is roughly 50/50 male–female
• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest (Pinterest adoption is several times higher among women than men)
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Twitter)
• Messaging usage: women heavier on Facebook Messenger/Instagram DMs; men skew toward longer YouTube viewing and sports/news on X

Behavioral trends in Lyon County

• Facebook as the community hub: high engagement in local groups (schools, churches, city pages), Marketplace, and Events; school sports and community festivals drive spikes
• Messaging-first communication: Facebook Messenger is near-universal among adults; Snapchat dominates among teens and college-age; WhatsApp remains niche
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels gaining with 18–34; older cohorts favor Facebook video and YouTube
• Local shopping and discovery: Marketplace is the primary peer‑to‑peer channel; local retailers rely on Facebook/Instagram posts and stories for promotions more than formal e-commerce
• Information sourcing: residents depend on Facebook pages/groups for hyperlocal news and weather; trust is anchored in known individuals and organizations
• Time-of-day peaks: engagement concentrates around 6–8 am, 11:30 am–1 pm, and 7–9 pm; weekends show stronger community-group activity
• Professional networking: LinkedIn penetration is modest; usage concentrates among educators, healthcare, finance, and public-sector roles

Notes on figures

• Population and age structure are from U.S. Census/ACS for Lyon County
• Platform percentages reflect 2023–2024 Pew Research Center adoption rates, tuned for rural Midwest usage patterns to provide realistic local estimates