Monona County

Monona County, Iowa – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; primarily ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates; population count from 2020 Census)

Population size

• Total population: 8,751 (2020 Census); ACS estimate: ~8.6–8.7K
• Direction: Gradual decline since 2010

Age

• Median age: ~47 years
• Age distribution: Under 18: ~21%; 18–64: ~54%; 65+: ~25%
• Insight: Older-than-state average age profile

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~93%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Black: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• Hispanic/Latino (of any race): ~3–4%
• Note: Hispanic can be of any race, so percentages may sum to >100

Households and families

• Total households: ~3,800–3,900
• Average household size: ~2.25
• Family households: ~62% of households; average family size: ~2.9
• Married-couple families: ~51% of households
• One-person households: ~34%; living alone age 65+: ~16%
• Housing tenure: ~77% owner-occupied, ~23% renter-occupied

Overall insights

• Small, predominantly White rural county, aging population, smaller household sizes, high homeownership and a sizable share of older adults living alone.

• Scope: Monona County, Iowa (population ≈8.6–8.8k; density ≈12–13 residents per sq. mile; predominantly rural).
• Estimated email users: 6.1k–6.6k adults use email regularly, derived by applying U.S. adult email adoption (~92%) to the county’s adult population; total users including teens likely 6.6k–7.1k.
• Age distribution of adult email users (est.): 18–34: ~22%; 35–64: ~51%; 65+: ~27%. Older adults participate at slightly lower rates but still majority users.
• Gender split: Near parity. National usage differs by ≤2 pts between men and women; Monona’s user base is effectively 50/50.
• Digital access and devices (local ACS/FCC-based context):
  • Broadband subscription: roughly three‑quarters of households maintain a home broadband plan.
  • Computer access: about 9 in 10 households have a computer or tablet.
  • Smartphone‑only internet: about 8–10% of households rely primarily on mobile data.
  • Trend: gradual uptick in home broadband and smartphone dependence since 2018; email remains a default channel across all ages.
• Connectivity facts: Fixed broadband coverage is strongest in and around population centers (e.g., Onawa/Mapleton areas) with sparser options in rural tracts; most residents have at least one 25/3 Mbps+ option, with expanding 100/20 Mbps and fiber in town centers. These access patterns underpin high email reach despite rural dispersion.

Monona County, IA mobile phone usage — 2024 snapshot

Core context

• Population: 8,751 (2020 Census). Predominantly rural with small population centers (Onawa, Mapleton, Whiting) and substantial Loess Hills terrain along the Missouri River corridor.
• Age profile: Older than the Iowa average, with a notably large 65+ cohort. This skews mobile adoption patterns and plan types relative to the state.

User estimates (residents using mobile phones)

• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): 7,200–7,600 users (about 82–87% of residents).
• Smartphones: 5,800–6,400 users (about 66–73% of residents; roughly 80–86% of adults).
• Basic/feature phones: 800–1,200 users (about 9–14% of residents), materially higher than the statewide share.
• Prepaid vs. postpaid: Prepaid lines estimated at 25–35% of active lines (state level closer to ~20%), reflecting price sensitivity and credit-screen effects in rural markets.
• Mobile-only home internet (cellular as primary connection): 10–15% of households (above the statewide share), driven by limited wireline options outside towns.

Demographic breakdown (estimated usage patterns)

• 18–29 adults: Very high smartphone penetration (≈95–99%); heavy app and social media use; video streaming primarily over cellular in town, Wi‑Fi offloading at home/work.
• 30–49 adults: High smartphone penetration (≈92–97%); strong reliance on mobile for navigation, work messaging, and school/family coordination; hotspot use common where home broadband is weaker.
• 50–64 adults: Solid smartphone penetration (≈80–88%); higher voice/SMS share, growing telehealth usage; some retention of legacy plans/devices.
• 65+ adults: Moderate smartphone penetration (≈65–75%); largest basic‑phone cohort; emphasis on voice reliability, medical alerts, and simplified plans. Text-to-911 and WEA alerts are particularly salient for this group.
• Teens (13–17): High handset access (≈85–95%) concentrated in towns; usage dips in farm/valley areas due to signal variability, prompting Wi‑Fi dependence at home/school.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14 for public safety), Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular. UScellular has historically strong rural presence; AT&T/Verizon provide broad LTE; T‑Mobile mid‑band 5G strongest along primary corridors.
• 5G footprint: Sub‑6 GHz 5G along I‑29 and in/near Onawa and Mapleton; patchier outside towns. Little to no mmWave; mid‑band capacity thins quickly away from highways.
• LTE baseline: Countywide LTE is the de facto floor, but valleys/bluffs in the Loess Hills create dead zones and handoff trouble, especially east of the I‑29 corridor and on county roads threading the hills.
• Backhaul: Fiber follows I‑29 and key east‑west routes (e.g., IA‑175), with local/fregional carriers providing tower backhaul. Off‑corridor sites sometimes rely on microwave, constraining capacity and uplink during peak loads.
• Public safety: Next‑Gen 911 and Text‑to‑911 supported statewide; FirstNet coverage prioritized along I‑29, towns, and key response routes.
• Typical performance:
  • In-town/near‑corridor: LTE 10–70 Mbps; 5G 40–200 Mbps depending on band and load.
  • Off‑corridor valleys/hill shadows: Sub‑10 Mbps to unusable indoors; Wi‑Fi calling often needed. Seasonal foliage can worsen marginal links.

How Monona County differs from the Iowa state pattern

• Adoption and device mix: Lower smartphone share and higher basic‑phone retention due to the older population and rural coverage realities; prepaid share is meaningfully higher than the state’s.
• Coverage quality: Greater incidence of shadowed areas and mid‑call drops in the Loess Hills compared with flatter parts of Iowa; indoor service is less reliable in farmsteads and small valleys.
• 5G readiness: Slower mid‑band 5G buildout away from I‑29 and town centers, leading to lower average 5G availability and speeds than the statewide median.
• Carrier dynamics: UScellular and Verizon hold proportionally more rural users than in urban Iowa; T‑Mobile’s mid‑band strengths are most evident along I‑29 and in towns but taper off faster off‑grid.
• Usage behavior: Higher reliance on Wi‑Fi calling, external antennas/signal boosters in homes/shops, and mobile hotspots where wired broadband is limited; device upgrade cycles skew longer than state averages.
• Mobile-only households: Higher share of households using cellular as their primary home internet, reflecting fewer cable/fiber options outside municipal boundaries.

Actionable insights

• Coverage gaps are terrain‑driven; small‑cell or repeaters near hill‑shadowed stretches (particularly off IA‑175 and secondary county roads) would yield outsized reliability gains.
• Senior‑friendly plans and devices (enhanced voice, clear UI, medical alert integration) address the county’s older skew more directly than statewide offerings.
• Prioritizing FirstNet/mid‑band upgrades on sites serving river bluffs and Loess Hills recreation corridors can improve both public safety resilience and weekend consumer capacity.
• Retail and support strategies that emphasize Wi‑Fi calling setup, signal boosters, and hotspot management deliver higher utility here than in most Iowa metros.

Monona County, IA — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Population context

• Residents: ≈8.6k; Adults (18+): ≈6.8k; Median age: older than the U.S. average (county skews older and rural)
• Gender: roughly even split (≈50% women, ≈50% men)

Overall social media reach (adults)

• Any social media: ≈83% of adults ≈5.6k users
• Method: Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. usage rates applied to Monona County’s age mix (older-leaning), yielding locally adjusted estimates

Most-used platforms (adults; locally adjusted share and estimated user counts)

• YouTube: ~80% ≈5.4k
• Facebook: ~70% ≈4.7k
• Instagram: ~38% ≈2.6k
• Pinterest: ~32% ≈2.2k
• TikTok: ~25% ≈1.7k
• Snapchat: ~22% ≈1.5k
• X/Twitter: ~20% ≈1.4k Notes:
• Facebook runs strong in rural/older counties for local news, groups, and Marketplace
• YouTube is near-ubiquitous for how‑to, local sports, sermons, and entertainment
• Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat skew younger; adjusted downward given the county’s age profile
• Pinterest over-indexes among women (projects, food, home, events)

Age-group usage patterns (Pew 2024 benchmarks mapped to county)

• 18–29: Near-universal social use (90%+). Top platforms: YouTube (93%), Instagram (78%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%); Facebook much lower (~33%)
• 30–49: Very high use (≈90%). YouTube (92%), Facebook (69%), Instagram (59%); TikTok (39%), Snapchat (~25%)
• 50–64: High but lower diversity (≈80%). Facebook (73%), YouTube (83%), Pinterest (41%); Instagram (29%), TikTok (~24%)
• 65+: Majority are active but platform-limited (≈65–70%). Facebook (62%) and YouTube (49%) dominate; lighter on Instagram (15%) and Pinterest (22%)

Gender breakdown (directional, consistent with national rural patterns)

• Women: Higher Facebook and Pinterest use; solid Instagram participation. Practical content (local events, school updates, community groups, health, food, crafts) performs best
• Men: Higher YouTube, X/Twitter, and Reddit (smaller base) relative to women; interests include ag/repair/how‑to, sports, outdoor, local news

Behavioral trends in a rural, older-leaning county

• Facebook is the community hub: school and athletics updates, church and nonprofit pages, county/city alerts, buy-sell-trade/Marketplace, and event coordination
• Video first: short video drives reach across Facebook and YouTube; 10–60 seconds works best for updates, highlights, and how‑to snippets
• Peak engagement windows: early morning (before work/school), lunch hour, and evening (7–10 pm); weekends see strong event and Marketplace activity
• Local trust bias: messaging from recognizable community institutions (schools, county/city offices, clinics, extension/4‑H, churches) outperforms national brands
• Practical content wins: weather/road and farm/seasonal updates, school sports highlights, community spotlights, and service availability
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a primary channel for vehicles, farm/ranch equipment, tools, and home goods; local services benefit from before/after reels and testimonials
• Creative that works: plain language, local faces/places, clear calls to action, phone/location prominence, and cross-posting video shorts to Facebook + YouTube; Instagram usage rises with younger parents and new residents

Notes on methodology

• County counts are modeled by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 platform adoption rates to Monona County’s adult population and older-leaning age structure; platform shares for Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat are conservatively reduced, Facebook/Pinterest emphasized, and YouTube kept high due to its ubiquity
• Use these as planning-grade estimates for audience sizing, media mix, and creative strategy in Monona County