Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Iowa — key demographics

Population size

• 10,330 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~43 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census unless noted)

• White alone: ~93%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Black or African American: ~0.5–1%
• Asian: ~0.2–0.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2–0.3%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~4,500
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~60–62% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–50%
• Nonfamily households: ~38–40%; living alone: ~33–35% (about 14–16% age 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73–75%

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

Montgomery County, Iowa overview

• Population: ~10,300; land area ~424 sq mi; density ≈24 people/sq mi.

Email usage (estimates)

• Users: ~8,000–8,500 residents (≈78–82% of the population); ~6,000–7,000 check email daily.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors local population mix).

Age distribution of email users (≈100% total)

• Ages 13–17: 9% (700–750 users)
• 18–34: 23% (1,800–2,000)
• 35–54: 33% (2,600–2,800)
• 55–64: 16% (1,250–1,350)
• 65+: 19% (1,500–1,650) Younger adults are near-universal users; uptake remains high but slightly lower among seniors.

Digital access and connectivity trends

• Household broadband subscription: roughly 80–85% (typical for rural Iowa counties); ~10–12% have no home internet; ~7–9% are mobile-only.
• Access is strongest in towns (e.g., Red Oak) with cable/DSL and growing fiber; rural areas rely more on fixed wireless and satellite.
• Device usage continues shifting email to smartphones; home download speeds and reliability have improved in town centers while rural last‑mile gaps persist.

Mobile phone usage in Montgomery County, Iowa (2024 snapshot)

Baseline and user estimates

• Population: approximately 10,300 (2020 Census). Adults (18+): about 8,000; under 18: about 2,300.
• Adult mobile-phone users (any mobile): about 7,400 (≈93% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: about 6,500 (≈82% of adults), reflecting the county’s older age mix.
• Teen smartphone users (ages 13–17): roughly 630 of about 660 teens (≈95%).
• Total smartphone users including teens: roughly 7,100.
• Feature/basic phone users: about 900 adults (≈11% of adults), concentrated among residents 65+.

How Montgomery County differs from Iowa overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: county adult smartphone adoption is about 3–5 percentage points below Iowa’s larger, more urban counties, driven by a higher share of residents age 65+ (≈24% locally vs ≈18% statewide).
• More smartphone-only internet households: an estimated 20–23% of households rely on smartphones as their primary or only home internet (vs ~15–18% typical in Iowa), reflecting patchier fixed-broadband options outside Red Oak.
• Slower average mobile speeds and more variability: 5G is present but relies more on low-band spectrum in rural areas, so median speeds are generally below urban Iowa counties with denser mid-band 5G.
• Carrier mix skews more rural-centric: UScellular retains a meaningful footprint alongside Verizon, AT&T (FirstNet for public safety), and T‑Mobile; this rural carrier presence is less pronounced in Iowa’s metro counties.
• Longer device replacement cycles and higher prepaid share: residents are more likely than the state average to keep devices 4+ years and to use prepaid or budget MVNO plans, reflecting lower median income and lighter data needs.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• By age
  • 18–34: ~1,900 people; smartphone adoption ≈96% (≈1,800 users). Heavy app, video, and social use; common hotspotting for on-the-go connectivity.
  • 35–64: ~3,600 people; smartphone adoption ≈88% (≈3,200 users). Work and family coordination, navigation, and mixed work/personal data use.
  • 65+: ~2,500 people; smartphone adoption ≈60–65% (≈1,500–1,600 users). More voice/text and health portals; lower streaming/video use. This segment accounts for most of the basic-phone users.
• By income and education
  • Lower-income households (below county median) are more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet and to use prepaid plans; higher-income households more often bundle mobile with fixed broadband and newer devices.
  • Educational attainment is below the state average, correlating with slightly higher smartphone-only dependence for internet access.
• By geography within the county
  • Town centers (e.g., Red Oak, Villisca): denser site coverage, stronger indoor service, and more 5G mid-band availability; higher rates of video streaming and app-based services.
  • Outlying rural areas: wider cell-site spacing and more low-band 5G/LTE usage; greater reliance on Wi‑Fi offload at home/work and on Wi‑Fi calling indoors.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE: countywide coverage on major carriers along US‑34 and primary roads; LTE remains the reliability baseline in fringe areas.
  • 5G: low-band 5G population coverage exceeds 90% (geographic coverage lower). Mid-band 5G is strongest in and around Red Oak and along the US‑34 corridor; mmWave is not material.
  • Public safety: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 present on key sites; emergency services, hospital, and schools benefit from prioritized access.
• Sites and backhaul
  • Macro network built on widely spaced rural towers with supplementary small cells or sector additions near high-traffic zones in town centers.
  • Fiber backhaul follows highway/rail corridors (notably US‑34/BNSF), improving capacity into Red Oak and enabling better 5G performance there than in the county’s farmlands.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Cable and telco fiber are available in core towns; DSL and fixed wireless predominate in rural areas. Where fixed broadband options are limited or costly, households lean on smartphone plans and hotspotting, pushing up the county’s smartphone-only share compared with the state average.

Usage behavior and service quality

• Data use: typical rural smartphone consumption ranges from the low to mid-teens of GB/month per line, with heavier users clustered in town centers with stronger 5G.
• Voice/text remain more prominent in the county’s overall traffic mix than in Iowa’s metro counties, reflecting the older population and patchier high-throughput coverage in outlying areas.
• Indoor reliability: generally good in town, with more dependence on Wi‑Fi calling and external antennas or boosters in farmsteads and metal-roof structures outside town.

Key takeaways

• Montgomery County is a high-adoption, mobile-first market with roughly 7,100 smartphone users, but its older age profile and rural topology keep smartphone penetration and speeds a notch below Iowa’s urban averages.
• Smartphone-only internet reliance is meaningfully higher than the state average, making mobile networks a critical component of the local digital safety net.
• 5G is firmly established but predominantly low-band outside town centers; mid-band build-outs in and around Red Oak mark the main performance gains relative to prior years.

Social media usage in Montgomery County, Iowa — concise snapshot

Important note on data: There is no public, county-level measurement of platform adoption. The figures below use the best-available benchmarks (Pew Research Center, 2024 U.S. adult adoption) and well-documented rural patterns that match communities like Montgomery County. Treat platform percentages as reliable benchmarks for local planning; behavioral insights are tailored to a rural Iowa county profile.

Most‑used platforms (adult reach benchmarks; typical local order)

• YouTube: 83% of U.S. adults use it; reliably the widest reach locally, spanning all ages for entertainment, DIY, ag, sports, and news clips.
• Facebook: 68%; the day‑to‑day hub in rural counties for local news, schools, churches, sports, events, and Marketplace.
• Instagram: 47%; strong with teens/young adults and parents of school‑age kids; lighter penetration among older adults.
• TikTok: 33%; fast growth among teens/20‑somethings; content discovery and short local video updates.
• Pinterest: 35%; strong among women for home, crafts, recipes, weddings, and seasonal planning.
• LinkedIn: 30%; niche but present among professionals, healthcare, education, finance, and government.
• Snapchat: 27%; concentrated in teens and 18–24 for private messaging and Stories.
• X (Twitter): 22%; used by media, sports, public safety, and politically engaged residents.
• Reddit: 22%; smaller but active among younger and tech‑inclined users.
• WhatsApp: 21%; used in some workplaces and by international ties; not community‑central.
• Nextdoor: 20%; limited footprint in small towns; Facebook Groups typically fulfill its role.

Age groups (who’s where)

• Teens (13–17): Snapchat and TikTok daily; Instagram for peers/schools/sports; YouTube for everything else. Facebook mostly for groups, teams, or parents’ pages.
• 18–24: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok dominant; Snapchat heavy for messaging; light Facebook use except for events, groups, Marketplace.
• 25–34: YouTube and Facebook both strong; Instagram rising (Reels/Stories); TikTok used for trends and local finds; Pinterest for life events and home.
• 35–54: Facebook highest reach (groups, schools, sports, Marketplace); YouTube for how‑tos and news; Instagram secondary; Pinterest common among women.
• 55–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram limited; growing comfort with short‑form video via Facebook Reels.
• 65+: Facebook first (family, community, obituaries, weather); YouTube second (how‑tos, church services, local sports); minimal Instagram/TikTok.

Gender breakdown (tendencies consistent with rural U.S. patterns)

• Women: Over‑index on Facebook (Groups/Marketplace) and Pinterest; steady Instagram use among moms and small‑business owners; active in local civic and school content.
• Men: Over‑index on YouTube, Reddit, X, and LinkedIn; Facebook used for groups, sports, and marketplace; Instagram use varies by age.
• Both: Messaging often anchored in Facebook Messenger; younger users lean to Snapchat DMs; short‑form video consumption is rising across genders via Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Behavioral trends to expect locally

• Community-first behavior: Facebook Groups function as the public square (schools, athletic boosters, churches, county/city pages, emergency management, farm swaps, buy/sell/trade). Posts that tag places, schools, and events travel far.
• Marketplace and practical utility: High Facebook Marketplace usage for vehicles, equipment, furniture, rentals, and services; trust is built via mutual connections and local pages.
• Video is the reach driver: YouTube long‑form and Facebook Reels/Shorts outperform static posts; local faces, sports highlights, and weather/road updates get outsized engagement.
• Event-driven spikes: Weather events, school sports, county fairs, and seasonal community events (parades, festivals) drive sharp short‑term engagement on Facebook and YouTube.
• Younger audiences are “DM‑first”: Teens/young adults coordinate in Snapchat and Instagram DMs; public posting is selective. To reach them, rely on short video, peer amplification, and school/club accounts.
• Local business playbook: Facebook Pages + Groups + Messenger remain the most cost‑effective stack; Instagram adds reach for food, retail, salons, fitness, and events; YouTube builds durable discovery via how‑to and testimonial content.
• Trust and verification: Posts citing local sources (county, city, schools, hospitals, extension offices) spread faster and face less skepticism; cross‑posting identical updates to Facebook and YouTube improves trust and recall.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption and age/gender patterns).
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (demographic context for rural Iowa counties like Montgomery).