Scott County

Scott County, Iowa – key demographics (latest available, U.S. Census Bureau)

Population

• 2023 population estimate: ~176,000–177,000 (2020 Census count: 174,669)
• Growth since 2020: modest increase

Age

• Median age: ~37 years
• Under 18: ~23–24%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~50.8%
• Male: ~49.2%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
• Black or African American: ~11%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~8%
• Asian: ~3%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1% combined

Households and housing

• Households: ~71,000
• Persons per household: ~2.48
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple families ~45%
• Households with children under 18: ~28–29%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~69–70%; renter-occupied: ~30–31%
• Housing units: ~76,000

Income and poverty (household context)

• Median household income: roughly low-to-mid $70,000s
• Persons in poverty: ~11%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5-year) and 2020 Decennial Census.

• Estimated email users (18+): ~124,000 of ~175,000 residents, based on ~76% adults and ~93% adult email adoption.
• Age distribution of adult email users (count; share):
  • 18–29: ~27,000 (22%)
  • 30–49: ~44,000 (36%)
  • 50–64: ~29,000 (23%)
  • 65+: ~24,000 (19%)
• Gender split mirrors county population:
  • Female: ~63,000 (51%)
  • Male: ~61,000 (49%)
• Digital access and usage context:
  • ~89% of households have a broadband subscription (any type, including cellular data plans).
  • ~12% of households are smartphone‑only internet subscribers.
  • ~8% of households report no home internet subscription.
  • Fixed broadband coverage exceeds 95% of residents at 25/3 Mbps; 100/20 Mbps availability covers most populated areas.
  • 5G service from major carriers covers the Davenport–Bettendorf corridor; 4G LTE reaches nearly all populated areas.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ~370 people per square mile (urban for Iowa).
  • Davenport (101k) and Bettendorf (39k) account for ~80% of the county’s population, concentrating email users and high‑speed connectivity in these cities, with slightly lower adoption in rural townships.

Scott County, IA mobile phone usage — summary and how it differs from Iowa overall

Context and scale

• Population and households: Scott County had about 175,000 residents and roughly 72,000 households as of the 2020–2023 period (U.S. Census Bureau).
• Urban profile: The county is anchored by the Quad Cities (Davenport–Bettendorf), making it denser, younger, and more diverse than Iowa overall. That urban profile drives higher smartphone reliance and faster uptake of new mobile network technology than the state average.

User estimates (people and households)

• Adult smartphone users: Using Pew Research’s 2023 national adult smartphone ownership rate (~85%) applied to Scott County’s adult population (about 77% of residents), the county has an estimated 115,000–120,000 adult smartphone users.
• Households with smartphones: Applying ACS “households with a smartphone” norms for urban counties (around 90%±) to roughly 72,000 households implies 64,000–67,000 Scott County households have at least one smartphone.
• Mobile-only internet households: Based on ACS Internet subscription patterns in mid-sized urban counties and Iowa’s statewide baseline, Scott County likely has a higher share of “cellular data only” households (about 19–22%) versus the Iowa average (about 16–18%). That translates to roughly 13,500–16,000 Scott County households relying on a mobile data plan as their primary home internet connection.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • Young adults (18–34): Very high smartphone adoption (mid-to-upper 90s percent nationally) and heavy mobile data usage; Scott County’s relatively larger 18–34 cohort pushes countywide mobile engagement above the state average.
  • Older adults (65+): Adoption trails younger groups (around 60–70% nationally). Because Scott County is younger than Iowa overall, the county’s aggregate adoption and mobile dependence are higher than the state’s.
• Income
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet; Scott County’s urban income dispersion (more low- and moderate-income renters than the state average) contributes to the county’s higher cellular-only share.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Scott County’s higher proportions of Black and Hispanic residents compared with Iowa overall correspond to higher mobile dependence (consistent with national patterns), reinforcing the county’s above-state mobile-only share.

Digital infrastructure highlights (mobile and adjacent access)

• 4G LTE and 5G coverage
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) and UScellular operate in the county.
  • Mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz; Verizon and AT&T C‑band) is broadly available across Davenport–Bettendorf, I‑80 and I‑74 corridors, and major arterials; low-band 5G extends countywide. This yields higher 5G availability than much of rural Iowa.
  • Expected user experience: mid-band 5G typically delivers 100–300 Mbps down in metro areas; LTE fallback often ranges 20–60 Mbps depending on load and location. Urban Scott County users therefore see higher median mobile speeds and lower latency than the state average.
• Capacity and reliability
  • Tower density and sectorization are greatest along I‑80, I‑74, US‑61, and within Davenport/Bettendorf. Exurban pockets north of Bettendorf/LeClaire and southwest toward Blue Grass experience more LTE-only and capacity-constrained cells than the urban core—still better than many rural Iowa counties.
• Fixed and Wi‑Fi complements that affect mobile usage
  • Cable/fiber availability (e.g., Mediacom cable and competitive fiber builds in Davenport/Bettendorf) is wider than in rural Iowa, but mobile home internet (e.g., 5G fixed wireless) has meaningful penetration, especially among renters, contributing to the county’s higher mobile-only share.
  • Public access: Libraries and community organizations in the Quad Cities corridor offer hotspot lending and public Wi‑Fi, supporting mobile-first and mobile-only users more robustly than most of the state’s rural areas.

How Scott County differs from Iowa overall — key takeaways

• Higher smartphone reliance: More adults using smartphones and a larger share of households that are mobile-only for home internet than the state average, driven by a younger, more diverse, more urban population.
• Better 5G availability and speeds: Denser mid-band 5G coverage and higher typical metro download speeds than the statewide average, especially compared with rural counties.
• More resilient access ecosystem: Greater availability of public Wi‑Fi and device/hotspot lending, plus competitive 5G fixed wireless options, complement mobile networks and reinforce mobile-first usage patterns.

Sources and methods

• Population/households: U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census; ACS).
• Smartphone adoption: Pew Research Center’s national adult smartphone ownership rates (applied to county age structure).
• Internet subscription patterns: ACS Computer and Internet Use tables (used to benchmark cellular-only vs. wireline + cellular mixes for urban Iowa counties).
• Network footprint and performance: FCC coverage data and widely reported carrier mid-band 5G deployments in the Quad Cities corridor; typical performance ranges based on mid-band 5G and LTE norms observed in comparable Midwestern metros.

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

How this was built

• Modeled county estimates applying the latest Pew Research Center U.S. adult platform-usage rates (2023–2024) to the Scott County adult population. Adult population assumed ≈136,000 (ACS recent estimates). Figures are rounded.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of Scott County adults; approx. user counts in parentheses)

• YouTube: 83% (~113,000)
• Facebook: 68% (~92,000)
• Instagram: 47% (~64,000)
• Pinterest: 35% (~48,000)
• TikTok: 33% (~45,000)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~41,000)
• Snapchat: 27% (~37,000)
• Reddit: 22% (~30,000)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~29,000)
• X/Twitter: 20% (~27,000)

Age-group patterns

• 18–29: Video-first and messaging heavy. YouTube is near-universal; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are dominant daily drivers. Facebook is used but not primary for content discovery.
• 30–49: Broadest multi-platform mix. Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram is steady; TikTok usage is meaningful and rising; LinkedIn is most active in this band.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead for news, local groups, events, and how-to video. Instagram grows, TikTok present but secondary.
• 65+: Facebook remains the primary network; YouTube used for tutorials and entertainment. Other networks are niche.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media audience roughly mirrors county demographics (≈51% women, 49% men).
• Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and local pages are central for neighborhood news, school updates, and event planning; they drive high comment and share rates versus brand pages.
• Video preference: Short-form video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) outperforms static posts for reach and recall across under-50 audiences; tutorial and local “behind-the-scenes” formats perform well 50+ on YouTube.
• Messaging > feeds: Under-30 engagement is increasingly private/social via Snapchat and Instagram DMs; paid and creator content often spreads via shares, not public comments.
• Local discovery and shopping: Instagram and Facebook are primary for restaurant, retail, and event discovery; Pinterest influences home, DIY, and seasonal purchases, especially among women 25–54.
• Employer/industry presence: LinkedIn usage is material among working-age adults, reflecting the region’s manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and engineering workforce; best suited for hiring and B2B awareness.
• Pay-to-play reality: Organic reach on Facebook/Instagram is constrained; modest paid budgets and creator partnerships meaningfully increase local reach and foot traffic.
• Temporal patterns: Evenings and weekends show peak engagement; weekday lunch hours are a secondary window for short video and Stories.

Notes and sources

• Percentages reflect Pew Research Center’s most recent U.S. adult platform-usage rates applied to Scott County’s adult population size; local behaviors are aligned with Midwest county patterns and the Quad Cities media market. Use counts as planning estimates.