Shelby County

Shelby County, Iowa — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 11,746 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~50.4%
• Male: ~49.6%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive; ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~92%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2%
• Black, non-Hispanic: ~0.5%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0.3%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~4,880
• Average household size: ~2.33
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50%
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~31% (about 14% are 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%
• Average family size: ~2.9

Insights

• Small, aging population with a high share of older adults.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic/Latino presence.
• Household sizes are modest, with high owner-occupancy and many one-person households.

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

Shelby County, IA snapshot

• Population: ≈11,800; low density (~20 people per square mile)

Estimated email users

• ≈9,200 residents use email (≈78% penetration, derived from local internet adoption and national email use rates)

Age distribution of email users (share and count)

• Under 18: 6% (550)
• 18–34: 19% (1,750)
• 35–54: 32% (2,950)
• 55–64: 18% (1,650)
• 65+: 25% (2,300)

Gender split among email users

• Female: 51% (4,700)
• Male: 49% (4,500)

Digital access and trends

• Household broadband subscription: ≈82%; smartphone‑only internet: ≈10%; no home internet: ≈8%
• Fixed 100/20 Mbps service available to roughly 95% of addresses; fiber is expanding but is most common in towns like Harlan; fixed‑wireless fills rural gaps
• Broadband adoption up about 8 percentage points since 2018, aided by state/federal programs and provider upgrades
• Low population density raises last‑mile costs, creating pockets with slower speeds or higher prices; libraries and schools provide key public Wi‑Fi access points

Shelby County, Iowa: Mobile phone usage snapshot

Population baseline

• Population: roughly 11.5–11.7 thousand residents; about 4.9–5.1 thousand households
• Older age profile than Iowa overall: about 23% age 65+ in Shelby County vs roughly 18% statewide
• Education and income: adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher ≈22–24% (vs ≈31% in Iowa); median household income modestly below the state median

Estimated mobile users

• Total mobile phone users (any mobile phone): ≈9,200 residents
• Smartphone users: ≈8,500–8,700 residents
• Households with a mobile data plan (cellular data subscription in the household): ≈3,300–3,500
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely on phone data): ≈600–750 households

How these figures were derived

• Adult share ≈77–78% of population; smartphone adoption among 18–64 ≈90–93%, among 65+ ≈70–80%; teen (13–17) smartphone adoption ≈95%. Applying these to Shelby County’s age structure yields the counts above.
• Household-level mobile data adoption and smartphone-only reliance reflect typical rural Iowa rates adjusted for the county’s above-average fiber availability in towns and its older population.

Demographic breakdown of smartphone use (directional differences vs Iowa)

• Age: 65+ adoption is the main drag on county totals. Among 65+, smartphone adoption is about 10–15 percentage points lower than for 35–64. Because Shelby County has a larger 65+ share than Iowa, overall county smartphone penetration runs about 2–4 points below the statewide average.
• Income: Lower- and middle-income households are more likely to rely on prepaid or lower-cost plans and are overrepresented in smartphone-only internet households. Given county income distribution skews slightly below state median, expect a somewhat higher share of budget and MVNO plans than in Iowa’s metros.
• Education: With a smaller BA+ share than the state, device and app diversification (smartwatch/LTE tablets, multi-line plans) is slightly less common; primary reliance remains on a single smartphone per adult.

Digital infrastructure and coverage highlights

• Carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all provide 4G LTE across settled areas; 5G is present, mainly low-band coverage, with denser 5G in and around Harlan and along primary corridors (US‑59, IA‑44). Mid-band 5G (higher capacity) is more limited than in Iowa’s metro counties.
• Performance profile:
  • Low-band 5G typically delivers tens to low hundreds of Mbps and broad coverage; that is the dominant 5G layer in the county.
  • 4G LTE remains the fallback in outlying farmsteads and low-lying terrain, with variable indoor performance in metal-clad buildings; signal boosters are commonly used in these settings.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): 5G-based home internet from T‑Mobile and, in select zones, Verizon is available to portions of the county, particularly in and near towns and along major roads. Uptake is rising where cable or fiber is absent.
• Wireline context that shapes mobile reliance:
  • Towns such as Harlan, Elk Horn, and Kimballton benefit from cooperative and regional providers that have built fiber or upgraded cable, which keeps smartphone-only home internet reliance moderate.
  • Outside town centers, some addresses still lack fiber/cable, which increases dependence on mobile data or FWA for home connectivity.
• Public safety and enterprise: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is present for prioritized emergency communications; farm and ag operations frequently use LTE/5G for telemetry where wired options are impractical.

Trends that differ from Iowa statewide

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration: The county’s older age mix pulls its adult smartphone adoption a few points below the Iowa average, despite very high adoption among working-age adults and teens.
• Coverage quality mix: Shelby County’s 5G footprint is more weighted to low-band spectrum than the state’s metro corridors, so median mobile speeds trail the statewide median even though coverage breadth is strong.
• Balanced reliance patterns: Thanks to cooperative fiber and cable in towns, the share of smartphone-only households is at or slightly below the Iowa average, but in rural stretches without wireline upgrades, mobile and FWA play a larger role than in urban Iowa.
• Plan mix: A higher share of value/prepaid and MVNO plans than in metro Iowa, reflecting the county’s income and age profile, with correspondingly careful data usage and fewer multi-device cellular add-ons.

Key takeaways

• Roughly four in five residents use a smartphone, and about eight in ten households have some form of mobile data access.
• The age structure, not lack of interest among younger adults, explains most of the small gap with statewide smartphone adoption.
• Low-band 5G now blankets most populated areas, but capacity-oriented mid-band 5G is thinner than statewide, making FWA and co‑op fiber/cable important complements.
• Smartphone-only home internet exists but is contained by the presence of town-based fiber/cable builds; where wireline is absent, mobile networks are the primary on‑ramp.

Social media usage in Shelby County, IA (2024 snapshot)

Population baseline

• Residents: ~11,500
• Adults (18+): ~8,900

Overall usage

• Estimated social media users (13+): ~6,900 (≈60% of residents; ≈77% of 13+)
• Adult social media users: ~6,200 (≈70% of adults)

Most-used platforms (adults; share of adults; estimated users)

• YouTube: 80% (7,100 adults)
• Facebook: 70% (6,200)
• Instagram: 41% (3,600)
• Pinterest: 34% (3,000)
• TikTok: 28% (2,500)
• LinkedIn: 22% (1,950)
• Snapchat: 22% (1,950)
• X (Twitter): 20% (1,770)
• Reddit: 18% (1,600)
• Nextdoor: 5% (440)

Age profile of users (share of all users, incl. teens)

• 13–17: ~10%
• 18–24: ~11%
• 25–44: ~33%
• 45–64: ~30%
• 65+: ~16%

Gender breakdown

• Women: ~54% of social media users
• Men: ~46%
• Skews by platform: Women overindex on Facebook and Pinterest; men overindex on YouTube, X, and Reddit; Instagram is near even; Snapchat leans younger rather than by gender.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: Local news, schools and high‑school sports, church and civic events, and buy/sell groups see the most activity. Messenger is widely used for quick coordination. Evening posting (7–10 pm) earns the highest engagement; weekend mornings perform well for events.
• Short‑form video is surging: TikTok and Instagram Reels consumption is rising among under‑40s; cross‑posting Reels to Facebook expands reach beyond native Instagram audiences.
• Under‑30s are messaging‑first: Snapchat and Instagram DMs are primary communication channels; public posting is less frequent but highly visual when it occurs.
• YouTube doubles as “how‑to” search: Strong interest in DIY, home repair, ag and equipment maintenance, youth sports highlights, and local government meeting clips.
• Shopping and discovery: Facebook Marketplace is dominant for local buying; Instagram drives boutique and small‑business discovery; Pinterest fuels recipes, crafts, and home projects that often convert locally.
• Local signals matter: Posts featuring recognizable people, places, and seasonal cues (planting/harvest, school calendars, holidays) outperform generic content. Reminders 24–48 hours before events lift attendance.
• Platform footprint: Nextdoor presence is limited; countywide conversation consolidates on Facebook pages/groups (Harlan and other town pages, schools, boosters). LinkedIn usage exists but is niche, concentrated among professionals and regional commuters.

Teen snapshot (nationally benchmarked, applied locally)

• Among teens (13–17), usage skews to YouTube (93%), Instagram (62%), TikTok (63%), and Snapchat (60%); Facebook reaches a minority of teens.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are county‑level estimates derived by applying 2023–2024 Pew Research Center platform‑use rates (with rural adjustments) to Shelby County’s age/sex profile from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5‑year). Counts are not mutually exclusive across platforms.