Sioux County

Sioux County, Iowa — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population size

• 35,872 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age structure (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~31–32 years (younger than Iowa overall)
• Under 18: ~30%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

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

• White, non-Hispanic: ~84%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~12–13%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0–1%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households (occupied units): ~12,000+
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~74% of households
• Married-couple households: ~60%+
• Households with children under 18: ~40%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78–80%

Key insights

• Rapidly growing, family-oriented county with large household sizes and a notably young age profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a significant and growing Hispanic/Latino community.

Sioux County, Iowa (population ~36,000) has an estimated 25,200 email users, driven by very high adult adoption (≈92%) and strong connectivity. Estimated age distribution of email users:

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–24: 12%
• 25–44: 38%
• 45–64: 26%
• 65+: 17%

Gender split among users mirrors the population at roughly 50% female and 50% male.

Digital access and trends:

• About 90% of households have a broadband subscription, supporting consistent email use at home.
• Gigabit fiber is widely available in the main population centers (e.g., Sioux Center, Orange City, Rock Valley), with fixed wireless filling many rural gaps; 25/3 Mbps coverage is effectively countywide, and 100/20 Mbps availability is broad and expanding.
• Public and institutional networks (libraries, schools, Dordt University, Northwestern College) bolster access and digital literacy.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density is roughly 47 people per square mile, with most residents clustered in a few towns connected by local fiber providers and extensive farm-country fixed wireless.
• The combination of high household broadband, robust town fiber, and near-universal baseline coverage underpins high email penetration across ages, with slightly lower usage among the oldest residents compared to middle-aged adults

Sioux County, IA mobile phone usage summary (2024–2025)

Population baseline

• Population: ~36,000 residents across ~769 square miles; roughly 12,000–12,300 households
• Distinctive demography: younger than Iowa overall due to two residential colleges (Dordt University and Northwestern College) and larger family sizes

User estimates (people and lines)

• Unique handset users: ~29,000 (about 80% of residents)
• Smartphone users: 26,500–27,500 (driven by ~89–91% adult adoption and near-universal teen adoption)
• Total active cellular lines (phones + tablets/hotspots + IoT/telematics): 43,000–46,000, or roughly 1.20–1.28 lines per resident
• Platform split among smartphones: near parity, iOS 50–52% and Android 48–50%
• Plan types (handsets): postpaid 78–82%; prepaid 18–22%; family plans account for ~70% of postpaid lines

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age 13–17: ~2,800–3,000 residents; smartphone adoption ~93–97%; heavy messaging/social/video use; high share on family plans
• Age 18–24 (college-driven): ~3,400–3,800 residents; smartphone adoption ~98–99%; elevated iOS share and eSIM usage; above-average app and video streaming consumption
• Age 25–64: largest cohort; smartphone adoption ~90–94%; extensive family-plan bundling; notable bring-your-own-device with employer stipends in agriculture, healthcare, education, and light manufacturing
• Age 65+: ~4,700–5,100 residents; smartphone adoption ~72–78% (flip/basic phones remain more common than state urban cores but declining each year)
• Hispanic/Latino residents (roughly 13–15% of population): higher incidence of multi-line family accounts and international calling add-ons; prepaid share modestly higher than county average but trending down as credit-based postpaid penetration rises
• Agriculture IoT and work lines: above-average share of non-handset lines (telematics, sensors, vehicle trackers, irrigation controllers), lifting total connections per capita

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and UScellular operate in the county
• 5G availability: all incorporated places (e.g., Sioux Center, Orange City, Rock Valley, Hull, Hawarden) have 5G from at least one national carrier; rural areas generally have low-band 5G or 4G LTE with carrier-aggregation
• Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated along the IA-60 and US-75 corridors and within/around towns; outlying farm sections rely more on low-band layers for reach
• Macro cellular sites: on the order of 40–50 countywide, with sectorization and carrier co-location common on shared towers; small-cell use is limited to town centers and campus areas
• Backhaul and fiber: robust local fiber from Premier Communications and other regional providers underpins macro towers and provides FTTP in major towns
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): widely marketed by T-Mobile and Verizon; take-up is meaningful outside fiber footprints
• Wireline broadband: fiber or cable available across most incorporated areas; DSL and fixed wireless persist at farmsteads

How Sioux County differs from Iowa statewide

• Younger, family-heavy profile raises smartphone and multi-line family-plan penetration above the state average, especially in the 13–24 and 25–44 cohorts
• Mobile-only households are lower than the state average (Sioux County ~9–11% vs. Iowa ~13–15%) because town residents often have affordable fiber; mobile is used as a complement rather than a substitute
• Higher connections-per-capita than the state average due to agriculture and small-business IoT/telematics lines
• Carrier mix is more balanced than in metro Iowa, with UScellular retaining a visible share and strong low-band rural coverage; this diversifies device band requirements (Band 12/13/66/71 and mid-band 5G where available)
• Performance disparity between town and field is more pronounced than in Iowa’s larger metros: mid-band 5G delivers high capacity in towns, while wide-area low-band layers dominate in the section roads and river valleys
• FWA adoption exists but is somewhat lower than the statewide rate where fiber is available; where farms lack fiber, FWA substitutes for legacy DSL and competes with LTE hotspots

Household and plan-level indicators

• Average household lines: 2.3–2.7 handsets per household in town; 2.5–3.2 when including farm and business lines on family accounts
• eSIM usage: highest among college students and recent graduates; rising as multi-line family plans refresh devices
• International features: above-average attachment among Hispanic households; noticeable usage to Mexico and Central America
• Device financing and trade-ins: strong uptake on postpaid; prepaid handset replacement cycles remain longer than postpaid

Implications

• Capacity planning should emphasize mid-band 5G augmentation in Sioux Center, Orange City, and along IA-60/US-75, plus coverage resilience on the Big Sioux River and low-lying rural areas
• Retail mix that prioritizes family-plan savings, Spanish-language support, and student offers will over-index versus statewide norms
• FWA growth will be strongest at the edge of fiber footprints; in fibered towns, mobile upsell should focus on premium 5G handset experiences rather than home broadband substitution

Sioux County, IA social media snapshot (modeled local estimates using county demographics and current U.S. usage benchmarks)

Headline numbers

• Residents: ~35,900
• Social media users (monthly): 72% of residents (25,800)
• Daily social media users: 53% of residents (19,000)
• Typical daily time on social media: 1.5–2 hours among active users

Most‑used platforms (share of residents using monthly)

• YouTube: ~70%
• Facebook: ~58%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~28%
• Facebook Messenger: ~45%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~18%
• Reddit: ~15%
• WhatsApp: ~20%
• Nextdoor: ~8%

Age mix of the local social user base

• 13–17: ~14%
• 18–24: ~16% (boosted by Dordt University and Northwestern College)
• 25–34: ~18%
• 35–44: ~17%
• 45–54: ~14%
• 55–64: ~12%
• 65+: ~9%

Platform usage by age (monthly, indicative)

• Teens (13–17) and 18–24: YouTube 90–95%; Instagram 75–80%; Snapchat 70–75%; TikTok 65–70%; Facebook ~35–40%.
• 25–44: Facebook 70–80%; YouTube ~90%; Instagram 50–60%; TikTok 35–40%; Snapchat ~30–35%.
• 45–64: Facebook 75–80%; YouTube ~80–85%; Instagram ~30–35%; TikTok ~15–20%.
• 65+: Facebook ~60–70%; YouTube ~55–65%; Instagram ~15–25%; TikTok ~8–12%.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social users: ~51% female, ~49% male.
• Notable skews: Pinterest (70% female), Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok (slight female tilt ~54–58%), Facebook (55% female), YouTube/X/Reddit (male-leaning; YouTube 55–60% male, X ~60% male, Reddit ~65–70% male), LinkedIn (55% male).

Behavioral trends in Sioux County

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Pages for church, school, youth sports, boosters, city updates, and buy/sell/marketplace activity. Event posts with photos outperform text-only updates.
• Youth and college patterns: High frequency of Snapchat and Instagram Stories; TikTok for trends, local sports highlights, campus life, and part-time job discovery.
• Video preference: Short-form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives discovery; YouTube remains the go-to for how‑to (farm/DIY), sermon streams, and recorded local events.
• Family and faith-centered content: High engagement with milestone posts, announcements, fundraisers, and volunteer calls; Sunday and early‑evening peaks for community content.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default for local transactions (vehicles, farm/yard equipment, furniture). Offers, limited-time deals, and visible local owners increase response rates.
• Timing: Engagement clusters around lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m., CT). Severe weather, school closings, and road conditions create sharp, short‑term spikes across platforms.
• Messaging: High use of Messenger for coordination; WhatsApp usage present among Spanish‑speaking residents and workgroups.
• Trust signals: Posts featuring recognizable local people, schools, churches, or teams consistently outperform generic or overly corporate creative; authenticity and clear calls to local action matter.