Washington County

Washington County, Iowa — key demographics (most recent U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: 22,565 (2020 Census)
• Approx. change since 2010: +4% (growth from roughly 21.7k)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Sex

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race; ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~87%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~9%
• Black/African American: ~1%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more races and other: ~2–3%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~9,000
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~63% (married-couple families ~49%)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74%
• Median household income: ~$70,000
• Persons in poverty: ~9%

Insights

• Small, steadily growing county with a median age in the low 40s, indicating an older-than-national profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a notable and growing Hispanic/Latino community.
• Household sizes are modest and homeownership is high, consistent with rural/suburban Iowa.

• Population baseline (2023 est.): ~22,400 residents in Washington County, IA.
• Estimated email users: ~18,600 (≈83% of residents).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 9%
  • 18–34: 23%
  • 35–64: 49%
  • 65+: 19%
• Gender split among users: Female 51%, Male 49%.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~84% of households have a broadband subscription; ~11% are smartphone‑only; ~8–9% report no home internet.
  • Adoption has risen over the past five years with fiber expanding in population centers and fixed‑wireless filling rural gaps; email access is common via smartphones where wired options are limited.
  • Rural settlement patterns and the presence of communities with lower technology adoption modestly depress uptake versus urban Iowa averages.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density is roughly 40 people per square mile, indicating long last‑mile spans outside towns.
  • Connectivity is strongest within city limits and along major corridors; sparsely settled farmland has more reliance on fixed‑wireless and legacy DSL.

Figures reflect county population and regional/national adoption rates applied to local demographics to produce defensible county‑level estimates.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Washington County, Iowa

Headline estimates

• Population baseline: 22,565 (2020 Census).
• Smartphone access: 84–88% of households report having a smartphone (ACS Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions, 5‑year estimates, most recent cycle). Iowa statewide is closer to ~90%.
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 16,000–19,000 residents use a smartphone on a regular basis, based on ACS household access and national adult adoption patterns.
• Mobile-only connectivity: A noticeably higher share of households rely on mobile data as their primary internet connection than the Iowa average (rural profile; ACS shows higher “cellular-only” subscriptions outside metro counties).
• Wireless subscriptions: Iowa’s wireless penetration exceeds population (roughly 110–130 subscriptions per 100 residents per CTIA/state trends), and Washington County follows this pattern, driven by multi-line family plans and work devices.

How Washington County differs from Iowa statewide

• Slightly lower smartphone access than the statewide average, driven by an older age profile and rural settlement patterns.
• Higher senior share translates to more basic/feature-phone use and a larger “no smartphone” minority among 65+ than the Iowa average.
• Distinct pockets of non-adoption in and around communities with religious technology restrictions near Kalona, which is a sharper local effect than in most Iowa counties.
• More mobile‑only households (phone data plans substituting for home broadband) than statewide, especially in areas awaiting fiber or robust cable service.
• 5G availability is predominantly low‑band (wide‑area coverage but modest speeds) with limited mid‑band capacity outside town centers; urban Iowa markets see broader mid‑band deployments and higher average 5G speeds.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–34: near‑universal smartphone use; heavy app/social/video usage; mobile is primary internet for many renters and service workers.
  • 35–64: very high smartphone use; strong BYOD/work‑device penetration; mobile hotspots used for farm and small‑business operations.
  • 65+: meaningfully lower smartphone adoption than state average; higher prevalence of talk/text‑centric plans and shared family accounts.
• Income and education:
  • Lower‑income households show higher reliance on prepaid and budget carriers and are more likely to be mobile‑only for internet access.
  • Households with post‑secondary education are more likely to have both smartphone and home broadband (fiber/cable) and use Wi‑Fi offload.
• Household type:
  • Farm and exurban households often carry multiple lines for operations and safety, raising lines‑per‑household even where individual adoption is slightly lower.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Coverage: Outdoor 4G LTE is effectively countywide; 5G covers the main population centers (Washington, Kalona, Wellman, Riverside) and primary corridors. Indoor coverage gaps persist in fringe rural areas, timbered terrain, and metal‑clad buildings.
• 5G mix: Low‑band 5G provides broad reach; mid‑band capacity is concentrated in and near towns. Millimeter‑wave is not a factor in the county.
• Backhaul: Ongoing fiber buildouts by regional providers and co‑ops have improved tower backhaul since 2019, stabilizing LTE/5G performance in towns and along highways; some rural sectors still depend on microwave backhaul with variable peak‑hour speeds.
• Reliability: Storm‑related power events and long rural distribution lines can affect uptime; sites with new battery/backup improvements recover faster. Wi‑Fi calling materially improves indoor reliability where signal is marginal.
• Emergency and farm use: Strong adoption of device‑based location services and ruggedized handsets on farms; CBRS/private‑LTE pilots are limited but growing for ag operations and facilities.

Key takeaways

• Washington County’s mobile adoption is high but trails Iowa’s statewide rates by a few points, mainly because of age mix and rural characteristics.
• The county has more mobile‑only households and prepaid usage than the statewide average, reflecting affordability and coverage realities outside metro areas.
• Infrastructure is solid for 4G and expanding for low‑band 5G; mid‑band 5G capacity is still town‑centric, so the speed uplift seen in larger Iowa metros is less consistent across the county.

Social media usage snapshot: Washington County, Iowa (2024)

Population base

• Residents: 22,565 (U.S. Census, 2020)
• Adults (18+): ≈17,800
• Sex split: roughly 50% female, 50% male (ACS)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each platform; Pew Research Center, 2023–2024; applied locally)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 20%
• Reddit: 18%

Age-group highlights

• Teens (13–17) mirror national patterns (Pew Teens 2023): YouTube 93%; Instagram 62%; TikTok 63%; Snapchat 60%; Facebook ~33%; X ~20%; Reddit ~14%. Behavior: heavy daily use, preference for short-form video (TikTok/YouTube Shorts) and ephemeral messaging (Snapchat).
• 18–29: Highest activity across platforms; Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube dominate. Facebook still used but more for groups/marketplace than posting.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram solid. TikTok has meaningful penetration; LinkedIn relevant for career networking.
• 50–64: Facebook remains the hub; YouTube for tutorials/news; Pinterest strong for projects/recipes. Gradual adoption of Instagram Reels and some TikTok.
• 65+: Facebook first; YouTube second. Usage concentrates on local news, community groups, churches, health information, and family updates.

Gender patterns (directionally consistent with Pew)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook groups/Marketplace and especially Pinterest (women ≈2x men). Instagram slightly higher among women; strong engagement with Reels and Stories.
• Men: Over-index on Reddit and X; slightly higher on YouTube and LinkedIn. Gaming, sports, tech, and finance content draw outsized attention.

Behavioral trends in a rural Iowa county context

• Facebook is the community backbone: local news pages, school/sports updates, churches, civic groups, and Marketplace drive the bulk of interaction and referral traffic to local businesses.
• Video is the growth engine: short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is the fastest-rising format across all ages; cross-posting Reels to Facebook performs well.
• Messaging ecosystems: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat dominates among teens and college-age. WhatsApp is used in specific communities and for family connections.
• Commerce and recommendations: Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups are heavily used; word-of-mouth via groups outperforms brand pages for discovery.
• Timing: Engagement clusters around early mornings (commutes/school drop-off), lunch, and evenings (7–9 p.m.) with weekend spikes around community events and high school sports.
• Content themes that travel: agriculture and home improvement “how‑to” on YouTube; local sports highlights on Facebook/Instagram; community events and seasonal activities perform best when posted mid-week with weekend reminders.
• Ads: Facebook/Instagram provide the most efficient local reach; interest targeting around farming/outdoors, youth sports, and home services converts well. Short, captioned video and single-image promos with clear local signals (town names, landmarks) outperform generic creative.

How to interpret the numbers

• Percentages reflect the latest broad U.S. usage rates (Pew) applied to Washington County’s adult population to estimate local adoption. These yield reliable directional insights for platform mix and audience targeting in Washington County.