Webster County

Webster County, Iowa — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: ~36,300
• Total households: ~15,700
• Average household size: ~2.28
• Average family size: ~2.9

Age

• Median age: ~41 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• Non-Hispanic White: ~85%
• Black or African American: ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Household composition and housing

• Family households: ~58% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~33% (about 14% are 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing: ~68–70% of occupied units

Insights

• Older-than-state-average age profile with about one in five residents 65+.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly non-Hispanic White with modest Black and Hispanic communities.
• Slight male majority, influenced in part by local institutional population.
• Household sizes are modest and owner-occupancy is high relative to urban areas.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (and associated detailed tables for population, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and households).

Webster County, IA snapshot

• Population and density: 36,999 residents (2020 Census) across ~718 sq mi, ~52 residents/sq mi.
• Estimated email users (18+): 26,998 of ~28,859 adults (93–94% adult penetration).

Age distribution of adult email users (est.):

• 18–34: ~7,814 users (96% of ~8,140).
• 35–64: ~13,279 users (97% of ~13,690).
• 65+: ~5,905 users (84% of ~7,030).

Gender split (adult users):

• Male ~13.7k; female ~13.3k (near 50/50, tracking a slight male majority locally).

Digital access and trends:

• ~84% of households subscribe to broadband; ~90% have a computer; ~11% are smartphone‑only households.
• Broadband adoption and speeds have risen since 2019, with cable/fiber concentrated in Fort Dodge and along primary corridors; rural townships rely more on fixed wireless/DSL, maintaining a rural speed gap.
• Mobile coverage is robust on main routes (4G LTE with expanding 5G), supporting email access for smartphone‑only users and commuters.

Insights:

• Email is essentially universal among working‑age adults; the primary constraint is access quality, not willingness to use.
• Seniors and rural residents show lower fixed‑broadband adoption, increasing dependence on mobile for email and contributing to lower engagement intensity.

Mobile phone usage in Webster County, Iowa — 2024 snapshot

Baseline

• Population: 36,999 (2020 Census); roughly 28,500 adults (18+)
• Households: about 15,200

User estimates (adults, 18+)

• Any mobile phone: 96% adoption ≈ 27,360 adult users
• Smartphones: 82% adoption ≈ 23,370 adult users
• Primary device reliance (smartphone-only home internet): 17% of households ≈ 2,600 households
• Prepaid share (of smartphone lines): ~22%
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for home broadband (via Verizon/T-Mobile 4G/5G): ~11% of households ≈ 1,670 households

How Webster County differs from Iowa overall

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption: 82% county vs ~86% statewide, driven by an older age mix and more rural households
• Greater reliance on prepaid plans: ~22% county vs ~18% statewide
• Higher smartphone-only households: ~17% county vs ~12% statewide
• Higher FWA uptake: ~11% county vs ~8–9% statewide, reflecting gaps outside cable/fiber footprints
• 5G population coverage is high but more uneven by land area than in metros; mid-band 5G is concentrated in Fort Dodge, with low-band 5G/4G carrying rural coverage

Demographic breakdown (smartphone adoption rates; county-level estimates blended from ACS age structure and recent national adoption by age)

• 18–29: ~96–98%
• 30–49: ~92–94%
• 50–64: ~78–82%
• 65+: ~58–62%
• Income gradient: under 200% of the federal poverty level ~75–80%; at/above 200% FPL ~88–92%
• Urban vs rural within the county: Fort Dodge residents show higher 5G use and plan tiers; rural residents show higher prepaid and FWA uptake and more smartphone-only reliance

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and UScellular operate macro networks in the county
• 4G/LTE coverage: ~99% of residents; generally continuous along US-20 and US-169
• 5G coverage: population coverage ~85–90% countywide; land-area coverage materially lower outside Fort Dodge; mid-band (T-Mobile n41, Verizon C-band) is primarily in and around Fort Dodge, with low-band 5G and LTE covering rural stretches
• Capacity and speeds: typical mid-band 5G in Fort Dodge supports 100–300 Mbps down; rural low-band 5G/LTE commonly 10–60 Mbps down, with speed dips at cell edges
• Fort Dodge Fiber (municipal): active build providing symmetrical gigabit service citywide, increasing Wi‑Fi offload in town and enabling higher-data mobile plans to be right-sized; this city fiber build is a notable differentiator from many Iowa counties
• FWA availability: both T-Mobile 5G Home and Verizon 5G/LTE Home have wide service footprints; availability tightens in fringe cells where signal quality or capacity is constrained
• Public safety and indoor coverage: low-band spectrum (e.g., 600/700/850 MHz) improves indoor reach; older building stock and certain river-valley topography still create indoor dead zones in some structures and pockets along the Des Moines River

Usage patterns and insights

• Daytime load concentrates around Fort Dodge healthcare, industrial, and retail corridors; evening load shifts to residential neighborhoods, with heavy Wi‑Fi offload in the city and FWA/cellular load in rural homes
• The county’s older age profile and higher share of single-family rural housing raise the prevalence of prepaid, smartphone-only use, and FWA versus the state average
• Business and farm operations increasingly use LTE/5G for telemetry and point-of-sale in rural areas; these uses are more prominent here than in Iowa’s metro counties

Methods and sources

• Population and households: 2020 Census; age/income mix from recent ACS
• Adoption rates: blended from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone adoption by age/income, NTIA Internet Use Survey, and rural vs urban adjustments; applied to Webster County’s age/income structure to produce county estimates
• Coverage and infrastructure: FCC Broadband DATA Collection 2023–2024 patterns for Iowa, carrier public 5G deployment disclosures, and local reports on Fort Dodge Fiber

Figures are 2024 modeled county estimates grounded in the above sources; statewide reference points reflect contemporaneous Iowa aggregates.

Webster County, IA — social media snapshot (2025, local estimates)

Baseline and reach

• Population baseline: ~36,400 residents; ~28,100 adults 18+ (ACS 2023).
• Internet/smartphone access: ~84% of households have broadband; ~79% of adults have a smartphone.
• Social-media penetration: 70% of adults use at least one platform (19.5–20.0K people). About 80–85% of these users engage daily.

Most-used platforms (share of all adults; estimated user counts)

• YouTube: 75% (21.1K)
• Facebook: 66% (18.5K)
• Facebook Messenger: 58% (16.3K)
• Instagram: 35% (9.8K)
• TikTok: 30% (8.4K)
• Snapchat: 28% (7.9K)
• Pinterest: 22% (6.2K)
• X (Twitter): 18% (5.1K)
• LinkedIn: 16% (4.5K)
• Nextdoor: 6% (1.7K) Note: Users commonly maintain multiple accounts; totals overlap.

Age profile of social media users (share of local social-media user base; adoption within group)

• 18–29: 24–25% of users; ~92% in this group use social (heavy YouTube/Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok; Facebook moderate).
• 30–49: 35–36% of users; ~82% use social (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; TikTok growing; Messenger core).
• 50–64: ~25% of users; ~68% use social (Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest moderate; Instagram/TikTok lighter).
• 65+: ~15% of users; ~45% use social (Facebook and YouTube primary; others limited).

Gender breakdown

• Overall usage: women ~72%, men ~67% (of each gender). Resulting user base ≈53% women, 47% men.
• Platform skew: women index higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok; men index higher on YouTube and X.

Behavioral trends observed locally (rural county pattern, age-adjusted)

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups (buy/sell/trade, schools, sports, churches), local news, weather/road updates, and Marketplace.
• Short‑form video growth: Reels/Shorts/TikTok are primary discovery surfaces for events, local businesses, and DIY/home/farm content.
• Messaging is critical: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat drive one‑to‑one and business inquiries; response-time expectations are “same day.”
• Video > photo > link: Native vertical video posts outperform links; carousel/photo dumps still work for events and sports.
• Engagement timing: Evenings (after 6 p.m.) and weekend late afternoon/prime-time see the highest interaction; school/sports calendars produce predictable spikes.
• Local proof > brand polish: Community faces, user‑generated content, and practical utility (e.g., deals, school updates, weather alerts) outperform generic brand creative.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default P2P channel; local service providers benefit from prompt replies and reviews inside Facebook/Google, with TikTok/Instagram used for top‑of‑funnel awareness.
• Younger skew: 13–24s cluster on Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram; they still maintain Facebook for Groups/events but engage less with Pages.

Method and sources

• Figures are 2025 local estimates derived from: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 (population/age/sex), Pew Research Center 2024 Social Media Use (platform adoption by age/sex), and rural adoption adjustments typical for Iowa counties (broadband/smartphone uptake). Percentages are applied to the local adult population; platform totals overlap due to multi‑platform usage.