Winnebago County

Winnebago County, Iowa – Key Demographics

Population

• Total population: 10,679 (2020 Census)
• 2010–2020 change: -1.7%

Age

• Median age: 43.8 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 22.9%
• 18–64: 56.6%
• 65 and over: 20.5%

Gender

• Female: 49.6%
• Male: 50.4% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: 90.5%
• Black or African American alone: 1.0%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.4%
• Asian alone: 0.8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: 6.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 7.4%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 84.3%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Number of households: 4,640
• Persons per household: 2.28
• Family households: ~61% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~39%
• Single-person households: ~31%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%

Insights

• Small, slowly declining rural population with a median age in the mid-40s.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a modest and growing Hispanic/Latino presence.
• Household sizes are modest; homeownership is high, consistent with rural Iowa patterns.

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

Winnebago County, IA snapshot (pop. ≈10,400; density ≈26 people/sq. mile)

Estimated email users: ≈7,300 adults

• Method: county adult population × age-specific U.S. email adoption rates

Age distribution of email users (est. count; share of email users)

• 18–29: ≈1,140 (16%)
• 30–49: ≈2,500 (34%)
• 50–64: ≈1,900 (26%)
• 65+: ≈1,760 (24%)

Gender split

• Female ≈51%
• Male ≈49% (Email use is near-parity by gender; split mirrors local demographics.)

Digital access and trends

• ≈82% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS 2018–2022), modestly below the U.S. average but typical for rural Iowa.
• ≈10–12% of households lack home internet; another small share are mobile-only, which limits routine email use on larger screens.
• Fiber and high-speed cable are concentrated in Forest City and Lake Mills; outer rural areas rely more on fixed wireless/DSL, creating a town–rural performance gap.
• Older residents (65+) show the lowest adoption, driving a slight skew in email use toward middle-aged cohorts.
• Low population density raises last-mile costs, influencing availability and speeds outside population centers.

Overall: Email is mainstream (≈70%+ of all residents, ≈90%+ of adults), with access constraints mainly in the most rural tracts and among seniors.

Mobile phone usage in Winnebago County, Iowa — 2024 snapshot

User base and adoption

• Population and users: About 10,300 residents and roughly 4,600 households. Adults (18+) are approximately 8,200. Estimated 7,200–7,500 adult smartphone users (about 87–91% of adults), slightly below Iowa’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (~90–92%).
• Household penetration: 86–89% of households have at least one smartphone (≈4,000–4,100 households), versus roughly 90% statewide.
• Cellular data plans at home: 76–80% of households maintain a cellular data plan; 15–18% are cellular-only for home internet (no wireline/FTTP/cable), compared with about 10–12% cellular-only statewide. This reflects heavier mobile substitution in the county.

Demographic patterns (key differences versus Iowa)

• Age: A larger senior share drives lower adoption at the top end.
  • 18–34: 94–97% smartphone ownership (near state levels)
  • 35–64: around 90–93% (1–2 points below state)
  • 65+: 74–80% (3–6 points below state), contributing most of the county–state gap
• Income: Median household income trails the state, and cost sensitivity shows up in plan choice and reliance on mobile for home access.
  • Under $35k: 80–85% smartphone ownership; higher prevalence of cellular-only home internet
  • $35–75k: 88–92%
  • $75k+: 94–97%
• Education and rurality: Lower four-year degree attainment and a higher rural share correlate with more cellular-only households and slightly lower smartphone ownership than the Iowa average. Town centers (Forest City, Lake Mills, Buffalo Center) align more closely with state adoption; farmsteads and the MN border areas lag.

Usage and behavior

• Mobile-only internet users: An estimated 18–22% of adults rely primarily on smartphones for internet access (vs 15–17% statewide), reflecting the county’s higher cellular-only household share.
• Data consumption: Average per-smartphone cellular data use likely trends above state norms in cellular-only homes (often 20–25 GB/month) due to video, social media, and hotspotting substituting for fixed broadband.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers: All three national MNOs (Verizon, AT&T/FirstNet, T-Mobile) plus UScellular operate in the county. UScellular maintains a comparatively stronger rural footprint here than in Iowa’s metros.
• 5G availability: Population 5G coverage is broad in towns and along major corridors, but mid-band capacity (2.5 GHz, C-band) is patchier in the open country.
  • Any 5G (low- or mid-band): roughly 80–90% of population covered in the county vs ~95%+ statewide
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layers): roughly 50–65% of population coverage in the county vs ~75–85% statewide
• Speeds and experience: Typical median mobile download speeds in Winnebago are about 20–35% lower than the Iowa statewide median. Town cores often see 5G mid-band performance, while fringe and farm areas rely on low-band 5G or LTE with notable variability indoors.
• Sites and backhaul: On the order of 35–45 macro sites (towers and multi-tenant structures) host carrier equipment across the county, supplemented by antennas on vertical assets (water towers, grain elevators). Fiber backhaul is anchored by regional and state networks (including the Iowa Communications Network) and local providers.
• Local providers and offload: Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association (WCTA) delivers fiber in and around towns; where fiber is present, carriers benefit from stronger backhaul and Wi‑Fi offload, improving handset experience indoors. Fixed wireless providers operate in rural fringes, with some overlap into carrier 5G Home offerings in towns.

What differs most from the Iowa average

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption overall, driven by a larger 65+ population and lower median incomes.
• Higher cellular-only home internet reliance (+3 to +6 percentage points versus the state), increasing mobile substitution and monthly data use for affected households.
• More uneven 5G capacity coverage: mid-band 5G is less uniform outside towns, yielding lower typical median speeds and greater indoor variability than statewide urban and suburban areas.
• UScellular holds a comparatively larger share of rural usage than in Iowa’s metros, influencing device compatibility choices and roaming experiences.
• Coverage gaps are more likely at farmsteads and along the Minnesota border, where boosters or Wi‑Fi calling are commonly used to stabilize indoor service.

Implications

• Network planning: The county benefits most from additional mid-band 5G sectors on rural macros and expanded fiber backhaul to even out capacity beyond towns.
• Digital equity: Seniors and lower-income households remain the core adoption gap; targeted device affordability and digital skills programs would narrow the county–state delta.
• Service strategy: Plans with robust hotspot allotments and rural-optimized radios (including C-band/n77 and 2.5 GHz support) deliver outsized value given higher cellular-only reliance and variable indoor signal.

Winnebago County, Iowa — Social media snapshot (2025)

Baseline and user stats

• Residents: ≈10.3K; Adults (18+): ≈8.0K
• Social media users (18+): ≈5.6K–6.0K (about 70–75% of adults)
• Teen users (13–17): high adoption (≈85% use at least one platform)

Most‑used platforms (share of all adults; overlaps expected)

• YouTube: ~83% (≈6.6K adults)
• Facebook: ~68% (≈5.4K)
• Instagram: ~50% (≈4.0K)
• TikTok: ~33% (≈2.6K)
• Snapchat: ~30% (≈2.4K)
• Pinterest: ~33% (≈2.6K)
• X (Twitter): ~22% (≈1.8K)
• LinkedIn: ~22% (≈1.8K)
• Reddit: ~20% (≈1.6K)

Age-group patterns

• 13–17: YouTube 95%+, Instagram 70–80%, Snapchat 75–85%, TikTok 70–80%; minimal Facebook
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+, Instagram ~80%, Snapchat ~65–70%, TikTok ~60–65%, Facebook ~55%
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%, Facebook ~70%, Instagram ~60%, TikTok ~40%; Snapchat declines
• 50–64: Facebook ~70%, YouTube ~80%, Instagram ~30%, TikTok ~20%
• 65+: Facebook ~60% (primary), YouTube ~55–60%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~10%

Gender breakdown

• Overall split among residents is roughly even; among social media users:
  • Women over-index on Facebook (+5–8 pts vs men), Instagram (+5–8 pts), and Pinterest (~2x men)
  • Men over-index on YouTube (+5 pts), Reddit (~2x women), and X (+8–10 pts)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: local news and alerts, school/athletics updates, church and civic groups, and Marketplace buying/selling
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, ag, small-engine repair, and product research; short-form (TikTok/Reels) growing under 35
• Messaging: Messenger prevalent 30+; Snapchat dominant for teens/20s; WhatsApp niche
• Participation style: majority browse rather than post; comments/reactions > original posts; event posts and Marketplace drive outsized engagement
• Timing: usage peaks around 7–8 AM, noon hour, and 7–10 PM CT; weekday evenings best for reach
• Trust and content: strongest interaction with locally recognizable people, institutions (schools, county/city, first responders), and practical how‑to content; polished “out-of-town” ads underperform without local cues
• Cross-platform habits: typical adult uses ~3 platforms; pairing Facebook + Instagram + short video (Reels/TikTok) maximizes local reach

Notes on figures

• County population and age structure are from recent ACS estimates; platform percentages are derived from 2024 Pew Research Center U.S. usage rates with rural-Midwest adjustments applied to Winnebago County’s adult base. County-level platform adoption is not directly published; values above are the best-available, policy-aligned estimates.