Barton County

Key demographics — Barton County, Kansas

Population

• Total: 25,493 (2020 Census)
• Recent estimate: ~24,900 (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~18–19%

Sex

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population; Hispanic may be of any race)

• White alone: ~86–88%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~18–20%
• Black or African American: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~3–5%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~72–75%

Households

• Number of households: ~10,500
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~60%
• Married-couple families: ~45%
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• One-person households: ~32–34%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Barton County, KS email usage (estimates)

• Population baseline: ≈25,000 residents across ~900 sq mi (≈28 people/sq mi). Most residents live in/around Great Bend, Hoisington, and Ellinwood.
• Estimated email users: 16,000–19,000 residents. Method: residents 13+ (80–85% of population) × internet adopters (80–85%) × email use among internet users (~90%+).
• Age distribution of email use:
  • 13–17: high adoption (~85–95% of online teens).
  • 18–44: very high (~90–95%).
  • 45–64: high (~85–92%).
  • 65+: moderate-to-high (~70–85%), rising steadily.
• Gender split: roughly even (≈50/50 among users).
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband: common, roughly 75–85% of households; rural dispersion means fewer high-speed options in outlying areas versus towns.
  • Smartphone access: nearly ubiquitous among adults; ~10–15% of households likely smartphone-only.
  • Public access: libraries, schools, and city Wi‑Fi spots in larger towns supplement access.
  • Networks: strong 4G and growing 5G in populated corridors; fiber build-outs are expanding from town centers to nearby rural areas.

Notes: Figures are modeled from county population and typical rural Kansas internet/email adoption patterns (ACS/Pew trends).

Below is a concise, decision-ready snapshot of mobile phone usage in Barton County, Kansas, with emphasis on how local patterns diverge from statewide trends. Figures are presented as defensible estimates based on recent federal and state data series (notably Census/ACS S2801 for device and subscription indicators; FCC Broadband Data Collection maps; NTIA Indicators of Broadband Need; and Kansas Office of Broadband reports).

Quick estimates (order-of-magnitude)

• Smartphone users: 15,000–17,000 adults in Barton County
  • Method: county adult population (roughly 19–20k) × rural-adult smartphone adoption typical of Kansas’ non-metro counties (≈80–85%, slightly below state average).
• Households relying primarily on mobile data (mobile-only home internet): roughly 1,200–1,800 households
  • Method: county households (≈10k) × mobile-only share common in rural KS counties (≈12–18%), above the statewide rate.
• Prepaid share among mobile subscribers: meaningfully higher than the Kansas average, consistent with rural markets and lower median incomes.
• Multi-line/multi-SIM penetration: lower than metro Kansas; fewer work-provided lines per capita than in large metro counties.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Older population mix: Barton County has a higher share of residents 65+ than the Kansas average. Result: lower smartphone adoption and lower 5G handset penetration among seniors; greater persistence of voice/text-centric plans; more shared family devices.
• Income and education: Median household income runs below the state average and bachelor’s attainment is lower. Result: higher price sensitivity, greater reliance on prepaid and discount plans, and higher likelihood of mobile-only internet when fixed broadband is expensive or unavailable.
• Urban–rural split: Great Bend/Hoisington/Ellinwood clusters skew closer to state norms; outlying townships track more rural behavior (more basic Android devices, lower data caps, and intermittent coverage).
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s Hispanic/Latino community is a notable share of the population. Consistent with statewide and national patterns, this group tends to show higher mobile-first dependence for internet access than non-Hispanic white households when fixed broadband options are limited or costly.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Broad coverage in and between major towns and along primary corridors; patchier service in low-density areas and around wildlife/recreation areas; more frequent handoffs and capacity constraints than in metro KS.
  • 5G: Present in and near Great Bend and other population centers, predominantly low- and mid-band. Coverage thins outside towns; mmWave not a factor. Overall 5G availability and consistency lag the Wichita/KC metros and Kansas statewide averages.
• Performance
  • Mid-band 5G delivers solid speeds in town, but peak-hour congestion and building penetration are recurring issues. Rural segments often fall back to LTE with wide performance variance.
• Tower density and backhaul
  • Sites cluster near Great Bend/Hoisington/Ellinwood with sparser spacing elsewhere. Microwave and limited fiber backhaul outside town centers can cap capacity relative to statewide urban averages.
• Competitive landscape
  • All three national carriers are present; T-Mobile’s mid-band footprint and Verizon/AT&T C-Band deployments are visible in town cores. Outside those cores, Barton County users experience more LTE fallback and fewer carrier redundancies than typical statewide.
• Public and anchor connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and clinics in town provide important Wi‑Fi offload. This offload role is more critical locally than statewide because a larger slice of households are mobile-only.
• Affordability programs
  • The end of new ACP funding in 2024 increased price pressure. Locally, that likely translated into plan downgrades and prepaid churn more than in metro Kansas.

Where Barton County diverges most from Kansas state-level trends

• Adoption
  • Smartphone and cellular-data-plan adoption is slightly lower than the state average, driven by an older population and lower incomes.
• Mobile-only reliance
  • A larger share of households depend on mobile data as their primary home internet, exceeding the statewide rate due to patchy fixed broadband in rural areas.
• Network experience
  • 5G availability and median 5G speeds underperform the statewide picture; LTE fallback and capacity constraints are more common, especially outside town centers.
• Plan mix and devices
  • Higher prevalence of prepaid and budget plans; a slower refresh cycle to 5G-capable handsets; fewer employer-paid lines than in metro-heavy statewide counts.
• Usage patterns
  • Heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi offload at public anchors (libraries/schools) and more conservative data usage during peak periods than the state average.

Data notes and how to firm up the numbers

• For exact local vs state percentages on smartphones and cellular data plans, use Census/ACS table S2801 (latest 5‑year) for Barton County and Kansas.
• For coverage and technology mix (LTE vs 5G, carrier presence), use FCC Broadband Data Collection maps and the NTIA Indicators of Broadband Need; validate with carrier 5G coverage disclosures.
• For household counts, age, income, and education baselines, use ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), Income (S1901), and Educational Attainment (S1501).

Barton County, KS social media snapshot (best-available estimates; county-level data is not directly reported, so figures are modeled from U.S. Census, Pew Research 2023–2024, and rural-Midwest usage patterns)

Population base

• Residents: ≈25,000
• People 13+: ≈21,500

Overall usage

• Social media users (13+): ≈15,500–17,000 (≈72–79% penetration)
• Average platforms per user: 3–4

Age mix of users (share of local social media users)

• 13–17: 8–10%
• 18–29: 18–20%
• 30–49: 33–35%
• 50–64: 22–24%
• 65+: 16–19%

Gender breakdown

• Users: ≈51% female, 49% male
• Skews by platform: Pinterest, Facebook slightly female-skewed; YouTube, X slightly male-skewed

Most-used platforms (share of Barton County social media users)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75% (Groups/Marketplace weekly users ≈55–65%)
• Instagram: 38–45%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 28–35% (dominant among teens/younger 20s)
• Pinterest: 28–32% (strong among women 25–54)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (lower due to local industry mix)
• Nextdoor/Reddit: niche/low

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Pages/Groups for local news, school athletics, church updates, weather alerts, road closures, lost-and-found, and fundraisers.
• Local commerce: Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups are primary for used goods; event discovery and RSVP via Facebook is common.
• Video growth: Short-form (YouTube Shorts/TikTok/Reels) rising across ages; how-to, DIY, hunting/outdoor, home repair, and ag content perform well.
• Messaging patterns: Facebook Messenger is default for 30+; Snapchat is the daily messenger for teens/college-age; SMS remains common for older adults.
• Posting cadence: Most 35+ are “checkers, not posters” (share/like/comment more than create); teens/20s post frequently on Snapchat/Stories, less on public feeds.
• Peak engagement windows: Evenings 7–10 pm CT; secondary spikes at lunch and early morning (school/work commute).
• Content that drives engagement: Local sports highlights, school announcements, weather/emergency updates, community events, small business promos, and seasonal ag/oilfield topics.

Notes on methodology and confidence

• Figures are extrapolated from Pew Research platform adoption and rural/suburban splits, applied to Barton County’s age structure (U.S. Census/ACS). Treat percentages as directional ranges, not exact counts.