Chase County

Do you want 2020 Decennial Census counts or the latest estimates (ACS 2018–2022 and 2023 population estimate) for Chase County, KS? I can provide both, but figures will differ slightly. Also, should “household data” include just number of households and average household size, or also items like family vs. nonfamily share and homeownership?

Chase County, KS (pop. ~2,600) — email usage snapshot (estimates)

• Estimated email users: 1,900–2,200 residents. Roughly 85–90% of adults use email; overall rate lower due to children.
• Age pattern (share using email):
  • Teens (13–17): ~75–85%
  • 18–34: ~95%
  • 35–54: ~90–95%
  • 55–64: ~80–90%
  • 65+: ~60–70% (lower in the most rural areas)
• Gender split among users: roughly even (about 50/50).
• Digital access trends:
  • Home internet subscription likely ~70–80% of households (below metro Kansas but improving as new fiber/fixed‑wireless projects expand).
  • 10–20% of households are mobile‑only for internet; email often accessed via smartphones.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, county offices) remains important for residents without reliable home service.
  • Cellular coverage is strongest in/near towns; dead zones persist in sparsely populated ranchland and prairie.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Very rural: ~3–4 people per square mile across ~775–780 sq mi, with residents concentrated in/near small towns.
  • Low density raises last‑mile costs, so adoption lags urban Kansas; fixed‑wireless and satellite fill gaps where DSL/cable/fiber are unavailable.

Notes: Figures are reasoned estimates using U.S./rural‑Kansas patterns scaled to Chase County’s population.

Below is a practical, county‑level snapshot built from Census/ACS demographics, rural adoption patterns from Pew/state reports, FCC mobile coverage maps, and Kansas broadband program updates. Figures are estimates; use them directionally and verify locally (Kansas Office of Broadband Development, FCC Mobile Maps, carrier checkers).

Headline summary

• Population: about 2,600 (2020–2023). Adults ~2,050–2,150.
• Estimated unique mobile users in Chase County: 2,000–2,400 people.
• Active mobile lines (including tablets/IoT): roughly 2,400–3,100 lines.
• Overall smartphone share is lower than the Kansas average; coverage and capacity are spottier than state norms, and mobile networks are increasingly used for home internet where wired options are weak.

User estimates (what’s different vs. Kansas statewide)

• Adults with any mobile phone
  • Chase County: ~92–95% of adults (≈1,900–2,050 people), lower than statewide (≈96–98%).
• Smartphone adoption among phone users
  • Chase County: ~80–85% overall; Kansas statewide: ~88–92%.
  • By age (county):
    • 18–34: 95–98%
    • 35–64: 88–92%
    • 65+: 55–65% (notably below state average in this cohort)
• Wireless-only households (no landline)
  • Chase County: ~60–65%; Kansas: ~70–75%.
• Total active lines per 100 residents (phones + tablets + farm/vehicle/IoT)
  • Chase County: ~95–120; Kansas: ~110–130.
  • Mix skews slightly more to IoT/M2M for agriculture and vehicles than statewide.
• Mobile data use
  • Per-line mobile data use likely below state average (coverage/capacity limits), but fixed-wireless home internet (FWA) on cellular is a rising share of total traffic where offered.

Demographic drivers and usage patterns

• Older age structure: 65+ share is higher than Kansas overall, pulling down smartphone adoption and app intensity; basic and flip phones have a higher share.
• Income and education run below state averages, increasing price sensitivity; prepaid/MVNO and shared family plans are relatively common.
• Teen adoption is high where service is available, but participation in app-heavy services (rideshare, delivery) is constrained by local market availability rather than device access.
• After the 2024 sunset of the Affordable Connectivity Program, cost pressures rose; expect some churn from postpaid to prepaid and occasional service pauses—more pronounced than state average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county specifics)

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE is the baseline; outdoor 5G low-band exists along primary corridors (US‑50, K‑177, near Cottonwood Falls/Strong City). Mid-band 5G is spotty; indoor 5G is unreliable away from towns.
  • Coverage gaps persist in Flint Hills terrain, creek valleys, and low-density ranchland; signal boosters/hotspots are commonly used on farms and in metal buildings.
  • Carrier pattern (indicative): Verizon and AT&T generally strongest for wide‑area coverage; T‑Mobile presence improving with 600 MHz but still uneven indoors and off‑corridor.
• Capacity
  • Few sectors/sites, long inter-site distances; evening congestion appears where FWA is offered and adopted. Average speeds are below state urban/suburban norms.
• Sites and form factor
  • A handful of macro towers near towns and highways; practically no small cells. Public Wi‑Fi limited to library/schools/courthouse.
• Backhaul and middle mile
  • Fiber backhaul reaches the county seats; some sites still rely on microwave hops. Middle‑mile fiber exists along regional transport routes, but last‑mile fiber to scattered homesteads is limited.
• Fixed broadband alternatives
  • Legacy DSL is present but often slow/unreliable; some fiber/coax in town blocks only. Multiple WISPs operate line‑of‑sight links in open rangeland.
  • Cellular FWA (5G/4G home internet) is offered in and around towns and along corridors; availability drops quickly with distance/terrain.
• Public safety
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 overlays major sites; improves first‑responder coverage but does not fully remove dead zones. E911 location accuracy can be weaker in sparse‑tower areas.

Key ways Chase County differs from Kansas statewide

• Lower smartphone penetration, especially among 65+; more basic/feature phones in active use.
• Fewer wireless-only households; landlines persist more than average.
• Spottier 5G (especially mid-band) and lower average mobile speeds; more dependence on LTE and signal boosters.
• Higher relative share of agricultural/vehicle IoT lines; overall lines per capita can look “normal” despite fewer human users.
• Heavier reliance on cellular networks for home internet where wired service is poor—creating localized evening congestion not typical in metro Kansas.
• App-based economy usage (rideshare, delivery, telehealth video) lags due to both coverage and service availability, not just device ownership.

Planning implications

• Prioritize mid-band 5G overlays and added sectors on existing towers near Cottonwood Falls/Strong City and along US‑50/K‑177 to relieve FWA-driven load.
• Expand backhaul capacity (fiber to towers) and add fill-in sites in valley dead zones; consider public–private partnerships using Kansas broadband grants.
• Targeted affordability offers for seniors and low-income households can move basic‑phone users to entry smartphones, unlocking telehealth and government services.
• Coordinate with FirstNet and county EM to map and remediate remaining coverage gaps for wildfire/storm response.

Below is a concise, data‑informed snapshot for Chase County, Kansas. Exact county‑level social metrics aren’t directly published; figures are modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media use, adjusted for a small, older, rural population profile (ACS age mix), and should be read as reasonable ranges, not hard counts.

Baseline

• Population: ~2,500–2,600; adults (18+): ~1,900.
• Any social media: 70–75% of adults (1,350–1,450). Including teens, total users ~1,600–1,700.

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated share using each at least occasionally)

• YouTube: 70–76%
• Facebook: 68–72%
• Instagram: 28–35%
• Pinterest: 28–32% (skews female)
• TikTok: 20–25%
• Snapchat: 16–22% (skews younger)
• X (Twitter): 14–18%
• LinkedIn: 12–15% (lower in rural/blue‑collar mix)
• Reddit: 10–14% (skews male/younger)
• WhatsApp: 8–12%
• Nextdoor: 5–8% (limited footprint in sparsely populated areas)

Age pattern (share using any social media; common platforms)

• Teens (13–17): 90–95%; heavy YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram.
• 18–29: 90%+; YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; Facebook secondary.
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook, YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising.
• 50–64: ~65–75%; Facebook, YouTube dominant; Pinterest moderate (women).
• 65+: ~50–60%; mostly Facebook and YouTube.

Gender breakdown

• Overall users roughly 50/50 female–male.
• Women more likely than men (by ~5–15 pts) to use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest.
• Men more likely than women (by ~5–10 pts) to use YouTube, Reddit, X.
• Messaging: women favor Messenger; younger men and women use Snapchat heavily.

Behavioral trends (local/rural profile)

• Facebook as the community hub: county/city pages, schools, churches, events, buy‑sell‑trade, severe weather updates; Groups and Messenger see high engagement.
• YouTube for how‑to, ag/ranch content, equipment reviews, local sports clips; longer watch times on Wi‑Fi; mobile data constraints shape video habits.
• Younger residents are “stories/DM‑first”: Snapchat and Instagram for day‑to‑day messaging; TikTok for entertainment and trends.
• Marketplace and local commerce: strong reliance on Facebook Marketplace for secondhand goods and farm/ranch equipment.
• Event‑driven spikes: storms, road closures, school announcements, hunting seasons drive short bursts of high engagement.
• Posting vs. lurking: many mid/older users consume and share links more than they create original posts; teens/20‑somethings post more ephemeral content.
• Ads that work: boosted Facebook posts targeting 30+ with clear local value (events, services) perform better than generic brand creative; short vertical video increasingly effective across age groups.

Sources: Pew Research Center (2024) U.S. social media platform use by age/gender; U.S. Census/ACS for rural age mix.