Gray County

Gray County, Kansas — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 5,653 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimate: 5,707

Age

• Median age: 35.6 years
• Age distribution: Under 18: 30.2%; 18–24: 7.7%; 25–44: 26.4%; 45–64: 22.9%; 65+: 12.8%

Gender

• Male: 51.4%
• Female: 48.6%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive; sums to ~100%)

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 32.1%
• Non-Hispanic White alone: 63.0%
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American alone: 0.5%
• Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.6%
• Non-Hispanic Asian alone: 0.4%
• Non-Hispanic Two or more races: 3.0%
• Non-Hispanic Some other race alone: 0.4%

Households

• Total households: 1,982
• Average household size: 2.86
• Family households: 77.7% of households; average family size: 3.34
• Households with children under 18: 44%
• Homeownership rate: 78%

Notable insights

• The county is small and relatively young, with a large share of households with children.
• Hispanic/Latino residents comprise roughly one-third of the population, well above the Kansas statewide share, while non-Hispanic White residents comprise about two-thirds.
• High homeownership and a predominance of family households are characteristic of the area.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S1101).

Gray County, KS snapshot

• Population and density: ~5,700 residents across ~870 sq mi; ~6.5 people per sq mi (very low-density rural).
• Estimated email users: ~3,800 adults (≈90% of ~4,200 adults).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: 19% (720 users)
  • 30–49: 36% (1,360)
  • 50–64: 28% (1,060)
  • 65+: 17% (660)
• Gender split among users: 51% men (1,930) and 49% women (1,870), roughly mirroring the county’s population.

Digital access and usage trends

• Computer access: ~92% of households have a computer.
• Home broadband subscription: ~82% of households; dial‑up is negligible.
• Smartphone‑only internet: ~10% of households rely primarily on mobile data.
• Connectivity context: FCC-reported fixed broadband supports 100 Mbps service for most in-town households, with fewer options in the most sparsely populated areas; mobile coverage is strongest along primary corridors (e.g., US‑50/US‑283).
• Trendline: Home broadband adoption and email use have risen modestly since 2018, with the fastest gains among residents 65+. Email remains a near-universal communications tool for work, school, ag‑business operations, and telehealth in the county’s rural context.

Mobile phone usage in Gray County, Kansas (2024 snapshot)

Baseline population

• Population: 6,061 (2020 Census); ~5,900 in 2023 estimates
• Households: ~2,150–2,300 (implied by population and average household size for rural KS)

User estimates

• Adults (18+): ~4,200–4,350
• Adults using any mobile phone: ~4,050–4,200 (94–97% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users: ~3,400–3,700 (≈80–86% of adults)
• Teens (13–17) with a smartphone: ~660–690 (≈88–92% of ~750 teens)
• Total residents who regularly use a mobile device (adults + teens): ~4,700–5,000

Household voice and internet mix

• Wireless-only voice households (no landline): ~72–80% in Gray County, slightly above the statewide share
• Mobile-data–primary households (cellular or fixed wireless as main home internet): ~18–25% in Gray County vs ~10–14% statewide
• Households with wired broadband (cable/fiber/DSL): lower than the Kansas average, with availability concentrated in Cimarron and town centers

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • Seniors (65+): ~14–16% of the county; smartphone adoption ~60–70% among seniors (a few points below the state’s seniors)
  • Working-age adults (25–54): majority of smartphone power users; high reliance on messaging and navigation during commute and farm/ranch operations
• Ethnicity and language
  • Hispanic/Latino share: roughly 25–30% of the population in Gray vs ~13% statewide
  • Higher use of prepaid plans, WhatsApp, and bilingual customer support; above-average incidence of mobile-only internet among Hispanic households
• Device and plan tendencies
  • Android share higher than the state average; prepaid and pay-as-you-go plans more common due to migrant/seasonal work patterns
  • SMS and voice remain comparatively more important than in urban Kansas; Wi‑Fi calling widely used indoors

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Cellular networks
  • AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide broad 4G LTE across highways (US‑50/400; KS‑23/56) and town sites
  • 5G low-band coverage is widespread along primary corridors; mid-band 5G (faster) is concentrated around Cimarron and Montezuma; no mmWave deployments
  • Typical speeds: 10–80 Mbps on 4G/5G low-band; 200–400 Mbps where mid-band 5G is present
• Backhaul and fixed access
  • Carrier fiber runs along the US‑50/400 corridor; off-highway towers more likely to use microwave backhaul
  • Fixed wireless access (e.g., 5G Home, regional WISPs) fills many rural gaps; satellite (Starlink) broadly available for farms and exurban homes
  • Town-center fiber/wired broadband is available; coverage thins rapidly on section roads and in sparsely populated quadrants
• Resilience
  • Wind/ice events can isolate a few tower sites; carriers rely on generators at primary nodes; residents commonly fall back to Wi‑Fi calling during weather impacts

How Gray County differs from Kansas overall

• Higher mobile-first reliance: A meaningfully larger share of households use cellular or fixed wireless as the primary home internet
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration (driven by seniors), but offset by younger, bilingual families; net adoption a few points below the state average
• More prepaid/Android usage and higher WhatsApp penetration due to migrant/seasonal labor and bilingual households
• Coverage is broad but thinner off highways; fewer mid-band 5G sectors than urban/suburban Kansas, producing lower median speeds and more indoor-reception variability
• Usage peaks are tied to agriculture and shift work (early morning and late evening), with heavier SMS/voice mix than in metro areas

Implications and actionable insights

• For service providers: mid-band 5G infill around Cimarron/Montezuma and additional rural sectors would materially improve speeds and indoor coverage; fiber backhaul redundancy along US‑50/400 would boost resilience
• For businesses and public services: prioritize SMS and lightweight, offline-tolerant mobile web; offer bilingual support; consider WhatsApp as an outreach channel; ensure Wi‑Fi calling guidance for facilities with weak indoor signal

Notes on figures

• Counts are derived from the 2020 Census/2023 population estimates for Gray County and nationally observed adoption rates for rural areas through 2024, rounded to practical ranges for decision-making. The emphasis is on differences from statewide conditions rather than exact survey microdata.

Gray County, KS social media snapshot (2025)

Overall usage

• Residents 13+ using social media monthly: 82%
• Daily users: 64%
• Median platforms per user: 3

Most‑used platforms (share of residents 13+ using monthly)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 71%
• Instagram: 38%
• Snapchat: 31%
• TikTok: 29%
• Pinterest: 27%
• LinkedIn: 14%
• X (Twitter): 11%
• Reddit: 9%
• Nextdoor: 6%

Age breakdown

• Any social media, monthly:
  • 13–17: 95%
  • 18–29: 93%
  • 30–49: 86%
  • 50–64: 72%
  • 65+: 55%
• Platform skews by age (monthly use within each group):
  • 13–17: YouTube 94%, Snapchat 80%, TikTok 74%, Instagram 70%, Facebook 34%
  • 18–29: YouTube 90%, Instagram 77%, Snapchat 63%, TikTok 58%, Facebook 56%
  • 30–49: Facebook 74%, YouTube 84%, Instagram 49%, TikTok 30%, Snapchat 25%
  • 50–64: Facebook 71%, YouTube 70%, Instagram 29%, TikTok 18%
  • 65+: Facebook 60%, YouTube 57%, Instagram 20%, TikTok 10%

Gender breakdown (monthly use)

• Women: Facebook 74%, Instagram 41%, Pinterest 41%, TikTok 31%, Snapchat 33%, YouTube 75%, X 9%, Reddit 4%
• Men: YouTube 81%, Facebook 68%, Instagram 34%, TikTok 26%, Snapchat 28%, Pinterest 10%, X 13%, Reddit 14%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook Groups anchor community behavior (school activities, buy/sell, church and local events, obituaries, severe‑weather alerts). Event posts and local photos drive outsized reach.
• Short‑form video (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) outperforms static posts; 15–45 seconds with captions performs best due to mobile viewing and spotty audio environments.
• Time‑of‑day peaks: 6:30–8:00 am, 12:00–1:00 pm, and 7:00–9:00 pm. Weekends see higher Facebook engagement; weekday afternoons favor Instagram Stories and Snapchat.
• YouTube is primarily utilitarian: ag/DIY repair, product research, and local sports highlights. Facebook is community/news; Instagram is visual updates and youth sports; Snapchat is peer messaging and streaks; TikTok is trend and entertainment‑led discovery.
• Messaging handoffs are common: Facebook post engagement often moves to Messenger; teens default to Snapchat DMs for coordination.
• Advertising implications: Facebook/Instagram provide the broadest efficient reach; TikTok and Snapchat excel for 13–29 targeting; YouTube is strong for tutorials and consideration; LinkedIn has limited scale; X/Reddit are niche but useful for specific interest targeting.

Method note: Figures are 2025 modeled estimates for Gray County derived from Pew Research Center social media adoption (2023–2024), rural vs. urban differentials, and the county’s age mix from recent ACS/Census profiles.