Haskell County

Haskell County, Kansas — key demographics

Population

• Total: 3,780 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2010: −11% (2010: 4,256)

Age

• Median age: ~35 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~30%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~44%
• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~52%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%

Households and housing

• Households (occupied): ~1,320
• Average household size: ~2.8–2.9
• Family households: ~74%
• With children under 18: ~4 in 10 households
• Owner-occupied: ~70–72%; renter-occupied: ~28–30%
• Housing units: ~1,520; vacancy ~12–13%

Insights

• Small, rural county with a sizable Hispanic/Latino population approaching mid-40% of residents
• Younger-than-national age profile and larger-than-average household size
• Predominantly owner-occupied housing with modest vacancy

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates. Figures rounded for clarity.

• Population and density: Haskell County has 3,780 residents (2020 Census) over 578 sq mi—about 6.5 people per sq mi, indicating very low-density, rural connectivity conditions.
• Estimated email users: ≈2,520 adult users. Method: ~2,800 adults (≈74% of population) x ~90% email adoption among U.S. rural adults (Pew-style benchmarks).
• Age distribution of users (estimated):
  • 18–29: ~530 users (≈95% adoption)
  • 30–49: ~910 users (≈96%)
  • 50–64: ~670 users (≈92%)
  • 65+: ~480 users (≈85%)
• Gender split: Roughly even (≈50/50), consistent with the county’s near-balanced sex ratio; email adoption differences by gender are minimal nationally.
• Digital access trends (rural-county profile, ACS/FCC-informed):
  • Most households maintain an internet subscription, predominantly fixed broadband at home, with a smaller smartphone-only segment.
  • Adoption and speeds have risen steadily in recent years; gaps persist at farm and ranch addresses where fixed wireless or satellite are more common.
  • Mobile coverage supports everyday email access, but signal quality can vary outside Sublette and Satanta.
• Local connectivity facts: Population and service are concentrated in Sublette (county seat) and Satanta; sparse settlement between towns increases last-mile costs and contributes to uneven high-speed options, influencing heavier mobile and fixed-wireless email use in outlying areas.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Haskell County, Kansas

Headline estimates and how they differ from Kansas overall

• Population and user base: 3,780 residents (2020 Census), roughly 2,600 adults. Estimated 2,200–2,400 adult smartphone users (around 85–90% penetration), with total mobile users (including basic phones) likely 2,400–2,600. This is slightly below Kansas’ adult smartphone penetration, which is near the high-80s to low-90s, but Haskell County shows a higher share of mobile-only internet reliance than the state average.
• Household connectivity: Around 75–80% of households subscribe to the internet, versus mid-80s statewide. Cellular-only (no fixed broadband) households are notably higher in Haskell County (roughly one in five) than statewide (about one in eight to one in ten). This points to greater dependence on mobile data to meet home internet needs than the Kansas norm.

Demographic composition and usage patterns

• Age: Younger profile than the state average (median age low 30s vs Kansas ~37), contributing to strong smartphone usage and app-centric communication.
• Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino residents make up about 44% of the population, far above the Kansas average. This correlates with:
  • Higher smartphone-first behavior (messaging apps, social platforms, and mobile payments).
  • Greater use of prepaid and multi-line family plans.
  • Increased mobile-only home internet substitution in households where fixed broadband is costly or less available.
• Income and work patterns: Agriculture-dominant employment and seasonal labor increase the importance of reliable coverage along fields, feedlots, and highways, and drive demand for robust voice/text reliability and hotspot use for work and school.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and radio access: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all provide 4G LTE coverage across population centers (Sublette, Satanta) and primary corridors (notably US-83/US-160). 5G low-band coverage is present but is thinner outside towns; mid-band 5G capacity is far less prevalent than in metro Kansas. Millimeter-wave is effectively absent.
• Capacity and performance: LTE is the de facto baseline in most rural areas, with typical rural speeds adequate for messaging, basic video, and hotspotting; 5G provides step-ups in and near towns. Performance falls off more sharply with distance from highways and towns than is typical in suburban/urban Kansas.
• Tower density and backhaul: Fewer macro sites per square mile than state average, with coverage engineered for breadth rather than deep capacity. Fiber backhaul reaches the county via regional providers, but the density of fiber-fed small cells is minimal compared with metro counties, limiting 5G capacity growth.
• Reliability: Voice/SMS reliability is strong along primary routes and in towns. Coverage becomes spotty on section roads and remote agricultural tracts compared with statewide norms, driving continued use of external antennas/hotspots for farm and fleet operations.

Behavioral and market trends distinct from the state

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A larger share of households use a cellular data plan as their primary (or only) internet connection than the Kansas average, reflecting both affordability choices and infrastructure gaps.
• Prepaid and multi-line plans: Uptake is higher than statewide, aligning with younger and Hispanic households and seasonal work patterns.
• Hotspot usage: Above-average reliance on phone tethering and standalone hotspots to support homework, telehealth, precision agriculture, and small business tasks, particularly where fixed broadband options are limited or expensive.
• Language and app mix: Greater use of multilingual messaging and social apps for daily communication and work coordination than the state average.

What this means

• Mobile networks in Haskell County carry a larger share of “home internet” traffic than they do in much of Kansas, so improvements to mid-band 5G coverage and capacity would have outsized benefits for education, telehealth, and small businesses.
• Fixed broadband expansion remains important, but near-term gains for residents are most likely from additional rural macro sites, upgraded backhaul to existing towers, and targeted small cells in and around Sublette and Satanta.
• Programs that lower the effective cost of mobile data (e.g., subsidies or bundled plans) will likely have greater impact here than in higher-capacity metro counties because of the county’s higher mobile-only reliance.

Haskell County, KS social media snapshot (planning-grade, modeled from 2020 Census population and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 adoption rates, adjusted for rural Kansas age mix)

User stats

• Estimated social media users: ~2,100 residents (roughly 55% of total population, ~74% of adults)
• Multi-platform behavior: typical user engages on 2–3 platforms; video + messaging dominate time spent

Most-used platforms (share of local adults; users overlap across platforms)

• YouTube: ~78%
• Facebook: ~64% (plus Facebook Messenger ~60%)
• Instagram: ~34%
• TikTok: ~28%
• Pinterest: ~27%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~16%
• Reddit: ~13%
• WhatsApp: ~20% (notably higher among bilingual/Hispanic households)

Age mix of social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: ~9% (Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram heavy; messaging-first)
• 18–29: ~23% (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; strong Reels/Shorts use)
• 30–49: ~35% (Facebook + Messenger, YouTube; Instagram growing)
• 50–64: ~21% (Facebook, YouTube; some Pinterest)
• 65+: ~12% (Facebook and YouTube primary; limited TikTok/Instagram)

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Platform skews: Facebook and Pinterest skew female; YouTube and Reddit skew male; Instagram and TikTok slightly female-skew; Snapchat near-even with a slight female lean

Behavioral trends

• Community-centered usage: Facebook Groups and Marketplace are the local hubs for buy–sell–trade, school and church updates, county services, and events (fair, sports, weather closures)
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, ag equipment, storm tracking, and local sports; Reels/Shorts/TikTok for quick entertainment and local highlights
• Messaging drives action: Most outreach and conversions happen in Facebook Messenger; WhatsApp is common for family coordination in bilingual households
• Peak activity windows: early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch, and evening (8–10 p.m.); real-time spikes during severe weather and school sports
• Content that performs: local faces/stories, deals and classifieds, ag/weather updates, school sports clips, short vertical video, and Spanish–English bilingual posts
• Adoption nuances: Older adults are highly Facebook-dependent; younger users are story/DM-centric on Instagram/Snapchat with heavy short‑video viewing; TikTok adoption is rising among 18–34 but trails urban rates

Notes and sources

• Figures are modeled estimates for Haskell County using 2020 Census population baselines and Pew Research Center social media adoption rates (2023–2024), adjusted for rural Kansas age structure. Treat as planning-grade benchmarks.