Kingman County

Kingman County, Kansas — key demographics

Population size

• 7,470 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023; mutually exclusive where noted)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~90%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): <1%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): <1%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): <1%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~3,100
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~65% of households
• Married-couple families: ~54% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–30%
• Nonfamily households: ~35%
• Living alone: ~31% (about 13% age 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78%

Insights

• Small, declining rural population with an older age profile (about one in five residents 65+).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a modest Hispanic/Latino presence.
• High homeownership and smaller household sizes consistent with rural Kansas.

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

Kingman County, KS overview

• Population/density: 7,470 residents (2020 Census) over 864 sq mi of land ≈ 8.6 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: 5,800–6,200 residents (≈78–83% of the population).

Age distribution of email users (estimate)

• Under 18: ~5%
• 18–34: ~20%
• 35–54: ~34%
• 55–64: ~17%
• 65+: ~24%

Gender split among adult email users

• ≈50% female / 50% male, reflecting near‑parity adoption by gender.

Digital access and trends

• About 80% of households subscribe to broadband; roughly 10–15% have no home internet, with a meaningful mobile‑only segment.
• Email adoption is effectively universal among working‑age adults and students; usage among seniors is lower but rising.
• Connectivity is strongest in and around the City of Kingman and along major highways; service becomes patchier in outlying rural areas due to very low population density, influencing last‑mile economics and speeds.
• Overall trend: gradual gains in broadband subscriptions and reliability, with fiber and fixed‑wireless improvements reducing gaps, but older and remote households remain at higher risk of limited digital access.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Kingman County, Kansas

Population context

• Population: 7,470 (2020 Census); ~7,100 (2023 Census estimate)
• Households: ~3,050–3,150 (implied by average household size ~2.3–2.4)

User estimates

• Mobile phone users (all handset types): ~6,200–6,600 residents use a mobile phone
• Smartphone users: ~5,200–5,600 residents
• Wireless-only home internet (households relying on a cellular data plan as their sole home internet): ~14–18% of households, higher than the statewide share
• Landline-only households are now rare; most voice connectivity is mobile-first

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–49: Near-saturation smartphone adoption (≈90–95%); heavy use of messaging, social apps, and maps
  • 50–64: High adoption (≈80–85%); growing use of telehealth and banking apps
  • 65+: Moderate adoption (≈60–70%), below the Kansas statewide rate for seniors; greater prevalence of basic or older smartphones and voice/SMS-centric use
• Income and plan type
  • Higher share of budget/prepaid and MVNO plans than urban Kansas, driven by price sensitivity and variable signal by carrier; multi-line family plans common to secure coverage across networks
• Work/industry patterns
  • Agriculture and energy sectors drive seasonal and daytime peaks in rural cells; field operations rely on hotspotting and SMS for dispatch where 5G mid-band is absent

Digital infrastructure points

• Carrier presence: AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14 for public safety), Verizon, T-Mobile; regional coverage via Nex-Tech Wireless in parts of central/western Kansas; MVNOs ride national networks
• 4G LTE: Countywide, road-centric coverage is strong on US-54/400 and state routes; LTE remains the fallback outside towns and along section roads
• 5G
  • Low-band 5G from at least one carrier covers most populated areas (Kingman, Cunningham, Norwich, and the US-54/400 corridor)
  • Mid-band 5G (higher capacity) is present in and near towns and along primary corridors but drops to LTE in outer townships; population coverage is notably lower than the statewide average
• Speeds and capacity (field-observed patterns consistent with rural Kansas)
  • Mid-band 5G areas: typical 150–400 Mbps down, strong for hotspotting and video
  • LTE-only areas: often 5–30 Mbps down, variable with congestion and terrain; upload speeds can constrain cloud apps and telehealth video in fringe areas
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backhaul concentrated along US-54/400 and into town centers; recent fiber builds by regional ISPs (for residential broadband) improve mobile backhaul stability and peak performance where carriers interconnect
• Coverage gaps and terrain
  • Lowest-lying areas near the Ninnescah River, tree lines, and some section-line roads experience signal fades and handoff drops; these gaps are more pronounced than the Kansas urban/suburban norm

Trends that differ from the Kansas statewide picture

• Higher reliance on mobile-only internet at home: a larger slice of households depend solely on cellular data due to legacy DSL/coax gaps outside town centers
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration among seniors and higher persistence of voice/SMS-first use in older age brackets
• More frequent fallback to LTE outside towns, resulting in larger urban–rural performance swings than the statewide average
• Greater cross-carrier diversity within families and small firms to hedge against localized dead zones; this is less common in metro counties
• Daytime, seasonal load variability tied to agriculture is more pronounced than in urban Kansas, impacting LTE cell-edge performance during harvest and planting

Actionable implications

• Public services and clinics should ensure low-bandwidth modes (audio-first telehealth, SMS reminders) to accommodate LTE-only and fringe users
• Businesses targeting the county should optimize apps for variable uplink and support SMS-based authentication and notifications
• Network investments with the highest impact: additional mid-band 5G sectors and infill along county roads and river-adjacent areas; continued fiber backhaul expansion to rural towers to stabilize peak performance

Note on methodology

• User counts are derived by applying current national/rural adoption rates to the county’s population and age structure and then benchmarking against Kansas statewide patterns; infrastructure notes reflect carrier footprints and observed deployment patterns typical of rural south-central Kansas.

Social media usage in Kingman County, Kansas (2025 snapshot)

How many users

• Total population baseline: 7,470 (2020 Census). Modeled 13+ population ≈ 6,300–6,500.
• Social media users (13+): ≈ 5,100 (about 80–82% of residents age 13+), reflecting rural-U.S. adoption levels.

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+, modeled local estimates)

• YouTube: 78–82% (most universal, especially for how-to, ag/DIY, local sports highlights)
• Facebook: 62–68% (dominant local network; heavy group and Marketplace usage)
• Instagram: 38–44% (younger adults, local businesses, events)
• TikTok: 27–33% (teens/20s; short local videos, farm/ranch, sports)
• Snapchat: 22–27% (teens/20s messaging and Stories)
• Pinterest: 25–30% (strong among women; recipes, crafts, home/farm projects)
• LinkedIn: 14–18% (smaller professional cohort)
• X/Twitter: 13–18% (news, sports, weather watchers)
• Reddit: 12–16% (niche interests, tech/outdoors)
• WhatsApp: 15–20% (family/multigenerational chat; lower than national average)
• Nextdoor: 2–5% (low penetration; Facebook Groups fill this role)

Age group patterns (share using each platform within the bracket, modeled)

• Teens 13–17: ≥90% on at least one platform; YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~65–70%, Snapchat ~60–65%, Instagram ~60%, Facebook ~25–35%.
• Ages 18–29: ≥90% on at least one; YouTube ~90%+, Instagram ~70–75%, TikTok ~55–65%, Snapchat ~50–60%, Facebook ~55–65%.
• Ages 30–49: ~85–90% on at least one; Facebook ~70–75%, YouTube ~80–85%, Instagram ~45–50%, TikTok ~30–40%, Pinterest ~35–40%.
• Ages 50–64: ~75–80% on at least one; Facebook ~70–75%, YouTube ~70–80%, Instagram ~25–35%, TikTok ~15–25%, Pinterest ~25–35%.
• Ages 65+: ~60–65% on at least one; Facebook ~60–70%, YouTube ~55–65%, Instagram ~12–20%, TikTok ~8–12%.

Gender breakdown (platform reach within gender, modeled)

• Women: Facebook ~70–75%, Instagram ~45–50%, Pinterest ~40–50%, TikTok ~30–35%, YouTube ~75–80%.
• Men: YouTube ~80–85%, Facebook ~55–60%, Instagram ~35–40%, TikTok ~25–30%, Reddit ~18–22%, X ~16–20%.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Kansas counties and reflected locally

• Facebook Groups are the hub: county/city government, school activities, buy-sell-trade, sports, church and community events; Marketplace is a key channel for farm/ranch equipment and local goods.
• Local information first: severe weather, road closures, school announcements, obituaries, and local sports drive spikes in engagement; storm season increases real-time usage on Facebook, YouTube, and X.
• Video is ascendant: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) for events, sports clips, fair/4-H content, equipment demos; longer how-to and ag/DIY on YouTube.
• Messaging dominates coordination: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat for day-to-day coordination; WhatsApp used within some families and church groups.
• Posting windows: highest engagement typically 7–8 a.m., lunch hour, and 7–9 p.m.; during planting/harvest, late-evening peaks increase.
• Trust is local: posts from known residents, schools, churches, and local businesses outperform generic content; user comments and shares in Groups are primary discovery mechanisms.
• Platform roles: Facebook for community + commerce; YouTube for learning/entertainment; Instagram for visuals from local businesses and youth; TikTok/Snapchat for youth culture and local moments; X for weather/news followers; Pinterest for home, recipes, crafts.

Notes on method and certainty

• Figures are modeled local estimates using 2020 Census population for Kingman County and 2023–2025 adoption rates from Pew Research Center (with rural adjustments) applied to county age/gender structure typical of rural Kansas. Multi-platform use is common; percentages do not sum to 100%. These provide defensible, decision-ready approximations in the absence of county-specific survey data.