Logan County

Logan County, Kansas — Key Demographics

Population size

• 2,762 (2020 Decennial Census)
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Age

• Median age: 43.8 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 23–24%
• 65 and over: ~21–22%
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2018–2022)

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~89%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1.2%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Some other race: ~2.5%
• Two or more races: ~6.5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~10%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~85%
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2018–2022)

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~1,160–1,175
• Persons per household: ~2.30
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple families: ~57%
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Living alone households: ~30% (about 14% 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72%
• Average family size: ~2.9
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2018–2022)

Insights

• Very small, rural county with an older-than-national age profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a modest Hispanic/Latino population.
• High homeownership and smaller household sizes typical of rural Great Plains counties.

Logan County, Kansas (2020 Census population 2,556; ~2.4 people per sq mi over ~1,073 sq mi)

Estimated email users: ~2,000 residents

• Basis: ~92% of U.S. adults use email (Pew); rural age mix ≈ 78–80% adults; high teen uptake.

Age distribution of email users (estimated share of users):

• 13–24: ~16%
• 25–44: ~28%
• 45–64: ~32%
• 65+: ~24% Use is near-universal under 65 and high (≈85–90%) among 65+.

Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male; email adoption shows negligible gender gap.

Digital access and trends:

• Connectivity clusters around Oakley (I‑70/US‑83 corridor) with stronger 4G/5G and wired options; coverage becomes sparse in outlying ranchland.
• Household internet subscription rates in rural Kansas are typically mid‑70s to low‑80s percent; Logan County aligns with this range, with more smartphone‑only access outside town centers.
• Mix of technologies: fiber/cable or DSL in town, fixed wireless and satellite in dispersed areas. Ongoing state/federal programs (e.g., BEAD) are pushing new fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts, narrowing gaps.

Key insight: Low population density and long last‑mile distances drive reliance on wireless and satellite outside Oakley, but core‑corridor upgrades support broad, daily email use for roughly four out of five residents.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Logan County, Kansas

Headline user estimates (population base: 2,556; 2020 Census)

• Adult mobile phone users (18+): ≈1,815 (about 93–94% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users (18+): ≈1,550 (about 80% of adults)
• Total smartphone users including teens (13–17): ≈1,700
• Total mobile phone users of any type (all ages): ≈2,175 (about 85% of residents)

How these estimates were derived

• Demographics for Logan County skew older than Kansas overall. Using the county’s age structure (approx. 24% under 18, 54% ages 18–64, 22% 65+) and nationally observed rural ownership rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024): mobile ownership ~98% for 18–49, ~95% for 50–64, ~85% for 65+, smartphone ownership ~94% for 18–49, ~80% for 50–64, ~58–60% for 65+. Teen smartphone adoption is ~90% for 13–17. Applying these to Logan County’s population yields the counts above.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Seniors (65+): About 560 residents; ≈480 use a mobile phone; ≈325 use smartphones. Flip/basic phones remain common among seniors, which depresses countywide smartphone penetration.
• Working-age adults (18–64): ≈1,950 residents; ≈1,335–1,350 are smartphone users. Near-ubiquitous mobile access in 18–49, with a noticeable dip beginning in the 50–64 band.
• Teens (13–17): ≈170 residents; ≈150+ use smartphones. Most are on family plans with the national carriers or regional providers.
• Income and plan mix: Median household incomes in Logan County trail the state, which corresponds to higher use of prepaid and value MVNO plans and slower device upgrade cycles than in metro Kansas.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: Verizon, AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), T‑Mobile, and regional carrier Nex‑Tech Wireless all serve the area; MVNOs ride on these networks.
• 5G footprint: Low‑band/Sub‑6 5G is concentrated along the I‑70 corridor (Oakley and highway-adjacent sites). Outside that corridor, service often falls back to 4G LTE on low bands (e.g., 700/850/600 MHz). There is no practical mmWave presence.
• Backhaul and fiber: The I‑70 transport corridor provides fiber backhaul (multiple long‑haul providers traverse the route), so sites near interchanges and in Oakley tend to be more capacity-rich than sites deep in rangeland.
• Terrain effects: Coverage attenuates in the Smoky Hill River breaks and low-lying areas away from towers. Farmsteads and metal buildings frequently rely on vehicle or in‑home signal boosters for reliable voice/data.
• Public safety: FirstNet Band 14 is available on select AT&T sites, improving responder coverage on primary corridors.
• Seasonal and transient load: Traffic on I‑70 and seasonal agriculture can create short, localized congestion spikes at highway-adjacent sectors, while overall demand remains low to moderate compared with urban Kansas.

How Logan County differs from Kansas statewide

• Lower smartphone penetration: Adult smartphone ownership in Logan County is roughly 80%, several points below the statewide rate, which is in the mid‑80s due to Kansas’ urban/suburban weighting.
• More basic/flip phones: A higher senior share sustains a visibly larger base of non‑smartphone devices than the state average.
• 5G availability is corridor‑centric: 5G access is largely confined to I‑70 and Oakley, whereas metro Kansas sees broad 5G, mid‑band capacity layers, and faster median speeds.
• Higher use of boosters and external antennas: Rural building stock and tower spacing drive above‑average reliance on signal‑enhancement gear compared with the state overall.
• Carrier mix: Verizon and the regional Nex‑Tech Wireless tend to have a stronger share than in urban counties; T‑Mobile coverage has improved on low band but still lags in depth away from highways compared with its urban Kansas footprint.
• Wireless‑only households: Kansas overall is in the low‑to‑mid 70% range for adults living in wireless‑only households; Logan County likely sits several points lower (mid‑to‑upper 60s) because of its older age profile and landline retention.
• IoT and machine connectivity: Cellular modems on farm equipment, bins, pumps, and ranch operations push connections per capita upward relative to the county’s population, a pattern less pronounced in metro areas.

Practical implications

• Capacity and speed expectations should be set by location: highway towns will generally deliver better 5G/LTE performance than outlying sections of the county.
• Device selection matters more: low‑band capable phones with good RF performance (and support for Bands 12/13/14/71) and availability of boosters meaningfully improve reliability compared with the typical needs in urban Kansas.
• Program changes amplify the rural gap: The wind‑down of federal affordability support in 2024 has an outsized effect locally, likely nudging more users toward prepaid/value plans and slowing 5G device uptake relative to the state.

Logan County, KS — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Method note: County-level social media figures are not directly published. The statistics below are modeled from Logan County’s latest Census/ACS age structure and 2023–2024 Pew Research platform adoption by age with rural adjustments. Totals are rounded; percentages refer to residents age 13+ unless noted.

Population baseline

• Total residents: ~2,700
• Residents age 13+: ~2,300

Overall usage

• Social media users (13+): ~1,650 (≈72% penetration)

Age mix of users (share of the 1,650 users)

• 13–17: 9% (~150 users)
• 18–29: 16% (~260)
• 30–49: 32% (~530)
• 50–64: 24% (~400)
• 65+: 19% (~310)

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: 52% (~860)
• Male: 48% (~790)

Most-used platforms (share of local social-media users using monthly)

• YouTube: 81% (~1,340)
• Facebook: 72% (~1,190)
• Instagram: 36% (~590)
• Pinterest: 33% (~550)
• TikTok: 31% (~510)
• Snapchat: 26% (~430)
• X (Twitter): 14% (~230)
• LinkedIn: 9% (~150)
• Reddit: 7% (~120)
• Nextdoor: 4% (~65)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as community hub: Highest daily reach across adults, strong use of local groups (school activities, buy/sell, events), and Messenger for coordination.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the widest-reaching channel; how‑to, weather, ag/equipment, and local sports content perform best; short-form video (Reels/Shorts) drives discovery among under‑40.
• Youth split: Teens favor Snapchat for messaging; Instagram and TikTok for creation and local sports/rodeo/hunting content; TikTok growth centered in 13–29.
• Women 25–54 lean Pinterest and Facebook for recipes, home/crafts, and local commerce; men overindex on YouTube (how‑to, machinery, outdoor).
• Older adults (65+) are primarily on Facebook and YouTube; they engage with community news, church/school updates, health, and safety/weather alerts.
• Engagement rhythm: Checks cluster around early morning (weather/roads), midday, and evenings; event-driven spikes around games, fairs, and harvest-season updates.
• Discovery and trust: Content featuring recognizable local people/places outperforms generic creative; posts from schools, local government, extension offices, and churches carry high credibility.
• Advertising implications: To reach most adults, combine Facebook + YouTube; add Instagram/TikTok for under‑40, Pinterest for women 25–54. Use short video, local faces, clear event or service CTAs, and geotargeted radius buys around Oakley and nearby towns.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2023 county estimates (population and age structure)
• American Community Survey 2018–2022 (rural age/household profiles)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023–2024 (platform adoption by age and community type)
• Platform public documentation on U.S. usage patterns (Meta, Google/YouTube, Snap) adjusted for rural demographics