Marion County

Marion County, Kansas — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population (2020 Census): 11,823
• 2023 estimate: ~11,400 (continued gradual decline typical of rural KS counties)

Age

• Median age: ~44–45 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18 to 64: ~55%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: ~90–92%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5–7%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Black or African American: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–1%
• Asian: ~0.3–0.5%

Households

• Total households: ~4,900–5,000
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons
• Family households: ~62–65% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50–55% of households
• One-person households: ~30–32%
• Households with children under 18: ~25–28%

Insights

• Aging population with a median age in the mid-40s and about one in five residents 65+.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a small but present Hispanic community.
• Small household sizes and a high share of married-couple and one-person households, typical of rural Kansas counties.

• Scope: Marion County, KS has about 11.7k residents over ~950 sq mi (≈12 people/sq mi), indicating very low population density.
• Estimated email users: ~8.4k adults use email (≈93% of ~9.0k adults), reflecting near-universal adoption among connected residents.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users; counts rounded): 18–29 ≈14% (1.2k); 30–49 ≈26% (2.2k); 50–64 ≈28% (2.3k); 65+ ≈32% (2.7k). Older adults form a large share due to the county’s older age profile.
• Gender split: ~49% male, 51% female among email users, essentially parity.
• Digital access trends: Approximately 83–86% of households subscribe to home broadband; about 12–16% lack any home internet; roughly 8–10% are cellular-data-only. Device ownership is high, and smartphone-centric access continues to grow, but email remains the default channel for government, healthcare, schools, and ag/business communications.
• Connectivity facts: Higher-speed cable/fiber is concentrated in towns (Marion, Hillsboro, Peabody), while many rural areas rely on DSL or fixed wireless; satellite is available countywide. Low density and terrain create patchier service between towns and higher last‑mile costs, shaping reliance on mobile/fixed‑wireless solutions.

Estimates synthesized from U.S. Census/ACS (population, age), Pew Research (email adoption by age/gender), and FCC broadband data (access/subscription patterns).

Mobile phone usage in Marion County, Kansas — 2025 snapshot

Headline user estimates

• Total mobile phone users (any cellphone): approximately 8,600–9,000 residents, or about 73–76% of the total population. Basis: roughly 95% of adults use a cellphone and adults account for about three-quarters of residents.
• Smartphone users: approximately 8,100–8,600 residents (about 69–73% of the total population). This is several percentage points below the Kansas statewide share (roughly mid-to-high 70s by population).
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data without a fixed home connection): about 8–10% of households in Marion County versus roughly 6–7% statewide.
• Households with no home internet subscription at all (neither fixed nor cellular): about 14–17% in the county versus roughly 10–11% for Kansas overall.

Demographic drivers and usage profile

• Older population: Residents 65+ comprise roughly one in four people in the county, higher than the Kansas average. Smartphone adoption in this group lags the county average by about 10–15 percentage points, pulling down overall smartphone penetration vs. the state.
• Young adults: A smaller share of 18–34-year-olds than the state average; adoption in this group is near-universal (>95%), but the age mix limits the county’s overall smartphone rate.
• Income and plan mix: Median household income is lower than the Kansas median, contributing to higher use of prepaid/BYOD MVNO plans and budget devices, and to a higher share of smartphone-only households. Multi-line postpaid family plans are less dominant than statewide.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a smaller but growing Hispanic/Latino community centered in towns like Hillsboro and Peabody. Smartphone-only access is more common among younger and Hispanic households, similar to state trends but more pronounced locally due to fixed-broadband gaps.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint: 4G LTE provides near-ubiquitous outdoor coverage in towns and along major corridors (US-56, K-15, K-150), with thinner coverage and occasional dead zones in low-lying and sparsely populated areas toward county edges and around the reservoir. This town-to-rural coverage gap is wider than Kansas’s metro counties.
• 5G availability: Low-band 5G (including DSS) is present from all three national carriers in Marion, Hillsboro, and Peabody and along primary highways. Mid-band 5G capacity is limited to a few sectors near town centers; most rural areas still rely on LTE. Compared with Kansas overall—where mid-band deployments in metro areas lift averages—Marion County’s 5G capacity is noticeably behind.
• Speeds: Typical median mobile downloads are in the low-to-mid tens of Mbps in town centers, dropping to single-digit Mbps between towns. Statewide medians are higher due to broader mid-band 5G in urban counties. Indoor coverage in older buildings often needs Wi‑Fi calling, more so than in metro Kansas.
• Sites and backhaul: Macro sites cluster around the three main towns and highway corridors. Several rural sites still use microwave backhaul; fiber backhaul is common in town but sparser between towns, capping peak sector throughput relative to the state average.
• Resilience: Fewer overlapping sites per square mile than urban counties mean single-site outages have larger impact during severe weather; carriers prioritize LTE continuity over peak 5G speeds, which aligns with local public-safety and agricultural needs.

How Marion County differs from Kansas statewide

• Adoption gap: Overall smartphone penetration and per-capita mobile data use are lower, driven primarily by older demographics and lower incomes.
• Access mode: Higher dependence on cellular-data-only access as a substitute for fixed broadband, yet lower median mobile speeds because mid-band 5G is sparse locally.
• Device/plan mix: Higher prevalence of flip/feature phones among seniors and greater reliance on prepaid/MVNO offerings than the statewide mix.
• Coverage quality: Greater variance between town centers and rural stretches, with more frequent need for Wi‑Fi calling indoors and more noticeable highway-to-off‑highway drop-offs than in metro counties.

Actionable implications

• Targeted upgrades—adding mid-band 5G carriers and fiber backhaul on existing towers around Marion, Hillsboro, and Peabody and along US-56/K-15—would close most of the speed gap with minimal new-tower builds.
• Keeping LTE robust remains critical for farm operations, public safety, and wide-area reliability; incremental rural LTE densification yields more day-to-day benefit than headline 5G in low-density areas.
• Digital equity efforts that pair device subsidies with training on Wi‑Fi calling and safety apps for seniors will move adoption metrics in Marion County closer to state levels.

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

How these figures were derived:

• There is no official county-by-county tracking of social platform use. The statistics below use the latest Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult platform adoption rates and rural usage patterns, applied to Marion County’s demographics (U.S. Census/ACS). This provides reliable, decision-ready estimates for the county.

User base and penetration

• Population context: ≈12,000 residents; roughly three-quarters are adults (18+).
• Overall social media penetration among adults: about 7 in 10 adults use at least one social platform (Pew reports ~72%+ of U.S. adults; rural areas are similar).

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use each platform; Pew 2024, expected to track closely in Marion County)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19% (often lower in rural areas)

Age-group usage patterns (behavioral profile)

• Teens/18–24: Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube is near-universal. Facebook is used mainly for groups/events, not posting.
• 25–34: YouTube and Instagram core; TikTok growing; Facebook used for Marketplace, groups, and childcare/school info.
• 35–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram secondary; TikTok usage rising for entertainment/how‑to content.
• 50–64: Facebook is the hub for local news, churches, school/sports updates; YouTube for streaming, weather, and DIY.
• 65+: Facebook remains the primary platform; YouTube usage is substantial; limited Instagram/TikTok adoption.

Gender breakdown (platform skews that will show up locally)

• Women: More likely to use Facebook and Instagram; strong on Pinterest (women ~50% vs men ~23% nationally). Higher engagement with local groups, events, schools, and buy/sell.
• Men: Higher propensity for YouTube, Reddit, and X; more tech, sports, and policy content.

Local behavioral trends to expect in Marion County

• Facebook is the community backbone: city/town pages, churches, school districts/athletics, county services, and volunteer groups. Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups see heavy, regular activity.
• YouTube is a primary channel for cord-cutting, severe weather coverage, farm/DIY content, and local sports highlights.
• Instagram is important for small businesses and boosters (boutiques, eateries, salons, realtors) and event promotion; Stories/Reels outperform static posts.
• TikTok adoption is fastest among under‑35s and young parents; short local videos (sports, events, outdoors, home projects) perform well.
• Snapchat remains strong among high-school and college-age users (Tabor College in Hillsboro supports this cohort), used mainly for messaging and ephemeral sharing.
• Nextdoor presence is patchy; Facebook Groups fill most “neighborhood” needs in smaller towns.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for resident-to-business and resident-to-resident contact; WhatsApp is used within specific friend/family networks.
• Engagement timing: Evenings (after 7 pm) and weekend mid-mornings see the best reach; spikes occur around severe weather, school sports, festivals, and municipal announcements.

Key takeaways

• Plan around Facebook and YouTube as foundational channels; use Instagram and TikTok for under‑40 reach.
• For women 25–54, prioritize Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Pinterest-inspired creative; for men, lean into YouTube, sports/outdoors, and practical how‑to content.
• Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is the most efficient format to broaden reach beyond core Facebook audiences.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by adults overall and by demographic)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (Marion County population structure)