Marshall County

Marshall County, Kansas – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• 10,038 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age structure (ACS 2019–2023, 5-year)

• Median age: ~45 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~23%

Sex (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~95%
• Black or African American alone: ~0–1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~92%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~4,300
• Persons per household (avg.): ~2.3
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~38%
• Married-couple households: ~51% of all households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76–78%

Insights

• Small, aging, and predominantly non-Hispanic White population.
• Household composition skews toward married-couple and owner-occupied homes, with relatively small household sizes typical of rural Kansas counties.

Marshall County, KS overview

• Scale and density: About 10,000 residents spread across roughly 900 sq mi (≈11 people/sq mi), centered on Marysville along the US‑36 corridor.
• Estimated email user count: 8,700 residents. Method: applying Kansas’ high household internet adoption (90%) and near‑universal email use among internet users (~95%) to the county’s population.
• Age distribution of email users (est.): 13–24: 14%; 25–44: 29%; 45–64: 31%; 65+: 26% (skews older than state average, reflecting local demographics).
• Gender split among users (est.): ~51% female, 49% male.
• Digital access and connectivity: Most in-town addresses (Marysville and nearby communities) have cable/fiber options; outlying farms and hamlets rely on fixed wireless and satellite. Household internet subscription rates are broadly in the 85–90% range typical of rural Kansas counties. Smartphone email access is dominant, with the majority of opens occurring on mobile. Roughly 15% of households are smartphone‑only for home internet, trending down as fiber and 5G fixed wireless expand.
• Trends and implications: Ongoing fiber builds and expanded fixed‑wireless coverage are lifting speeds and reliability. An older user mix favors clear, mobile‑optimized layouts, larger type, and morning send times; community, healthcare, agriculture, and local‑government content see above‑average engagement.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Marshall County, Kansas (distinct from statewide patterns)

Context snapshot

• Population base: 10,038 (2020 Census), with a noticeably older age profile than the Kansas average and a largely rural settlement pattern centered on Marysville and smaller towns (Blue Rapids, Frankfort, Waterville).
• Implication: The older age structure and rural geography temper smartphone adoption and 5G performance relative to statewide urban-weighted averages.

User estimates and adoption

• Unique mobile users (people with an active mobile phone): approximately 7,800–8,400 residents. This is derived by applying age-specific ownership rates from recent national surveys to the county’s older-skewing age structure and including teens; it yields a lower penetration than the Kansas average.
• Adult smartphone adoption: approximately 80–84% in Marshall County versus roughly 86–90% at the state level. The gap is driven by a larger share of residents 65+, among whom smartphone adoption is materially lower than younger cohorts.
• Non‑smartphone (basic/feature phone) reliance: meaningfully higher than the state average, concentrated among adults 65+. A noticeable minority of older residents still use voice/text-centric devices, which reduces overall app-centric usage compared to Kansas metros.
• Cellular-only internet households (mobile data as primary home internet): materially lower than Kansas’s statewide rate. County households are more likely than urban Kansans to use fixed wireless or DSL/fiber where available, while cellular-only remains a niche but important fallback in areas lacking wired service.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Older population share: higher than Kansas overall, pulling down smartphone and app adoption and increasing persistence of basic phones.
• Household dispersion: more scattered rural households and metal-roof construction increase indoor attenuation; Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters are used more often than in urban Kansas.
• Work profile: agricultural and trades sectors contribute to strong demand for voice reliability, push-to-talk, and wide‑area coverage over ultrafast 5G throughput.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network baseline: Countywide 4G LTE coverage from national carriers is the norm; 5G is present but largely low‑band (coverage-first) rather than mid‑band (capacity-first). Users can expect broad outdoor coverage with more indoor variability than in urban Kansas.
• 5G footprint differences vs state:
  • Low‑band 5G covers towns and highway corridors (notably US‑36 and US‑77) and serves as a coverage layer; mid‑band 5G (which drives higher speeds) is sparser than in Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka, and other metro counties.
  • Practical result: lower median 5G speeds and more frequent reversion to LTE compared to statewide medians.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile and Verizon FWA options are available in and around towns and selected rural addresses. FWA is a prominent alternative to legacy DSL and complements patchy wired upgrades, but availability is address‑specific and more constrained than in Kansas metros.
• Wired backbones and last‑mile: Fiber backbones follow highway and utility corridors; last‑mile fiber exists in town centers and selected rural pockets via regional providers/co‑ops. Outside these footprints, many households rely on fixed wireless or LTE/5G gateways.
• Resilience and emergency use: Voice and SMS reliability remains a key requirement; public‑safety and farm operations often depend on wide‑area coverage, making low‑band spectrum especially valuable. Users commonly adopt Wi‑Fi calling indoors to mitigate signal loss.

Usage behaviors and market nuances vs Kansas overall

• More coverage‑centric than speed‑centric: Residents prioritize signal reach and reliability over top‑end 5G speeds; this contrasts with the speed-focused experience in metro Kansas.
• Higher persistence of basic phones and mixed device stacks: A greater share of older adults keeps non‑smartphones, and multi‑line households (mixing smartphones with hotspots or LTE/5G gateways) are more common than in urban counties.
• App ecosystem usage: Lower uptake of bandwidth‑intensive or urban‑service apps (e.g., rideshare, on‑demand delivery) than statewide norms; higher reliance on messaging, weather, ag, and navigation apps.
• Indoor coverage workarounds: Wi‑Fi calling, femtocells, and signal boosters see higher usage rates than statewide, reflecting construction types and tower spacing.

Key takeaways

• Marshall County’s mobile landscape is defined by reliable LTE with selective low‑band 5G, older demographics that moderate smartphone adoption, and a pragmatic mix of FWA and wired options that differs from Kansas’s metro‑led, mid‑band 5G and fiber trends.
• Expect slightly lower smartphone penetration and median mobile speeds than Kansas averages, but broad outdoor coverage and strong voice/SMS reliability across populated corridors.

Marshall County, KS social media snapshot (2025)

Population baseline

• Total population: ~9,800 (2023 ACS estimate)
• Adults (18+): ~7,600
• Adult social-media users: ~80% of adults ≈ 6,100 users

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults; multi-platform use is common)

• YouTube: ~78%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Facebook Messenger: ~64%
• Instagram: ~35%
• Pinterest: ~31%
• TikTok: ~26%
• Snapchat: ~22%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~19%
• WhatsApp: ~15%
• Reddit: ~14%
• Nextdoor: ~8%

Age-group usage patterns (adoption and leading platforms)

• 18–29: 95% use social; YouTube (93%), Instagram (75%), Snapchat (68%), TikTok (66%), Facebook (55%)
• 30–49: 88% use; Facebook (78%), YouTube (86%), Instagram (48%), Pinterest (41%), TikTok (28%)
• 50–64: 73% use; Facebook (66%), YouTube (71%), Pinterest (32%), Instagram (24%), TikTok (13%)
• 65+: 54% use; Facebook (45%), YouTube (49%), Instagram (13%), Nextdoor (~9%)

Gender breakdown and skews (adult users)

• Overall user base: ~51% women, ~49% men (mirrors county demographics)
• Skews by platform:
  • More women: Pinterest (70% female), Facebook (56% female), Instagram (54% female), TikTok/Snapchat (55% female)
  • More men: YouTube (55% male), Reddit (65–70% male), X/Twitter (55–60% male), LinkedIn (53% male)
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger widely used across genders; WhatsApp niche, often for family/agribusiness ties

Behavioral trends and practical insights

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of Groups (schools, sports, county events, buy/sell, churches) and Marketplace for local commerce
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for ag/DIY, equipment repair, hunting/outdoors, and “how-to” content; short-form (Reels/TikTok) growing among under-35s
• Event- and weather-driven spikes: Severe weather, school sports, fairs, and city/county updates drive the highest reach and sharing
• Local trust dynamics: Posts from known people/organizations outperform brand pages; authenticity and local faces materially lift engagement
• Messaging over links: “Message us” CTAs (Messenger) outperform outbound links for local businesses; phone-call CTAs still effective for services
• Platform depth: Average adult uses ~3 platforms; Facebook+YouTube is the most common pairing; Instagram is the third leg for 18–39
• Advertising notes: Tight geofencing (15–25 miles), interest layering (ag, outdoor, home, family), and evening/daybreak delivery produce the best CPM/CPA locally
• Youth patterns: Teens center on YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat for entertainment and peer messaging; Facebook use is mostly for teams/groups/parents
• Times and devices: Mobile-first (>85% of social consumption); engagement peaks evenings (7–9 pm) and early mornings (6–8 am), with strong Saturday late-morning activity

Method and sources

• Figures are county-level estimates derived from Marshall County demographics (U.S. Census/ACS 2023) combined with Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. social platform adoption, with rural adjustments typical for Kansas counties. Percentages reflect share of all adults unless noted.