Mitchell County

Mitchell County, Kansas — key demographics

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

Population size

• Total population: 5,796 (2020 Census)
• Trend: down from 6,373 in 2010 (−9.1%)

Age

• Median age: ~45 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~53%
• 65 and over: ~25%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• White alone: ~95%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.7%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4–5%
• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~91–92%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~2,350–2,400
• Average household size: ~2.25–2.30
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple households: ~50%
• Nonfamily households: ~40%; living alone (householder): ~33%; 65+ living alone: ~15%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~76–77%
• Total housing units: ~2,900

Insights

• Older age profile: about one-quarter of residents are 65+, above state and national shares.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with a small but present Hispanic community.
• Small household sizes and high owner-occupancy typical of rural Great Plains counties.

• Population and density: Mitchell County, KS has about 5,800 residents and roughly 8 people per square mile, indicating very low population density.
• Estimated email users: ~4,500 residents use email regularly (≈75–80% of the population), based on rural internet adoption and near‑universal email use among connected adults.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • Under 18: ~20% (school-driven accounts and parent-managed access)
  • 18–34: ~18%
  • 35–64: ~44%
  • 65+: ~18%
• Gender split among email users: approximately even (≈50% female, 50% male), mirroring the county’s population balance.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Around 4 in 5 households maintain a home internet subscription; smartphone‑only access accounts for roughly 10–15%.
  • Fiber and cable are concentrated in and around Beloit; fixed wireless and DSL serve outlying areas, with ongoing fiber buildouts improving speeds and reliability since 2021.
  • Public access points (library, schools, and government facilities) supplement connectivity for residents without home broadband.
• Insights:
  • Email penetration is strongest among working‑age adults; seniors’ usage is rising as fiber and telehealth expand.
  • Low density increases reliance on fixed wireless, but continued fiber expansion is narrowing the rural connectivity gap, supporting steady growth in email engagement.

Mobile phone usage in Mitchell County, Kansas — 2024 snapshot (with county estimates and how it differs from statewide)

Headline user estimates (built from decennial Census counts, state/rural adoption benchmarks, and ACS/CDC/Pew trends)

• Population anchor: 5,796 (2020 Census). Adults (18+): ≈4,580.
• Adults with any mobile phone: ≈4,300 (≈94% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈3,700 (≈80% of adults).
• Households: ≈2,520 (implied by population and rural household size). Wireless‑only (no landline) households: ≈1,450 (≈58%).
• Households relying on a mobile data plan as primary home internet: ≈350 (≈14%).

How Mitchell County differs from Kansas overall

• Smartphone adoption is lower: county ≈80% of adults vs Kansas ≈86–88%. The gap is driven by an older age profile and more residents in very low‑density areas.
• Wireless‑only households are less common: county ≈58% vs Kansas ≈66–70%. Seniors’ higher landline retention keeps the county rate below the state average.
• Mobile data as “home internet” is more common: county ≈14% vs Kansas ≈9–10%, reflecting fewer wireline options outside town limits and stronger uptake of mobile/fixed wireless.
• Device replacement cycles are slower: median device age skews older than state averages, especially among 55+ and fixed‑income households.
• MVNO and prepaid share is higher than the state average (price sensitivity and credit mix), though postpaid still dominates among family plans.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age 18–34: ≈98% smartphone penetration; heavy app‑centric use, near‑universal messaging/video.
• Age 35–64: ≈90% smartphone penetration; strongest share of multi‑line family plans and bundled device financing.
• Age 65+: ≈65–70% smartphone penetration; above‑average persistence of basic phones and limited‑data plans; steady year‑over‑year gains but still below state peers.
• Income/education: lower‑income and non‑degree households show higher prepaid and MVNO usage, smaller data buckets, and longer device replacement cycles than state averages.

Digital infrastructure points (what the local network looks like)

• Carriers: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all operate in the county. Low‑band 5G covers population centers and primary corridors; mid‑band 5G capacity is concentrated in and around Beloit and along US‑24. mmWave is not a factor.
• Coverage pattern: Strong in Beloit, Glen Elder, Cawker City, and along US‑24/K‑14; weaker in some low‑lying farmland, sparsely populated sections between towns, and around parts of Waconda Lake’s shoreline where terrain and distance from macro sites reduce signal.
• Capacity/throughput: Everyday 5G/LTE speeds in town are typically adequate for video and hotspotting; sector saturation can appear during lake weekends, fairs, and school events when many users cluster on a few sectors.
• Backhaul and alternatives: Wireline choices thin out quickly beyond town grids, so mobile hotspotting and carrier fixed‑wireless (LTE/5G home internet) are meaningful substitutes for DSL/cable gaps.
• Emergency/service resiliency: Macro sites cover the highways and towns; power/transport outages can still constrain capacity in remote parts until portable generation or microwave reroutes come online.

Key implications and trends to watch

• The adoption gap vs statewide averages is narrowing each year, mostly from gains among 65+ residents and expanding mid‑band 5G in town centers.
• Mobile networks carry a larger share of home‑style usage than in most Kansas counties, so evening congestion management and capacity upgrades matter more locally.
• Ag, small‑business, and public‑sector lines (IoT/telemetry, point‑of‑sale, vehicle trackers) are a small but growing slice of active SIMs, even as human‑user growth is flat with population.

Sources and methodology notes

• Baselines: 2020 Census county population; county household count inferred from rural Kansas household sizes; statewide wireless‑only rates from CDC NHIS; device ownership and age‑cohort patterns from Pew Research; home internet reliance patterns from ACS S2801 “Computer and Internet Use”; 4G/5G availability from carrier/FCC public coverage data. County figures are quantified estimates aligned to those official datasets and adjusted for the county’s older age structure and rural settlement pattern.

Mitchell County, Kansas — social media snapshot (2025)

Population base

• Total population: ≈5,650
• 13+ population: ≈4,740

Overall social media penetration (13+)

• Users: ≈3,480 (≈73% of 13+)

Age profile of users (share of total population → users and penetration)

• 13–17: ~6% (≈340 people) → ≈320 users (≈95% use social)
• 18–29: ~12% (≈680) → ≈610 users (≈90%)
• 30–49: ~24% (≈1,360) → ≈1,115 users (≈82%)
• 50–64: ~15% (≈850) → ≈595 users (≈70%)
• 65+: ~27% (≈1,530) → ≈840 users (≈55%)

Gender breakdown (social media users)

• Female: ≈53%
• Male: ≈47%

Most‑used platforms in the county (percent of 13+ using each; rounded)

• YouTube: ≈75%
• Facebook: ≈60%
• TikTok: ≈32%
• Instagram: ≈30%
• Pinterest: ≈30% (skews female 25–54)
• Snapchat: ≈28% (concentrated among teens/20s)
• X (Twitter): ≈13%
• LinkedIn: ≈11%
• Reddit: ≈11%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first content: Facebook Groups, school sports, church and civic updates, local event posts, lost-and-found, and weather/emergency info drive the highest sharing and comments.
• Marketplace utility: Facebook Marketplace usage is high for farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, furniture, and seasonal items.
• Video dominates discovery: YouTube for how‑to, ag/DIY, small-engine repair, hunting/fishing, and local sports highlights; short vertical video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) performs best under 60 seconds.
• Time-of-day patterns: Peaks 7–9 a.m., lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and 7–10 p.m.; weekend mornings outperform weekday mornings for event posts.
• Mobile-first usage: Most consumption on smartphones; concise captions, large text in videos, and vertical formats increase completion rates.
• Age-driven platform split: Under 30s cluster on TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram; 30–54 straddle Facebook + Instagram and YouTube; 55+ concentrate on Facebook and YouTube.
• Content that works locally: Photos of recognizable people/places, school achievements, livestock and harvest visuals, road/weather advisories, and clear calls to action for fundraisers or local events.
• Ad performance notes: Facebook/Instagram deliver the most efficient local reach; interest targeting with radius-based geos plus lookalikes of engagers typically outperforms broad demographic targeting; video + event reminder ads lift attendance.

Method notes

• Figures are 2025 estimates derived from Pew Research platform adoption (with rural adjustments) applied to Mitchell County’s age structure and recent Census/ACS population totals; rounded to emphasize magnitude.