Osage County

Osage County, Kansas — key demographics

Population size

• 15,766 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~43 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~92%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• Asian: <1%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~6,400–6,500
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~63%
• Married-couple families: ~52%
• Nonfamily households: ~37%
• Households with children under 18: ~28%

Insights

• Small, stable population with an older age profile than the U.S. overall
• Predominantly White, with modest Hispanic/Latino presence and small shares of other groups
• Household structure skews toward married-couple families, with relatively small household sizes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S0101, S1101)

Osage County, Kansas snapshot

• Population: ~15,700; density ~22 residents per sq. mile (rural).
• Estimated email users: ~11,300 adults (about 72% of total residents and ~90% of connected adults).
• Gender split among email users: ~50% female, ~50% male, mirroring the population.

Age distribution of email users (share of users)

• 18–34: ~29%
• 35–54: ~36%
• 55–64: ~16%
• 65+: ~19%

Digital access and connectivity

• Household broadband subscription: ~85% (computer/smartphone access is widespread).
• Smartphone‑only internet households: ~7%.
• Fixed broadband at 100/20 Mbps is concentrated in town centers (Osage City, Carbondale, Burlingame, Lyndon); rural tracts rely more on fixed wireless/legacy DSL, with satellite as fallback.
• Mobile coverage is strongest along the US‑75 corridor and population clusters; service thins in low‑lying and lake‑adjacent areas (Pomona and Melvern) due to terrain and sparsity.

Trends and insights

• Gradual expansion of fiber and fixed‑wireless is reducing offline and low‑speed pockets.
• Email remains a near‑universal digital touchpoint for working‑age residents; non‑use skews toward older and lower‑income households.
• Low population density increases last‑mile costs, reinforcing the town‑center vs. rural connectivity gap.

Mobile phone usage in Osage County, Kansas — summary with county-specific estimates, demographics, infrastructure, and how trends differ from statewide

Context

• Population and households: Osage County has roughly 15.5–16.0 thousand residents and about 6.1–6.5 thousand households. It is predominantly rural, with small towns (e.g., Osage City, Lyndon, Carbondale, Overbrook) and two major lakes (Pomona, Melvern).
• Method note: Figures below are best-available county-level estimates synthesized from recent federal datasets (Census/ACS Computer and Internet Use, FCC mobile coverage filings) and current carrier buildout patterns in eastern Kansas. They are presented as point ranges to reflect uncertainty inherent in county-level measurement.

User estimates (ownership, usage, and reliance)

• Adult smartphone users: Approximately 10.5–11.3 thousand adults use smartphones in Osage County, or about 84–90% of the adult population. This is modestly below the Kansas statewide rate (generally high-80s to low-90s).
• Mobile-only internet at home: About 14–20% of Osage County households rely primarily on a cellular data plan for home internet (smartphone hotspot or fixed wireless via LTE/5G), a higher share than the statewide average (roughly low-to-mid teens). The gap is most pronounced outside town centers and around lake-adjacent areas where fixed broadband options thin out.
• Wireless-only voice (no landline): About 70–78% of adults live in wireless-only households, broadly in line with or slightly above the Kansas average, reflecting long-running cord-cutting in rural and small-town households.
• Prepaid vs postpaid: Prepaid penetration is likely somewhat higher than the state average (roughly mid- to high-20% share of phone lines versus low-20s statewide), tracking with the county’s older housing stock, income mix, and a meaningful cohort of price-sensitive users.

Demographic breakdown and how it shapes usage

• Age: Osage County skews older than Kansas overall, with a larger 55+ and 65+ share. That dampens smartphone adoption at the top end (seniors remain the most likely to use basic phones or limited-data plans) and raises the share of voice-only or low-data users relative to the state. Younger and commuting adults (notably in the US‑75 corridor toward Topeka) show usage patterns closer to statewide norms.
• Income and education: Median household income and four-year degree attainment are somewhat below state averages. This correlates with:
  • More prepaid and budget MVNO usage.
  • A higher fraction of “mobile-first” households using smartphone data for general internet access.
  • Greater sensitivity to price and coverage consistency when choosing carriers.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s population is predominantly White, with smaller Hispanic/Latino and other minority shares than the state average. Device ownership gaps by race/ethnicity that appear at the state level are less pronounced locally simply because minority groups are a smaller share of the county population; age and rurality are the dominant differentiators in Osage.
• Rurality: A larger rural share than the statewide average raises dependence on macro cellular coverage and fixed wireless, and it increases the likelihood of location-based performance variability compared with metro counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage baseline:
  • 4G/LTE: Countywide population coverage by at least one nationwide carrier is effectively universal; signal consistency is strongest along US‑75 and in/around towns. Coverage can thin on low-lying roads, in wooded areas, and on the outer edges of agricultural zones.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G covers most populated areas; mid-band 5G (capacity layers like n41/n77) is concentrated in and near towns and along the main highway corridors. As a result, true 5G performance gains (not just 5G DSS/low-band) are more “patchwork” than in Kansas’ large metro counties.
• Speed and capacity:
  • In-town downlink speeds typically range ~50–200 Mbps when mid-band 5G is present, ~15–60 Mbps where service is LTE or low-band 5G only.
  • Rural fringes and lake perimeters more often see ~5–25 Mbps, with occasional drop-offs in pockets shielded by terrain/trees or far from towers.
• Tower and backhaul footprint:
  • Macro sites cluster along US‑75 and state routes (K‑31, K‑68) and near Osage City, Lyndon, Carbondale, and Overbrook. This pattern leaves larger “single‑carrier” zones between towns than is typical in metro counties, which can drive carrier-specific performance gaps.
  • Fiber backhaul to towers exists along primary corridors; elsewhere, microwave or longer fiber laterals are more common, which can cap peak throughput during busy hours compared with the state’s urban counties.
• Interaction with fixed broadband:
  • Fiber and cable are present in town cores but less common outside them; fixed wireless (LTE/5G) fills many gaps. That elevates mobile network load during evenings and school seasons, a dynamic that is weaker in cities with near-universal fiber/cable.
• Public-safety and resiliency:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) and other public-safety LTE overlays are deployed countywide as part of Kansas’ statewide build; coverage is strong along primary corridors, with rural infill continuing. Backup power at macro sites is standard along highways but spottier deeper in rural zones, which matters during severe-weather outages.

How Osage County differs from Kansas statewide

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption due to an older age profile, but a higher share of mobile-only internet households because rural fixed broadband options are thinner than in metro-centric statewide averages.
• More pronounced carrier-to-carrier performance differences between towns, reflecting fewer colocation sites and more single‑carrier rural sectors than in urban counties.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and more price-sensitive plan selection compared with the state average, linked to income/education mix and rural travel patterns.
• 5G capacity (mid-band) is less ubiquitous; low-band 5G/LTE remains the workhorse outside towns, so the county does not realize the same average 5G speeds reported in Kansas’ major metros.
• Commute-driven usage along US‑75 (toward Topeka) is a local peak hour pattern not mirrored in many western Kansas counties; it produces corridor-focused capacity demands that differ from statewide rural norms.

Bottom line

• Osage County’s mobile phone landscape is best characterized as nearly universal 4G voice/data coverage, expanding but corridor/town-centric 5G capacity, and above-average reliance on cellular for home internet outside town limits. Compared with Kansas overall, adoption is slightly lower among seniors, prepaid usage is higher, and 5G performance gains are less uniform—differences driven primarily by age structure, rural geography, and the pattern of tower/backhaul deployment rather than demand.

Osage County, KS social media snapshot (2025)

Scope and basis

• Modeled for adults (18+) in Osage County using U.S. Census Bureau age/gender structure and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption, with small rural adjustments typical of eastern Kansas. Direct platform-by-county user counts are not publicly released.

Overall penetration

• Adults using at least one social platform: 78–82% of adults
• Roughly half of all residents engage daily; mobile-first usage is common

Most-used platforms (share of adults using at least monthly)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• TikTok: 25–30%
• Snapchat: 22–26%
• LinkedIn: 18–22%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 12–15%
• Nextdoor: 5–8%

Age-group usage patterns (share within each age group using social media; leading platforms)

• 18–29: 95%+ use social media
  • YouTube 90%+, Instagram 75–80%, Snapchat 60–65%, TikTok 55–60%, Facebook 55–60%
• 30–49: 88–90%
  • YouTube 85–90%, Facebook 75–80%, Instagram 45–50%, TikTok 30–35%, Snapchat 25–30%
• 50–64: 75–80%
  • Facebook 70–75%, YouTube 70–75%, Pinterest 35–40%, Instagram 25–30%, TikTok 15–20%
• 65+: 45–55%
  • Facebook 55–60%, YouTube 55–60%, Pinterest 20–25%, Instagram 15–20%

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media user base: approximately 53–55% women and 45–47% men
• Platform skews
  • Female-skewed: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
  • Male-skewed: YouTube, Reddit, X; LinkedIn slightly male-skewed

Behavioral trends

• Community hub behavior: Facebook Groups and Pages anchor local life—city/county announcements, school athletics, churches, civic clubs, buy/sell groups, and Marketplace dominate engagement.
• Weather and safety: Spikes on Facebook and X during severe weather, road closures, and outages; sharing/resharing of alerts is common.
• Video-first habits: YouTube used heavily for DIY, home/auto repair, agriculture, hunting/fishing, and local sports highlights; under-40s split time with TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• Shopping discovery: Facebook Marketplace is the primary local commerce channel; Pinterest informs home, crafts, weddings, and seasonal projects.
• Messaging patterns: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; Snapchat is concentrated among teens/young adults; WhatsApp remains niche.
• Cadence and timing: Highest engagement weekday evenings (about 7–9 p.m. local) with a midday bump; weekend mornings are strong for event posts and Marketplace.
• Civic discourse: Elevated activity around school boards, county commissions, and elections; local issues drive long comment threads and group organizing.
• Access realities: A meaningful share of users are mobile-only; data caps and variable rural broadband push shorter videos and compressed media over long livestreams.

Notes

• Percentages are county-level estimates derived from national/rural adoption patterns applied to Osage County’s demographic mix; they represent likely monthly reach rather than daily active use.