Osborne County

Osborne County, Kansas – key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 3,500
• 2023 estimate: ~3,44x (Census Bureau Population Estimates; continued gradual decline since 2010)

Age

• Median age: ~50 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~28%
• Insight: Older age profile with a high share of seniors relative to state and U.S. averages

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (share of total population)

• White (alone or in combination): ~95%
• Black or African American: <1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–4%
• Insight: Predominantly non-Hispanic White with limited racial/ethnic diversity

Households and housing

• Total households: ~1,600–1,700
• Persons per household (average): ~2.1–2.2
• Family households: ~55–60% of households
• One-person households: ~35–40%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~15–20%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~70–75%
• Insight: Small household sizes, substantial share of one-person and senior households, high owner-occupancy typical of rural counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program, 2023).

• Context: Osborne County has about 3,500 residents across ~893 sq mi (≈3.9 people/sq mi), making it very low-density.
• Connectivity: ACS 2018–2022 indicates roughly 75–80% of households have a broadband subscription and ~85–90% have a computer; mobile coverage is widespread but fixed high‑speed options thin outside towns. Adoption lags the Kansas statewide average (mid‑80s) but has risen gradually since 2019.
• Estimated email users: ~2,600 total users countywide (≈2,450 adults plus ~150–200 teens), reflecting ~88–90% adoption among adults with internet access.
• Age distribution of email adoption (applied to Osborne’s older-leaning profile, where ~30% are 65+):
  • 18–29: ~98%
  • 30–49: ~96%
  • 50–64: ~92%
  • 65+: ~80–85% Net effect: countywide email penetration ≈87–90%.
• Gender split: Approximately even among users (about 50/50), mirroring statewide and national patterns.
• Digital access trends:
  • Gradual shift toward smartphone‑primary access; an estimated 15–20% of households are mobile‑only.
  • Senior email adoption has increased several points since 2019 as telehealth and government services moved online.
  • Email remains the default channel for schools, healthcare, agriculture suppliers, and local government, reinforcing high usage despite patchy rural fixed broadband.

Mobile phone usage in Osborne County, Kansas — 2024 snapshot

Headline estimates

• Population and households: About 3,500 residents and roughly 1,700 households (2020 Census baseline; minimal change expected through 2024).
• Adult mobile users: ≈2,550 adults use a mobile phone (about 92% of ~2,770 adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈2,270 adults use a smartphone (about 82% of adults).
• Households with a smartphone: ≈1,430 households (about 84%).
• Cellular-data–only internet households: ≈200 households (about 12%).

How Osborne County differs from the Kansas statewide pattern

• Lower smartphone penetration: Adult smartphone adoption (≈82%) trails the Kansas average (≈89%), driven by an older age profile and more basic-phone retention among seniors.
• Higher prepaid share: Prepaid plan use is materially higher (about one-third of lines locally versus roughly one-fifth statewide), reflecting price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier mixing.
• More cellular-only internet households: 12% rely on cellular data as their only home internet vs about 8% statewide, concentrated outside fiber-fed town centers.
• Heavier regional-carrier presence: Nex-Tech Wireless has meaningful share alongside AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, unlike metro Kansas where national carriers dominate almost entirely.
• Usage skew: Voice/SMS and low- to mid-bandwidth apps (ag, weather, messaging) are used more heavily relative to high-definition mobile streaming compared with urban Kansas, owing to data caps, signal variability, and older demographics.

Demographic drivers of usage

• Older population: Approximately 27–28% of residents are 65+, compared with roughly 16% statewide. This narrows smartphone uptake among seniors (about 58% locally vs ~73% statewide) and sustains a higher share of basic/feature phones.
• Household composition: Smaller, older households increase the share of single-line and prepaid accounts and reduce multi-line family plan penetration (≈57% locally vs ~63% statewide).
• Income and distance to services: Rural travel patterns and price sensitivity encourage mixing carriers and plans for coverage and cost rather than chasing top-end 5G speeds.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Nex-Tech Wireless along US-24, K-181/K-281, and around Osborne and Downs; pockets of weak indoor coverage persist in outlying sections and creek valleys.
  • 5G: T-Mobile’s 600 MHz “Extended Range” 5G blankets most populated corridors; Verizon and AT&T provide 5G (DSS/low-band) primarily in and near towns. Mid-band 5G capacity is present in town centers; mmWave is not deployed.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical 4G: 10–25 Mbps down and 2–8 Mbps up in rural stretches, higher in town centers.
  • Typical 5G (low/mid-band where available): 50–150 Mbps down, 10–25 Mbps up in towns; speeds drop at distance from towers.
• Towering and backhaul
  • Macro-site density is sparse compared to urban Kansas, with sites concentrated along highways and town perimeters. Backhaul has been upgraded where fiber is available, improving consistency in Osborne and Downs.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Fiber-to-the-home from regional providers (notably Nex-Tech) passes town centers and some rural routes, raising in-town fixed subscription rates above 80% and reducing mobile-only dependence there; outside fiber footprints, residents rely more on cellular and fixed wireless.
• Emergency and reliability
  • Low-band spectrum (Band 12/13/71) underpins the county’s reliability profile, favoring coverage continuity over top speeds and helping maintain voice/SMS availability during peak seasonal loads and weather events.

What this means in practice

• Expect excellent basic coverage and reliable voice/text countywide, strong service in towns, and variable data performance between towers in open country.
• Planning, public services, ag operations, and telehealth should assume dependable low-band coverage but design around mid-band capacity being town-centric.
• Closing the gap with state-level smartphone usage hinges on continued fiber expansion, additional low-band sites or sectors in weak pockets, and targeted senior digital literacy and affordability programs.

Data notes

• Counts and percentages are derived from the latest available federal statistics (2020 Census; ACS 2018–2022 device and internet subscription indicators), FCC mobile broadband reporting, and documented carrier footprints as of 2023–2024. Figures are rounded for clarity and aligned to county scale.

Osborne County, Kansas — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Overall user stats (adults 18+)

• Adult population base: ≈2,800 (2020 Census profile; small, rural, older-skewing county)
• Social media users: ≈1,900 adults (≈68% of adults) use at least one platform monthly; ≈1,500 (≈54%) use social daily
• Internet/smartphone context: Most households have broadband and most adults have smartphones; usage is concentrated on a few mainstream platforms

Most-used platforms (share of adults using monthly)

• YouTube: 70%
• Facebook: 66%
• Facebook Messenger: 55%
• Pinterest: 28%
• Instagram: 27%
• TikTok: 20%
• Snapchat: 18%
• WhatsApp: 12%
• X (Twitter): 9%
• LinkedIn: 8%
• Reddit: 5%
• Nextdoor: 2% (minimal footprint)

Age groups (share of adult social users and where they spend time)

• 18–34: ≈24% of adult social users; very high daily use. Platforms: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; still on Facebook for local ties and Marketplace
• 35–54: ≈29% of adult social users; heavy Facebook + Messenger and YouTube; Pinterest common among women; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing but secondary
• 55+: ≈36% of adult social users; Facebook is dominant, YouTube for how‑to, church, local streams; Pinterest moderate; minimal TikTok/Instagram

Gender breakdown among social users

• Women ≈52%, Men ≈48%
• Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube. Messaging (Messenger) is widely used by both

Behavioral trends in Osborne County

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups/Pages for schools, churches, county emergency management, road/utility updates, local clubs, and buy/sell/trade
• Marketplace-driven commerce: Strong reliance on Facebook Marketplace for vehicles, farm/ranch equipment, household goods
• Video habits: YouTube for tutorials, farm/ranch repairs, church and school event streams; Facebook Live for local sports and civic meetings. Creation is low; consumption is high
• News and alerts: Severe weather, road closures, school announcements, obituaries, and local sports drive the biggest engagement spikes
• Posting/engagement windows: Evenings (7–9 pm CT) and midday lunch hour see the most activity; weekend mornings perform well for community and church content; Friday nights for school sports recaps
• Messaging as coordination layer: Facebook Messenger is the default for arranging local events, sales, and family communications
• Content tone: Practical and local. Authentic posts from known residents, schools, and county offices outperform polished brand content. Cross-posting from Facebook to YouTube (and occasionally Instagram) is common; X/Twitter and Nextdoor usage is negligible

Notes on interpretation

• Figures are county-scaled estimates for 2025 derived from Osborne County’s demographic profile (U.S. Census/ACS) and current U.S. platform penetration patterns in rural communities (e.g., Pew Research), rounded to whole percentages. Percentages are of adults and platforms are multi-homing (will not sum to 100%).