Pawnee County

Pawnee County, Kansas — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171) and 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates.

Population size

• Total population: 6,253 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18 to 64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Male: ~56%
• Female: ~44% Note: The presence of state hospital and correctional facilities contributes to a higher male share.

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• White alone: ~82%
• Black or African American alone: ~9–10%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~10–11%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~74–75%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~2,370
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~61%; married-couple families: ~48% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~39%; living alone: ~35%; age 65+ living alone: ~16%
• Tenure: owner-occupied ~72%; renter-occupied ~28%

Insights

• Small, aging population with a median age in the low 40s and about one-fifth aged 65+.
• Markedly male-skewed sex ratio driven by institutional populations.
• Predominantly White, with higher-than-typical rural shares of Black and Hispanic residents relative to many Kansas rural counties.
• Household structure leans toward smaller sizes and a sizable share of nonfamily/living-alone households; homeownership is the dominant tenure.

Pawnee County, KS overview (2023): population ≈6,050; land area ≈755 sq mi; density ≈8 people/sq mi. Most residents are in/near Larned (~3,700), where service options are denser than in rural townships.

Email users (estimated): 4,800–5,100 residents use email at least monthly (≈80–85% of the population; ≈90% of adults). This aligns with high U.S. email adoption among internet users and local internet subscription levels.

Age distribution of email users (share of users):

• 13–17: 6–8%
• 18–34: 20–22%
• 35–64: 48–50%
• 65+: 22–25%

Gender split: approximately even among email users (near 50/50), with negligible usage gap by gender.

Digital access and trends:

• About four in five households maintain a broadband subscription, with additional mobile-only access raising overall connectivity.
• Fixed broadband choices and speeds are strongest in Larned; rural areas more often rely on DSL or fixed wireless and face lower speeds and higher latency.
• Continued upgrades (fiber where available, expanding fixed wireless and 5G coverage) are improving reliability and peak speeds, but sparsity (8/sq mi) and long loop distances keep rural performance below urban Kansas levels.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Pawnee County, Kansas

User estimates

• Population base: ≈6,200 residents (2023 vintage estimate; small annual decline since 2010).
• Adult base (18+): ≈4,900.
• Smartphone users: 4,100–4,400 adults (roughly 83–90% of adults), translating to ≈2,400–2,700 households with at least one smartphone.
• Mobile-only (wireless-only) households: ≈1,500–1,700, or about 60–65% of households.
• Device mix: Smartphones dominate; feature phones persist mainly among older adults and certain low-use segments.

Demographic breakdown (share of adults who own a smartphone; ranges reflect rural-county ACS/Pew margins)

• Age:
  • 18–34: 92–96% (near parity with Kansas overall).
  • 35–64: 85–90% (2–4 percentage points below statewide).
  • 65+: 68–75% (6–10 points below statewide; fastest growth cohort year over year).
• Income:
  • <200% of FPL: 72–80% (below state average; higher likelihood of shared devices and prepaid plans).
  • ≥200% of FPL: 88–93% (near state levels).
• Household type:
  • Families with children: 90%+ have a smartphone in the home and are more likely to be mobile-first for internet.
  • Seniors living alone: materially lower smartphone adoption; higher incidence of basic phones or no mobile line.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s population is predominantly non-Hispanic White; smartphone adoption differences by race are small here relative to age and income effects.

Digital infrastructure and service characteristics

• Coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available along primary corridors (e.g., US‑56) and in/around Larned; coverage thins in low-density farm and river-bottom areas where tower spacing increases.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G is present and functions as coverage enhancement rather than a dramatic speed boost.
  • Mid-band 5G (where available near the county seat and along main corridors) delivers a noticeable step-up in capacity, but footprint is smaller than in urban Kansas.
• Performance: Typical observed rural speeds range from 15–80 Mbps on LTE; 5G mid-band, when present, often lands in the 150–300 Mbps range. Uplink is commonly the limiting factor for video calls and telehealth outside town centers.
• Backhaul and redundancy: Fiber backbones follow highway/rail rights-of-way; outside them, sectors depend more on microwave backhaul. This creates localized congestion at peak times and during events.
• Competition: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all serve the county; practical choice at a given address depends on proximity to macro sites and terrain. MVNOs ride these networks but may have de‑prioritized traffic in busy sectors.
• Anchors: Schools, the hospital, libraries, and county facilities act as connectivity anchors and public Wi‑Fi nodes, helping offset weak residential coverage in pockets.

How Pawnee County differs from Kansas overall

• Adoption level: Overall smartphone adoption is a few points lower than the Kansas average, driven primarily by an older age profile and lower median household income.
• Mobile-only households: The county sits below the statewide mobile-only share; landline retention among seniors is higher than the Kansas norm.
• 5G availability and impact: 5G coverage is more “coverage-grade” (low-band) than “capacity-grade” (mid-band) relative to metro Kansas, so median speeds see smaller 5G uplifts outside Larned.
• Plan mix: Higher prevalence of cost-sensitive plans (including prepaid and limited-data tiers) than statewide, which can restrain heavy streaming and hotspot use.
• Usage patterns: Messaging, voice, and basic app use take a larger share of total mobile activity; continuous video streaming and large-game downloads are less common than in urban/suburban counties due to plan constraints and variable capacity.
• Reliability profile: Weather and harvest-season traffic expose capacity and backhaul pinch points more noticeably than at the state level, with greater variance in performance between town centers and outlying areas.

Methodological notes

• Figures synthesize the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (household smartphone and internet indicators, 5‑year estimates suitable for counties), Pew Research Center smartphone adoption by age/income, and FCC coverage/performance patterns for rural Kansas. Ranges reflect typical margins of error for small-population counties and known urban–rural deltas.

Pawnee County, KS social media snapshot (2025)

Population and user base

• Population: ~6.3K residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023)
• Adults (18+): ~4.8K
• Adult social media users: ~3.45K (about 72% of adults)

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated local reach)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~66%
• Instagram: ~38%
• TikTok: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~26%
• Pinterest: ~30%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~15%
• Reddit: ~14%
• WhatsApp: ~16%

Age profile of local social media users

• 18–29: ~22% of users
• 30–49: ~33% of users
• 50–64: ~26% of users
• 65+: ~19% of users

Gender breakdown of users

• Roughly 50% male, 50% female
• Platform skew: women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local Groups for school updates, high school sports, church events, city notices, buy/sell/trade, and lost-and-found. Marketplace activity is strong for vehicles, tools, farm/ranch gear, and furniture.
• Video dominates time spent: YouTube for ag/DIY repair, weather, hunting, and local sports highlights; short-form clips via Reels and TikTok among under‑35s.
• Messaging-first behavior: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are primary for day‑to‑day communication; WhatsApp is niche (family ties, international).
• Younger cohort patterns: teens/20s rely on Snapchat for streaks and private sharing; Instagram/TikTok for trends, music, sports, and creator content; limited public posting vs heavy browsing.
• Older cohort patterns: 50+ concentrate on Facebook feeds and Groups; high engagement with local public safety, obituaries, school and civic information.
• Peak activity windows: early morning (5–8 a.m.), lunch (noon), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend spikes for local events and sports.
• Content that travels locally: weather alerts, road closures, school announcements, high school achievements, community fundraisers, and severe-storm videos; practical how‑tos and ag content consistently outperform generic lifestyle posts.
• Discovery-to-action path: residents commonly discover local services on Facebook or YouTube and convert via Messenger or phone; reviews and word-of-mouth in Groups are decisive.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2025 estimates derived from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 population structure for Pawnee County and Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social platform adoption rates, adjusted to reflect rural usage patterns. Percentages reflect adult reach (18+) rather than total population.