Sherman County

Sherman County, Kansas — key demographics

Population size

• 5,927 (2020 Census)
• Land area 1,056 sq mi; population density ~5.6 per sq mi

Age

• Median age: ~38 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~51–52%
• Female: ~48–49%

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~71%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~22%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: <1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~2,470
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~63% of households; married-couple ~45–47%
• Households with children under 18: ~29%
• Nonfamily households: ~37%; one-person households ~32%; age 65+ living alone ~12%
• Housing units: ~2,900; vacancy ~14%
• Owner-occupied rate: ~69%; renter-occupied ~31%

Insights

• Small, very low-density county with a balanced working-age share and modest aging.
• Notable Hispanic/Latino presence (~1 in 5 residents).
• Household structure skews toward owner-occupied, family households, but with a substantial share of single-person households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population count); American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, and household characteristics).

• Population and density: Sherman County has 5,927 residents (2020 Census) across 1,056 sq mi, about 5.6 people per sq mi.
• Connectivity: About 83% of households subscribe to broadband (ACS 2018–2022, 5‑year). Access is strongest around Goodland; outlying areas rely more on fixed wireless or satellite, reflecting the county’s very low density.
• Estimated email users: ~4,600 residents (age 13+) use email regularly, derived from local age mix and current U.S. usage rates.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: ~7%
  • 18–34: ~24%
  • 35–54: ~32%
  • 55–64: ~14%
  • 65+: ~23%
• Gender split: Roughly even (~50% female, ~50% male among users), mirroring the county’s near‑even sex ratio and minimal gender gaps in email adoption nationally.
• Digital access trends: Household broadband adoption in the low‑80% range indicates solid connectivity for a rural county; improvements are concentrated along the I‑70 corridor and in Goodland, while last‑mile challenges persist on farms and ranches, sustaining demand for fixed wireless. Email usage is near‑universal among working‑age adults, with slightly lower but substantial adoption among seniors, aligning with the county’s relatively large 65+ population.

Sherman County, Kansas — mobile phone usage snapshot (2025)

Context

• Population: ≈5,800 residents (2023 estimate), largely rural, anchored by Goodland along the I-70 corridor.
• Households: ≈2,470 (avg. household size ≈2.35).
• Demographics (approximate): under 18 = 24%, 18–34 = 22%, 35–54 = 28%, 55–64 = 10%, 65+ = 16%. Income and age profiles skew slightly older and lower-income than the Kansas average.

User estimates

• Adults with any mobile phone: ≈4,000 of ≈4,400 adults (≈91% of adults; Kansas ≈95%).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈3,550 (≈80% of adults; Kansas ≈87%).
• Teen smartphone users (13–17): ≈330 (≈95% of teens).
• Total smartphone users (adults + teens): ≈3,900.
• Adult feature-phone users: ≈450, concentrated among ages 55+.
• Plan mix: prepaid share ≈35–40% of lines (Kansas ≈25–30%), with higher single-line and budget-plan usage than the state average.
• Cellular-only home internet: ≈400 households (≈16%) rely primarily on a cellular data plan at home (Kansas ≈10%).
• Households with no home internet: ≈300 (≈12%; Kansas ≈8%).

Demographic breakdown (modeled)

• By age (smartphone adoption rates; local ≈80% adult average vs Kansas ≈87%):
  • 18–34: ≈95% adoption (≈1,210 users).
  • 35–54: ≈89% (≈1,450 users).
  • 55–64: ≈75% (≈435 users).
  • 65+: ≈50% (≈465 users). Seniors are notably less likely to own smartphones than statewide peers.
• By income/plan type:
  • Sub-$50k households show higher prepaid and data-capped plan usage; device financing and trade-in promotions are adopted more selectively than in metro Kansas.
• By language/ethnicity:
  • Younger bilingual/Hispanic households show high smartphone uptake but tend toward family/shared plans focused on value; older non-Hispanic White residents are more represented among feature-phone users.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint:
  • I-70 corridor (Goodland–Kanorado) has the strongest service density, including 5G from national carriers.
  • Away from I-70 and US-27, signal strength and capacity drop, with pockets of weak LTE/voice service in sparsely populated sections.
• 5G availability and speeds:
  • T-Mobile mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz) is present in/near Goodland and along I-70, typically delivering triple‑digit Mbps downlink under good conditions.
  • Verizon and AT&T provide countywide LTE with low-band 5G overlays; mid-band capacity is most reliable along I-70 and in town.
  • Typical user experience: 5–50 Mbps on LTE in rural tracts; 100–400 Mbps on mid-band 5G near Goodland, with lower uplink speeds and higher variability at the edges of coverage.
• Backhaul and siting:
  • Fiber backhaul tracks I-70 and rail corridors, supporting denser 4G/5G nodes in town; microwave backhaul remains in use off-corridor.
  • Macro sites are spaced for highway coverage; in-field coverage relies on lower bands and is more susceptible to terrain and distance.
• Home and enterprise wireless:
  • 5G fixed wireless (notably T-Mobile) is available in and around Goodland; LTE/5G home offerings may be capacity-limited off-corridor.
  • Local WISPs use CBRS and unlicensed bands to fill gaps where wired options are limited.
• Rural adaptations:
  • Higher use of vehicle hotspots, external antennas, and boosters for farm/ranch operations and travel along section roads.

How Sherman County differs from Kansas statewide

• Adoption: Overall adult smartphone adoption is lower (≈80% vs ≈87% statewide), with a larger feature-phone cohort among seniors.
• Plan economics: Prepaid and single-line plans are more common; device replacement cycles are longer (often 3.5–4 years vs ≈3 years statewide).
• Access patterns: Greater reliance on cellular as the primary home internet (≈16% of households vs ≈10% statewide) and a higher share with no home internet at all (≈12% vs ≈8%).
• Coverage experience: Service quality is corridor-centric, with stronger 5G capacity clustered along I-70 and more pronounced rural dead zones than typical in metro/suburban Kansas.
• Usage mix: Voice/SMS and practical data uses (navigation, ag logistics, telehealth) are relatively more prominent than high‑bandwidth entertainment streaming when off the I-70 grid, due to data caps and variable throughput.
• Connections mix: A slightly higher proportion of machine-to-machine/IoT lines (ag equipment, telemetry) per capita than urban Kansas, affecting total connections but not translating to higher personal device adoption.

Implications

• Public safety and health services should account for patchy off-corridor LTE and senior feature-phone prevalence when designing outreach and alerts.
• Carriers can capture share with mid-band 5G infill beyond I-70, rural-friendly pricing, and trade-in programs targeting older devices.
• Expanding fixed wireless and WISP backhaul beyond Goodland will directly reduce the cellular-only household burden and improve mobile network performance via offload.

Sources and methodology

• Demographic base: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2023 population and household estimates).
• Adoption rates and plan types: Pew Research Center (smartphone and cellphone adoption by rural/age/income, 2021–2023), industry benchmarks for prepaid share.
• Coverage/performance: FCC 4G/5G availability maps and carrier buildout patterns in western Kansas; typical mid-band and LTE performance ranges observed in rural Great Plains markets.
• Estimates are modeled by applying rural adoption benchmarks to Sherman County’s age structure and household counts and then compared to Kansas-wide benchmarks to highlight divergences.

Sherman County, KS social media snapshot (2025)

Important note: Precise, platform-by-platform usage is not published at the county level. The figures below use the best available benchmarks (Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. social media use, rural vs. urban splits) calibrated to a rural Kansas county of Sherman’s size and age mix.

Overall user stats

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~75–80%
• Daily social media users: ~60–65% of adults
• Multiplatform behavior: ~60–70% of social users use 2+ platforms
• Primary access: smartphone-first; desktop use rises with age

Most-used platforms (estimated share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 60–70%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–35% (concentrated under 30)
• Pinterest: 30–35% (skews female)
• X (Twitter): 20–25% (skews male, news/sports/weather)
• LinkedIn: 20–25% (professional networking; lower activity)
• WhatsApp: 20–25% (small-group messaging; family, bilingual communities)
• Reddit: 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 5–10% (limited footprint in low-density areas)

Age-group patterns (share using social media at all; platform tendencies)

• Teens (13–17): 95%+ use social; heavy on Snapchat and TikTok; YouTube universal; Instagram common; Facebook minimal
• 18–29: ~95% use social; Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat lead; YouTube universal; Facebook used but not central
• 30–49: ~85–90% use social; Facebook and Instagram core; YouTube strong; TikTok/Reels for short video
• 50–64: ~75–80% use social; Facebook dominant; YouTube for how‑to/news; Pinterest common
• 65+: ~50–60% use social; Facebook and YouTube primary; messaging via Facebook Messenger

Gender breakdown (tendencies among users)

• Women: higher presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok; stronger engagement in local groups/events
• Men: higher on YouTube, Reddit, X; follow weather, sports, ag/tech content
• Platform skews: Facebook ~55–60% female; Instagram ~55% female; Pinterest ~70% female; YouTube ~55–60% male; X/Reddit ~60–70% male

Behavioral trends in Sherman County–type communities

• Local information hub: Facebook Groups/Pages (city, county, sheriff, schools, churches) anchor community news; engagement spikes during weather, road closures, school sports
• Marketplace culture: Facebook Marketplace is the default for buy/sell/trade of vehicles, tools, farm/ranch items
• Short-form video: TikTok and Facebook/Instagram Reels for entertainment, local highlights, small‑business promos; creators often cross‑post
• Youth communication: Snapchat for daily messaging; private group chats; YouTube for learning and fandoms
• Video utility: YouTube for how‑to, equipment repair, ag practices, severe‑weather updates
• Posting rhythms: Peaks before work (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekend mid‑day; strong event‑driven surges (fairs, 4‑H, tournaments)
• Trust and reach: Local institutions and known community members earn highest engagement; word‑of‑mouth amplification is common via shares in Facebook Groups
• Advertising responsiveness: Best results from geo‑targeted Facebook/Instagram within ~30–50 miles; clear offers and event CTAs; younger audiences respond better on TikTok/Snapchat

Sources underpinning estimates: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; rural/urban adoption gaps), platform self-reported U.S. reach data, and rural Midwest usage patterns consistent with Kansas counties.