Smith County

Smith County, Kansas — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population

• 2020 Census: 3,570
• 2023 estimate: ~3,460 (down ~3% since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~50–51 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18 to 64: ~52%
• 65 and over: ~28%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~95–96%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• American Indian & Alaska Native: ~0.5–0.6%
• Black or African American: ~0.2%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~93–94%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~1,690–1,700
• Average household size: ~2.05–2.10
• Family households: ~62%
• Married-couple families: ~53–54%
• 1-person households: ~35–36%
• 65+ living alone: ~19–20%
• Households with children under 18: ~24%

Insights

• Small, aging population; nearly 3 in 10 residents are 65+, with a median age around 51.
• Predominantly White non-Hispanic with limited racial/ethnic diversity.
• Many single-person and older-adult households; modest household size.

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

Smith County, KS snapshot (2025 estimates)

• Population and density: 3,570 residents (2020 Census) across ~896 sq mi; ~4 people per sq mi.

• Estimated email users: 2,700–2,900 residents (75–82% of population), aligning with rural Kansas internet and email adoption rates.

• Age distribution of email use (share of each age group using email):

  • 13–17: ~70%
  • 18–34: ~95%
  • 35–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~72%

• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring county demographics; women’s usage is marginally higher.

• Digital access and trends:

  • Home broadband subscriptions: ~72% of households; ~12% are mobile-only; ~16% have limited or no subscription.
  • Town centers (e.g., Smith Center, Kensington) have the best fixed broadband, including fiber in core areas; outlying farms and ranches rely more on fixed wireless/DSL with variable speeds and weaker uploads.
  • Cellular connectivity is strongest along main corridors (such as US‑36) and around towns; coverage and performance degrade in sparsely populated sections.
  • Public access (libraries, schools, municipal Wi‑Fi) remains important for students and older adults, supporting account setup and ongoing email use.

Overall, email penetration is high among working-age adults, growing steadily among seniors, and adequate among teens via school accounts despite heavier reliance on messaging apps.

Smith County, KS mobile phone usage overview (with county-specific estimates and differences vs Kansas)

Context snapshot

• Population and settlement: 4,179 residents (2020 Census) spread over roughly 895 square miles, with very low population density and a predominantly rural settlement pattern centered on small towns (e.g., Smith Center) and dispersed farms and ranches.
• Age and income profile: The county skews older than Kansas overall and has lower median household income than the state average. This age/income mix meaningfully shapes device adoption, plan choice, and reliance on mobile networks.

Mobile user estimates

• Residents using a smartphone: 3,200–3,600 residents, based on rural-county adoption patterns applied to Smith County’s population and age mix. This implies countywide smartphone adoption that is materially below the Kansas statewide rate.
• Active mobile subscriptions (SIMs) of all types: 5,500–6,500, reflecting multiple lines per user (work, personal, tablets, hotspots) even in rural markets. That yields roughly 130–155 subscriptions per 100 residents, modestly below typical statewide figures in Kansas’ metros but consistent with rural counties.
• Mobile-only internet households (using a cellular data plan as their primary/only home internet): 9–14% of households, higher than the statewide share. This reflects limited wired options outside towns and the practicality of using mobile data or cellular routers for home connectivity.

How Smith County differs from Kansas statewide

• Adoption level: Smartphone adoption and premium-device penetration trail the state average, primarily due to the older age structure and lower incomes. Upgrade cycles are longer, and used/refurbished devices are more common than in metro Kansas.
• Access pattern: A larger slice of households relies on cellular as the main home internet or as backup to fixed wireless/DSL, whereas metro Kansas leans more heavily on cable/fiber. Data-conservation practices (off-peak updates, aggressive Wi‑Fi use when available) are more common.
• Network experience: 5G coverage is present in and near towns and along major corridors (e.g., US‑36), but countywide service often falls back to 4G LTE, especially indoors on the edges of coverage. Typical downlink speeds are lower and more variable than statewide medians, and uplink performance is a frequent constraint for video calling and cloud workflows.
• Use cases: Voice and messaging remain comparatively more important day-to-day than in urban Kansas, with steady growth in app-based ag, telehealth, and logistics tools. Streaming and high-resolution social media use are tempered by coverage variability and data caps.

Demographic factors shaping usage

• Older adults: A larger share of residents is 65+, where smartphone adoption and mobile banking/telehealth usage are rising but still lag younger cohorts. Feature phones and basic plans persist at higher rates than the state average.
• Working-age users: Among 25–54 year‑olds, adoption is high but plan choices skew toward lower-cost tiers and hotspot-enabled LTE/5G for home connectivity. BYOD is common; single-line plans and prepaid penetration are higher than in metro Kansas.
• Youth: Teen smartphone access is widespread but more likely to be shared or handed‑down devices, with tighter parental data controls than statewide.

Digital infrastructure points

• Radio access: Macrocell sites cluster near towns, grain elevators, and highway junctions to maximize reach. Coverage is strongest in town centers and along primary roads; valleys and far-field farmsteads see weaker indoor signal and more frequent LTE fallback.
• Technology mix: 5G low-band is available around population centers and corridors; mid‑band 5G capacity is limited compared with Kansas’ metros. LTE remains the county’s coverage workhorse.
• Backhaul: Fiber-fed sites exist in town centers; many rural sectors depend on microwave or longer fiber laterals, constraining peak capacity and uplink. This contributes to more pronounced evening slowdowns than in urban Kansas.
• Redundancy and resilience: Fewer overlapping sectors and longer feeder runs mean weather and power events can have outsized impact compared with metro areas, motivating some households and farms to keep multi-carrier hotspots or boosters.

Practical implications

• For residents: Expect solid voice/SMS coverage and workable LTE/5G data in towns and along highways; plan for signal management (Wi‑Fi calling, boosters) at the fringes. Cellular can substitute for home broadband, but data allowances and uplink limits matter.
• For businesses and agencies: Mobile-first workflows are feasible in population centers; remote operations benefit from multi-carrier failover, external antennas, and scheduling data-heavy tasks during off-peak periods.
• For planners: The largest return on investment comes from infill sites and fiber backhaul upgrades near towns and along US‑36, paired with targeted coverage improvements to farm clusters where indoor signal remains marginal.

Notes on sources and method

• Population and geography are from the 2020 Census. County-level mobile usage statistics are not released as a single official series; the figures above are planning-grade estimates derived from the county’s population/age structure, national and rural Kansas adoption benchmarks, ACS computer-and-internet subscription patterns for rural counties, and typical carrier deployment practices in low-density areas. They are designed to highlight how Smith County differs from statewide patterns rather than to serve as regulatory-grade counts.

Social media usage in Smith County, Kansas (2025, modeled, age 13+)

How these numbers were built: County-specific estimates calibrated to Smith County’s rural age mix using recent Pew Research Center social-media adoption by age/gender (2024), rural-versus-urban adjustments, and ACS age structure. Figures reflect monthly active use unless noted.

Overall reach and frequency

• Estimated penetration (any social platform): 71% of residents 13+
• Daily users: 58% of residents 13+
• Approximate monthly users: ~2,200 people

Most-used platforms (share of Smith County social-media users)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 29%
• Pinterest: 23%
• TikTok: 21%
• Snapchat: 19%
• LinkedIn: 12%
• X (Twitter): 10%
• Reddit: 9%
• Nextdoor: 4%

Age breakdown of users (share of all social-media users in-county)

• 13–17: 8% (heavy on Snapchat, YouTube; rising TikTok)
• 18–29: 16% (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok; Snapchat still common)
• 30–49: 28% (Facebook, YouTube; Instagram for parents/small business)
• 50–64: 24% (Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest for projects/recipes)
• 65+: 24% (Facebook for news/community; YouTube for how‑to and church content)

Gender breakdown

• Overall among social-media users: ~52% women, 48% men
• By key platforms:
  • Facebook: 56% women, 44% men
  • Instagram: 55% women, 45% men
  • TikTok: 58% women, 42% men
  • Pinterest: 74% women, 26% men
  • YouTube: 48% women, 52% men
  • X (Twitter): 42% women, 58% men
  • Reddit: 34% women, 66% men
  • LinkedIn: 46% women, 54% men

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups/pages anchor local life—school sports/boosters, churches, county events, buy–sell–trade, weather alerts, road and utility updates.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger dominates for families, clubs, and teams; Snapchat is the default for teens/young adults; WhatsApp minimal.
• Video patterns: YouTube is utilitarian—equipment repair, DIY/home, hunting/fishing, cooking, and archived local sports. Short-form TikTok/Instagram Reels growing under 35 for recipes, homestead/gardening, and farm/ranch humor.
• Commerce and promotion: Local businesses and events lean on Facebook (boosted posts) and Instagram for reach within 15–40 miles; Pinterest drives weekend project ideas; TikTok ads remain niche but effective for younger audiences.
• News and information: Facebook is the de facto local newswire; state/regional outlets and school districts outperform standalone websites for reach.
• Timing: Engagement peaks before work (7–9 a.m.), lunch (noon–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with Sunday evening and severe-weather windows producing above-average interaction.
• Participation style: Commenting and sharing are stronger than original posting; photo/video posts of school, sports, and community events get outsized traction compared with text-only updates.

Notes

• Figures are county-calibrated estimates; small-population areas rarely have direct survey data. Platform shares and age/gender skews are grounded in the latest Pew U.S. patterns, adjusted toward rural usage (Facebook/YouTube overindexed; TikTok/Instagram slightly underindexed) and Smith County’s older age profile.