Wabaunsee County

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

Population size

• Total population (2020 Census): 7,074
• 2023 population estimate: about 7,000

Age

• Median age: ~43.5 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS, race alone unless noted; Hispanic is any race)

• White alone: ~94%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.7%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~6%
• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~89%

Households and housing (ACS 5-year)

• Households: ~2,750–2,800
• Average household size: ~2.55
• Family households: ~69%
  • Married-couple households: ~57%
• Households with own children under 18: ~29%
• Nonfamily households: ~31%
• Housing units: ~3,250–3,300
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~81%
• Vacancy rate: ~13%

Insights

• Small, rural county with stable-to-slightly declining population since 2020.
• Age structure skews modestly older than the U.S. overall, with roughly one in five residents age 65+.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a small but meaningful Hispanic/Latino presence.
• Household sizes are moderate and homeownership is high, consistent with rural Kansas patterns.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates (most recent available); Population Estimates Program (2023). Figures rounded for clarity.

Wabaunsee County, KS (2020 pop. 7,470; ≈9.4 residents per sq mi) exhibits high email adoption consistent with local internet access.

Estimated email users

• ≈5,350 adult users (≈92% of adults), rising to ≈5,700 including teens.

Age distribution of adult email users (est.)

• 18–29: ≈1,000
• 30–49: ≈1,780
• 50–64: ≈1,390
• 65+: ≈1,180

Gender split

• Roughly even; women ≈51% and men ≈49% of users, with near-identical usage rates.

Digital access and trends

• ≈92% of households have a computer; ≈83% have a broadband subscription; ≈12% lack home internet; ≈10% are smartphone‑only.
• Connectivity is densest along the I‑70 corridor and in towns such as Alma, Maple Hill, and Paxico; more remote Flint Hills areas rely on fixed‑wireless or satellite with patchier speeds.
• Ongoing shifts from DSL to fiber and higher‑capacity fixed‑wireless are improving reliability and throughput, supporting strong email use across age groups.

Insights

• High household device and broadband availability underpin near‑universal email use under age 65, with seniors showing slightly lower uptake but rising as fiber expands.

Mobile phone usage in Wabaunsee County, Kansas — 2023 snapshot (with state-level contrasts)

Headline estimates and usage

• Population base: ≈6,900 residents (small, dispersed settlement pattern across the Flint Hills; county seat: Alma).
• Estimated smartphone users: ≈5,000 residents actively use a smartphone. This equates to roughly 72–76% of the total population when accounting for children under 13, and ≈88–90% of teens/adults. This is modestly below Kansas’ overall share due to Wabaunsee’s older age profile.
• Active mobile subscriptions: ≈6,300–6,800 lines in service (near one line per resident, typical of rural markets with personal + work + IoT lines). Machine-to-machine (farm and utility telemetry) pushes per-capita line counts slightly above what household counts alone would imply.

Demographic breakdown of mobile adoption

• Age
  • Teens (13–17): near-ubiquitous smartphone access (≈90–95%), on par with the state.
  • Adults 18–49: high adoption (≈93–96%), close to state levels.
  • Adults 50–64: solid but lower than younger cohorts (≈80–85%), a few points below the Kansas average.
  • Adults 65+: materially lower adoption (≈60–65%), several points below the state average; this cohort’s larger share in Wabaunsee pulls down the countywide rate relative to Kansas.
• Income and education
  • Mid-income, commuter-heavy households (to Topeka/Manhattan) are broadly smartphone-reliant and more likely to maintain multiple lines per household.
  • Lower-income and remote households show higher incidence of “mobile-only” internet access (cellular data plans without fixed home broadband) than the state average, reflecting limited wireline options outside town centers.
• Household patterns
  • Household smartphone presence is widespread in townships along I-70 (Alma, Paxico, Maple Hill), but drops in the most rural census blocks. The share of households relying solely on cellular for home internet is meaningfully higher than the Kansas average in these areas.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and technology mix
  • 5G mid-band coverage from national carriers is established along the I-70 corridor, population centers, and key roadways; outside these corridors service commonly falls back to LTE.
  • Terrain-driven variability: Flint Hills topography produces dead zones and LTE-only pockets in valleys and low-density ranchland.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical 5G mid-band speeds along I-70 and in towns: 100–300 Mbps down, with good uplink for telework and video.
  • Typical LTE speeds in rural blocks: 5–25 Mbps down; uplink can bottleneck under load or during harvest seasons when ag IoT and telematics spike.
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Long-haul fiber along I-70 and rail corridors underpins macro sites; outside these, several cell sites still rely on microwave backhaul, which constrains peak throughput and increases latency in bad weather.
  • FirstNet Band 14 (AT&T) presence supports public safety; practical benefit is stronger building penetration in town centers and along highways.
• Provider dynamics
  • Verizon and AT&T maintain the broadest rural footprint; T-Mobile shows strong 5G performance on and near I-70 and in towns but more LTE gaps off-corridor.
  • Regional fiber providers interconnect near the interstate; fixed wireless and satellite supplement areas that cable/fiber do not reach.

How Wabaunsee County differs from the Kansas statewide picture

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration driven by a larger 65+ share and more dispersed rural blocks; younger cohorts match the state.
• Higher incidence of “cellular-only” home internet use in rural census blocks than the state average due to limited wireline choices; this elevates mobile data dependence per household.
• Greater intra-county variability: near-urban performance along I-70 vs. pronounced LTE-only pockets off-corridor, a contrast that is sharper than in more uniformly served Kansas counties.
• Higher relative share of M2M/IoT lines (precision agriculture, ranching, utility monitoring), which lifts lines-per-resident above what personal-use adoption alone would predict.
• Daytime mobility patterns skewed by commuting to Topeka and Manhattan and by freight traffic on I-70, producing peak loads along the corridor that do not mirror usage peaks in urban Kansas counties.

Key takeaways

• Around 5,000 residents in Wabaunsee County are active smartphone users, with near-urban 5G experiences along I-70 and small towns but LTE-dependent service in much of the countryside.
• Older demographics and rural topology create a modest adoption gap vs. Kansas overall and a heavier reliance on cellular as the primary home connection in the most remote blocks.
• Carrier choice and performance diverge more sharply by location than at the state level; reliability considerations keep Verizon/AT&T dominant off-corridor, while T-Mobile is competitive in and near the interstate towns.

Social media usage in Wabaunsee County, KS (modeled 2025 profile) Note: County-level platform data are not directly published. Figures below are modeled estimates using the county’s rural age/gender mix (ACS) and Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. platform adoption by demographic, adjusted for rural usage patterns. Use as directional, point-in-time estimates.

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~78–82% (estimate: 80%)
• Primary access: smartphone-first; desktop use rises with age. Home broadband is common but not universal; mobile-only use is notably higher in outlying areas.

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~66%
• Instagram: ~38%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~26%
• Pinterest: ~34%
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• WhatsApp: ~22%
• LinkedIn: ~24%
• Reddit: ~15%
• Nextdoor: ~11%

Age-group profile (share of each age group using at least one platform; key skews)

• 18–29: 95% use social; heavy on YouTube (95%), Instagram (75%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (~60%); Facebook ~45%
• 30–49: 86% use social; Facebook (73%), YouTube (88%), Instagram (52%), TikTok (32%), Snapchat (29%)
• 50–64: 74% use social; Facebook (68%), YouTube (76%), Instagram (33%), Pinterest (41%), TikTok (19%)
• 65+: 58% use social; Facebook (52%), YouTube (60%), Instagram (17%), Pinterest (19%), TikTok (9%)

Gender breakdown among social users

• Women: ~54% of social media users; over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and local groups/Marketplace
• Men: ~46% of social media users; over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X, and hobby/DIY content

Behavioral trends

• Local-first on Facebook: Strong reliance on Facebook Groups and Pages for school updates, churches, athletics, 4‑H/FFA, fairs, road/weather alerts, and county services. Marketplace is a top engagement driver.
• Consumption > creation: A majority are “browsers” rather than frequent posters; engagement spikes around local events, sports, harvest, severe weather, and school-year milestones.
• Messaging hubs: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat handle most direct communication; WhatsApp use is modest but growing among small business, ag, and international ties.
• Video preference: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is the fastest-growing format across under‑40s; how‑to and repair/DIY content dominate YouTube for all ages, with connected-TV viewing increasing.
• Small-business use: Local retailers, services, and ag/contractors lean on Facebook + Instagram for reach; Stories and boosted posts outperform organic feed posts for timely promotions.
• Trust pattern: Higher trust in locally recognized pages (schools, county EMS/sheriff, churches) than in national outlets; rumor control commonly occurs via official county/school pages.
• Platform roles by outcome:
  • Awareness: Facebook, YouTube
  • Under‑35 reach: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat
  • Consideration/commerce: Facebook (Marketplace/Groups), Instagram (Stories/Reels), Pinterest (planning/ideas, female-skew)
  • Professional networking/recruiting: LinkedIn (niche but effective for specialized roles)

Implications

• To reach most households quickly, prioritize Facebook (posts + Groups + Messenger) and YouTube (short + how‑to video).
• For youth/young families, add Instagram Reels and TikTok; use short, vertical video with local cues.
• Time posts around evenings and weekends; boost during school events, seasonal milestones, and weather events for outsized engagement.