Wyandotte County

Key demographics: Wyandotte County, Kansas Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 169,245 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~33–34 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~27–28%
• 65 and over: ~11–12%

Gender

• Female: ~50.8%
• Male: ~49.2%

Racial/ethnic composition (shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~31–32%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~38–40%
• Black or African American alone: ~23–24%
• Asian alone: ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~6–7%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.2%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Number of households: ~61,000–62,000
• Average household size: ~2.8 persons
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple families: ~32–35% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~35–37%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~53–56% (renters ~44–47%)

Insights

• Wyandotte is one of Kansas’s most diverse counties, with roughly one-third Hispanic/Latino and nearly one-quarter Black residents.
• Younger age profile than the U.S. overall, with a larger share of children and a median age in the low-30s.
• Household structure skews toward larger and more family households compared with many U.S. counties.

• Estimated email users: ~126,000 in Wyandotte County. Basis: 2020 Census population ~169k; adults ~126k with ~92% email adoption (Pew), plus teens 13–17 at ~85% adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate counts):
  • 13–17: ~10k (8%)
  • 18–29: ~24k (19%)
  • 30–49: ~36k (29%)
  • 50–64: ~31k (25%)
  • 65+: ~25k (20%)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (64k) and 49% male (62k), mirroring local demographics.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Broadband at home: 80–85% of households (ACS trend range for urban KS counties), with a notable smartphone‑only segment (15–20%) that accesses email primarily via mobile.
  • Computer access: roughly mid‑80s to ~90% of households have a computer; remaining households rely on phones or public access points (libraries, community centers).
  • Connectivity: Urban core coverage is strong with fiber (including Google Fiber/AT&T Fiber) and cable, supporting 100 Mbps+ service across most addresses; affordability remains a primary barrier rather than availability.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Wyandotte County’s high urban density (~1,100 people/sq mi across ~152 sq mi) underpins extensive fixed‑broadband infrastructure, contributing to near‑ubiquitous email access among adults and rising mobile‑only usage in lower‑income neighborhoods.

Mobile phone usage in Wyandotte County, Kansas — summary and insights (focus on what differs from the statewide picture)

User base and adoption (best-available figures and reasoned estimates)

• Population base: 169,245 residents (2020 Census). Adults are roughly 72–76% of the population in similar urban Kansas counties, implying about 122,000–129,000 adults in Wyandotte County.
• Adult smartphone users: Applying current Pew Research adult smartphone adoption (about 88–90%) yields an estimated 108,000–116,000 adult smartphone users in the county.
• Teens (13–17): Roughly 7–8% of residents. With teen smartphone adoption near 95% (Pew), this adds about 11,000–13,000 users.
• Total smartphone users (13+): Approximately 120,000–128,000 in Wyandotte County today.
• Active mobile lines: Using national subscriptions per capita (about 1.2–1.4, CTIA) implies roughly 200,000–240,000 active SIMs in the county when including phones, tablets, hotspots, and IoT.

Demographic patterns that shape mobile usage locally

• Age and urban profile: Wyandotte County skews younger and more urban than Kansas overall. A younger median age (low- to mid-30s locally vs upper-30s statewide) correlates with higher smartphone adoption and heavier app-centric use.
• Income and affordability: The county’s poverty rate is about double the statewide figure (roughly 20% vs around 11%, American Community Survey), which drives:
  • More prepaid and budget-plan uptake.
  • A higher share of mobile-only internet households (smartphone/cellular data without a home fixed broadband subscription).
• Race/ethnicity and language: Wyandotte County has a larger share of Hispanic/Latino and Black residents than Kansas overall. National survey data (NTIA, Pew) consistently show higher rates of smartphone dependence and mobile-only internet among these groups, a pattern that contributes to above-average mobile reliance locally relative to the state.
• Digital equity context: American Community Survey (ACS) data indicate household broadband subscription rates in Wyandotte County are several points below the Kansas average (roughly ~80% vs mid-to-high 80s statewide in recent ACS releases). The lower wireline subscription rate is a strong signal of greater mobile substitution in the county.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G availability: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G service across the Kansas City, KS urban footprint. T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G is especially prevalent here due to legacy Sprint spectrum; AT&T and Verizon C-band 5G covers major corridors and population centers. Outdoor coverage is broadly strong; indoor performance can vary in older brick/masonry housing and large industrial buildings.
• Speeds and capacity: Independent testing in the Kansas City metro through 2023 shows typical median 5G downlink speeds in the 100–300 Mbps range depending on carrier and band, with mid-band 5G delivering the higher end of that range. Wyandotte County locations that sit near stadium/retail districts and interstates generally benefit from denser site grids and sector capacity.
• Fixed broadband competition (relevant to mobile substitution): Cable and fiber are available in much of urban Wyandotte County (including Google Fiber and other ISPs in parts of KCK), but adoption lags the state average per ACS, contributing to heavier mobile data use and a larger mobile-only segment.
• Affordability programs: The 2024 wind-down of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) disproportionately affected lower-income, urban counties like Wyandotte where enrollment was comparatively high, further reinforcing mobile-first behavior as households reassess costs.

How Wyandotte County differs from the Kansas statewide picture

• Higher smartphone dependence and mobile-only internet:
  • Estimate: 22–28% of Wyandotte County households rely primarily on mobile internet (smartphone/cellular data) versus roughly 15–18% statewide. This estimate aligns the county’s younger, lower-income, and more urban profile with NTIA/Pew subgroup usage patterns and ACS broadband subscription gaps.
  • Translating to counts: With roughly 60,000–62,000 households in the county, that implies on the order of 13,000–17,000 mobile-only households.
• More prepaid usage: Prepaid and budget plans take a larger share of the local market than the Kansas average, consistent with income distribution and urban plan availability. This shows up as higher churn but strong adoption of value tiers and family bundles.
• Heavier mid-band 5G utilization: The Kansas City, KS core benefits from dense macro and small-cell grids and strong mid-band holdings (notably T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz), yielding higher real-world 5G availability than many non-metro parts of Kansas.
• Lower fixed-broadband adoption: ACS shows a persistent single-digit percentage-point gap in household broadband subscription versus the state overall, aligning with greater smartphone-as-primary-device behavior and higher data-plan consumption locally.

What the numbers mean operationally

• Network planning: Prioritize mid-band capacity and indoor coverage in dense residential blocks, older multifamily buildings, and industrial riverfront areas where penetration is challenging. Stadium/retail nodes (e.g., near Legends/Children’s Mercy Park) require event-driven capacity boosts.
• Product mix: Maintain robust prepaid, multilingual support, and discounted device offerings. Family plans with high/pooled data and hotspot allowances map well to mobile-first households.
• Digital equity: Public investments that pair affordable plans with devices and skills training will close the remaining access gap faster than infrastructure alone, given that physical 5G coverage is already strong while affordability remains the primary barrier.

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population base).
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year and 5-year releases through 2022/2023 (household broadband subscription levels and poverty rates; Wyandotte County vs Kansas).
• Pew Research Center, 2023–2024 (adult and teen smartphone adoption).
• NTIA Internet Use Survey, 2021–2023 (mobile-only internet prevalence by demographic subgroup).
• FCC carrier coverage disclosures and 2023–2024 industry reporting on 5G mid-band/C-band deployments in the Kansas City metro.
• CTIA annual metrics (subscriptions per capita).

Note on estimates: Where county-level smartphone and mobile-only figures are not directly published, the counts above are modeled from Census/ACS population and household baselines combined with current national adoption rates by age, income, and race/ethnicity. These yield conservative, decision-grade ranges tailored to Wyandotte County’s demographic mix and urban characteristics.

Social media usage snapshot for Wyandotte County, KS

How to read this: Public sources do not publish platform-by-platform usage at the county level. The percentages below use the latest U.S. adult benchmarks (Pew Research Center, 2024) as the best-available proxy; urban counties like Wyandotte track closely to these patterns. Insights are tailored to Wyandotte’s demographics and local behavior.

Overall adoption

• About 72% of U.S. adults use at least one social media platform (Pew, 2024). Expect a similar share in Wyandotte County given its urban profile.

Most-used platforms (share of U.S. adults who use each; Pew, 2024)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19%

Age-group usage patterns

• 18–29: Very high on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; Facebook is secondary.
• 30–49: Facebook and Instagram are primary; YouTube is near-universal; TikTok has meaningful reach.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram/Pinterest are used but at lower levels; TikTok is niche.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube remain the mainstays; other platforms have limited penetration.

Gender breakdown (directional skews seen nationally)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat (Pinterest especially).
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

Wyandotte-specific behavioral trends and insights

• Bilingual, community-first engagement: With a large Hispanic/Latino community, Facebook (including Groups and Pages) and WhatsApp are central for family, church, school, and neighborhood communications; Spanish/English content performs best.
• Mobile-first consumption: Higher reliance on smartphones means short, vertical video (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) and Stories drive reach; links out to slow-loading sites underperform.
• Local discovery and commerce: Facebook Marketplace is heavily used for buying/selling; Instagram is key for restaurants and local retailers; geotags/hashtags around Legends Outlets, Children’s Mercy Park (Sporting KC), and Kansas Speedway concentrate local chatter.
• Public-sector and school updates: City/county agencies, KCKPS, and health providers see strong engagement on Facebook for service alerts, events, and emergency info; bilingual posts boost reach.
• Creator and micro-influencer impact: Food, family, and event-focused micro-creators on Instagram/TikTok can reliably move foot traffic for local spots; UGC featuring local landmarks performs above average.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks evenings (7–10 pm CT) and weekend middays; weather events and local sports produce short, sharp spikes across Facebook and X.

Practical takeaways

• To reach most adults: Facebook + YouTube are the foundation; add Instagram for 18–49, TikTok for under-35, and WhatsApp for bilingual reach.
• Use bilingual captions/subtitles, short-form video, and location tags; prioritize Facebook Groups/Pages for community reach and Marketplace for commerce.
• For professional and civic audiences, layer LinkedIn (business/services) and Nextdoor (homeowner neighborhoods) as secondary channels.