Shiawassee County

Shiawassee County, Michigan — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population count) and 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for all other metrics.

Population

• Total population: 68,094 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~42.6 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~93%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.6%
• Asian: ~0.4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–4%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Number of households: ~27,300
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~67% of households
• Average family size: ~3.0
• Married-couple families: ~49% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27–28%
• Householder living alone: ~28% (about 12% age 65+)

Shiawassee County, MI email landscape (2025-ready snapshot)

• Population and users: ≈68,000 residents; ≈49,800 adult email users (applying national email adoption by age to local age mix).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~8,700 (≈17%)
  • 30–49: ~17,200 (≈34%)
  • 50–64: ~13,400 (≈27%)
  • 65+: ~10,500 (≈21%)
• Gender split: Essentially even among users (≈50% female, ≈50% male).
• Digital access trends:
  • ~85% of households have a broadband subscription.
  • ~92% have a computer or smartphone at home.
  • ~7% are smartphone‑only internet households.
  • ~10% have no home internet, concentrating among seniors and lower‑income households.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈128 people per square mile; population clusters in Owosso–Corunna with markedly better cable/fiber availability.
  • Connectivity is strongest in and around Owosso, Corunna, and along the I‑69/M‑52 corridors; rural townships rely more on DSL and fixed‑wireless, with lower speeds and slightly lower adoption among older adults.

Bottom line: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults and strong among seniors; access gaps are primarily a function of rural infrastructure and income rather than lack of email familiarity.

Mobile phone usage in Shiawassee County, MI — 2024 snapshot

Scope and sources: Figures are based on the 2020 Census and recent ACS releases for population/households, combined with current national and rural adoption benchmarks from Pew Research Center and industry reporting. All numbers are rounded and presented as best-available county estimates.

Population and households

• Total population: ~68,000
• Adults (18+): ~52,000
• Households: ~27,000

User estimates

• Adults with any mobile phone: ~49,000–50,000 (about 94–96% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users: ~44,000–47,000 (about 84–90% of adults)
• Households with at least one smartphone: ~23,000–24,000 (about 85–90% of households)
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no wireline subscription): ~4,000–5,000 (about 15–18% of households), notably above Michigan’s average
• Prepaid/MVNO share: meaningfully higher than the state average, reflecting price sensitivity and rural coverage preferences

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone ownership (≈95%+), heavy app/data use; limited differences from state levels
  • 35–64: high ownership (≈90%+), strong BYOD use for work; marginally lower than Michigan overall
  • 65+: substantially lower ownership than younger cohorts (≈65–75%); larger feature‑phone segment than the state average
• Income and education
  • Lower-income households show higher reliance on smartphones as their primary internet connection and higher prepaid usage than statewide norms
  • Households without a bachelor’s degree are more likely to be mobile‑only for home internet than their state counterparts
• Urban/rural split
  • Towns (Owosso, Corunna, Durand, Perry): near‑state smartphone penetration and stronger 5G availability
  • Outlying townships: slightly lower smartphone adoption; higher rates of mobile‑only internet due to limited wireline options

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available in populated areas; 5G low‑band covers town centers and main corridors. Mid‑band 5G is present around Owosso/Corunna and along I‑69 but is patchier in agricultural zones and wooded areas
• Carriers
  • Verizon: strongest and most continuous rural footprint countywide
  • AT&T: solid in towns and corridors; more gaps on the rural fringe
  • T‑Mobile: strong low‑band 5G in towns/corridors; rural penetration improving but still variable off‑corridor
• Home internet via mobile networks: meaningful uptake of 4G/5G fixed‑wireless offerings (Verizon, T‑Mobile) where DSL/coax are limited or costly
• Reliability: performance and indoor coverage are best near I‑69, M‑21, M‑52, and population centers; dead spots and capacity constraints are more common in the western and northern rural townships

How Shiawassee differs from Michigan overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration, driven by an older age profile and more rural households
• Higher share of mobile‑only internet households, reflecting constrained wireline competition in rural areas
• Larger prepaid/MVNO segment than the state, tied to cost sensitivity and coverage hedging across carriers
• More variable 5G mid‑band availability outside town centers; residents more frequently fall back to LTE than the state average
• Feature‑phone retention among seniors remains noticeably above the statewide rate

Key takeaways

• Smartphone adoption is high but lags Michigan slightly, with the gap concentrated among seniors and the rural fringe
• Mobile networks play an outsized role in home connectivity, with fixed‑wireless and mobile‑only use well above the state average
• Investment in mid‑band 5G and rural infill (especially west/north of Owosso) would most directly narrow the county’s gap with statewide mobile performance and reduce dependence on prepaid and mobile‑only workarounds

Shiawassee County, MI — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈68,000
• Adults (18+): ≈53,000 (used as the base for platform estimates)

Estimated platform reach among adults (applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adoption rates to the county’s adult population)

• YouTube: 83% ≈ 44,000 adults
• Facebook: 68% ≈ 36,000
• Instagram: 47% ≈ 24,900
• TikTok: 33% ≈ 17,500
• Pinterest: 35% ≈ 18,600
• LinkedIn: 30% ≈ 15,900
• WhatsApp: 29% ≈ 15,400
• Snapchat: 27% ≈ 14,300
• X (Twitter): 22% ≈ 11,700
• Reddit: 22% ≈ 11,700

Age groups (how usage concentrates locally)

• Overall age structure skews older than large metros, so Facebook and YouTube dominate reach.
• Under 30: Heavy users of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; lighter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Ages 30–49: Broad multi-platform use; strong on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; growing on TikTok; LinkedIn present among professionals.
• Ages 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok limited but rising.
• 65+: Facebook primary; YouTube for news/how‑to; minimal on TikTok/Snapchat/Reddit.

Gender breakdown

• Overall: Slight female tilt in the active social audience (driven by Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest).
• Platform skews:
  • More female: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
  • More male: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter)
  • Mixed/neutral: WhatsApp, Snapchat, LinkedIn

Most-used platforms locally (ranked by estimated adult reach)

1. YouTube (≈83%)
2. Facebook (≈68%)
3. Instagram (≈47%)
4. Pinterest (≈35%)
5. TikTok (≈33%)
6. LinkedIn (≈30%)
7. WhatsApp (≈29%)
8. Snapchat (≈27%)
9. X/Twitter and Reddit (each ≈22%)

Behavioral trends in Shiawassee County

• Facebook as the local hub: Heavy use of Groups and Pages for schools, municipal updates, church and youth sports, yard sales, and Facebook Marketplace. Event RSVPs and lost-and-found posts drive engagement.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, auto/home repair, outdoor recreation, local government recordings, and high school sports highlights. Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) increasingly mirrors YouTube topics in bite-sized form.
• Youth messaging and ephemerality: Teens/young adults rely on Snapchat for daily communication; private Instagram/TikTok accounts common; content is short, casual, and ephemeral.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace is the primary buy/sell channel for vehicles, farm and lawn equipment, furniture, and tools; local services (home repair, salons, lawn care) promote via Facebook/Instagram with before-after photos and short clips.
• Local news and weather: Fast spikes in engagement during school closings, road work, severe weather, and utility outages; shares and comments cluster around official county/city/school accounts and local media pages.
• Community identity: High engagement with hyperlocal content (Owosso, Durand, Perry, Corunna) over national topics; photo posts of community events, sports teams, and seasonal activities outperform text.
• Timing: Engagement strongest evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekend mornings; school-year rhythms (after practices/games) boost evening video views.
• Cross-posting: Small businesses and civic groups commonly post to Instagram and auto-share to Facebook; TikTok used selectively for reach, often repurposing Reels.
• Device behavior: Mobile-first viewing dominates; vertical video and large text overlays improve completion rates.

How to interpret the numbers

• Counts are estimates derived by applying Pew’s 2024 U.S. adult platform usage percentages to Shiawassee’s adult population, giving a practical, locally scaled view of reach.
• YouTube’s 83% alone implies at least ~44,000 adult residents use social platforms; total “any platform” reach will be higher due to multi-platform behavior.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau (2020–2023 population and age structure for Shiawassee County)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption rates)