Le Sueur County

Le Sueur County, Minnesota — key demographics

Population size

• 28,674 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: 40.6 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 24.0%
• 18 to 64: 59.0%
• 65 and over: 17.0%

Gender

• Male: 50.4%
• Female: 49.6% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: 86.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 8.7%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 2.3%
• Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: 0.6%
• Asian alone, non-Hispanic: 0.7%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone, non-Hispanic: 0.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, non-Hispanic: ~0.1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: 11,201
• Average household size: 2.58
• Family households: 69%
• Married-couple households: 54%
• Households with children under 18: 31%
• Nonfamily households: 31%
• Average family size: 3.05
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 81%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

• Population base: ~28,700 residents; land area ~448 sq mi; density ~64 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users (18+): ≈20,100 adults (≈92% of adult residents).
• Age mix of adult email users (counts, share of users):
  • 18–34: ≈5,500 (27%)
  • 35–54: ≈7,100 (35%)
  • 55–64: ≈3,100 (15%)
  • 65+: ≈4,400 (22%)
• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male (email adoption is essentially equal by gender).
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • ≈92% of households have a computer; ≈86% subscribe to a home broadband plan (ACS 2018–2022).
  • Fixed 100/20 Mbps service is available to most addresses in and around towns (Le Sueur, Le Center, Montgomery, Cleveland, parts of Belle Plaine fringe); remaining rural pockets lean on DSL or fixed wireless.
  • 4G/5G mobile coverage is strong along the US‑169 corridor and town centers, improving but thinner in western townships.
• Trends and insights:
  • Broadband subscriptions and fiber passings have grown since 2019, narrowing the rural gap.
  • Email remains near‑universal across working‑age adults and strong among seniors; mobile‑only internet reliance remains a single‑digit share of households.
  • Low‑to‑moderate rural density shapes last‑mile costs, making fixed‑wireless an important complement to wired builds.

Mobile phone usage in Le Sueur County, Minnesota — 2025 snapshot

Executive takeaways

• Estimated active smartphone users: roughly 19,000–21,000 residents (about 86–92% of adults), reflecting slightly lower overall adoption than the Minnesota average but higher reliance on phones as a primary internet connection.
• Distinctive local pattern vs the state: a higher share of smartphone-only households and greater dependence on mobile hotspots/5G home internet, driven by rural geography and patchier fixed broadband outside town centers.

User estimates

• Population base: ~29,000 residents; ~22,000–23,000 adults.
• Smartphone ownership: ~19,000–21,000 adult users, derived from county-rural adoption rates (Pew Research 2023; ACS device subscription patterns) that run a few points below Minnesota’s metro-weighted average.
• Smartphone-only internet at home: materially above the state average. Where Minnesota typically sits in the mid-teens percent of households, Le Sueur County’s rural/exurban profile supports a high-teens to ~20% range, with the upper end in outlying townships. This is evident in take-up of fixed wireless/5G home internet and hotspot use where cable or fiber is not present.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns that stand out locally)

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (mid-to-high 90s percent), in line with the state.
  • 35–64: low-to-mid 90s percent, marginally below the state in areas farther from employment centers.
  • 65+: substantially lower adoption (roughly upper 70s to low 80s percent), which weighs more on the county total because Le Sueur has a slightly older age mix than Minnesota overall.
• Income:
  • Households under ~$35,000 show the highest smartphone-only reliance, noticeably above the statewide share for that bracket. In rural blocks, mobile service is often the default home connection.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a meaningful Hispanic/Latino minority. As seen statewide and nationally, Hispanic households in the county tend to report higher smartphone-only use than White non-Hispanic households, contributing to the county’s higher overall phone-dependence for internet access.
• Household type:
  • Multi-line family plans are common; single-line prepaid penetration is higher outside town centers than in the Twin Cities metro, mirroring rural Minnesota trends.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile networks:
  • 4G LTE: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile provide near-continuous outdoor road coverage across the county; indoor performance varies in farmsteads and lake/river valleys.
  • 5G coverage:
    • Low-band 5G is broadly available across the county on all three national carriers.
    • Mid-band 5G (C-band/n77 for Verizon and AT&T; 2.5 GHz for T-Mobile) is most consistent in and around towns (Le Sueur, Le Center, Montgomery, New Prague area) and along main corridors (e.g., US‑169/MN‑13/MN‑19). Coverage thins in low-density areas, producing a larger urban–rural 5G speed gap than the Minnesota average.
  • Performance pattern vs state: median 5G speeds in town centers approach metro-like performance, but sustained mid-band throughput drops faster with distance than in the Twin Cities counties, keeping many rural users on low-band 5G/4G.
• Home internet interplay:
  • Cable (Mediacom) serves most larger towns; fiber is present in pockets through regional incumbents/overbuilders (e.g., Nuvera/MetroNet/Bevcomm footprint varies by exchange). DSL remains in outlying areas but underperforms.
  • 5G Home/fixed wireless: T-Mobile’s 5G Home is widely marketed across the county; Verizon’s 5G Home is available in mid-band footprints around towns/corridors. This availability, combined with uneven fiber/cable reach, pushes a higher smartphone-only and mobile-first share than the state average.
• Terrain and tower siting:
  • River bluffs, wooded valleys along the Minnesota River, and scattered lakes produce localized dead zones and indoor attenuation. Tower density is lower than metro counties, and new macro/small-cell additions since 2021 have focused on corridors and town perimeters rather than deep rural infill.

How Le Sueur County differs from Minnesota overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption (driven by a somewhat older, more rural population mix) but higher dependence on mobile phones as the primary internet connection.
• Larger rural–town performance gap on 5G speeds because mid-band 5G deployment is concentrated along major corridors and municipalities, whereas metro counties benefit from denser mid-band overlays.
• Greater uptake of fixed wireless/5G home internet and hotspot use as substitutes for cable/fiber, translating to a higher share of smartphone-only households than the statewide norm.
• More variable indoor coverage in farmsteads and river-adjacent terrain, leading to heavier use of Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters than typical in metro areas.

Data anchors used

• U.S. Census/ACS 2019–2023 device and subscription patterns at the county/state levels.
• Pew Research Center 2023 smartphone ownership by age cohort.
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024) mobile and fixed availability disclosures and carrier public coverage maps (2024).

Le Sueur County, MN — Social media usage snapshot

User stats

• Population context: 28,674 residents (2020 Census). Rural/suburban mix with strong family, school, and community group participation.
• Social media penetration: expect roughly 70–75% of adults to use at least one social platform (aligned with recent Pew Research Center findings for U.S. adults), with near‑universal use among teens and very high use among 18–29s.

Most‑used platforms (adult share; Pew Research Center, U.S. benchmarks that closely mirror rural/suburban counties)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 27%
• Reddit: 25%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• Nextdoor: 19%

Age‑group patterns (local behavior tracks national patterns)

• Teens/18–29: Heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram; YouTube is near‑universal. Facebook used mainly for groups/events, not as a primary feed.
• 30–49: Facebook + YouTube dominate; Instagram solid; TikTok growing for entertainment and local discovery.
• 50–64: Facebook is the daily hub; YouTube for news/how‑to; Instagram moderate; little Snapchat.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube are primary; minimal TikTok/Instagram.

Gender breakdown (directional patterns consistent with Pew data)

• Women: More active on Facebook Groups and Instagram; Pinterest usage notably higher than men; engage heavily with local shopping, schools, churches, and events content.
• Men: Heavier on YouTube, Reddit, and X; higher engagement with sports, DIY, ag/equipment, and local news.

Behavioral trends in Le Sueur County

• Facebook as the “town square”: City/county updates, school districts, churches, civic groups, youth sports, lost‑and‑found, and buy/sell (Marketplace) are central. Group recommendations strongly influence purchases and services.
• Short‑form video wins: Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts drive discovery for restaurants, bars, boutiques, contractors, and events; clips featuring recognizable local people/places outperform static posts.
• Messaging‑first habits: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are core for coordination; many small businesses handle inquiries and service via DMs.
• Community‑first commerce: Marketplace and local groups shape buying behavior more than national e‑commerce; seasonal spikes around planting/harvest, graduations, county fairs, and hunting.
• Timing/device: Mobile‑first consumption; peak activity evenings (6–9 p.m.) and weekends; weekday lunchtime bumps around schools and major employers.
• Trust signals: Real names, local admins, school ties, and mutual connections matter; “local influencers” are often coaches, teachers, and business owners rather than full‑time creators.

Practical takeaways

• To reach adults 30+: prioritize Facebook + YouTube, use Groups and short video; boost posts with tight geo‑targets around towns and school districts.
• To reach under‑30: lead with TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram and vertical video; collaborate with schools, youth sports, and local creators for authentic reach.