Lyon County Local Demographic Profile
Key demographics for Lyon County, Minnesota (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates):
- Population size: ~25,600
- Age:
- Median age: ~36 years
- Under 18: ~24%
- 65 and over: ~17%
- Gender:
- Male: ~50%
- Female: ~50%
- Race and ethnicity:
- White alone: ~89%
- Black or African American alone: ~3%
- Asian alone: ~3–4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone: <1%
- Two or more races: ~3%
- Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~6–7%
- Households and housing:
- Households: ~9,900
- Average household size: ~2.5
- Family households: ~62% of households; average family size ~3.1
- With children under 18: ~31% of households
- One-person households: ~29% (about 12% age 65+ living alone)
- Housing tenure: ~69% owner-occupied, ~31% renter-occupied
Insights: The county remains predominantly White but with meaningful Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations. A sizable student/young adult presence keeps the median age below the state average. Housing is chiefly owner-occupied, with family households comprising roughly three-fifths of all households.
Email Usage in Lyon County
Lyon County, MN email usage snapshot (estimates)
- Estimated users: 20,000 of ~25,600 residents. Basis: ~78% adults (20k) with ~93% email adoption, plus strong school-driven uptake among teens (13–17) at ~85%.
- Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 6%; 18–29: 20%; 30–49: 34%; 50–64: 25%; 65+: 15%.
- Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male, mirroring the county’s population.
- Digital access trends:
- ~85% of households have a broadband subscription; ~92% have a computer and/or smartphone; ~13% are smartphone‑only internet users.
- Email access is near‑universal in Marshall and other towns; adoption is modestly lower and more mobile‑centric in rural townships.
- Local density/connectivity facts:
- Population density 36 people/sq mi across ~714 sq mi; Marshall (13,700 residents) concentrates over half the county’s population and has the most robust cable/fiber options.
- Outside Marshall, fixed wireless and legacy DSL remain common, which can limit speeds and reliability, influencing heavier email usage on mobile devices.
Implications: Email reach is effectively universal among working‑age adults; the main gaps are among the oldest residents and the most rural addresses. Campaigns should be mobile‑optimized and timed for daytime/early evening when broadband access is strongest.
Mobile Phone Usage in Lyon County
Mobile phone usage in Lyon County, Minnesota: 2024 snapshot and trends distinct from the state
Headline estimates
- Population and subscriptions: Population ~25,000. Estimated total mobile subscriptions 28,000–32,000 (110–125 lines per 100 residents), with 22,000–26,000 smartphones in active use.
- Household smartphone access: 92–95% of households have a smartphone and data plan (ACS-style household measure), broadly in line with Minnesota but on the lower end outside the City of Marshall.
- Cellular-only internet: 15–19% of households rely on a cellular data plan as their sole home internet connection, higher than the Minnesota average (~11–13%).
Demographic usage patterns
- Age
- 18–34: Smartphone ownership 96–99%; heavy data use and near-universal use of streaming, maps, and campus apps centered on Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU).
- 35–64: Ownership 92–96%; high propensity for family plans and bundled device financing; strong use of productivity and navigation apps for commuting within the regional trade area.
- 65+: Ownership 75–82%, 3–5 percentage points below the statewide rate; more voice/SMS and video-calling for family/telehealth; lower adoption of wearables than state average.
- Income and plan type
- Prepaid share: 22–28% of mobile lines (vs. 16–20% statewide), reflecting price sensitivity in rural markets and among students.
- Unlimited data plans: Adoption slightly above statewide averages outside Marshall due to weaker fixed-broadband options in some townships.
- Household composition
- Multi-line family plans are the dominant contract structure; student-heavy ZIP codes near SMSU show elevated churn and seasonal line activations.
- Cellular-only households are concentrated in small towns and farmsteads, where fixed broadband choices are limited or priced higher.
Digital infrastructure and coverage
- 4G/5G coverage
- 4G LTE: Near-universal outdoor population coverage (~99%); geographic coverage somewhat lower in low-lying agricultural areas.
- 5G: Countywide low-band 5G from national carriers; mid-band 5G capacity clustered in Marshall and along US‑59 and MN‑23 corridors, delivering typical median downloads of 100–200 Mbps in town and 20–60 Mbps in rural stretches.
- Carriers and capacity
- All three national carriers operate in the county. T-Mobile’s low-band 5G provides the broadest rural footprint; Verizon remains strong on LTE reliability; AT&T coverage is solid in population centers with variable rural performance.
- Capacity constraints appear during evening hours on sectors serving highway corridors and student housing; fall semester move-in produces short-term utilization spikes.
- Backhaul and fiber
- Fiber-fed macro sites and business fiber rings in Marshall support higher 5G throughput; outside the city, microwave backhaul and longer fiber laterals contribute to more variable performance.
- Fixed broadband: Cable and some fiber-to-the-home in Marshall and larger towns; DSL and fixed wireless in outlying areas. Where fiber is absent, mobile networks are more heavily used for home connectivity.
- Public connectivity
- Robust Wi‑Fi density on the SMSU campus, in schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities, complementing mobile usage and offloading traffic during peak times.
How Lyon County differs from Minnesota overall
- Higher cellular reliance at home: Cellular-only internet is 2–6 percentage points higher than the statewide share, especially outside Marshall, making mobile networks a primary on-ramp to the internet for more households.
- Slightly lower senior adoption: Smartphone uptake among adults 65+ trails the state by 3–5 points, though telehealth usage on mobile is comparatively high due to travel distances for specialty care.
- More prepaid and budget plans: Prepaid penetration runs several points above the state average, influenced by students and cost-conscious rural users.
- Coverage profile: Low-band 5G coverage breadth is strong, but mid-band 5G capacity is more localized than in Minnesota’s metro counties, yielding wider urban–rural speed gaps within the county.
- Traffic seasonality: Student-driven seasonality and harvest-season mobility produce more pronounced month-to-month variations in mobile data demand than the statewide pattern.
Insights and implications
- Mobile is a critical substitute where fiber/cable are sparse; ensuring sufficient rural mid-band 5G capacity and fiber backhaul will materially improve everyday performance.
- Outreach and device financing tailored to seniors could narrow the age adoption gap; bundling telehealth support with mobile plans is likely to see above-average uptake.
- Student-centric plans and campus small cells or neutral-host solutions in Marshall would mitigate peak-time congestion and reduce churn around academic calendar transitions.
Sources and methods
- Estimates synthesize 2020 Census population baselines; 2022–2023 American Community Survey S2801 computer/internet indicators at the county level (household smartphone access and cellular-only home internet); national smartphone adoption benchmarks (Pew Research, 2023); and FCC mobile coverage performance patterns in rural Minnesota through 2024. Figures are rounded to reflect typical county-level margins of error.
Social Media Trends in Lyon County
Lyon County, MN social media snapshot (2025)
Population base
- Total population: ~25,300
- Adults (18+): ~19,200
- Active social media users (18+): ~15,900 (≈83% of adults), modeled from latest Pew Research usage applied to local adult population
Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; approx. user counts in parentheses)
- YouTube: 83% (~15,900)
- Facebook: 68% (~13,100)
- Instagram: 47% (~9,000)
- Pinterest: 35% (~6,700)
- TikTok: 33% (~6,300)
- LinkedIn: 33% (~6,300)
- Snapchat: 30% (~5,800)
- WhatsApp: 26% (~5,000)
- X (Twitter): 22% (~4,200)
- Reddit: 22% (~4,200)
Age-group profile (platform share within each age band; indicative of local behavior)
- 18–24 (boosted by SMSU presence): YouTube ~95; Instagram ~78; Snapchat ~65; TikTok ~62; Facebook ~48; Reddit ~36; X ~29
- 25–34: YouTube ~92; Facebook ~75; Instagram ~59; TikTok ~39; Snapchat ~31; LinkedIn ~40
- 35–49: YouTube ~92; Facebook ~75; Instagram ~59; TikTok ~39; LinkedIn ~40; Pinterest ~38
- 50–64: YouTube ~83; Facebook ~73; Instagram ~40; Pinterest ~36; TikTok ~24; LinkedIn ~28; Snapchat ~14
- 65+: YouTube ~60; Facebook ~62; Instagram ~15; Pinterest ~18; TikTok ~10; LinkedIn ~10
Gender breakdown (platform adoption among adults)
- Women: higher on Facebook (75%), Instagram (54%), TikTok (38–40%), Snapchat (36–38%), Pinterest (~50%). Strong Pinterest skew (majority of Pinterest users are women).
- Men: higher on YouTube (86%), Reddit (29%), X/Twitter (25–27%), LinkedIn (36%). Facebook (62%) and Instagram (42%) lower than women.
- Overall county user base skews slightly female on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest; slightly male on YouTube/Reddit/X.
Behavioral trends in Lyon County
- Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of local Groups, school and church pages, youth sports, city/county updates, buy–sell–trade and Marketplace. High organic sharing around weather alerts, road closures, school announcements, and community events.
- Video-first consumption: short-form video (Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, TikTok) drives outsized reach; local sports highlights, festival recaps, and business “behind-the-scenes” perform well. YouTube remains the go-to for how‑to, farm/repair content, and livestreams (church, athletics).
- Younger cohort (18–24): prefers Snapchat DMs/Stories, TikTok and Instagram for discovery; lighter public posting, more private messaging and Stories. Quick uptake of trends and audio; strong response to authentic, unpolished content.
- 25–49: mixes Facebook (events, Groups, Marketplace) with Instagram (visual storytelling) and YouTube (tutorials, product research). Parents engage with school/activities content and local deals.
- 50+: relies on Facebook for local news, organizations, and community identity; Pinterest for home, recipes, crafts; YouTube for tutorials and local streams.
- Rural/agribusiness flavor: active interest in farm equipment, seed/co‑op pages, hunting/fishing and outdoors groups, seasonal content (planting/harvest). Practical, service-oriented posts earn saves and shares.
- Timing and cadence: after‑work evenings and weekend mornings see the best engagement; weather and sports can create midday spikes. Consistency (3–5 posts/week per channel) outperforms bursts.
- Ads and outcomes: Facebook/Instagram deliver the broadest, most efficient local reach; TikTok excels for 18–34 awareness; Snapchat effective for quick campus‑adjacent reach; LinkedIn best for hiring and B2B. Location targeting around Marshall, Tracy, Minneota, Cottonwood performs well; click‑to‑message and event response objectives convert reliably.
Method and sources
- Population and age structure from U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Lyon County, MN.
- Platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use (2024). Local figures are county-level estimates derived by applying Pew’s age/gender platform usage to Lyon County’s adult population.
Table of Contents
Other Counties in Minnesota
- Aitkin
- Anoka
- Becker
- Beltrami
- Benton
- Big Stone
- Blue Earth
- Brown
- Carlton
- Carver
- Cass
- Chippewa
- Chisago
- Clay
- Clearwater
- Cook
- Cottonwood
- Crow Wing
- Dakota
- Dodge
- Douglas
- Faribault
- Fillmore
- Freeborn
- Goodhue
- Grant
- Hennepin
- Houston
- Hubbard
- Isanti
- Itasca
- Jackson
- Kanabec
- Kandiyohi
- Kittson
- Koochiching
- Lac Qui Parle
- Lake
- Lake Of The Woods
- Le Sueur
- Lincoln
- Mahnomen
- Marshall
- Martin
- Mcleod
- Meeker
- Mille Lacs
- Morrison
- Mower
- Murray
- Nicollet
- Nobles
- Norman
- Olmsted
- Otter Tail
- Pennington
- Pine
- Pipestone
- Polk
- Pope
- Ramsey
- Red Lake
- Redwood
- Renville
- Rice
- Rock
- Roseau
- Saint Louis
- Scott
- Sherburne
- Sibley
- Stearns
- Steele
- Stevens
- Swift
- Todd
- Traverse
- Wabasha
- Wadena
- Waseca
- Washington
- Watonwan
- Wilkin
- Winona
- Wright
- Yellow Medicine