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.