Andrew County

Key demographics – Andrew County, Missouri

• Population size:

  • 18,135 (2020 Decennial Census)
  • ~18,000 (ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimate)

• Age:

  • Median age: ~41 years
  • Under 18: ~24%
  • 18–64: ~59%
  • 65 and over: ~17%

• Gender:

  • Female: ~50%
  • Male: ~50%

• Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022, shares may not sum due to rounding/overlap):

  • White alone: ~94%
  • Black or African American alone: ~1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.5%
  • Asian alone: ~0.4%
  • Two or more races: ~4%
  • Hispanic/Latino (of any race): ~2–3%

• Households (ACS 2018–2022):

  • Total households: ~6,900
  • Average household size: ~2.6
  • Family households: ~70% of households
  • With children under 18: ~30% of households
  • Tenure: ~78% owner-occupied, ~22% renter-occupied

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year).

Andrew County, MO — email usage snapshot (estimates)

• Estimated users: About 11–12k adult email users (roughly 60–65% of the total population). Based on county population ~18k, adult share ~77%, high household internet adoption, and >90% email use among online adults. Including teens: ~12–13k total email users.

• Age mix of email users (share of users):

  • 18–34: ~22%
  • 35–54: ~34%
  • 55–64: ~16%
  • 65+: ~28% Older-skewing demographics mean a sizable 65+ share despite slightly lower adoption.

• Gender split: Approximately even (about 49–51% each), consistent with national patterns.

• Digital access trends:

  • Most households have internet; broadband adoption is high but not universal outside towns.
  • 15–20% likely rely on smartphone-only access, pushing email to mobile.
  • Fiber/cable strongest in and around Savannah and the I‑29 corridor; fixed wireless common in rural areas; satellite serves the most remote pockets.

• Local density/connectivity facts:

  • Population 18k; low density (40 people/sq. mi.), with residents concentrated near Savannah.
  • Connectivity is notably better in town centers than on dispersed farm roads, where speeds and reliability vary.

Notes: Figures are derived from ACS-style household internet benchmarks and Pew email adoption rates applied to local population.

Below is a planning-grade summary based on county size and rural Midwest adoption patterns, combined with what’s typical for northwest Missouri. Treat the figures as estimates and ranges rather than point values.

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population baseline: Andrew County has roughly 18–19 thousand residents, with about 77–80% age 18+.
• Adult mobile phone owners: 95–97% of adults, or about 13,200–14,700 people.
• Adult smartphone users: 80–85% of adults, or about 11,500–12,500 users.
• Teens (13–17): roughly 1,000–1,200, with smartphone ownership around 90–95% (about 900–1,100 users).
• Total smartphone users (13+): approximately 12,500–13,600.
• Households using mobile as primary home internet: roughly 15–20% of households, higher than the statewide average, reflecting fiber/DSL gaps in the countryside.

How Andrew County differs from Missouri overall

• Adoption level: Overall smartphone adoption runs a few points lower than the state average, mainly due to a larger share of older and rural residents.
• Older adults: The 65+ group lags state-level smartphone adoption by roughly 10–15 percentage points; basic/feature phones remain more common than in metro Missouri.
• Plan mix and devices: Prepaid/MVNO plans and longer device upgrade cycles are more common than statewide; Android share is likely higher than in the St. Louis/KC metros.
• Home internet reliance on cellular: A notably larger slice of households uses smartphone tethering or fixed wireless (Verizon, T-Mobile) as primary home internet versus the state average.
• Performance and 5G: 5G availability is patchier and more dependent on low-band spectrum; mid-band 5G performance typical in Missouri’s metros is largely confined to the I-29 corridor and the St. Joseph fringe.

Demographic usage patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: Near-ubiquitous smartphone ownership; heavy use of social/video apps, mobile payments, and location services.
  • 35–64: High adoption; strong use for work coordination (trades, logistics, health care), but somewhat more cautious data usage.
  • 65+: Lower smartphone penetration and more voice/text reliance than statewide; growing telehealth use nudges adoption upward year over year.
• Income/affordability: Greater sensitivity to monthly cost; higher utilization of prepaid, ACP alternatives where available, and shared family plans. Data caps/unlimited throttled plans shape app choices (e.g., more SD video, offline downloads).
• Work mix: Agriculture, transportation, and construction drive use of rugged devices, push-to-talk substitutes, and farm/vehicle telematics lines; small-business owners commonly use a single phone for both personal and business.
• Commuting: Many residents interact with towers in Buchanan County (St. Joseph) during the day, then return to weaker interior coverage at night—producing noticeable day–night load shifts unlike statewide urban areas.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all cover the county; practical carrier choice often hinges on specific micro-areas and terrain rather than price alone.
• Where service is strongest: Along I-29 and around Savannah and Country Club (near the St. Joseph edge), with mid-band 5G more available there. Interior areas often fall back to low-band 5G or 4G LTE.
• Dead zones: River bluffs and bottoms near the Missouri River (around Amazonia) and rolling/wooded terrain away from highways produce spotty or no-signal pockets—more prevalent than the statewide norm.
• Speeds: Download speeds are typically adequate for messaging, web, and SD video, but less consistent for HD video or high-quality live uplinks outside the I-29 corridor. Peak-hour slowdowns are more pronounced than in major metros.
• Fixed wireless and fiber:
  • Fixed wireless (Verizon/T-Mobile home internet) is available in and around the highway/town corridors and fills gaps where cable/DSL underperform—adoption is above the state average for rural counties.
  • Fiber has expanded via regional/co-op builds in parts of northwest Missouri, improving backhaul and some last-mile areas, but fiber-to-the-farm is still incomplete countywide.
• Public safety: FirstNet buildouts have improved AT&T coverage and capacity on key corridors and around the county seat; interior reliability still varies with terrain and tower spacing.
• Public Wi‑Fi anchors: Schools and the county library system serve as important access points; usage spikes are common during school/after-school hours.

Trends to watch

• Gradual catch-up in 65+ smartphone adoption (telehealth, messaging with family), narrowing the county’s gap with the state.
• Continued fixed-wireless take-up for home internet in fringe and rural zones, reinforcing mobile’s role beyond on-the-go connectivity.
• Opportunistic 5G mid-band infill along existing corridors as backhaul improves; small-cell deployment remains unlikely outside town centers.
• More agricultural IoT/telematics lines per operation, increasing SIMs per household even if human user counts grow slowly.

Bottom line Andrew County’s mobile landscape looks like a rural-leaning slice of Missouri: slightly lower smartphone penetration than the state, more reliance on cellular for home internet, and more variable performance away from highways. Improvements tend to follow the I-29/Savannah axis first and spread outward more slowly than in Missouri’s metros.

Here’s a concise, county-level snapshot built by applying recent Pew Research platform adoption rates to Andrew County’s demographics (population ~18k). Figures are estimates, rounded, and refer to residents age 13+ unless noted.

Headline user stats

• Estimated social media users: 12–13k residents (≈70% of total pop; ≈83% of ages 13+)
• Adult users (18+): ~11–12k
• Typical daily users: ~8–9k
• Gender split among users: 51–53% women, 47–49% men

Age mix of users (share of county’s social media audience)

• 13–17: ~8%
• 18–29: ~19%
• 30–49: ~33%
• 50–64: ~26%
• 65+: ~14%

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use the platform; county estimates)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• Pinterest: 30–35% (skews female)
• TikTok: 25–30% (higher in 13–29)
• Snapchat: 20–25% (concentrated under 30)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 12–18%
• LinkedIn: 15–20% (lower than national average)
• Nextdoor: 3–6% (patchy local presence)

Gender notes by platform

• Women: over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong activity in local groups and Marketplace
• Men: over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; strong on hobby/outdoors, sports, and how-to content

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for school districts, churches, youth sports, 4-H/FFA, local buy-sell-trade, and county/city updates. Marketplace is a go-to for vehicles, equipment, and furniture.
• Video-first consumption: short-form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) sees the fastest growth across ages; local sports highlights, hunting/fishing, home projects, ag equipment, and weather content perform best.
• Messaging over posting for younger users: Snapchat and Instagram DMs are daily; public posting is lighter and more curated.
• Information sourcing: residents rely on Facebook pages/groups for hours, menus, road closures, weather, school announcements, and sheriff/EMS notices; St. Joseph media pages extend reach into the county.
• Local commerce: people check Facebook/Google for reviews and hours; deals, giveaways, and event posts convert well. Response time to messages matters.
• Time-of-day peaks: evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; school-year spikes around game nights and community events.
• Older adults: Facebook-centric; more sharing/commenting than posting; strong engagement with church, civic, and family content.
• Teens/young adults: TikTok for discovery/entertainment; Snapchat for daily communication; Instagram for sports, milestones, and local happenings.

Notes on method and confidence

• Built from county population structure (ACS/Census) and 2023–2024 Pew platform adoption by age/rural status; adjusted slightly for rural Missouri patterns. Treat figures as directional ranges, not exact counts.