Atchison County

Here are current, high-level demographics for Atchison County, Missouri (latest U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates):

• Population

  • 2020 Census: ~5,305
  • 2023 estimate: ~5.1k

• Age

  • Median age: ~46 years
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 65 and over: ~24%

• Sex

  • Female: ~49–50%
  • Male: ~50–51%

• Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

  • White: ~95–96%
  • Black or African American: ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–1%
  • Asian: ~0.2–0.3%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

• Households

  • Total households: ~2,400–2,500
  • Average household size: ~2.1–2.2
  • Family households: ~58–62% of households
  • Average family size: ~2.7–2.8

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; Vintage 2023 county population estimates.

Atchison County, MO snapshot (estimates modeled from 2020 Census/ACS, FCC, and Pew rural-use patterns)

• Population: ~5,300; land area ~548 sq mi → ~10 people/sq mi (very low density).
• Email users: ~3,900–4,400 residents use email at least monthly.
• Age profile (share using email):
  • 13–24: 90–95%
  • 25–44: 95–98%
  • 45–64: 88–93%
  • 65+: 70–80% (lower where home broadband is absent)
• Gender split among email users: roughly even; slight female tilt (county population ~51% female), especially in older cohorts.
• Digital access:
  • Households with broadband (cable/DSL/fiber/fixed wireless): ~70–80%.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ~15–25%.
  • Home computer access: ~70–80%; higher in towns, lower on farms.
• Connectivity pattern:
  • Better wired options (cable/fiber or higher‑speed DSL) in Rock Port, Tarkio, and near the I‑29 corridor.
  • Outlying areas rely more on fixed wireless and legacy DSL; speeds and reliability vary with terrain and distance to towers.
• Trendline: gradual fiber buildouts in town centers and along major routes; steady migration to mobile email, with seniors’ adoption rising as telehealth and government services go online.

Figures are best-available estimates for a rural, aging county; local pockets may differ.

Below is a concise, county-specific picture built from ACS population structure, Pew device-ownership patterns, and rural coverage data. Figures are rounded estimates; ranges reflect the county’s small population and limited public reporting at the tract level.

Topline estimates (Atchison County, MO)

• Population: about 5,100 residents; roughly 2,200–2,300 households.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile): 4,600–4,900 people.
• Smartphone users: 3,500–4,000 people.
• Households relying primarily on cellular/mobile data for home internet: roughly 20–28% (vs Missouri overall in the low-to-mid teens).

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age structure drives usage:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (≈90–95%).
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈85–92%), often with work-driven reliance.
  • 65+: notably lower adoption (≈55–70%), and higher likelihood of basic/feature phones or shared/family plans.
  • Atchison County skews older than Missouri overall, lifting the share of lower-adoption seniors and pulling down the county’s aggregate smartphone rate relative to the state.
• Income and education:
  • Median household income is below the state average, and bachelor’s attainment is lower. That tends to increase:
    • Use of prepaid and MVNO plans to control costs.
    • Mobile-only home internet (hotspots or phone tethering) where wired options are limited or expensive.
• Children and teens:
  • Teen smartphone penetration is high (≈90%+), but device turnover and plan changes often hinge on school connectivity needs and coverage at farmsteads outside towns.
• Work and sector mix:
  • Agriculture and trades increase the value of wide-area coverage, push-to-talk, and rugged devices; data use spikes around planting/harvest for logistics and weather/apps.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage geography:
  • Strongest, most consistent service clusters along I-29 and in/near Rock Port, Tarkio, and Fairfax.
  • Dead spots appear in river bottoms and along bluffs/Loess Hills; indoor coverage can be weak at dispersed farm homes.
  • Proximity to Iowa/Nebraska means occasional cross-border roaming on the Missouri River side.
• 4G/5G:
  • 4G LTE is the primary workhorse. Low-band 5G is increasingly present, but mid-band/capacity 5G is spotty and concentrated near the highway and towns.
  • Many rural sites still depend on microwave backhaul; where fiber backhaul exists, users see better peak-time performance.
• Competing last-mile options:
  • Town centers are more likely to have fiber or upgraded DSL/cable from local telcos/co-ops; outlying areas rely more on fixed wireless and mobile hotspots.
  • This uneven wired footprint is a key driver of the county’s higher mobile-only household share.
• Resilience:
  • Flooding history along the Missouri River corridor has influenced hardening and routing; nonetheless, single-point tower or backhaul outages can cause wider service disruptions than in urban Missouri.

How Atchison County differs from Missouri overall

• Lower smartphone penetration overall due to an older age profile and more cost-sensitive households.
• Higher reliance on mobile-only internet as a substitute for limited or costly wired broadband in dispersed rural areas.
• Coverage quality varies more sharply with terrain and distance from I-29 and town centers; indoor rural coverage issues are more common.
• 5G is present but delivers less consistent mid-band performance than in Missouri’s metros; capacity constraints at peak times are more noticeable.
• Greater use of prepaid/MVNO plans and hotspots/tethering for home and school work compared with the state average.

Method notes and confidence

• User counts are derived by applying national/rural device-ownership rates (Pew) to local age structure (ACS) and adjusting for rural Missouri patterns; they should be read as ranges, not precise totals.
• Infrastructure observations reflect FCC coverage/backhaul patterns, state broadband mapping, and known rural network behavior; exact tower counts and carrier footprints can change rapidly.

Below is a concise, data-informed snapshot for Atchison County, MO. Figures are modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media adoption by age/gender, adjusted for the county’s older, rural profile. Exact county-level platform stats are not published; treat these as reasonable local estimates.

County snapshot

• Population: ~5,100 residents; ~4,100–4,300 adults (18+)
• Social media users (any platform, incl. YouTube):
  • Adults: ~65–72% → about 2,700–3,100 people
  • Teens (13–17): ~85–95% → roughly 380–450 people
  • Total users (13+): ~3,100–3,500

Most-used platforms (estimated % of adults; multi-platform use is common)

• YouTube: 60–68% (≈ 2,500–2,900 adults)
• Facebook: 55–62% (≈ 2,300–2,650)
• Instagram: 22–30% (≈ 900–1,300)
• TikTok: 18–25% (≈ 750–1,100)
• Pinterest: 20–28% (≈ 850–1,200)
• Snapchat: 15–22% (≈ 650–950)
• X (Twitter): 10–15% (≈ 430–650)
• LinkedIn: 8–12% (≈ 350–520)
• Reddit: 8–12% (≈ 350–520)

Age patterns (who’s where, locally)

• 13–17: Very high on YouTube (90%+), Snapchat (70–80%), TikTok (70–75%), Instagram (60–70%); Facebook ~20–30% mainly for school/sports updates.
• 18–29: YouTube ~90%, Instagram ~70%, Snapchat ~60–65%, TikTok ~60%, Facebook ~55–60%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~80–85%, Facebook ~70–80%, Instagram ~40–50%, Pinterest ~35–45%, TikTok ~30–40%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~65–70%, YouTube ~60–65%, Pinterest ~25–35%, Instagram ~20–30%, TikTok ~15–25%.
• 65+: Facebook ~45–55%, YouTube ~40–50%, Instagram ~10–20%, TikTok ~10–15%.

Gender breakdown (tendencies among local users)

• Overall users: approximately even, slight female majority (about 52–55% women).
• By platform skew:
  • More women: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok.
  • More men: Reddit, X; YouTube is roughly even to slightly male.
  • Snapchat skew slightly female among teens/20s.

Behavioral trends to expect in Atchison County

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school alerts, church and civic events, high-school sports, and Marketplace (vehicles, farm/ranch and household items). Facebook Groups drive much of the engagement.
• YouTube use centers on practical content: DIY, ag and equipment repair, hunting/fishing, sermon replays, storm coverage.
• Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) performs well for local businesses; simple, authentic clips outperform polished ads.
• Messaging is critical: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat for coordination; expect many private shares vs public comments.
• Timing: Highest engagement mornings (6–8 a.m.), lunchtime (11 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekends bump for events and Marketplace.
• Event-driven spikes: county fair, harvest/planting seasons, severe weather, school sports schedules.
• Targeting note: Audience is small; effective campaigns often widen radius to 25–50 miles to include neighboring counties and towns.

Method note

• Estimates apply national rural and Midwest patterns (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) to Atchison County’s older age structure. Use as planning benchmarks; validate with platform ad tools (e.g., Meta reach estimates) before budgeting.