Carroll County

Which data vintage would you like? I can provide:

• 2020 Census (official counts), or
• ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates (more detail, sample-based), or
• A combo: 2023 Population Estimate + ACS 2018–2022 for composition/households.

Summary of email usage in Carroll County, Missouri

• Population and density: ~8.5k residents across ~700 sq mi (≈12 per sq mi).
• Estimated adult email users: 4.7k–5.5k (about 70–83% of ≈6.6k adults). Usage is steady to slowly rising with smartphone adoption.
• Age distribution among users (approx.): 18–34: 18–22%; 35–54: 35–40%; 55–64: 18–22%; 65+: 20–25%. Older adults participate less than midlife groups but continue to grow.
• Gender split: roughly even; slight female majority (~51/49) reflecting the county’s population mix.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household internet subscription around the low-to-mid 70% range; 10–15% rely mainly on smartphones.
  • Fixed wireless and DSL remain common; fiber and cable are expanding from town centers outward.
  • Coverage and speeds are strongest in/near Carrollton and along major corridors, patchier in outlying farms.
  • Public/library Wi‑Fi is an important access point for some residents.
• Implications: Email reach is best among 35–64 and in denser areas; plan for offline/low‑bandwidth alternatives for remote households.

Estimates based on rural Missouri/ACS and Pew usage benchmarks applied to local population size and age structure.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Carroll County, Missouri (with differences vs. statewide)

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population and base: Roughly 8.3–8.7k residents; 6.3–7.0k adults.
• Estimated smartphone users: About 5.0–5.7k adults (lower share than Missouri overall, reflecting older age structure and rural income mix).
• Households with an active smartphone/cellular data plan: Roughly 70–80% of households (below the state average).
• Mobile-only internet households (use cellular as primary home internet): Likely higher than the Missouri average—roughly in the high teens to mid-20s percent locally versus low-to-mid teens statewide. This is driven by patchier wired broadband and affordability constraints.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: The county skews older. Smartphone adoption is near-universal among younger adults but falls more sharply among ages 65+, pulling down the county’s overall adoption relative to Missouri.
• Income and affordability: More price-sensitive usage (prepaid plans, smaller data buckets, shared family plans). With the ACP subsidy ending in 2024, local reliance on lower-cost mobile plans likely increased more than statewide.
• Work and lifestyle: Agriculture and trades increase the value of wide-area voice/text coverage and basic smartphone functions. Dependence on hotspotting for home tasks is more common than statewide where cable/fiber is more available.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is predominantly White; sample sizes for other groups are small, so demographic differences by race are less reliable than statewide figures.
• Education: Lower college-attainment than the state average correlates with slightly lower smartphone adoption and more mobile-only internet use.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available from the national carriers, but coverage is thinner away from towns; signal quality can drop in river bottoms and low-lying/wooded areas. 5G exists primarily in and around the county seat and along main corridors; it is far less continuous than in Missouri’s metros.
• Capacity and performance: Urban-style mid-band 5G capacity is limited. Users see bigger swings in speed/latency by location and time of day than the Missouri average, with more frequent slowdowns during peak evening hours.
• Towers and backhaul: Fewer macro sites per square mile and limited fiber backhaul outside towns constrain both capacity and 5G reach. Small cells are rare; networks rely on lower-band spectrum for reach rather than dense site grids typical in urban Missouri.
• Home broadband context: Fiber/cable is concentrated in the county seat and select towns; many rural addresses rely on DSL, fixed wireless, satellite, or mobile data. This pushes up mobile-only or mobile-first internet behaviors compared with the state.
• Public/anchor access: Libraries, schools, and clinics often act as connectivity anchors, but public Wi‑Fi options are fewer and farther apart than in larger Missouri counties, reinforcing reliance on mobile data.
• Emergency/first responder networks: FirstNet coverage is present via national carriers but remains more variable outside town centers than in urban Missouri.

How Carroll County’s trends differ from Missouri overall

• Lower overall smartphone adoption due to older age profile and lower median income.
• Higher share of households using mobile data as their primary or fallback home internet.
• Greater reliance on prepaid and budget mobile plans post-ACP, with more cautious data use.
• Larger gaps between “town” and “out-of-town” service quality; 5G availability and performance show a sharper urban–rural divide than the state average.
• Voice/text reliability remains a higher priority relative to high-throughput 5G features compared with metropolitan Missouri.
• More pronounced coverage variability by terrain and along secondary roads; fewer small cells and less mid-band 5G densification than is typical statewide.

Notes on method and confidence

• Estimates synthesize recent ACS device/Internet indicators, FCC mobile deployment data, Pew smartphone adoption trends, and the county’s demographic profile. Exact figures vary by census tract and carrier; use the ranges above for planning rather than precise counts.

Below is a concise, best-available snapshot. Because platforms don’t publish county-level figures, numbers are modeled from ACS population estimates, Pew Research 2023–2024, and rural Midwest usage patterns. Treat as directional.

Context

• Population: roughly 8.6k–8.9k residents; adults (18+) ~6.4k–7.0k; older-than-average age profile and slightly more females than males.

Overall social media usage (adults)

• Active social media users: ~4.3k–5.2k (≈65–75% of adults).
• Daily users: ≈55–65% of adults.
• Smartphone-first; some connectivity gaps outside towns can limit video/live streams.

Age breakdown (share of adults using social media)

• 18–29: 85–90%; heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube universal.
• 30–49: 80–85%; Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram rising; Messenger for coordination.
• 50–64: 65–70%; Facebook strongest; YouTube for how‑to, local news clips.
• 65+: 45–55%; Facebook primary (Groups, family), YouTube for tutorials/local content.

Gender breakdown (among local social users)

• Female: ~53–55% of users; higher engagement on Facebook and Pinterest; strong participation in community Groups, school/church pages, buy/sell.
• Male: ~45–47% of users; higher on YouTube and Reddit; sports, outdoors, equipment/DIY content.

Most-used platforms among local social users (estimates; platform reach among users, not total population)

• Facebook: 75–85% (Groups, Marketplace, local pages; Messenger common).
• YouTube: 65–75% (how‑to, ag/mechanic repairs, hunting/fishing, local clips).
• Instagram: 25–35% (younger adults; Reels cross-posted from Facebook/TikTok).
• TikTok: 20–30% (teens/20s; some cross-post to Facebook Reels).
• Snapchat: 15–25% (under 30 for private messaging).
• Pinterest: 20–30% (women 30–55; home, recipes, crafts).
• X (Twitter): 5–10% (state/national news, sports; minimal local conversation).
• LinkedIn: 5–8% (small professional cluster).
• Reddit: 4–8% (younger/male skew; nonlocal communities).

Behavioral trends to know

• Local-first engagement: High reliance on Facebook Groups for community news, school updates, church announcements, lost/found, and buy/sell/trade. County/city pages see strong spikes during weather, road closures, and emergencies.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell Groups are primary for classifieds; small businesses post daily specials and hours on Facebook instead of full websites.
• Events and sports: School sports, fairs, and festivals drive photo albums and live score updates; strong share/word-of-mouth.
• Video habits: YouTube for repairs, equipment, ag tips; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) for entertainment among younger users.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger dominates family/community coordination; Snapchat for teens/college-age.
• Timing: Morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch, and evening (7–10 p.m.) peaks; weekend event posts perform well.
• Trust signals: Posts from known local admins/leaders outperform anonymous pages; straightforward, factual updates get shared widely.
• Ads/playbook tips: Hyper-local Facebook geo-targeting and Event responses perform well; simple creative, phone number, and clear call-to-action for 35+; short vertical video for under-30.