Douglas County

Do you want 2020 Decennial Census counts or the latest ACS 5-year estimates (2019–2023)? I can provide both. Also, for “household data,” should I include number of households, average household size, family vs. nonfamily share, and owner-occupied rate?

Douglas County, Missouri — email usage (estimates)

• Population baseline: ~11.5k residents (2020 Census).
• Estimated email users: ~8.8k–9.5k use email at least monthly.
  • Method: ~88–92% of adults plus ~55–60% of teens/older children.
• Age pattern (share using email):
  • 13–17: ~55–65%
  • 18–29: ~95%
  • 30–49: ~95–97%
  • 50–64: ~90–93%
  • 65+: ~70–80% (lower in rural areas)
• Gender split: Roughly even; negligible gender gap in email use, so users ≈50/50 male/female.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household internet subscription likely ~70–75%; smartphone‑only households ~15–25%.
  • Fixed broadband is patchy outside Ava; many rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Mobile coverage can be uneven in valleys/hollows; signal improves near highways and town centers.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Very rural Ozarks county (~14–16 people per sq. mile; Ava ≈3k is the only city).
  • Low density and rugged terrain raise last‑mile costs and slow fiber build‑out; the county includes state‑flagged unserved/underserved locations for BEAD‑funded expansion.

Notes: Figures are derived from the 2020 population and national/rural adoption benchmarks (Pew/ACS/FCC) applied locally; treat as directional, not official.

Mobile phone usage in Douglas County, Missouri — summary with local estimates and how it differs from statewide patterns

Context

• Population baseline: about 11.5–12.0k residents (2020–2023 range). Older median age than Missouri overall and largely rural/low‑density.

Estimated users and device mix

• Any mobile phone: 10.5k–11.0k people (roughly 90–95% of residents age 5+). This is a few points below Missouri’s urbanized average but close to national rural norms.
• Smartphones: 8.5k–9.5k users (about 75–82% of the total population; ~83–88% of adults). That’s 5–10 percentage points lower than the statewide smartphone share.
• Basic/feature phones: 1.5k–2.0k users, skewing older and budget‑constrained.
• Plan types: Higher share of prepaid/MVNO and shared family plans than the state; hotspot add‑ons are common where home broadband is limited.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of differences)

• Age: Seniors (65+) form a larger share of the county than Missouri overall. Smartphone adoption among seniors here is likely 65–75% vs ~80% statewide; basic‑phone retention is higher.
• Income/education: Lower median income than the state average correlates with more budget Android devices, prepaid plans, and lighter data bundles; upgrade cycles are longer (devices kept 4–5 years vs ~3 years in urban MO).
• Race/ethnicity: The county is predominantly White non‑Hispanic; digital divide patterns are driven more by age, income, and terrain than by race.
• Work patterns: More agriculture, trades, and outdoor work. Practical use skews to voice/SMS, Facebook, weather/radar, navigation, and marketplace listings. Mobile commerce, telehealth video, and app‑centric services under‑index vs statewide averages, though usage is growing.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Coverage and carriers:
  • AT&T and Verizon provide the most consistent countywide coverage; UScellular has pockets of strength. T‑Mobile’s low‑band footprint exists but is more variable outside towns.
  • LTE remains the workhorse. Low‑band 5G is present in/near Ava and along primary state routes (e.g., MO‑5, MO‑14, MO‑95), but mid‑band 5G capacity is sparse; indoor 5G is hit‑or‑miss away from town centers.
• Performance:
  • Typical LTE/low‑band 5G speeds in populated spots: roughly 5–50 Mbps down; much lower in valleys/wooded hollows. Peak speeds can be higher near newer sites; uplink often constrains video calls.
  • Capacity dips during school dismissal, after‑work periods, and events; some sites are backhaul‑limited.
• Tower siting and backhaul:
  • Macro sites on ridge lines serve most of the county; valleys create dead zones.
  • Backhaul is a mix of microwave and regional fiber. Sho‑Me Power’s regional fiber backbone and similar utility corridors feed some towers/anchors, but last‑mile fiber density is low compared with metro Missouri.
• Interplay with home internet:
  • Fewer wired options mean above‑average reliance on cellular hotspots and fixed‑wireless for home access. Starlink adoption has grown since 2022 for outlying areas; cable/fiber is limited to small footprints.
• Public safety and reliability:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) has improved coverage on key corridors, but in‑building handheld coverage for EMS/fire can still be challenging; VHF/LMR remains critical. Power resiliency varies by site; longer rural outages impact service more than in cities.

How Douglas County differs from Missouri overall

• Availability: Much less mid‑band 5G; low‑band 5G/LTE dominate. Single‑carrier households are more common because only one network may be reliable at a given home.
• Adoption: Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption driven by older age structure and income; higher share of basic phones and budget Android devices.
• Usage patterns: More voice/SMS and Facebook‑centric communication; lower rates of mobile streaming, telehealth video, and app‑based services versus urban/suburban Missouri.
• Affordability and plans: Greater reliance on prepaid/MVNO and smaller data buckets; device upgrade cycles are longer.
• Mobile as primary internet: Higher proportion of households using mobile data or fixed‑wireless as their main connection due to limited wired broadband options.

What to watch next 12–24 months

• Incremental adds of low‑band 5G and sector upgrades on existing towers; limited but meaningful capacity gains where backhaul improves.
• Select new small fiber builds funded by state/BEAD programs may reduce mobile‑only dependence near Ava and along main routes.
• Carrier rationalization: T‑Mobile’s low‑band fill‑ins and Verizon/AT&T C‑band won’t blanket the county soon; targeted upgrades around schools, clinics, and emergency corridors are most likely.

Notes on methodology

• User counts are derived by applying rural mobile and smartphone adoption rates to the recent population range for Douglas County and rounded to practical ranges. Patterns reflect rural Ozarks market characteristics, FCC coverage mapping, and national rural adoption differentials versus Missouri’s metro areas.

Douglas County, MO — social media snapshot (estimates for 2024–2025)

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~70–75% (daily users: ~60–65%)
• Access is mobile-first (~85–90% of use on phones); smart‑TV YouTube viewing is common
• Household broadband gaps exist; short video and image/text posts perform best

Age mix (share using social at least monthly)

• Teens (13–17): 90%+; Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube-heavy
• 18–29: ~88–92%; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; Facebook mostly for groups/events
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook, YouTube; Instagram moderate
• 50–64: ~65–70%; Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest notable
• 65+: ~45–55%; mostly Facebook and YouTube

Gender breakdown (active user base)

• Approx. 53% women, 47% men
• Skews: women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men on YouTube, Reddit, X

Most-used platforms (share of adults using monthly; multiple platforms per person)

• YouTube: ~75–80%
• Facebook: ~65–70% (Groups and Marketplace are the engagement engine)
• Facebook Messenger: ~55–60%
• Instagram: ~35–40%
• TikTok: ~30–35% (higher among under 30)
• Pinterest: ~30–33% (strong with women 25–54)
• Snapchat: ~25–30% overall; 70–80% among teens
• X (Twitter): ~10–15%
• LinkedIn: ~12–15% (limited by local occupational mix)
• Reddit: ~10–12%
• Nextdoor: ~3–7% (low in low-density rural areas)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first: Heavy reliance on local Facebook Groups for school/weather alerts, lost & found, high school sports, church events, yard sales, and county services
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace eclipses Craigslist; strong response to local service promos (auto, HVAC, lawn, hunting/outdoors, real estate)
• Video habits: YouTube for how‑to/DIY, farming, small engine repair, hunting/fishing; TikTok/Reels for short entertainment and local humor
• Messaging: Messenger and SMS dominate; WhatsApp usage is minimal
• Timing: Peak engagement evenings (7–9 pm CT) and weekend mornings; spikes during storms, school closings, outages
• Trust dynamics: High trust in local pages/groups and familiar businesses; skepticism of national outlets; comments and shares drive reach more than link clicks

Notes on method

• Percentages are best-available estimates derived from Pew Research (2023–2024) platform adoption, rural vs. urban usage gaps, Missouri ACS internet access patterns, and observed rural Midwest behavior—localized to Douglas County’s rural profile.
• For precise planning, validate with platform audience tools (Meta Ads location: Douglas County, MO; Google/YouTube Ads; TikTok/Snap Ads) and insights from key local Facebook Groups/pages.