Gasconade County

Do you have a preferred data vintage/source (2020 Decennial Census vs. latest ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)? If you don’t specify, I’ll use the ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and households, and the 2020 Census for total population.

Gasconade County, MO — email usage snapshot (estimates)

• Population baseline: ≈14.7k residents; density ≈28 people/sq mi; predominantly rural. Connectivity is strongest in/around Hermann and Owensville; outlying areas see patchier service.
• Estimated email users: ≈11.3k residents use email at least occasionally.

By age (users; est. adoption):

• 13–17: ~0.6k (≈60–70%)
• 18–34: ~2.4k (≈95%+)
• 35–64: ~5.7k (≈95%)
• 65+: ~2.7k (≈80–85%)

Gender split among users: roughly even (about 51% women, 49% men).

Digital access and trends:

• Home broadband subscription: about 70–78% of households.
• No home internet: roughly 12–18%.
• Smartphone‑only internet: ~10–15% of households.
• Gradual improvements from incremental fiber, fixed‑wireless, and stronger 4G/5G near town centers; terrain and long last‑mile runs keep some rural pockets underserved.
• Public/library Wi‑Fi and school networks remain important access points.
• Seniors show steady uptake via smartphones, increasing mobile email reliance.

Notes: Counts derived by applying typical U.S. email adoption by age to local population structure; figures are directional, not official.

Below is a planning-grade summary based on the county’s size and composition (≈15,000 residents, ≈6,000 households), national/rural mobile-use patterns, ACS “Internet and Computer Use” indicators for counties, and FCC mobile/broadband coverage filings. Figures are estimates with ranges to reflect local variation and margins of error; use them to frame decisions, then validate with current ACS S2801 and FCC maps.

High-level picture (what’s different from Missouri overall)

• Gasconade County has fewer mid-band 5G options, more gaps in LTE/voice in valleys and wooded areas, and a higher share of households relying mainly on cellular data plans for home internet than the statewide average.
• Smartphone adoption among seniors and very low-income residents runs lower than statewide, widening the age/income usage gap.
• In-town usage resembles statewide norms; rural areas lean more heavily on mobile as a primary connection and report more dead zones.

User estimates (adults and households)

• Adults with any mobile phone: about 10,900–11,300 (≈93–96% of ≈11,700 adults). Missouri statewide is closer to near-universal adult cellphone access; Gasconade’s lower edge reflects older age mix and income.
• Adult smartphone users: about 9,600–10,300 (≈82–88% of adults). This trails Missouri’s large metros (often 90%+) but aligns with rural MO rates.
• Feature-phone-only users: roughly 800–1,200 adults, concentrated among 65+, fixed-income, and very rural residents; share is a few points higher than statewide.
• Households primarily using mobile data for home internet (“mobile-only”): about 1,300–1,800 households (≈22–30%). That’s notably higher than Missouri overall (often mid-teens to ~20%), driven by limited or costly fixed broadband outside towns.
• Multi-line family plans remain standard in towns (Hermann, Owensville, Gerald), while single-line prepaid is more common in outlying areas.

Demographic breakdown (local patterns vs state)

• Age
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone use (≈95%+), similar to statewide.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈88–92%), slightly below metro Missouri due to plan affordability and device upgrade cycles.
  • 65+: materially lower smartphone adoption (≈60–70%); larger gap than statewide. A meaningful minority keeps voice-and-text only devices.
• Income
  • <$25k households: lower smartphone adoption but higher mobile-only internet reliance (≈35–45% of these households), exceeding the statewide rate due to weaker fixed-broadband options and ACP funding lapse pressures.
  • $75k+ households: adoption ≈95%+ and much more likely to maintain a fixed broadband line; gap between high- and low-income connectivity is wider than state average.
• Geography within the county
  • Town centers (Hermann, Owensville, Gerald, Rosebud): usage patterns and speeds closer to state norms; better 5G/LTE capacity near highways and tower sites.
  • Rural corridors (farms, river valleys, wooded ridges, e.g., along portions of MO 19, MO 28, and outlying stretches off US 50/MO 100): more voice/data drops, slower speeds, and greater reliance on mobile as the only connection.
• Education and work
  • Adults without postsecondary credentials show lower smartphone and app-based service use than state averages; trades/manufacturing/ag workers rely more on SMS/voice and data-light apps when coverage is spotty.

Digital infrastructure points (coverage, capacity, and access)

• Coverage and technology mix
  • LTE is the practical baseline almost everywhere, but pockets of weak or no signal persist in river valleys and heavily wooded terrain—more so than the statewide average.
  • Low-band 5G (coverage-first) is present along primary corridors and in towns; mid-band 5G (capacity/speed) is limited outside town centers, lagging Missouri’s urban/suburban counties.
• Carriers and spectrum
  • All three national carriers cover the county; capacity depends on proximity to towers and spectrum deployed. Tower density is modest; sector loading in festival periods (e.g., Hermann events) can degrade performance more sharply than in metro areas.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Cable and some fiber appear in town cores; DSL and fixed wireless cover parts of the rural area with variable quality. Outside towns, gaps in reliable 25–100 Mbps fixed service are common—driving higher mobile-only household rates than statewide.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and city halls in Hermann and Owensville provide important Wi‑Fi backstops; off-hours access to these anchors matters more than in urban counties.
• Affordability and programs
  • The lapse of ACP funding in 2024 likely pushed some low-income households toward mobile-only plans and prepaid options; this affordability squeeze is more pronounced here than in metro Missouri.

What this means for planning

• Expect higher demand for robust LTE and low-band 5G coverage in rural tracts, plus targeted mid-band 5G upgrades around Hermann, Owensville, Gerald, and event venues.
• Digital inclusion should prioritize seniors and low-income households with training, device support, and discounted fixed options to narrow a wider-than-state average age/income gap.
• Coordinating with carriers on additional sites or small cells along US 50, MO 19, MO 28/100, and known dead zones will deliver outsized benefits relative to statewide priorities.
• Monitor post-ACP affordability impacts; partnerships (local ISPs, libraries, schools) can offset higher mobile-only reliance until fixed service expands.

Data notes and sources used

• Population/households: recent ACS 5-year for Gasconade County.
• Internet subscription/device access: ACS S2801 (county vs Missouri), interpreted to approximate “mobile-only” households where cellular data is the sole subscription.
• Mobile adoption benchmarks: Pew Research Center (national urban/suburban/rural splits) applied to local demographics.
• Coverage and technology: FCC mobile/broadband deployment maps and carrier public filings; local terrain and town layout.

Below is a compact, best-available estimate of social media use in Gasconade County, MO. County‑level platform data are not published; figures are modeled from the county’s age mix (Census) and rural U.S./Midwest patterns from recent Pew Research Center studies. Treat them as directional ranges.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~14,800; residents 13+: ~12,600
• Estimated social media users (13+): 9,200–10,000 (≈72–78% of 13+)

Age mix of users (share of local social media users)

• 13–17: ~7%
• 18–29: ~16%
• 30–49: ~36%
• 50–64: ~24%
• 65+: ~17%

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: ~54–56%
• Male: ~44–46%

Most‑used platforms locally (share of social media users; rounded ranges)

• YouTube: ~78–84%
• Facebook: ~70–76%
• Instagram: ~30–38%
• TikTok: ~22–28%
• Snapchat: ~20–26%
• Pinterest: ~28–34% (skews female)
• WhatsApp: ~15–20%
• X (Twitter): ~14–18%
• Reddit: ~10–15%
• Nextdoor: ~5–10%

Behavioral trends to expect in Gasconade County

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for school updates, local events, buy/sell/trade, lost-and-found, and weather‑related info. Engagement spikes around severe weather and community events.
• Video‑first learning and entertainment: YouTube for how‑to, equipment/DIY, outdoors, and local sports; short‑form clips via Reels/TikTok among under‑40s.
• Messaging over email: Facebook Messenger (and to a lesser extent SMS) is common for contacting small businesses and organizers; WhatsApp less prevalent.
• Age‑based platform split: Teens/20s concentrate on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; 40+ concentrate on Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
• Practical, local content wins: Posts with clear local ties (place names, school teams, church or civic groups) and immediate utility (closures, jobs, deals, event reminders) outperform generic content.
• Posting patterns: Evenings (roughly 7–9 p.m.) and early mornings see higher activity; weekends favor event and community content.
• Bandwidth shapes behavior: Variable rural broadband means short videos and image posts see broader completion than long livestreams.

Notes on method and sources

• Population/age base: U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census/ACS for Gasconade County).
• Platform penetration and rural skews: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 and prior waves comparing rural vs. urban adoption. Ranges above apply Pew’s age/gender/platform rates to the county’s older‑leaning, rural profile.