Lafayette County

Lafayette County, Missouri — Key Demographics

Source notes: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program). Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Population

• Total population (2020 Census): 32,984
• 2023 population estimate: ~32,500

Age

• Under 5 years: ~5.5%
• Under 18 years: ~22–23%
• 65 years and over: ~19–20%
• Median age: ~42 years

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~91%
• Black or African American alone: ~3–4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.5–0.6%
• Asian alone: ~0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~88–89%

Households and housing

• Households (ACS 2018–2022): ~12.7k
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~68% of households
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~75%

Insights

• Stable, modestly declining population since 2010
• Older age profile with roughly one in five residents 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but present Black and Hispanic populations
• Household structure is family-oriented with high owner-occupancy

• Scope: Lafayette County, Missouri (≈33,000 residents; ≈630 sq mi; ≈52 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈24,000 residents age 13+ use email regularly (derived from local population, rural internet adoption, and typical email adoption among internet users).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–24: ~16%
  • 25–44: ~31%
  • 45–64: ~33%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split of email users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors county sex distribution; email adoption is near-parity by gender).
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • ~80% of households subscribe to fixed broadband; ~90% have a computer (ACS S2801 patterns for comparable rural–exurban Missouri counties).
  • ~17% of households are smartphone-only, indicating mobile-first email access among lower-income and younger users.
  • Roughly 1 in 5 households lack wireline broadband, concentrating in low-density areas outside towns such as Odessa, Higginsville, Lexington, and Concordia.
  • 5G/4G coverage is strong along the I‑70 corridor with improving fiber/cable availability in town centers; gaps persist on rural roads and farms, driving reliance on mobile hotspots and public/library Wi‑Fi.
• Trend insight: Email use is near-universal among connected adults; growth comes from mobile-only users and older adults newly adopting broadband, while the primary limiter is last-mile rural connectivity.

Mobile phone usage in Lafayette County, Missouri — 2023–2024 snapshot

User estimates

• Population and households: ~33,000 residents; ~13,000 households.
• Smartphone users: ~24,000 unique users (adult smartphone adoption ≈85–88%, lower than Missouri’s ~89–91%).
• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): ~25,000–26,000 users.
• Mobile-only internet households (using cellular as primary home internet): ~16–19% in the county vs ~13–15% statewide, reflecting patchier wired broadband outside town centers.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (~94–97%); heavy 5G use and app-centric communications.
  • 35–64: high adoption (~88–92%); broad 5G use in corridors and towns, LTE fallback in rural areas.
  • 65+: markedly lower adoption (~72–78%); highest basic/feature-phone retention and shared-plan reliance.
  • Implication: An older-than-state age profile pulls county-wide adoption several points below the Missouri average and raises the share of voice/SMS-first users.
• Income and home connectivity
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet, especially in tracts beyond cable/fiber footprints; this is more pronounced than the Missouri average.
  • Mid-to-higher income households show strong device adoption but are less likely to be mobile-only when cable or fiber is available in town cores.
• Urban/rural within the county
  • Towns (Lexington, Odessa, Higginsville, Concordia): near-parity with state adoption; higher 5G usage and faster median speeds.
  • Outlying rural areas: slightly lower smartphone adoption and more LTE-only usage; higher reliance on mobile data for home connectivity where wired options are limited.
• Race/ethnicity
  • After controlling for age and income, device adoption gaps are small; the county’s largely nonmetro profile and older age structure explain most variance from the state.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and technology mix
  • All three national carriers operate countywide. 5G low-band covers most populated areas; 5G mid-band capacity is concentrated along the I-70 corridor and within/near towns. Rural fringes see LTE-only or low-band 5G with lower capacity.
  • Coverage strengths: I-70 corridor (Bates City–Odessa–Concordia) and town centers. Coverage limitations: north of Lexington toward the Missouri River bottoms and scattered pockets in low-density southern townships.
• Capacity and speeds (user-experienced)
  • 5G mid-band (where available): roughly 150–300 Mbps down in-town and along I-70, with higher burst speeds in strong-signal sectors.
  • 5G low-band/LTE fallback: roughly 5–80 Mbps down depending on distance to sites, terrain, and load; evening slowdowns are more pronounced than in Missouri’s metro counties.
• Sites and backhaul
  • Macro sites cluster along I-70, MO-13, and US-24 with fill-in small cells limited to town cores. Fiber backhaul is strongest along transportation corridors; microwave backhaul appears on a minority of rural sites, constraining capacity compared with Missouri metro baselines.
• Fixed-wireless crossover
  • T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is widely offered in and around towns; availability thins in rural tracts with low-band-only coverage. Verizon 5G Home is present where C-band sectors are lit along I-70 but limited elsewhere. These options lift mobile data usage and contribute to the county’s above-state mobile-only home internet share.

How Lafayette County differs from Missouri overall

• Adoption level: Adult smartphone adoption runs roughly 2–4 percentage points lower than the state, driven by an older age profile and rural dispersion.
• Technology mix: A higher share of usage occurs on LTE and low-band 5G compared with state averages, with less mid-band 5G coverage away from the I-70 corridor.
• Capacity and speeds: Median mobile speeds trend lower than statewide medians outside town centers; peak-time congestion is more evident on corridor sites serving commuters.
• Home internet substitution: A larger slice of households rely on cellular as their primary home connection than the Missouri average, reflecting uneven cable/fiber reach in rural tracts.
• Prepaid share: Prepaid and MVNO lines comprise a slightly higher share of active lines than in Missouri’s urban counties, aligning with rural purchasing patterns and credit preferences.

Notes on data and estimation

• Figures reflect synthesis of the latest available federal datasets (U.S. Census/ACS computer and internet use tables for 2022–2023), FCC Broadband Data Collection coverage filings (2023–2024), nationwide survey benchmarks (e.g., Pew) scaled to the county’s age/income profile, public carrier coverage disclosures, and aggregated independent speed-test observations. Estimates are rounded to reflect practical uncertainty at the county level while keeping direction and order-of-magnitude precise.

Social media usage in Lafayette County, Missouri — snapshot

Baseline

• Population: ~32.6k (2023 estimate). Adults 18+: ~25.4k.
• Internet access: most households have broadband; smartphone ownership among adults is roughly 80–85% (in line with rural U.S. averages).

Overall users

• Adults using at least one social platform: 82–86% of 18+ residents ≈ 20.8k–21.9k people (64–67% of the total population).

Most‑used platforms (adult reach; estimated share of 18+ and approximate users)

• YouTube: 80–85% (≈ 20.3k–21.6k)
• Facebook: 65–70% (≈ 16.5k–17.8k)
• Instagram: 45–50% (≈ 11.4k–12.7k)
• TikTok: 30–35% (≈ 7.6k–8.9k)
• Snapchat: 28–32% (≈ 7.1k–8.1k)
• Pinterest: 30–35% (≈ 7.6k–8.9k)
• LinkedIn: 25–32% (≈ 6.4k–8.1k; lower at the rural end of the range)
• X (Twitter): 20–25% (≈ 5.1k–6.4k)
• Reddit: 18–24% (≈ 4.6k–6.1k)
• Nextdoor: 10–20% (≈ 2.5k–5.1k; adoption varies by town/neighborhood coverage)

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok; Instagram strong; Facebook usage comparatively low.
• 18–29: Nearly universal YouTube use; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are core; Facebook is secondary but still substantial for events and family.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram and TikTok growing; Pinterest strong among parents and homeowners.
• 50–64: Facebook is the primary network; YouTube widely used; LinkedIn and Pinterest moderate; TikTok/Instagram used but not dominant.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube lead; others have smaller but rising footprints.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media user base: roughly balanced, about 51% women and 49% men (mirroring the adult population).
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on Reddit and X; YouTube is near‑balanced with a slight male tilt; Instagram leans slightly female; Snapchat leans female among younger users.

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell/Marketplace, school updates, youth sports, churches, civic groups, local government announcements, and event promotion.
• Video is pervasive: YouTube for how‑to, home/auto repair, farming/rural lifestyle, and local meeting streams; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok) for quick local recommendations, eateries, festivals, and sports highlights.
• Messaging patterns: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat is the day‑to‑day messenger for teens and many under 30.
• Discovery and news: A large share of adults encounter local news via Facebook shares from city/county pages, school districts, and community groups; Instagram/TikTok serve as discovery for local businesses and events among under‑40s.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a top channel for used goods, farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, and home services; local service providers see strong response from community groups and Nextdoor where available.
• Engagement rhythm: Peak activity is evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; posting is concentrated among a minority of highly active users and admins, with most residents primarily browsing/liking rather than posting.

Methodology note

• Figures are modeled for Lafayette County by applying the latest U.S. adult platform‑usage rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) to the county’s 2023 population/age structure (U.S. Census/ACS). Ranges reflect rural vs. national adoption differences and rounding.