Livingston County

Livingston County, Missouri — key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• 14,588 (July 1, 2023 estimate)
• 14,557 (2020 Census count)

Age

• Median age: 41.9 years
• Under 18: 21.2%
• 65 and over: 21.8%

Gender

• Female: 50.3%
• Male: 49.7%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: 90.3%
• Black or African American alone: 3.9%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: 0.5%
• Asian alone: 0.4%
• Two or more races: 4.6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.4%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 88.5%

Household data

• Households: 6,087
• Persons per household: 2.28
• Family households: 60.7% of households
• Married-couple households: 46.2% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 70.9%
• Median household income: $57,200
• Persons in poverty: 12.9%

Insights

• Older age profile and higher homeownership than Missouri overall.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with modest racial/ethnic diversity.
• Population roughly flat to slightly declining since 2010.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (July 1, 2023).

Livingston County, MO snapshot (2024 est.)

• Population ≈14,600; density ≈27 people/sq mi; about two-thirds reside in/around Chillicothe.

Estimated email users

• ≈10,100 adult email users out of ≈11,400 adults.

Age profile of email users (users; usage rate within age group)

• 18–34: ≈2,400; 96%
• 35–54: ≈3,300; 93%
• 55–64: ≈1,800; 89%
• 65+: ≈2,700; 80%

Gender split

• Near parity: ≈51% female, 49% male among email users.

Digital access and trends

• ≈89% of households have a computer.
• ≈76% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈12% are smartphone‑only internet households.
• Email access skews mobile for younger adults; older cohorts split between mobile and desktop.

Connectivity and local density facts

• FCC data indicate fixed 25/3 Mbps broadband available to >95% of locations; higher‑speed (100/20+) and fiber are concentrated in Chillicothe and along US‑36, with rural townships relying more on cable, DSL, and fixed wireless.
• Public Wi‑Fi is clustered in Chillicothe civic buildings and libraries, supporting access for residents without home service.

Insights

• Very high email penetration with a clear age‑related drop‑off after 55; reliability is strongest in and around Chillicothe and along major corridors.

Mobile phone usage in Livingston County, Missouri: a concise, data‑grounded view focused on how the county differs from the state overall

Baseline and user estimates

• Population baseline: Livingston County has roughly 14.5–15.0 thousand residents, centered on Chillicothe. That scale and a largely rural settlement pattern shape both adoption and coverage outcomes.
• Adult smartphone users: 9,000–10,000 residents use a smartphone on a typical day (roughly 80–85% of adults), lower than Missouri’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (generally closer to the high‑80s to ~90%).
• Households with smartphones: About 5,100–5,500 of roughly 6,000–6,300 households have at least one smartphone, a few points below the statewide share.
• Mobile‑only internet households: 17–22% of households rely primarily on cellular data plans for home internet (hotspots or phone tethering), materially higher than Missouri overall (roughly low‑ to mid‑teens). This is one of the clearest county‑vs‑state differences and tracks with rural broadband gaps.
• Lines per resident: Total active mobile lines (smartphones, feature phones, tablets, hotspots, IoT) likely exceed the population by a substantial margin, but Livingston’s per‑capita mobile line penetration is typically lower than the Missouri average because of fewer wearables/IoT lines and lower multi‑SIM uptake.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Older population: The county skews older than Missouri overall, which depresses top‑end smartphone adoption, 5G device ownership, and app‑centric usage relative to the state. Feature phones and basic plans remain more common among seniors.
• Income and affordability: Median household income sits below the state average, and prepaid plans, budget Android devices, and MVNOs (e.g., Straight Talk, Cricket, Metro) capture a larger share than at the state level. This drives higher price sensitivity, slower upgrade cycles, and more data‑cap management behavior.
• Education and work mix: A sizable share of employment in agriculture, trades, logistics, and services increases reliance on mobile voice/text and basic field apps. Compared with metro Missouri, there’s less dependence on data‑intensive urban use cases (e.g., high‑volume video on the go), and more on coverage reliability across fields, county roads, and work sites.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint: All three national carriers operate in the county. 5G coverage is strongest in and around Chillicothe and along major corridors (notably US‑36 and US‑65), with LTE serving most outlying areas. Outside those corridors, residents still report more dead zones and drop‑offs than the Missouri average.
• Speeds and capacity: Typical mobile download speeds run below statewide medians. In‑town 5G often delivers strong performance, but speeds drop in exurban/rural tracts where sites are sparser and mid‑band 5G is patchier. Congestion is rarely an urban‑style peak‑hour problem; distance to towers and terrain drive variability instead.
• Fixed wireless as a bridge: Because wired broadband choices thin out outside Chillicothe, fixed‑wireless home internet (over the same cellular networks) plays a more visible role than it does statewide. That reinforces the county’s higher mobile‑only share and pushes household data usage onto cellular networks during evenings.
• Resilience and gaps: Weather, foliage, and low‑lying areas can still create reception challenges away from highways. Residents more frequently keep external antennas, vehicle boosters, or dual‑carrier arrangements than Missouri urban users to manage these gaps.

How Livingston County differs most from Missouri overall

• Adoption: Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption and a larger tail of non‑smartphone users.
• Access model: Meaningfully higher reliance on cellular as the primary home internet connection.
• Plans and devices: Higher prepaid/MVNO share, longer device refresh cycles, and more budget devices.
• Network experience: Less uniform 5G availability and lower typical speeds once outside town centers; greater emphasis on coverage reliability for voice/text over absolute throughput.
• Usage mix: More conservative mobile data consumption per user and more voice/SMS for work coordination relative to app‑heavy urban usage patterns.

Practical implications

• Carriers gain more by adding/optimizing sites and mid‑band 5G along secondary roads than by chasing peak speeds in town; coverage consistency beats headline throughput.
• Public programs that expand fiber backhaul and fixed wireless capacity can measurably reduce the county’s high mobile‑only dependence.
• Affordability measures (ACP‑style subsidies, prepaid plan value, and device financing) disproportionately influence adoption and upgrade cadence here compared with metro Missouri.

Notes on figures

• User counts are derived from the county’s population and observed rural adoption patterns in Missouri and the Midwest (ACS 5‑year computer/internet indicators, Pew smartphone adoption by geography/age, FCC mobile availability data, and carrier deployment disclosures through 2023–2024). They are presented as county‑appropriate estimates and align with the qualitative differences residents experience relative to statewide norms.

Livingston County, Missouri — social media usage snapshot (2024 estimates)

Size of the social audience

• Population: ~14,600 residents
• Residents age 13+: ~12,600
• Active social media users: ~9,100 (about 62% of all residents; ~72% of residents age 13+)

Age mix among social media users

• 13–17: ~9%
• 18–24: ~10%
• 25–34: ~15%
• 35–44: ~16%
• 45–54: ~17%
• 55–64: ~19%
• 65+: ~15% Insight: The audience skews older than national norms, lifting Facebook usage and slightly dampening TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown (all social users)

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48% Platform skews: Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest lean female; YouTube/X/Reddit lean male.

Most-used platforms (share of Livingston County social media users; overlaps expected)

• YouTube: 78% (7.1k people)
• Facebook: 74% (6.7k)
• Instagram: 32% (2.9k)
• Pinterest: 30% (2.7k)
• TikTok: 24% (2.2k)
• Snapchat: 21% (1.9k)
• X (Twitter): 14% (1.3k)
• LinkedIn: 12% (1.1k)
• Reddit: 9% (0.8k)
• Nextdoor: 7% (0.6k) Insight: Facebook and YouTube dominate day-to-day reach; Instagram/TikTok are meaningful but secondary; Pinterest is unusually strong among women 25–54 for recipes, crafts, and seasonal planning.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Pages for local news, school updates, church/community events, sports, storm and road updates, and buy/sell threads. Marketplace is a daily habit for many.
• Video consumption > creation: Short video (30–60 seconds) performs best; most people watch rather than post. Cross-posting Reels/Shorts boosts reach.
• Messaging over public posting: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are preferred for coordination; public posting skews toward announcements, events, obituaries, fundraisers, and local business promos.
• Local trust dynamics: Word-of-mouth and community endorsements matter more than polished creative. Photos of real staff, customers, and recognizable locations outperform stock visuals.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekends; secondary bumps around school pickup and lunch. Severe weather and school sports create reliable surges.
• Content that travels: School sports highlights, local milestones, seasonal alerts (snow/heat), yard-sale weekends, and practical how-tos (home, auto, ag) spread quickly. Deals with a clear price see faster Marketplace conversions.
• Platform roles
  • Facebook: Primary hub for reach, events, Groups, and Marketplace-driven conversions.
  • YouTube: How-tos, local sports clips, equipment/home repair, and sermon recordings; strong evergreen search value.
  • Instagram: Visual storytelling for boutiques, eateries, salons; Reels extend beyond county borders.
  • TikTok: Entertainment-oriented; younger users; effective for personality-led local brands.
  • Pinterest: Planning/ideas for home, garden, decor, recipes; strong among women 25–54.
  • X/Reddit/LinkedIn: Niche—X for real-time sports/weather; Reddit for hobby niches; LinkedIn for hiring skilled roles and B2B within the region.

Method and sources

• Figures are 2024 modeled estimates for Livingston County derived from: U.S. Census Bureau (population/age structure), Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 Social Media Use studies (platform adoption by age and locale), and rural adoption adjustments typical for northern Missouri counties. Estimates reflect share of county residents using each platform and may overlap because individuals use multiple platforms.