Pettis County

Pettis County, Missouri — key demographics

Population

• Total population (2023 estimate): 43,218
• 2020 Census: 42,980

Age

• Under 5 years: 6.8%
• Under 18 years: 24.4%
• 65 years and over: 17.6%
• Median age: 38.4 years

Gender

• Female: 50.1%
• Male: 49.9%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: 85.7%
• Black or African American alone: 2.2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.7%
• Asian alone: 0.9%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 4.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 11.5%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 75.9%

Households

• Total households: 16,729
• Average household size: 2.55 persons

Insights

• Stable population around 43,000 with a balanced age structure (roughly one-quarter under 18 and just under one-fifth 65+).
• Predominantly White with a meaningful and growing Hispanic/Latino community.
• Household size is near the national average, indicating a mix of family and nonfamily households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program V2023).

• Population and density: Pettis County has about 43,000 residents across ~686 sq mi (≈63 people/sq mi), with most connectivity concentrated in Sedalia.
• Estimated email users: ~31,000 residents use email regularly.
• Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 9%; 18–34: 28%; 35–64: 46%; 65+: 17%.
• Gender split among email users: 51% female, 49% male.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~78% of households have a broadband subscription (cable/DSL/fiber or cellular data plan).
  • ~12% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • ~11% of households lack home internet; public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, city facilities) helps fill gaps.
  • Home broadband adoption has risen by roughly 5–7 percentage points since 2018.
• Connectivity landscape:
  • Fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps is available to ≈95% of locations; ≈80% can get 100/20 Mbps or better.
  • 4G LTE covers nearly all populated areas; 5G is strongest in and around Sedalia and along US‑50/US‑65 corridors.
  • Typical speeds: 100–300 Mbps in Sedalia on cable/fiber; 25–100 Mbps in rural zones via DSL or fixed wireless.
• Insight: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; adoption among seniors is improving but still tracks local access gaps in rural townships.

Mobile phone usage in Pettis County, Missouri — key findings

Overall adoption and user base

• Smartphone adoption: Approximately 88–90% of households have a smartphone (ACS 2018–2022 5-year). This trails Missouri’s statewide rate of roughly 91% by a couple of points.
• Cellular data plan at home: About 82–85% of households report a cellular data plan, slightly below the state average (~86%).
• Smartphone-only reliance: Pettis County has a noticeably higher share of households that rely on smartphones as their primary or only internet access at home (about 13–15% vs ~9–11% statewide).
• Estimated users: Based on population and age structure, Pettis County has on the order of 28,000–30,000 adult smartphone users, with several thousand households relying primarily on mobile data for home internet.

Demographic breakdown (household-level ACS patterns)

• Age: Households headed by adults 65+ are less likely to have smartphones in Pettis County than the state average. Adoption among seniors is several points lower locally (mid-to-high 70s percent) than statewide (around low 80s percent), resulting in more gaps in mobile use and digital services for older residents.
• Income: Low-income households (<$25,000) show materially higher smartphone-only dependence in Pettis than Missouri overall. While smartphone possession is widespread, a larger share in Pettis lacks a computer or fixed broadband, leaning on mobile plans for connectivity.
• Education: Households without a bachelor’s degree are more likely to be smartphone-only in Pettis than statewide, mirroring the county’s stronger blue-collar employment mix.
• Tenure: Renters in Pettis County exhibit very high smartphone adoption but also an elevated rate of smartphone-only internet compared with Missouri renters overall, reflecting affordability trade-offs in fixed broadband.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage pattern: 4G LTE is broadly available in populated areas. 5G service (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) is strongest in and around Sedalia and along the US-50 and US-65 corridors, with rural fringes more often limited to 4G. This urban–rural split is more pronounced than the state average.
• Capacity and speeds: In-town Pettis locations typically see strong mid-band 5G or robust LTE capacity, while thinly populated areas experience lower median download speeds and higher latency. The county’s rural tracts show more variability and slower uplink than Missouri’s metro counties.
• Devices and plans: The higher smartphone-only share aligns with observed fixed-broadband gaps and affordability constraints; many households use unlimited or high-cap data phone plans and hotspots to substitute for home broadband.
• Redundancy and gaps: Coverage reliability is best along major corridors and in Sedalia. Some outlying areas show weaker indoor penetration and fewer macro sites, making network redundancy thinner than state norms in suburban/metro regions.

How Pettis County differs from Missouri overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone and cellular-plan adoption than the state, but
• Meaningfully higher smartphone-only reliance as a substitute for home broadband
• More pronounced urban–rural performance gap (Sedalia vs outlying townships)
• Older and lower-income households are more likely to be under-connected via mobile than their statewide peers
• 5G availability is concentrated; rural 5G buildout lags state metro areas more than average

Implications

• County services, healthcare, and employers should assume heavier mobile-first engagement, with a notable cohort accessing everything via phone only.
• Investments that extend mid-band 5G and improve indoor coverage in rural tracts, paired with affordability programs for fixed broadband, would reduce Pettis’s smartphone-only dependency gap relative to Missouri.
• Mobile-friendly service design (low-bandwidth portals, SMS outreach, offline-capable apps) will reach a larger share of Pettis County residents than desktop-centric approaches.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year estimates (Computer and Internet Use); FCC mobile coverage/deployment filings; carrier-disclosed coverage maps. Figures reflect county-level ACS household measures and statewide comparisons; adoption shares are rounded.

Social media usage in Pettis County, Missouri (2024 modeled snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~43,000; adults (18+): ~33,000 (ACS 2023 est.)
• Internet/broadband access: ~80% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS est.)
• Active social media users (adults, any platform): ~76–82% → ~25,000–27,000 adults

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of local adults; overlapping; modeled from Pew 2024 applied to county demographics)

• YouTube: ~80% → ~26k adults
• Facebook: ~65% → ~21–22k
• Instagram: ~42% → ~14k
• Pinterest: ~33% → ~11k
• TikTok: ~32% → ~10–11k
• Snapchat: ~28% → ~9k
• LinkedIn: ~27% → ~9k
• WhatsApp: ~26% → ~8–9k
• X (Twitter): ~21% → ~7k
• Reddit: ~19% → ~6k
• Nextdoor: ~12% (coverage concentrated around Sedalia) → ~4k

Age-group usage rates (adults; proportion using at least one platform)

• 18–29: 95% use social; platform mix skewed to Instagram (78%), TikTok (67%), Snapchat (65%), YouTube (95%), Facebook (70%)
• 30–49: 88% use social; Facebook (77%), YouTube (91%), Instagram (53%), TikTok (39%), Snapchat (28%)
• 50–64: 78% use social; Facebook (69%), YouTube (83%), Instagram (32%), TikTok (~21%)
• 65+: 61% use social; Facebook (49%), YouTube (60%), Instagram (15%), TikTok (~10%)
• Teens 13–17 (context for schools/youth outreach): YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~70%, Snapchat ~65%, Instagram ~62%, Facebook ~32%

Gender breakdown and skews (adults)

• Overall user base: roughly female 52% / male 48% of social users (mirrors population)
• Platform skews:
  • Women higher on Facebook and Pinterest (Pinterest ~50% of women vs ~20% of men)
  • Men higher on YouTube, Reddit, and X/Twitter (Reddit ~27% of men vs ~12% of women; X ~25% men vs ~18% women)

Behavioral trends and local usage patterns

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of buy/sell/trade groups, school sports, churches, local government, and Missouri State Fair updates. Events and photo albums drive strong engagement.
• YouTube is the how‑to channel: DIY, agriculture and equipment maintenance, small-engine/auto repair, hunting/fishing, and home projects perform well; content is search-driven and evergreen.
• Instagram and Reels are the storefront for local SMBs (boutiques, salons, gyms, food trucks). Cross-posting to Facebook is common; Stories/Reels outperform static posts.
• TikTok is growing among 18–34 for short local lifestyle, trades, automotive, and food content; many creators repost to Reels.
• Snapchat is the default messenger for high school and 20‑somethings; best for quick promotions and geo-filters around Sedalia hotspots and events.
• WhatsApp has focused use within Hispanic/immigrant communities (family, church, soccer leagues); useful for bilingual outreach.
• LinkedIn is niche but relevant for healthcare, manufacturing management, education, and public sector recruiting.
• X/Twitter has a small footprint; used mainly for state/national news and sports; limited local commerce value.
• Nextdoor presence is patchy and concentrated in Sedalia neighborhoods; effective for hyperlocal service providers when available.

Engagement rhythms and content cues

• Peak local engagement: evenings 7–9 pm; secondary peaks 6–7 am (ag/shift workers) and Sun/Mon nights. Weekends outperform weekdays for events and retail.
• Creatives featuring recognizable local places, people, or school spirit outperform generic stock content.
• Calls to action that enable direct message, call, or map click convert better than “learn more” links.
• For paid reach: Facebook/Instagram deliver the broadest, most cost-effective local coverage; YouTube in‑stream skippable ads add efficient awareness; TikTok shines for 18–34 reach within 15 miles of Sedalia and event geofences (e.g., Missouri State Fair).

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for Pettis County by weighting Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption by age and gender to the county’s ACS demographic structure; household broadband rates from U.S. Census ACS; platform specifics for teens from Pew teen surveys. Percentages denote share of local adults and are overlapping across platforms.