Pike County

Key demographics for Pike County, Missouri

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 17,587 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2010: -5% (from 18,516)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic is an ethnicity; percentages sum to ~100)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~85%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~10%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other: ~1%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~7,000
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons
• Family households: ~65% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–50% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73%
• Renter-occupied: ~27%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• Aging profile: Share of residents 65+ (~21%) is above the U.S. average, indicating an older population structure.
• Predominantly White with a notable Black minority; Hispanic share remains small but present.
• Housing is majority owner-occupied with relatively small household sizes typical of rural counties.

• Population and density: 17,587 residents (2020 Census) across ~670 sq mi (26 people/sq mi).
• Digital access: About 77% of households have a broadband subscription and ~89% have a computer (ACS 2018–2022), with mobile-only access common in remaining homes.
• Estimated email users: ≈13,300 residents use email regularly (assumes ~85% internet adoption and ~92% of internet users using email, in line with Pew benchmarks).
• Age distribution of email users (adults): 18–29: ~19%; 30–49: ~31%; 50–64: ~27%; 65+: ~23% (reflects rural age mix and slightly lower adoption among seniors).
• Gender split: ≈51% male, 49% female among email users (email adoption is near-equal by gender; local male share is elevated by the county’s correctional population, but community users skew close to even).
• Trends and insights:
  • Rural topology and low density contribute to patchier fixed broadband and greater reliance on smartphones compared with urban Missouri.
  • Broadband subscriptions and smartphone penetration are gradually rising, narrowing gaps, though seniors and low‑income households remain more likely to be offline or mobile‑only.
  • Email remains the default digital channel across all adult cohorts, with peak penetration among ages 30–64 and slightly lower use among 65+.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Pike County, Missouri (2025)

Top-line differences vs Missouri overall

• Pike County is more rural and older than the state average, leading to slightly lower smartphone adoption but noticeably higher reliance on mobile service as a primary internet connection, especially outside the towns of Bowling Green and Louisiana.
• 5G coverage and performance are concentrated along US‑61 and town centers; interior river-valley and ridge areas have more dead zones and fallbacks to 4G LTE compared with statewide conditions.
• Household income is lower than the state median, which translates into higher prepaid usage and budget Android device penetration than the Missouri average.

User estimates (individuals and households)

• Total residents using a mobile phone: approximately 13,000–14,000. This reflects a county-level penetration in the mid-to-high 70% range of the total population, a few points below the statewide share.
• Smartphone users: roughly 11,000–12,000 individuals, or about 80–85% of mobile users. This is modestly lower than Missouri’s overall smartphone share.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband): on the order of 900–1,100 households, representing a mid‑teens percentage of households in the county, several points higher than the statewide rate.

Demographic breakdown (directional differences from Missouri)

• Age: Adults 65+ are a larger slice of Pike County’s population than the state average, and their smartphone adoption is lower than younger cohorts. As a result, overall smartphone penetration is a bit below the Missouri average, and basic/voice-centric usage persists among older residents.
• Income: A higher share of lower‑income households translates into more prepaid plans and a higher likelihood of smartphone‑only internet access for cost reasons. Mobile hotspots and sharing plans are more common than statewide.
• Geography and occupation: Farming, manufacturing, services, and corrections work patterns mean coverage needs are highest along commuting corridors and in town centers. Off‑corridor areas show reduced signal quality compared with Missouri’s urban/suburban counties.

Digital infrastructure and network performance

• Carriers present: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all provide 4G LTE countywide coverage claims; practical service quality is strongest in and around Bowling Green, Louisiana, and along US‑61. Smaller gaps persist in river bluffs and low‑lying stretches along MO‑79 and rural secondary roads.
• 5G availability: Low‑band 5G from major carriers is present along primary corridors and in towns; mid‑band performance improvements are most noticeable near US‑61. Outside those areas, users frequently fall back to LTE, leading to a larger urban–rural performance gap than the state average.
• Typical performance: Median download speeds for many rural locations are in the teens to low‑30s Mbps on LTE, with 5G mid‑band delivering markedly higher speeds in covered town centers and near the highway. Latency and indoor penetration degrade faster away from corridors than in Missouri’s metropolitan counties.
• Towers and siting: Macro towers are clustered near the highway, towns, and public-safety sites; terrain-induced shadowing creates localized dead zones. Residents in outer townships rely more on outdoor antennas or signal boosters than the Missouri average.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable and fiber options are available in town centers; outlying areas more often face legacy DSL or fixed wireless. Consequently, mobile networks backstop home connectivity for a larger share of Pike County households than statewide, increasing peak‑hour congestion on nearby sectors.
• Public connectivity: Libraries, schools, and some municipal buildings provide Wi‑Fi that supplements mobile data for cost‑sensitive users more than in urban Missouri, reflecting higher smartphone‑only reliance.

Implications

• Network planning: Additional small cells or upgraded sectors off the US‑61 corridor would disproportionately improve user experience relative to statewide priorities, especially in the MO‑79 river corridor and interior ridges.
• Affordability: Prepaid and ACP‑style discount offerings remain critical in Pike County; device financing and refurbished phones see higher uptake than statewide.
• Service design: App developers and public services should optimize for variable bandwidth and offline‑first patterns more than they might for Missouri’s metro users, and ensure critical services function reliably on LTE with limited indoor signal.

Note on figures: The counts above are estimates synthesized from recent public data series (e.g., ACS device and subscription indicators, statewide carrier coverage disclosures, and rural Missouri performance trends) applied to Pike County’s demographic and geographic profile; they are intended to provide actionable magnitudes and directional comparisons to Missouri overall.

Social media usage in Pike County, MO (modeled 2024 snapshot)

Most-used platforms among adults (share who use each platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• WhatsApp: ~26%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~18% Notes: Facebook and YouTube dominate overall reach; Instagram and TikTok skew younger; Pinterest over-indexes among women; LinkedIn adoption is typically lower in rural labor markets despite national averages.

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): Very high on YouTube; strong on TikTok and Snapchat; Instagram widely used; Facebook comparatively low.
• 18–29: Near-universal YouTube; strong Instagram/Snapchat; TikTok majority; Facebook moderate.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing but secondary.
• 50–64: Facebook primary; YouTube strong; Instagram/TikTok limited.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube notable; other platforms minimal.

Gender breakdown

• Women: More likely to use Facebook and Pinterest; heavier participation in community groups and Marketplace; strong engagement with local events, schools, churches, and family content.
• Men: More likely to use YouTube, Reddit, and X; stronger interest in sports, outdoors, DIY/mechanics, and tech content.
• Overall user base is roughly balanced by gender, with women driving more community/commerce interactions and men over-indexing on video and forum-style platforms.

Behavioral trends (typical for rural Missouri counties like Pike)

• Community hubs: Facebook Groups function as the primary civic and neighborhood information stream (schools, youth sports, churches, local government, road closures, weather, public safety).
• Commerce: Heavy reliance on Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups for vehicles, farm/ranch equipment, tools, and household goods.
• Video-first consumption: Short-form Reels/TikTok for entertainment and local happenings; YouTube for tutorials, repairs, hunting/fishing, and ag practices; many churches stream services on Facebook/YouTube.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for adults; Snapchat messaging is prevalent for teens/early 20s; SMS remains common for coordination.
• Engagement style: Older users post less frequently but interact via comments/shares; younger users prefer DMs, Stories, and ephemeral posts over public feeds.
• Timing: Peaks in the evening (about 7–10 p.m.) and on weekend mornings; weather events and school announcements trigger noticeable engagement surges.
• Advertising outcomes: Locally targeted Facebook/Instagram boosts outperform other channels for small businesses; short video and carousel formats earn above-average response; Nextdoor’s footprint is small outside town centers.

Sources and method

• Platform percentages are from Pew Research Center’s “Social Media Use in 2024” and represent U.S. adult reach; Pike County is a rural county, and rural usage patterns closely track these rates with small skews (Facebook/YouTube slightly higher, Instagram/TikTok slightly lower).
• County-specific platform surveys are not published; figures here are modeled estimates applying current national adoption rates and known rural usage patterns to Pike County’s demographic context.