Scotland County

Scotland County, Missouri — Key demographics

Population size

• 4,716 (2020 Census), down 2.6% from 4,843 in 2010

Age

• Median age: about 43 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White: ~96%
• Black or African American: ~0–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0–1%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~94–95%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~2,000
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~40%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~14–15%

Insights

• Small, aging population with roughly one in five residents 65+
• Overwhelmingly White with a very small Hispanic/Latino presence
• Household sizes are modest and a majority are family households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (Scotland County, MO).

Scotland County, MO is a very rural market (population ~4.7k; density ~11 people per sq. mile, centered on Memphis). Using Census/ACS demographics and national email-adoption benchmarks, the county likely has 3,300–3,800 adult email users.

Age distribution of email users (est.):

• 18–34: ~95% use email; about 800–900 users
• 35–64: ~92% use email; about 1,600–1,800 users
• 65+: ~75–85% use email; about 900–1,100 users
• Teens add a small additional segment via school accounts

Gender split: roughly even (about 49–51% either way), mirroring county demographics.

Digital access and trends:

• Household internet subscription is typical for rural Missouri in the low-to-mid 70% range, with ~10–15% of households being smartphone-only and ~5–10% relying on satellite/fixed wireless.
• Fiber availability is limited but expanding via state/federal rural broadband programs; fixed wireless fills many gaps.
• Public access remains important: library, schools, and municipal hotspots in Memphis anchor connectivity for residents without home broadband.

Implications: Email reach is broad among working-age adults and strong but more variable among seniors, with deliverability and engagement improving where fiber or robust fixed wireless is available and weaker in smartphone-only and satellite-dependent areas.

Scotland County, Missouri — Mobile phone usage summary (focus on differences from statewide patterns)

Core user estimates (2025, derived from 2020 Census population and 2018–2022 ACS plus recent national adoption rates)

• Population baseline: 4,716 residents; roughly 1,900–2,000 households.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile handset): about 4,000 residents use a mobile phone (≈85% of total population, reflecting very high adult adoption and lower adoption among young children).
• Smartphone users: approximately 3,400–3,700 residents (≈72–78% of total population; ≈82–86% of adults). This is a few percentage points lower than Missouri’s adult smartphone rate (roughly upper-80s to ~90%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely on cellular data): estimated 12–15% of households, above Missouri’s average (≈9–10%). This is consistent with rural fixed-broadband gaps pushing mobile-first access.
• Lines per 100 residents (all cellular subscriptions, including data-only/IoT): roughly 110–120, yielding an estimated 5,200–5,600 active cellular lines countywide. The high ratio is driven by multi-line households and agriculture/telemetry devices, even as human smartphone adoption lags the state.

Demographic breakdown influencing usage

• Older age structure: Residents 65+ comprise a larger share than the state average. Smartphone ownership among 65+ locally is estimated in the mid‑60s to low‑70s percent range, below Missouri’s ~mid‑70s for that age band, pulling down overall smartphone penetration.
• Youth: Teens mirror national patterns (mid‑ to high‑80s smartphone adoption), but the county’s smaller teen cohort limits its effect on the overall rate.
• Cultural factors: The long-established Old Order Amish community around Rutledge and nearby settlements materially reduces smartphone ownership relative to state averages; this alone likely depresses the county’s overall smartphone rate by an estimated 2–4 percentage points.
• Income and education: Lower median household income and a higher share of blue-collar and agricultural jobs correlate with longer handset replacement cycles and a higher likelihood of prepaid or budget MVNO plans than the Missouri average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage profile

• Network presence: AT&T (including FirstNet), Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular all serve the county. UScellular retains a notable footprint across northeast Missouri, which differentiates the market mix from much of the state where UScellular is less prevalent.
• 5G availability: Predominantly low‑band 5G (coverage-oriented) from the national carriers; mid‑band 5G capacity is sparse outside the county seat (Memphis) and primary corridors. As a result, real‑world 5G speeds often resemble strong LTE and are below Missouri’s median mobile speeds.
• Tower density and backhaul: Macro site density is characteristic of rural markets (fewer sites per square mile than the state’s average). A meaningful share of sites rely on microwave backhaul outside town centers, constraining peak and busy-hour throughput compared with fiber-fed urban/suburban sites elsewhere in Missouri.
• In‑building service: Metal-roof farmsteads and greater distance to macro sites lead to weaker indoor signal in the open country; Wi‑Fi calling and boosters are commonly used to compensate. Public-safety coverage benefits from AT&T FirstNet overlays but VHF/UHF radio remains important for fire/EMS.
• Fixed broadband context: Fiber and cable are present in and near Memphis and some towns; DSL and fixed wireless are more common in outlying areas. Where fixed service is slow or unavailable, households lean on cellular data, increasing smartphone‑only or hotspot‑based usage compared with state norms.

How Scotland County differs from Missouri overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: Overall smartphone adoption is several points below the statewide average due to an older age profile and cultural non-adoption in Amish households.
• More mobile-reliant for home internet: A higher share of smartphone‑only households than the Missouri average reflects patchier fixed-broadband options in the countryside.
• Slower 5G capacity rollout: Coverage‑oriented 5G is widespread, but capacity‑oriented mid‑band 5G is limited; typical user speeds and consistency trail Missouri’s urban/suburban counties.
• Different carrier mix: UScellular maintains relevance locally alongside AT&T and Verizon; T‑Mobile’s coverage has improved with low‑band spectrum, but mid‑band depth is less consistent than in Missouri’s metros.
• Usage patterns: Data consumption per human line is somewhat lower than the state average (fewer dense-capacity sites, more conservative plan choices), but total cellular lines per capita are buoyed by farm and small‑business IoT/telemetry.

Bottom line

• Expect near‑universal mobile phone ownership among adults but modestly lower smartphone adoption versus Missouri as a whole.
• Mobile service quality is reliable for voice and basic broadband across populated areas, yet high‑capacity 5G is sparse; speeds and indoor coverage in rural reaches lag state medians.
• A larger slice of households relies on cellular as their primary or only internet, making mobile networks a critical substitute where fixed broadband remains limited.

Scotland County, MO social media snapshot (2025)

Baseline and user totals

• Population: 4,716 (2020 Census). Residents age 13+ ≈ 4,000 (used as the base for local estimates).
• Most-used platforms among residents 13+ (percentages from recent Pew Research national/rural findings, applied to the local 13+ base):
  • YouTube: 78% ≈ 3,120 users
  • Facebook: 69% ≈ 2,760 users
  • Instagram: 40% ≈ 1,600 users
  • TikTok: 29% ≈ 1,160 users
  • Snapchat: 26% ≈ 1,040 users
  • X (Twitter): 20% ≈ 800 users
  • Reddit: 18% ≈ 720 users
  • WhatsApp: 20% ≈ 800 users

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~95%; TikTok ~67%; Instagram ~62%; Snapchat ~60%; Facebook ~32%. Heavy use of short-form video (TikTok/YouTube Shorts) and ephemeral messaging (Snapchat).
• Young adults (18–29): YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~78%; Snapchat ~65%; TikTok ~62%; Facebook ~67%. Visual platforms drive discovery; DMs more than public posting.
• Adults (30–49): Facebook ~75%; YouTube ~92%; Instagram ~48%; TikTok ~30%. Facebook Groups/Marketplace and YouTube how‑to content are core.
• Older adults (50–64): Facebook ~73%; YouTube ~83%; Instagram ~33%; TikTok ~21%. Predominantly Facebook for community/news; YouTube for tutorials.
• Seniors (65+): Facebook ~60%; YouTube ~60%; most other platforms <20%. Facebook is the default social channel.

Gender breakdown

• County population is roughly balanced by sex (~50/50). Platform skews reflect national patterns:
  • Skews female: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat (expect each to lean modestly female in user mix locally).
  • Skews male: YouTube, X (Twitter), Reddit (expect each to lean modestly male locally).

Behavioral trends observed in rural Midwest communities like Scotland County

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups (churches, school athletics, county updates), local news pages, and Marketplace for buy/sell (farm/ranch, equipment, vehicles).
• Messaging dominates: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat for day‑to‑day coordination; SMS still common for older adults.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to/repair, ag and outdoor content; TikTok/Shorts for entertainment and local highlights.
• Posting vs lurking: Many users consume and share privately; public posting clusters around local events, sports, classifieds, and community alerts.
• Peak usage windows: Early morning (before work/school) and evening (after 7 p.m.), with weekend spikes tied to local events and sports.
• Local commerce: Small businesses rely on Facebook Pages, boosted posts, and Marketplace; Instagram used by boutiques/food for visuals; TikTok experiments for reach among under‑35.
• Trust and information: High engagement with county/city/school pages and citizen-run community groups; word‑of‑mouth amplified via Facebook reshares.

Notes on sources and method

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau (2020). Social platform percentages: Pew Research Center’s most recent U.S. social media adoption studies (with rural breakouts where available). Local user counts are derived by applying those rates to an estimated 13+ population of ~4,000; actual local uptake can vary with broadband/smartphone access by ±5–10%.