Scott County

Scott County, Missouri — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Census, 2019–2023 ACS/QuickFacts estimates)

Population size

• Total population: ~37,000–38,000 (2020 Census around 37.6k; small net decline in recent estimates)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~23–24%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51–52%
• Male: ~48–49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~77–80%
• Black or African American alone: ~14–16%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1% (negligible)

Household data

• Households: ~15,000
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family vs. nonfamily: roughly two-thirds family households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~68–70%
• Median household income (in 2022 dollars): ~$48k–$52k
• Persons in poverty: ~16–20%

Notes: Figures are rounded, reflecting the most recent Decennial Census counts and American Community Survey 5-year estimates for small-area reliability. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2019–2023 ACS; QuickFacts).

Scott County, MO email usage (modeled from recent Census/ACS demographics, broadband subscription data, and national email adoption rates)

• Estimated email users: ≈28,000 residents (≈88% of adults; county population ≈39,000).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ≈1,960 (7%)
  • 18–29: ≈5,880 (21%)
  • 30–49: ≈8,960 (32%)
  • 50–64: ≈7,560 (27%)
  • 65+: ≈3,640 (13%)
• Gender split among users: ≈51% female (≈14,300) and ≈49% male (≈13,700), reflecting the county’s population balance.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • ≈4 in 5 households maintain a home broadband subscription; smartphone‑only internet use is material (≈1 in 6 households).
  • Access and speeds are strongest in Sikeston and along the I‑55 corridor; rural tracts show lower subscription rates and fewer wireline options, increasing reliance on mobile and fixed‑wireless service.
  • Population density is roughly 90 residents per square mile, indicating a largely rural profile that raises last‑mile costs and contributes to patchier coverage.
  • Trend: gradual fiber build‑outs and expanding 5G/fixed‑wireless are improving availability, while affordability remains a key barrier for a minority of households.

Scott County, Missouri — mobile phone usage snapshot (focus on how it differs from Missouri overall)

Key takeaways

• Penetration is high but modestly below the state: smartphone access and mobile-subscription reliance lag Missouri by several points, with more households using cellular data as their primary or only internet.
• Coverage is strong along the I‑55/US‑60/62 corridors (Sikeston, Scott City, Benton, Chaffee) but remains patchier in low-density farm and river-bottom areas; 5G is present where people live and commute, yet capacity/speeds trail state averages.
• Demographic gaps are wider than the Missouri average, especially by age and income, which shapes how and why residents use mobile devices.

User and device estimates (2022–2024)

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 24,000–27,000 residents use a smartphone regularly. This implies countywide adult adoption in the mid‑80s percent range, a few points lower than Missouri overall (around 90%).
• Mobile lines in service: roughly 35,000–40,000 active mobile lines (including secondary lines, children’s devices, and hotspots) across the county’s population. This equates to about 0.9–1.1 lines per resident, versus Missouri’s closer-to-1.2 ratio in urbanized counties.
• Mobile-only households: an estimated 12–15% of households rely on a cellular data plan as their primary or only home internet, versus roughly 8–10% statewide. This reflects both lower fixed-broadband adoption and practical coverage/cost trade-offs.
• Prepaid share: prepaid plans account for an outsized share of lines (about 30–35% locally vs. nearer 20–25% statewide), driven by income sensitivity and credit preferences.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone use (~95%); heaviest 5G usage and app-based services (banking, video, gaming). Higher data consumption than the county average.
  • 35–64: high adoption (~88–92%); work/mobile-business usage is strong (agriculture, trades, logistics). Reliance on hotspotting is notably above the state rate in this group.
  • 65+: ownership materially lower (~70–75%), creating a larger age gap than Missouri overall. This group skews toward voice/SMS, with limited streaming; device upgrade cycles are longer.
• Income and education
  • Low-to-moderate income households are more likely to be mobile-first for internet access and to use prepaid plans. Cost-per-gigabyte sensitivity shapes usage (e.g., more Wi‑Fi offload in town, conservative video quality settings).
  • Households with less formal education show higher smartphone-only access (no PC/tablet) than the state average, affecting job search, telehealth, and homework workflows.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Black and Hispanic residents (smaller absolute populations locally) are more likely than white residents to be mobile-first for broadband, mirroring statewide patterns but with a larger gap due to fewer wireline options in several census tracts.
• Work and lifestyle
  • Agriculture, light manufacturing, logistics, and retail collectively drive on-the-go communications (dispatching, inventory, equipment telematics), increasing reliance on reliable 4G/5G near road corridors and job sites.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: effectively countywide population coverage; remaining dead spots cluster in river bottoms, low-lying timber, and sparsely populated western sections.
  • 5G availability: strongest along I‑55, US‑60/62, and in/around Sikeston, Scott City, Chaffee, and Benton. T‑Mobile mid‑band 5G is the broadest; AT&T and Verizon provide a mix of low-band 5G and growing mid‑band/C‑band along the interstate and town centers.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical daytime median mobile downloads trend in the 40–70 Mbps range in town and along I‑55, dropping to 10–25 Mbps in fringe areas—below the Missouri statewide median in urban/suburban counties.
  • Peak-hour congestion is noticeable near schools, shopping corridors, and during events, with uplink constraints more prominent than downlink.
• Reliability
  • Weather and foliage seasonality affect fringe 5G coverage more here than in urban Missouri; most carriers seamlessly fall back to robust LTE.
  • Public-safety and hospital zones in Sikeston and Scott City have dense macro coverage; rural volunteer fire districts still report pockets of weak in-building signal.
• Alternatives and complements
  • Fixed broadband is uneven: cable/fiber are available in towns, but many outlying homes lean on cellular hotspots or fixed wireless access (FWA) plans. FWA adoption is higher than Missouri’s average, reflecting limited fiber buildout off the main corridors.

How Scott County differs from the Missouri average

• Higher mobile-first reliance: a larger share of households uses cellular data as their primary home internet; hotspot usage is common for homework and remote work.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration overall, with a wider senior gap; device replacement cycles are slower, and budget Android devices are overrepresented.
• Prepaid penetration is notably higher, and multi-line family plans are sized more conservatively than in metro counties.
• 5G is present but less uniform; speeds and uplink performance lag metro Missouri, and rural capacity constraints appear more often at peak times.
• Infrastructure is corridor-centric: excellent service along I‑55 and town centers, with persistent edge-case coverage issues in agricultural tracts and river bottoms.
• Digital inclusion challenges are more pronounced: lower fixed-broadband adoption and income constraints amplify dependence on mobile networks for essential services (telehealth, banking, benefits).

Implications

• Network investments that extend mid‑band 5G beyond the interstate corridors and add rural-sector capacity would yield outsized benefits compared with urban Missouri.
• Programs that bundle affordable devices with generous data and Wi‑Fi offload support can narrow the senior and low-income adoption gaps.
• Coordination with schools and healthcare providers to ensure coverage and capacity in specific high-use zones (campuses, clinics) will mitigate peak-hour slowdowns and improve service equity.

Scott County, MO — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Overall usage

• Monthly social media users: 26,000–29,000 residents (roughly 70–75% of adults, 90%+ of teens).
• Most-used platforms by resident reach (at least monthly):
  1. YouTube: 70–80%
  2. Facebook: 55–65%
  3. Instagram: 30–40%
  4. TikTok: 25–35%
  5. Pinterest: 25–35%
  6. Snapchat: 18–25%
  7. X/Twitter: 12–18%
  8. LinkedIn: 12–18%
  9. Reddit: 10–15%

Audience mix

• By age (share of local social media audience):
  • 13–24: 22–25%
  • 25–44: 32–35%
  • 45–64: 27–30%
  • 65+: 13–16%
• By gender (share of local social media audience):
  • Women: 52–55%
  • Men: 45–48%
  • Notes: Women overindex on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; men overindex on YouTube, Reddit, and X/Twitter.

Platform-specific patterns

• Facebook (55–65%): Dominant for 30+; heavy use of Groups and Marketplace; primary channel for local news, school updates, churches, civic orgs, and community events.
• YouTube (70–80%): Broad, cross‑age reach; high consumption of how‑to/DIY, home repair, agriculture, hunting/fishing, sports highlights, and church services; Shorts are growing fast.
• Instagram (30–40%): Under‑45 skew; Reels used for product discovery, local food, boutiques, and events; Stories for day‑to‑day updates.
• TikTok (25–35%): Under‑35 core; strong for entertainment, quick tips, small‑business discovery; reposting to Facebook Reels common.
• Pinterest (25–35%): Predominantly women 25–54; home projects, recipes, crafts, weddings, and seasonal shopping.
• Snapchat (18–25%): Teens and young adults; messaging and location‑based friend groups; low brand follow but high geo-filter engagement.
• X/Twitter (12–18%): Male‑skewed; state/national news, weather, sports (Cardinals, Blues, SEC); limited local conversation.
• LinkedIn (12–18%): Concentrated among healthcare, education, utilities, finance, and public sector professionals; recruiting more than content marketing.
• Reddit (10–15%): Young male skew; gaming, tech, automotive, and finance subreddits; minimal local community presence.

Behavioral trends

• Local-first consumption: County residents rely on Facebook Groups and Pages for hyperlocal news, schools, road closures, church and civic updates; Marketplace is a daily habit.
• Video is default: YouTube and short-form (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drive the most time spent; cross-posting Reels to Facebook expands reach among 35–64.
• Messaging over comments: Most engagement shifts to private DMs (Messenger, Snapchat), especially for sales inquiries and event coordination.
• Trust in known sources: Posts by familiar local people, schools, churches, and government pages outperform brand accounts; UGC and staff‑fronted videos work best.
• Timing: Engagement tends to peak evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; weather events and school sports nights produce spikes on Facebook.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups outperform platform shops; short vertical video with prices and clear CTAs improves conversion.
• News and alerts: Facebook and X/Twitter are primary for live updates (weather, closures); resharing from official pages increases reach more than original posts.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled from the latest Pew Research Center U.S. platform usage (2023–2024) adjusted to Scott County’s older-leaning, small‑town profile (ACS age/sex structure). Ranges reflect rounding and local variance.