Stoddard County

Stoddard County, Missouri — key demographics

Population size

• 28,400 (2023 Census Population Estimates, rounded)
• 28,672 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~43 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18 to 64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone (non-Hispanic): ~93%
• Black or African American alone: ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.4%
• Asian alone: ~0.4%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~11,900
• Average household size: ~2.35
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Homeownership rate: ~73%

Insights

• Population is stable to slightly declining versus 2020.
• Age structure skews older than the U.S. overall (higher 65+ share, higher median age).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population and high homeownership typical of rural counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates; 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Figures rounded for clarity.

• Population: ≈28,600; density ≈34 residents per sq. mile across ~829 sq. miles.
• Estimated email users (18+): ≈18,000 adults. Basis: rural internet adoption and near‑universal email use among internet users.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: 19% (~3,400)
  • 30–49: 33% (~6,000)
  • 50–64: 27% (~4,900)
  • 65+: 21% (~3,700)
• Gender split: County is 51% female/49% male; email users mirror this (51% female, 49% male).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~76% of households subscribe to fixed broadband; ~87% have a computer; ~14% are smartphone‑only.
  • Higher‑speed options cluster around population centers (e.g., Dexter, Bloomfield); service thins in rural townships, constraining speeds and adoption.
  • Connectivity has improved since 2020, yet roughly 1 in 4 households still lack fixed broadband, pushing email toward mobile‑first usage and less frequent checking in the most rural areas.
• Insight: Despite rural gaps, email remains a primary communication tool countywide; usage intensity correlates with broadband availability—strongest in town centers, weakest in low‑density areas.

Mobile phone usage in Stoddard County, Missouri — summary and how it differs from statewide patterns

Core user estimates (latest available federal statistics; rounded)

• Population and households: ~28,600 residents and ~11,600 households.
• Households with a smartphone: ~83–85% of households (Missouri ≈ 89–91%). That equates to roughly 9,600–9,900 smartphone households in the county.
• Households relying on a cellular data plan but no fixed broadband (“cellular-only”): ~14–17% (Missouri ≈ 10–12%).
• Households with no internet subscription of any kind: ~18–22% (Missouri ≈ 11–14%).
• Households without a computer device: ~14–17% (Missouri ≈ 8–10%).
• Implied individual mobile users: 18,000–21,000 residents regularly using a mobile phone, based on the smartphone-household rate and the county’s age structure.

Demographic breakdown and drivers

• Older population mix: Adults 65+ make up a larger share of Stoddard County than Missouri overall (about one-fifth vs. under one-fifth statewide). This pulls down per-person smartphone adoption and increases the likelihood of basic/limited-data plans, yet also raises the share of cellular-only households among seniors compared with the state.
• Income and education: Stoddard County has lower median household income and a smaller share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Missouri overall. These factors are associated with:
  • Higher reliance on mobile phones as the primary internet connection (cellular-only households).
  • Lower ownership of multiple connected devices per household.
  • Greater sensitivity to plan cost and coverage consistency, which sustains prepaid and MVNO use and discourages premium unlimited plans relative to metro Missouri.
• Family/household structure: Larger rural households and multi-generational living arrangements raise the device-per-household count in town centers, but outlying areas often ration data across fewer lines due to weaker signal quality and fewer plan options.

Digital infrastructure and service environment

• Coverage mix:
  • 4G LTE is effectively countywide along US‑60 and primary state routes; low-band 5G (e.g., 600–850 MHz) is present across the population centers (Dexter, Advance, Bloomfield) and major corridors.
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5–3.7 GHz) is available in and immediately around towns but is patchier in the agricultural periphery; performance drops quickly off-corridor, especially along lower-density farm roads.
• Capacity and performance:
  • Town centers typically see consistent 4G/5G downlink in the tens of Mbps; outlying census blocks can fall into single-digit Mbps or revert to 4G, especially indoors, which encourages Wi‑Fi offload when available and keeps cellular-only households on conservative data tiers.
• Site density and terrain:
  • The county’s macro-tower grid is sparser than in Missouri’s metro counties. Coverage is optimized along highways and near towns, with weaker indoor signal in metal‑roof homes and around wooded/lowland areas; this magnifies differences in user experience versus the state average.
• Backhaul and fiber builds:
  • Electric‑cooperative and independent fiber builds are expanding around population clusters and along feeder routes, improving tower backhaul and home broadband options. This is gradually reducing cellular-only households in fiber‑served pockets, a trend that lags metro Missouri but is accelerating compared with pre‑2020 conditions.

How Stoddard County differs from Missouri overall

• Lower smartphone penetration at the household level, driven by an older population mix and lower incomes than the state average.
• Higher share of cellular-only households and higher share of households with no internet subscription at all.
• More uneven 5G experience: low-band coverage is broadly available, but mid-band capacity is materially less consistent outside towns; this keeps average mobile speeds below statewide urban/suburban norms and increases reliance on off-peak use and Wi‑Fi.
• Device mix skews toward value and prepaid plans more than the state average, reflecting cost sensitivity and variable signal quality in the periphery.

Implications

• Carriers: Greatest lift from targeted mid-band 5G infill and indoor coverage solutions in town perimeters; backhaul upgrades where fiber now exists will convert coverage into usable capacity.
• Public sector and anchors: Continued fiber-to-the-home and community Wi‑Fi in outlying blocks will reduce cellular-only dependence and close the no‑internet gap faster than in previous funding cycles.
• Consumers: As fiber and fixed wireless expand, expect a gradual shift away from mobile-only internet and improved 5G performance along secondary roads, narrowing (but not eliminating) the gap with statewide urban performance.

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2018–2022 American Community Survey (5‑year) county and state tables on device ownership and internet subscriptions (e.g., S2801/S2802).
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (latest release prior to 2025) for reported 4G/5G availability by technology and spectrum class.
• Missouri broadband and electric‑cooperative deployment reports for fiber build activity.

Note: Percentages are reported as point estimates from the cited datasets and rounded to whole numbers for clarity; small year‑to‑year changes are within typical margins of error for county‑level ACS data.

Social media usage snapshot for Stoddard County, MO

Overall reach (adults)

• Share of adults using at least one social platform: roughly 65–70%, aligning with rural U.S. rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024)

Age profile (share of adults in each age band using any social platform)

• 18–29: ~95%
• 30–49: ~90%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~40–45% Given Stoddard County’s older-than-average age mix, the local user base skews toward 30–64, with a smaller but active 65+ segment on Facebook and YouTube.

Gender breakdown (behavioral skews)

• Overall use is similar by gender.
• Women are more active on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Twitter).

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; rural-Midwest profile)

• YouTube: ~80–83%
• Facebook: ~65–70%
• Instagram: ~35–40%
• TikTok: ~25–30%
• Snapchat: ~25–30% (concentrated under 35)
• Pinterest: ~30–35% (predominantly women)
• X (Twitter): ~20–23%
• LinkedIn: ~15–25% (lower in rural, older markets)

Behavioral trends observed in comparable rural Missouri counties

• Community-first Facebook usage: Heavy reliance on local Pages/Groups (school districts, high school sports, churches, civic alerts). Facebook Marketplace is a primary channel for buying/selling vehicles, farm/ranch items, and household goods.
• Video for practical tasks: Strong YouTube consumption for DIY, home, auto, ag/homesteading, hunting/fishing, and local event recaps; short-form TikTok/Reels adoption rising among under-35.
• Messaging as glue: Facebook Messenger is the default for family/neighbor coordination; teens/young adults favor Snapchat for daily communication.
• Event- and season-driven spikes: Engagement peaks around school sports, county fairs, local elections, severe weather, and harvest-related periods.
• Trust in local voices: Content from coaches, pastors, small-business owners, first responders, and county/city pages outperforms generic national content; UGC featuring recognizable places/people earns above-average shares.
• Commerce behaviors: Local services and mom-and-pop retailers see best results with Facebook posts + Messenger replies + phone calls; appointment and quote requests often originate from social DMs.

Notes on sources and applicability

• Percentages reflect Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. and rural adult usage benchmarks applied to Stoddard County’s rural, older-leaning profile. Platform shares and age/gender skews align with observed patterns in rural Missouri and the greater Midwest.