Washington County

Washington County, Missouri — key demographics Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates)

Population

• Total population (2020): 23,514
• Trend: Down from 25,195 in 2010; modest change since 2020 (estimates roughly flat)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~48%
• Male: ~52% (skewed upward by a large male correctional population)

Race/ethnicity (share of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~89–90%
• Black or African American: ~4–5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–1%
• Asian: ~0.2–0.3%
• Two or more races: ~3–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~8,700–8,900
• Persons per household: ~2.5–2.6
• Family households: ~65–70% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78–80%
• Median household income: roughly mid‑$40,000s
• Poverty rate: ~20–21%

Key insights

• Small, rural county with a declining/flat population since 2010
• Older-than-state age profile, high homeownership, and predominantly non-Hispanic White
• Income levels below the Missouri median, with elevated poverty rates

• Estimated email users: ~18,000 residents in Washington County, MO. This reflects ≈92% of adults using email (Pew) applied to the county’s ~23,514 residents (2020 Census) and age structure.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–34: ~27%
  • 35–54: ~30%
  • 55–64: ~16%
  • 65+: ~21%
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, 49% male, mirroring the county’s slight female majority; email usage shows no meaningful gender gap nationally.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: ~74% (ACS 2018–2022), implying ~26% of households lack a wired broadband subscription.
  • Smartphone-only internet access: ~12% of households, indicating some residents rely on mobile data rather than fixed service.
  • Computer/smart device access is widespread; email is near-universal among connected adults, driving high daily use for communication, government services, job applications, and commerce.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Population density ≈31 people per sq. mile (23,514 residents over ~761 sq. miles), underscoring rural, low-density last‑mile challenges.
  • Ongoing Missouri broadband initiatives (including BEAD-funded builds) are targeting unserved/underserved locations in and around Washington County, which should lift fixed‑line availability and email access over the next 2–3 years.

Mobile phone usage in Washington County, Missouri — 2025 summary

Topline user estimates (2025)

• Total mobile phone users: 19,500–21,000 residents (≈83–89% of total population; 2020 Census population baseline ≈23,500).
• Smartphone users: 17,500–19,000 residents (≈74–81% of total population), a few points below Missouri’s statewide rate.
• Feature/basic phone users: 2,000–2,500 residents (≈9–11%), notably higher than the state average.
• Mobile-only home internet households (no fixed home broadband; rely on smartphone hotspot or cellular modem): 14–18% of households, above the statewide share.
• Prepaid plan users: 35–45% of mobile lines, several points higher than state share, reflecting cost sensitivity and MVNO adoption.
• iOS vs Android: Android 60–65%; iOS 35–40% (Android skew is stronger than the state average due to price mix and prepaid).

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age
  • 13–17: 95–98% smartphone adoption; heavy social/video use but constrained by data caps outside Wi‑Fi.
  • 18–34: 95–97% smartphone adoption; highest 5G usage and mobile banking/commerce.
  • 35–64: 90–94% smartphone adoption; high reliance on messaging, navigation, and work apps.
  • 65+: 68–75% smartphone adoption; larger share on feature phones than state average; growing telehealth usage but constrained by device affordability and coverage indoors.
• Income/plan type
  • Low-to-moderate income households show higher prepaid and MVNO usage, higher Android share, and higher mobile-only internet reliance than the state average.
• Education and employment
  • Lower bachelor’s attainment and more outdoor/field work correlate with heavier voice/SMS, push-to-talk style coordination, and hotspot use for intermittent connectivity.
• Household composition
  • Multi-line family plans are common but at lower rates than statewide; more single-line prepaid plans per capita than Missouri overall.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and networks: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all operate in the county; MVNOs (e.g., Cricket, Metro, Straight Talk, Visible, Boost) are widely used. 4G LTE is the baseline; 5G availability is primarily low-band with pockets of mid-band near population centers.
• 5G footprint and speeds
  • Low-band 5G: broad outdoor availability around Potosi and along primary corridors (e.g., MO‑21/8/47), offering typical real‑world speeds in the 40–120 Mbps range with good range but modest capacity.
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layer): limited, focused near denser nodes; 150–300+ Mbps where present, but coverage is discontinuous compared with Missouri’s metro areas.
• 4G LTE: Generally available on major roads and towns; indoor coverage is variable in low-lying areas, valleys, and forested terrain.
• Terrain effects: Hilly, wooded Ozark topography creates signal shadowing and dead zones off-corridor; line-of-sight constraints increase reliance on external antennas/hotspots for fixed wireless users.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): Increasing adoption as an alternative to DSL/satellite; meaningful for households beyond cable/FTTH footprints, contributing to the mobile-only internet share.
• Public safety and redundancy: Coverage gaps in hollows and low-density roads persist; roaming and Wi‑Fi calling mitigate but do not eliminate dead spots.

How Washington County differs from Missouri overall

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption and higher feature-phone retention, driven by older age structure, income mix, and patchier indoor coverage.
• Higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO and budget Android devices; lower iPhone share than statewide.
• Significantly higher share of mobile-only home internet due to limited or higher-cost fixed broadband options outside town centers.
• 5G is more often low-band only; mid-band 5G density and capacity improvements lag metro Missouri, so peak speeds and consistency are less robust than state averages.
• Greater day-to-day dependence on voice/SMS and hotspot tethering for work and school in coverage-limited areas; usage peaks align with commute corridors and school hours rather than dense urban patterns.

Practical implications

• Businesses and agencies should assume SMS and low-bandwidth channels remain critical for reach; plan for offline-capable apps and asynchronous workflows.
• Offering Wi‑Fi in public venues (libraries, clinics, community centers) has outsized impact due to mobile-only households and data cap sensitivities.
• Deploying or partnering on mid-band 5G/FWA sites near population clusters would materially improve capacity and reduce mobile congestion in the evenings.
• Customer support, telehealth, and education services should accommodate variable video quality and provide audio-first or downloadable options.

Notes on estimation

• Population baseline uses the 2020 Census total for Washington County (~23.5k). Adoption and plan-type shares are inferred from recent rural-Missouri patterns, ACS computer/internet-use trends, FCC coverage data, and carrier deployment norms in comparable Ozark counties. Ranges reflect rural variability (terrain, tower siting, and plan mix) and are designed to be conservative yet decision-useful.

Social media usage in Washington County, Missouri (short breakdown, 2024)

How many users

• Population: ~23,600 residents
• Residents age 13+: ~20,300
• Social media users (13+): ~14,700 (≈72% of residents 13+)

Who’s using it

• Gender (of users): ~52% women, 48% men
• Age mix (of users):
  • 13–17: ~12%
  • 18–29: ~19%
  • 30–49: ~33%
  • 50–64: ~20%
  • 65+: ~16%

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users, monthly)

• YouTube: 90% (13.2k users)
• Facebook: 84% (12.3k)
• Instagram: 41% (6.0k)
• TikTok: 31% (4.6k)
• Snapchat: 29% (4.3k)
• Pinterest: 28% (4.1k)
• X (Twitter): 18% (2.6k)
• LinkedIn: 16% (2.3k)
• Reddit: 12% (1.8k)
• Nextdoor: 5% (0.7k)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local groups (yard sale/buy–sell–trade, school and sports updates, church and event pages) plus Marketplace and Messenger for coordination.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube leads for how‑to, home/auto repair, hunting/fishing/outdoors, local sports clips, and Shorts; Facebook Reels and TikTok are growing for short entertainment and local business promos.
• Messaging over posting: many adults “lurk” in groups and share occasionally; teens and 18–29s engage daily on Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram DMs.
• Timing: peak activity evenings 6–9 p.m. CT; secondary peaks around school/work breaks; weather events and school closings drive sharp spikes.
• Local trust dynamics: recommendations from neighbors and recognizable local faces outperform polished brand content; comments in groups act as social proof.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default for local buying/selling; small businesses favor boosted posts and short vertical video with message/call CTAs over website clicks.
• Devices and access: mobile-first usage; short videos and image posts perform better than long links; coverage and data constraints make concise, lightweight content effective.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for 2024 using the county’s population and age structure from recent ACS estimates and platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center (adults 2024; teens 2023), adjusted for rural demographics. Counts are rounded to reflect estimate precision.