Dakota County

Key demographics for Dakota County, Nebraska (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates):

• Population: ~21,700
• Age:
  • Median age: ~34
  • Under 18: ~29%
  • 18–64: ~58–59%
  • 65+: ~12–13%
• Gender:
  • Male: ~51%
  • Female: ~49%
• Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive):
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~46–47%
  • White alone, non-Hispanic: ~41–43%
  • Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: ~2%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native alone, non-Hispanic: ~2%
  • Asian alone, non-Hispanic: ~3%
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~5%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~7,300–7,400
  • Average household size: ~2.9–3.0
  • Family households: ~70–72% (avg family size ~3.4–3.6)
  • Households with children under 18: ~40–45%
  • Married-couple families: ~50–55% of households

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

Dakota County, NE snapshot (estimates)

• Email users: ~14,500–15,500 adult users (about 70–75% of total residents). Basis: ~21.5k residents, ~16–17k adults; national email adoption among online adults ~92–95% applied to local internet access.
• Age distribution (adoption rates):
  • 18–29: ~95–98%
  • 30–49: ~95–97%
  • 50–64: ~90–93%
  • 65+: ~75–85%
• Gender split: Near parity; no meaningful difference in email use between men and women.
• Digital access trends:
  • Mid‑80% of households have a broadband subscription; 90%+ have a computer or smartphone.
  • About 10–15% are mobile‑only internet users; 5–10% lack home internet.
  • Ongoing shift toward smartphone‑based access, especially among younger adults and mobile‑only households.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈80 people per sq. mile; most residents live in South Sioux City/Dakota City within the Sioux City metro.
  • Urban corridor offers the widest fixed‑broadband choices; rural edges have fewer options, increasing reliance on mobile data and public Wi‑Fi.

Notes: Figures are approximations using ACS internet-subscription data and Pew Research email adoption rates scaled to Dakota County’s population.

Here’s a practical, planning-oriented snapshot of mobile phone usage in Dakota County, Nebraska, with emphasis on how it differs from statewide patterns.

User estimates (2025)

• Population base: ~21.5–22.0k residents; ~15.5–16.0k adults.
• Adults with any mobile phone: ~90–93% → roughly 14–15k adult mobile users.
• Adults with a smartphone: ~83–87% → roughly 13–14k adult smartphone users.
• Smartphone-only (no home broadband) households: likely 20–25% in Dakota County vs ~14–16% statewide. This reflects lower median income and higher share of renters, and it likely rose after the ACP subsidy lapsed in 2024.
• Prepaid share: higher than the state average (estimate 30–40% of lines locally vs ~20–25% statewide), driven by price sensitivity, younger users, and multilingual households.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Younger profile than Nebraska overall, with more households containing children and young adults. Smartphone ownership is very high among 18–34; seniors trail the state average but rely more on voice/SMS. Net effect: more total users per household and heavier mobile data use among younger segments.
• Ethnicity/language: One of Nebraska’s most Hispanic/Latino counties (roughly two-fifths of the population). This correlates with:
  • More prepaid and family plans.
  • Higher use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Spanish-language video/social content.
  • More international calling/messaging add-ons.
• Income/education: Below-state medians. Implications:
  • Longer device replacement cycles and higher Android share (cost-driven).
  • Greater reliance on mobile data in lieu of home internet, especially among renters and shift workers.
• Work patterns: Large shift-based employment (e.g., food processing) creates atypical network peaks in early morning, lunchtime, and late evening versus typical 9–5 commuter patterns in Omaha/Lincoln.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Market context: Part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD metro. Proximity to a regional city yields better coverage and 5G availability than many rural Nebraska counties.
• Coverage and 5G:
  • Broad low-band 5G coverage countywide from national carriers.
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity) strongest in and around South Sioux City/Dakota City and along main corridors (I‑129, US‑77/20); rural pockets near Hubbard/Jackson see more low-band 5G/LTE and variable in-building performance.
  • Network handoffs to Iowa towers are common near the river, aiding capacity.
• Fixed broadband context:
  • South Sioux City/Dakota City: cable and some fiber are present; 100–1000 Mbps typical if subscribed.
  • Rural areas: more reliance on DSL, fixed wireless, or 5G Home Internet. T‑Mobile 5G Home is broadly available around the metro; Verizon 5G Home in select zones.
  • Overall home broadband take-up is a few points below the Nebraska average; smartphone access is comparable, so the gap shows up as higher “mobile-only” households.
• Public and institutional access: Schools, libraries, and community centers act as important Wi‑Fi hubs; mobile hotspots remain common among students and shift workers.

What’s different from Nebraska statewide

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: Dakota County households are more likely to use mobile data in place of wireline home internet.
• More prepaid and multilingual usage: Larger Hispanic population and cross-border metro dynamics push prepaid adoption, international features, and app-based communications above state norms.
• Better-than-rural coverage, metro-like capacity: Despite being a small county, adjacency to Sioux City means stronger 5G availability and capacity than many Nebraska rural counties, though metal buildings and fringe rural areas still see indoor/performance challenges.
• Off-peak/shift-based demand: Traffic peaks do not strictly follow standard office hours as they do in Omaha/Lincoln; carriers see concentrated loads around shift changes.
• ACP after-effects more visible: The 2024 lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program likely increased mobile-only dependence here more than in higher-income Nebraska counties.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are estimates triangulated from recent ACS internet/computer indicators, regional carrier deployments in the Sioux City market, national smartphone adoption benchmarks, and county demographics. County-level mobile metrics are rarely published directly; ranges above reflect local economic and demographic factors and the county’s metro adjacency.

Here’s a concise, county-level snapshot using the best-available U.S. survey data (Pew, 2023–2024) scaled to Dakota County’s size and demographics. Exact, county-specific platform stats aren’t published, so treat these as reasonable estimates.

Overall usage

• Population context: Dakota County, NE ~21–22k residents; sizeable Hispanic/Latino community; younger-than-average median age.
• Adult social-media adoption: roughly 80–85% of adults use at least one platform.
• Rough count of adult users: about 12–14k adults (estimate).
• Teen usage (13–17): near-universal social-platform use; heavy daily use of short-form video and messaging apps.

Most-used platforms (estimated share of adults)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• WhatsApp: 25–35% overall; notably higher among Hispanic residents
• Pinterest: 30–35% (skews female, parents/DIY)
• X/Twitter: 20–25%
• LinkedIn: 25–30% (working-age professionals)

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): Snapchat and TikTok lead; Instagram strong; YouTube universal; Facebook limited except for school/teams.
• 18–29: YouTube and Instagram dominant; Snapchat/TikTok high; Facebook secondary.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising.
• 50+: Facebook and YouTube mainstays; Pinterest (women) and WhatsApp (family ties) present; Instagram/TikTok lower.

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Women: higher usage of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong presence in local community and buy/sell groups.
• Men: higher usage of YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter; more news/sports and creator/long-form followership.

Behavioral trends observed in similar small metros/rural-adjacent counties

• Community-first Facebook: school, youth sports, churches, city/county alerts, Spanish- and English-language neighborhood groups; Marketplace is a major utility.
• Bilingual engagement: elevated WhatsApp, Facebook Groups, and Instagram for Spanish-language updates; cross-border family ties influence platform choice.
• Short-form video everywhere: Reels/Shorts/TikTok drive discovery for food, events, and local services—especially under 40.
• Messaging-centric coordination: Facebook Messenger, Snapchat (younger), and WhatsApp (multigenerational and bilingual) for daily planning and event sharing.
• Local discovery paths: Google + Facebook for services; Instagram/TikTok for restaurants, salons, gyms; reviews and UGC weigh heavily.
• Time-of-day peaks: evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; Marketplace browsing spiking on weekends and late evenings.

Notes on methodology

• Percentages reflect recent U.S. adult usage benchmarks (Pew Research Center) adjusted qualitatively for Dakota County’s younger and bilingual profile; WhatsApp and Instagram/TikTok likely over-index relative to U.S. averages.
• For precise campaign planning, use ad-platform reach tools (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Google/YouTube) targeting Dakota County or the Sioux City MSA for live reach estimates.