Frontier County

Which source/year would you like these from: 2020 Decennial Census counts or the latest ACS 5-year estimates (2019–2023)? I’ll provide concise bullets for population, age distribution, sex, race/Hispanic, and households (count, average size, family vs. nonfamily, tenure) once you confirm.

Summary (estimates based on ACS/FCC rural Nebraska patterns)

• Estimated users: Frontier County has about 2.6k residents. Likely 1.6k–2.0k active email users (most adults with internet access use email; teen and older-adult use lower but rising).
• Age mix of email users:
  • Under 18: ~10–15% (school-driven accounts).
  • 18–24: ~10–12% (boosted by students in Curtis).
  • 25–64: ~55–60% (near-universal among connected adults).
  • 65+: ~18–25% (steadily increasing, but below prime working ages).
• Gender split: Roughly even (≈50/50) among users.
• Digital access trends: Incremental fiber buildouts in/near towns; many farms/ranches use fixed wireless or upgraded satellite for coverage gaps; a noticeable share are smartphone‑only for home internet. Public/library and school Wi‑Fi remain important. Remote work/telehealth usage is growing from a small base.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Extremely rural—about 3 people per square mile. Best wireline speeds cluster in towns like Curtis, Eustis, and Maywood; performance drops outside town limits due to long last‑mile distances. Mobile broadband is a key fallback in outlying areas; 5G availability is limited and spotty.

Below is a county-specific, directional snapshot based on rural Nebraska patterns, FCC/ACS indicators, and known local context. Exact, current counts can be pulled from Census ACS S2801 and the FCC mobile map if you want me to fetch them.

Bottom line

• Frontier County’s mobile phone adoption is high but a bit below the Nebraska average, with more uneven coverage outside towns. Households are more likely than the state average to rely on mobile connections (smartphones or hotspots) as their primary internet, especially where wired options are sparse.
• A regional carrier (Viaero Wireless) plays a larger role here than in urban Nebraska, and mid-band 5G is less prevalent than statewide. Younger pockets around Curtis (NCTA campus) contrast with an older county profile, creating a wider intra-county usage gap than you see statewide.

User estimates (order-of-magnitude)

• Population base: ~2.5K residents; roughly 1.9–2.1K adults.
• Smartphone users: approximately 1.6–2.0K people (county likely 5–10 percentage points below Nebraska’s statewide smartphone adoption).
• Active mobile lines: roughly 2.8–3.4K total lines (typical rural penetration 110–135% of population due to multiple devices, hotspots, work lines).
• Mobile-dependent internet households: meaningfully higher than Nebraska overall (e.g., teens-to-low-20s percent locally vs low-to-mid-teens statewide), driven by limited wired/fiber availability outside town centers.

Demographic breakdown (and how it diverges from state patterns)

• Age: The county skews older than the state. Smartphone adoption among 65+ is lower, pulling down the county average. In contrast, Curtis’ student population (NCTA) creates a young, heavy-data-using pocket with high smartphone and app use—this intra-county split is sharper than the state’s urban/rural average.
• Income/cost sensitivity: Lower median incomes and longer device replacement cycles than statewide. Prepaid and regional-carrier plans (and shared family plans) are slightly more common; households more often use a single device as both phone and home internet via hotspot.
• Education/occupation: Agriculture and trades dominate outside towns; fieldwork pushes demand for voice/text reliability and basic data coverage over peak speeds. App use trends include precision ag tools, weather, logistics, and messaging; less emphasis on bandwidth-heavy entertainment than in urban Nebraska.
• Household type: More owner-occupied, single-family homes with metal structures; indoor coverage boosters and Wi‑Fi calling are used more often than statewide to overcome signal attenuation.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Carrier mix: National carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile) have coverage along highways and towns; Viaero Wireless is a significant provider in south-central Nebraska and often offers the most consistent rural footprint. This regional-carrier prominence is a notable difference from metro Nebraska.
• Coverage pattern: Solid LTE/low-band 5G in towns (Curtis, Eustis, Maywood, Stockville) and along main corridors; patchier service in canyons, creek bottoms, and remote ranchland. Dead zones persist away from paved roads—more so than the statewide average.
• 5G reality: Low-band 5G is present along primary routes; mid-band 5G (with much faster speeds) is spottier than statewide and typically limited to or near towns. Practical speeds outside towns often look like decent LTE (e.g., tens of Mbps) rather than the higher 5G rates seen in larger Nebraska cities.
• Tower density and build pace: Fewer macro sites per square mile than in urban counties, and fewer small cells. New builds often track public-safety/FirstNet or highway corridors; infill is slower than statewide averages.
• Public safety and reliability: AT&T FirstNet enhancements have improved coverage for first responders near key routes, but indoor calling reliability in metal buildings frequently depends on Wi‑Fi calling. Residents commonly keep car chargers, boosters, and offline maps—behaviors less common in cities.
• Substitution for home internet: Fixed wireless (from national carriers’ 4G/5G “home internet” offers) and WISPs are popular where DSL/cable/fiber are limited. This raises mobile data usage per line relative to the state average.

Trends that stand out versus Nebraska overall

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption overall, but a higher share of mobile-dependent households due to infrastructure gaps.
• Greater role of a regional carrier (Viaero) and highway-centric coverage; fewer mid-band 5G zones than statewide, keeping average mobile speeds lower and more variable.
• Wider internal split between high-use student/worker clusters and older residents with limited app adoption.
• More frequent use of boosters/Wi‑Fi calling and practical workarounds (downloaded media, offline maps), reflecting sparser tower placement.

Frontier County, NE — social media snapshot (modeled)

Context and method

• County-level social media figures aren’t published. The estimates below use Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform-usage rates, adjusted for rural communities, and Frontier County’s small, older-leaning population profile. Treat numbers as directional ranges.

User stats

• Population: ~2,600 residents; adults (18+): ~1,900–2,100.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~70–80% → ~1,350–1,650 people.
• Mobile-first behavior dominates; Facebook often functions as the “local internet” for news, events, and buy/sell.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; modeled range)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 65–75%
• Instagram: 25–35% (higher among women 18–34)
• Pinterest: 25–35% (skews female)
• Snapchat: 20–30% (low among 30+, high among teens/20s)
• TikTok: 20–30% (younger adults; cross-posted as Facebook Reels)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (news/sports watchers)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (professionals; smaller base)
• WhatsApp: 10–15% (family comms; small but steady)
• Reddit: 10–15% (niche/tech/DIY)
• Nextdoor: <10% (limited presence; Facebook Groups fill the gap)

Age groups (tendencies)

• 13–17: Heavy YouTube; Snapchat and TikTok lead for daily social; Instagram solid; Facebook low.
• 18–29: Active across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook used for groups/Marketplace.
• 30–49: Facebook is primary (Groups, Marketplace, school/sports updates); YouTube for how-to/entertainment; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest for DIY/recipes; light Instagram/TikTok.
• 65+: Facebook for family/community updates; YouTube; minimal on others.

Gender patterns (broad)

• Women: Higher use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong engagement with local groups, school and church pages, boutique/food content.
• Men: Higher on YouTube, Reddit, X; follow ag, sports, outdoor, equipment/repair content.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community hubs: Facebook Groups (schools, churches, volunteer fire, 4-H), local events, lost-and-found, and Marketplace for farm/ranch gear, vehicles, tools, and services.
• Content that performs: High school sports highlights, weather and road conditions, ag/harvest updates, local business promos, fundraisers, and “how-to” or repair videos (YouTube/Shorts/Reels).
• Posting windows: Evenings (7–10 pm) and lunch hours see the most engagement; weekends spike around community events and game days.
• Video first: Short vertical video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives reach; cross-posting the same clip to Facebook and YouTube helps cover both older and younger segments.
• Local trust: Posts with recognizable people/places, clear utility (alerts, openings, deals), and timely calls-to-action outperform generic content.
• Discovery paths: Word-of-mouth + Facebook shares remain critical; search traffic flows to YouTube for tutorials and product research.
• Platform gaps: Nextdoor presence is sparse; LinkedIn matters mainly for schools/healthcare/public sector jobs; X is used by state agencies, news, and sports followers rather than the broader public.

Quick sizing example (adults; ballpark)

• Any social: ~1,350–1,650 users
• Facebook: ~1,250–1,550
• YouTube: ~1,450–1,750
• Instagram or TikTok: ~400–650 each
• Snapchat: ~400–600
• Pinterest: ~500–700

Notes

• Validate locally via page insights, group membership counts, and school/sports page engagement.
• Broadband variability nudges usage mobile-first; keep creatives lightweight and captioned for sound-off viewing.