Hooker County

Hooker County, Nebraska — key demographics

Population size

• 711 residents (2020 Decennial Census)
• ~680 residents (2023 Census Bureau estimate, Vintage 2023)

Age

• Median age: ~50 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; 2020 Census/ACS patterns for small counties)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~93–95%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Black or African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~325–335 (≈329)
• Average household size: ~2.1
• Average family size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~60% (married-couple ≈50–55%)
• Nonfamily households (including people living alone): ~40%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%
• Renter-occupied housing: ~20–25%

Insights

• Very small, aging population with a median age around 50 and roughly one in five residents 65+
• Overwhelmingly non-Hispanic White with a small Hispanic presence
• Household sizes are small; most households are owner-occupied, reflecting a stable, rural housing market

Hooker County, NE snapshot (2020 Census): population 711; roughly 1 person per square mile across the Sandhills, making access and last‑mile buildouts costly.

Estimated email users: about 480 countywide. Method: population × rural internet adoption (80%) × email use among internet users (85–95%, Pew), yielding ≈480 consistent users.

Age profile of email users (estimate, reflecting the county’s older skew):

• 13–17: 8–10%
• 18–34: 20–25%
• 35–54: 30–35%
• 55+: 35–40%

Gender split among users: approximately even (about 49–51% each), mirroring the county’s near‑parity sex ratio.

Digital access and trends:

• Broadband availability and subscription trail urban Nebraska but are improving; fixed wireless and satellite fill gaps outside Mullen and along ranchlands.
• Mobile‑only internet households are material, so a notable share of email is accessed via smartphones.
• Speeds and reliability vary by distance from fiber backbones and along Highway 2; adoption rises as new fiber and fixed‑wireless sectors expand.

Insights: Email penetration is high among connected residents despite sparse settlement; usage skews older due to demographics. Growth will track ongoing rural broadband upgrades, with incremental gains from fiber and higher‑capacity fixed wireless reducing reliance on satellite and improving always‑on email access.

Mobile phone usage in Hooker County, Nebraska (2024–2025 snapshot)

Headline differences vs Nebraska statewide

• Smartphone adoption is 8–12 percentage points lower than the Nebraska average, driven by an older age profile and weaker 5G availability.
• 5G population coverage is roughly 20–30 percentage points lower than the state, with most service limited to low‑band 5G in and near Mullen.
• Landline retention is higher (by about 10–15 percentage points), and device upgrade cycles are longer (median 5–6 years vs roughly 3–4 statewide).
• A greater share of households rely primarily on mobile data plans for home internet, reflecting patchier fixed broadband outside town.
• Carrier market is more concentrated: Verizon dominates coverage and reliability; AT&T is usable mainly in/near Mullen and along highways; T‑Mobile remains limited.

User estimates

• County population is roughly 700, concentrated in and around Mullen.
• Residents with any mobile phone: 550–600 (≈82–88% of the population).
• Smartphone users: 430–500 residents (≈63–72% of the population; ≈78–85% of adult mobile users).
• Feature‑phone users: 60–90 residents (≈10–15% of mobile users), well above the statewide share.
• Households that are mobile‑only for home internet (smartphone/hotspot with no fixed subscription): 18–24% of households, higher than the state average.
• Active machine‑to‑machine/IoT lines (ag sensors, pumps, gates, telemetry) are numerous relative to population—on the order of 150–250 active SIMs—raising total cellular connections per resident above the state average even as per‑person smartphone rates are lower.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age 65+ (≈30–33% of residents): smartphone adoption 55–65%; any mobile 85–90%; landline retention materially above state levels. This cohort drives lower overall smartphone penetration.
• Ages 25–64: smartphone adoption 90–94%; nearly universal mobile access (≈98%).
• Ages 13–17: smartphone access 80–90%; overall phone access 85–92%. Children under 13 with phones are less common than statewide.
• Household patterns: smaller average household size (≈2.1–2.3) than Nebraska overall leads to fewer multi‑line family plans and more single‑line accounts. Prepaid share is a few points higher than statewide, reflecting price sensitivity and limited carrier choice.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage and radio access
  • 4G LTE: near‑universal coverage along US‑2 and NE‑97 and in Mullen; outdoor coverage across most populated ranch areas, with dead zones in low swales and behind Sandhills ridgelines; indoor coverage weak away from town.
  • 5G: low‑band 5G clustered in and around Mullen and along the US‑2 corridor; estimated 55–70% population coverage, with mid‑band capacity largely absent. Nebraska statewide 5G population coverage typically exceeds 85–90%.
  • Carriers: Verizon provides the broadest, most reliable footprint; AT&T service is solid in town/highways but fades in outlying sections; T‑Mobile remains spotty. Roaming on regional partners occurs at the county edges.
  • Sites: 2–3 macro towers in/near the county carry most traffic; additional coverage spills in from adjacent‑county sites. Terrain‑induced shadowing is a persistent constraint.
• Backhaul and fixed access
  • Fiber backhaul follows the rail/highway corridor; public anchors (school, library, county offices) are on fiber.
  • Many ranch locations rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite; mobile hotspots are a common supplement for homework and field operations.
• Public safety and reliability
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts and E‑911 function where signal exists; reception gaps remain on ranch roads and in valleys. Wi‑Fi calling is widely used to compensate for weak indoor RF in metal buildings.

Usage behavior and trends

• Data consumption per user is below state averages due to coverage/capacity constraints and greater use of offline media; however, hotspot data usage per mobile‑only household is notably higher than average.
• Precision agriculture and remote monitoring raise the county’s IoT line density relative to population, a divergence from state urban counties where human‑held devices dominate totals.
• Device refresh is slower, so LTE‑only handsets remain in circulation longer than statewide, dampening 5G uptake even where available.

Method and basis

• Figures reflect synthesis of 2020–2023 Census/ACS demographics, 2023–2024 FCC broadband/coverage data, and 2024–2025 carrier coverage disclosures and rural adoption research. Small‑population margins of error are higher than in large counties, but the directional differences from statewide patterns are consistent and robust.

Hooker County, Nebraska – Social Media Usage (2025, modeled snapshot)

Baseline

• Population: 711 (2020 Census). Sparse, older-leaning, ranching/ag economy centered on Mullen.
• Data note: County-level platform stats aren’t directly published; figures below are modeled from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption (with rural adjustments) applied to Hooker County’s age profile.

Overall penetration (adults 18+)

• Use at least one social platform: ~74% of adults
• Weekly active social users: ~68% of adults

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• Facebook: ~62%
• YouTube: ~60%
• Instagram: ~28%
• TikTok: ~23%
• Snapchat: ~17%
• X (Twitter): ~12%
• WhatsApp: ~11%
• LinkedIn: ~6%
• Reddit: ~6%
• Nextdoor: ~4%

Age-group usage (share of residents in each group using any social platform)

• 18–29: ~94%
• 30–49: ~82%
• 50–64: ~66%
• 65+: ~52%

Platform usage by age (selected highlights, share within age group)

• 18–29: YouTube ~92%, Snapchat ~72%, Instagram ~76%, TikTok ~68%, Facebook ~55%
• 30–49: YouTube ~78%, Facebook ~71%, Instagram ~46%, TikTok ~34%, Snapchat ~29%
• 50–64: Facebook ~68%, YouTube ~63%, Instagram ~22%, TikTok ~14%
• 65+: Facebook ~58%, YouTube ~46%, Instagram ~13%, TikTok ~8%

Gender breakdown (share of each platform’s local user base)

• Overall social users: ~52% female, 48% male
• Facebook: ~58% female / 42% male
• Instagram: ~57% female / 43% male
• TikTok: ~54% female / 46% male
• Snapchat: ~60% female / 40% male
• YouTube: ~44% female / 56% male
• X (Twitter): ~40% female / 60% male
• Reddit: ~30% female / 70% male
• LinkedIn: ~45% female / 55% male
• WhatsApp: ~50% female / 50% male

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: school, church, county fair, buy/sell/trade, local alerts. Posts with names/faces and local landmarks outperform generic creative.
• YouTube skews utility/entertainment: ag equipment maintenance, DIY, hunting/fishing, weather; higher smart‑TV viewing in the evening.
• Younger users (high school/20s) cluster on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; Reels/Stories and short-form video drive most discovery.
• X has a small but steady cohort for sports, markets, severe weather; Reddit remains niche (tech, outdoors, auto).
• Messaging is dominated by Facebook Messenger and SMS; WhatsApp use rises for family ties out of state.
• Dayparts: peaks before work (5–7 a.m.) and after chores (8–10 p.m.); midday engagement dips during fieldwork seasons.
• Ad/organic performance: local relevance, practical value, and clear CTAs (call, message, visit) outperform discounts; boosted Facebook posts and community-group placements deliver the best local reach; precise geofencing yields diminishing returns due to low population density.
• Connectivity reality: mobile-first behavior; some offline windows in the field; asynchronous viewing favors short captions and essential info up front.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; Hooker County population).
• Pew Research Center (2023–2024 Social Media Use and platform adoption). Figures adjusted for rural adoption patterns and older-skewing demographics typical of the Nebraska Sandhills.