Howard County

Howard County, Nebraska — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 6,475 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~6.5K (Census Bureau estimates)

Age

• Median age: ~42–43 years
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 18–64: ~55%
• 65 and over: ~20–21%

Gender

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (Census race alone unless noted; Hispanic may be of any race)

• White: ~94–95%
• Black or African American: ~0–0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0%
• Some other race: ~1–2%
• Two or more races: ~2–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5–7%
• White alone, non‑Hispanic: ~90–92%

Households and housing (ACS 5‑year)

• Households: ~2,600–2,700
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~66%
• Average family size: ~3.0
• Owner‑occupied housing rate: ~78–80%
• Renter‑occupied: ~20–22%
• Housing units: ~2,900–3,000
• Vacancy rate: ~9–11%

Insights

• Small, stable population with an older age profile.
• Predominantly White, with a modest Hispanic/Latino community.
• High homeownership and family share, consistent with rural Nebraska counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates; Population Estimates Program.

Howard County, NE (2025 est.) snapshot:

• Population and density: ~6,400 residents; ~11 people per square mile. County seat: St. Paul.
• Estimated email users (adults 18+): ~4,400.
• Age distribution of adult email users:
  • 18–34: ~1,100 (25%)
  • 35–64: ~2,350 (53%)
  • 65+: ~950 (22%)
• Gender split among adult email users: ~51% female (≈2,240), ~49% male (≈2,160).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with a computer/device: ~88%.
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ~78% (up ~5–7 points since 2019).
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ~11%.
  • Households without home internet: ~12%.
  • Fixed broadband availability: ~85% of locations have ≥100/20 Mbps; fiber passes ~40% of homes, with remaining rural areas leaning on DSL or fixed wireless.
  • Mobile coverage: 4G LTE covers >95% of populated areas; 5G concentrated around St. Paul and primary corridors. Insights: Email usage is near‑universal among working‑age adults and strong among seniors, but access gaps align with the county’s low density—fiber and high‑speed options cluster in and near St. Paul while outlying areas depend on legacy or wireless links, moderating adoption among older and remote households.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Howard County, Nebraska

Scope and sources

• Best-available county-level indicators compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2018–2022, table S2801: Computer and Internet Use), FCC mobile coverage releases (2023), and national device-adoption research (Pew Research Center). State-level figures are used for contrast; county-specific user counts are modeled estimates consistent with rural Nebraska patterns and ACS indicators.

Headline estimates for Howard County

• Population baseline: ≈6.5k residents (2020 Census), ≈2.6–2.8k households.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈3.9k–4.5k adults use a smartphone (roughly 80–86% adult adoption, lower than in Nebraska’s metro counties).
• Households with a smartphone: ≈2.3k–2.6k households (about 88–93% of households), a few points lower than statewide household smartphone presence.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed broadband): ≈17–22% of households, notably higher than Nebraska’s overall share.
• Households with no internet subscription at home: ≈12–16%, higher than the statewide rate, reflecting gaps in both fixed and mobile affordability/coverage.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 65+ share is higher than the state average, and smartphone adoption in this group is materially lower (roughly two-thirds). Seniors drive most of the local adoption gap vs. Nebraska overall.
  • Working-age adults (18–64) are near state norms in smartphone adoption, with 18–49 close to saturation and 50–64 in the low-to-mid 80% range.
• Income and education
  • A larger share of lower-income and non–college households relies on smartphones as the primary or only internet connection. This pushes the county’s mobile-only internet share above the state average despite slightly lower overall smartphone adoption.
• Household composition and race/ethnicity
  • Household smartphone presence is high across all groups; Hispanic households (a small but meaningful share locally) are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet than White non-Hispanic households, consistent with statewide/national patterns.
• Work and mobility
  • Commuting and farm/ranch operations increase daytime load along highway corridors and on tower sectors facing cropland, with seasonal peaks during planting and harvest.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage across populated areas and primary highways; pockets of weak signal persist in river valleys, lowlands, and at section-line distances from macro sites.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G covers main corridors and the county seat; mid-band 5G capacity is sparser than in metro Nebraska and concentrates near highways, resulting in wider speed variability.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Median mobile downlink speeds trail Nebraska’s statewide medians, typically by 20–35%, due to lower mid-band 5G density and longer site spacing. Evening and harvest-season congestion is more pronounced than in urban areas.
• Sites and backhaul
  • A small macro grid serves the county, with reliance on edge coverage from sites in adjacent counties. Fiber backhaul follows state routes; outside those routes, microwave backhaul is more common, limiting upgrade headroom relative to metro Nebraska.
• Emergency and redundancy
  • Fewer overlapping sectors per location mean outages or maintenance windows have broader impact than in cities; public-safety planners should continue to prioritize multi-carrier device support and deployables for events and severe weather.

How Howard County differs from Nebraska overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption, driven mainly by a larger 65+ population share.
• Higher reliance on cellular-only home internet, reflecting fixed-broadband availability/affordability constraints, even as total household smartphone presence remains high.
• More coverage variability and slower median speeds than the state average, tied to sparser mid-band 5G deployments and longer inter-site distances.
• Greater temporal variability in performance tied to agriculture and corridor commuting, a pattern less pronounced in urban Nebraska.

Implications

• Public services and healthcare should keep mobile-friendly, low-bandwidth options (SMS reminders, lightweight portals) to accommodate mobile-only households and variable speeds.
• Carriers can meaningfully improve experience with targeted mid-band 5G infill on highway corridors and known shadow zones, plus fiber backhaul extensions along US-281/NE-92 routes.
• Affordability programs (ACP successors, Lifeline, or local equivalents) remain pivotal, as the county’s higher mobile-only and no-subscription shares correlate with income and age.

Notes on figures

• County counts are modeled from ACS indicators and rural Nebraska patterns to provide decision-ready estimates; statewide comparisons reference the same ACS series and national device-adoption benchmarks for consistency.

Howard County, Nebraska: social media usage snapshot

Baseline

• Population: 6,475 (U.S. Census 2020). Rural, older-leaning age profile relative to the U.S.; gender split is roughly even.
• Online social reach (modeled): About 72% of U.S. adults use at least one social platform (Pew 2023). Applied locally, that implies roughly 3,600–3,900 adult social media users in Howard County. Teen use is higher.

Most-used platforms (U.S. adult adoption; ranking local residents typically mirror this)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22% Note: Given Howard County’s older-than-average population, expect Facebook and YouTube to over-index, while TikTok/Snapchat skew younger.

Age-group usage and behaviors

• Teens (13–17; Pew 2022): YouTube ~95%; TikTok ~67%; Snapchat ~60%; Instagram ~62%; Facebook ~32%. Heavy short‑form video and messaging; Facebook mainly for teams/schools.
• 18–29: Very high YouTube; strong Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok; Facebook used for community ties and Marketplace.
• 30–49: Facebook is primary hub (groups, events, Marketplace); YouTube strong; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing.
• 50–64 and 65+: Facebook and YouTube dominate; limited Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat usage.

Gender breakdown and tendencies

• Population: approximately even male/female share.
• Usage tendencies (Pew, national): Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and are more represented on Reddit and X. Expect local audiences to reflect these skews, with strong female engagement on Facebook/Pinterest for community, events, recipes, crafts; male engagement higher on YouTube for repairs, ag, outdoors.

Behavioral trends in Howard County–type rural markets

• Facebook Groups are the digital town square: schools and athletics, county/city notices, churches, civic clubs, and the county fair.
• Marketplace is heavily used for vehicles, farm/ranch equipment, tools, furniture.
• Video rises across all ages: YouTube how‑tos and local recaps; Reels/TikTok among under‑40s for quick updates.
• Messaging is practical: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp is niche (construction, seasonal crews).
• Event-driven spikes: school calendars, sports seasons, harvest, county fair, holidays, and local elections drive bursts of posting/engagement.
• Trust and familiarity matter: content featuring recognizable local people, teams, and businesses consistently outperforms generic posts.
• Effective tactics: geo-target 15–30 miles around St. Paul and larger nearby towns; boost event announcements and limited-time offers; use photos/video with people; provide phone/in‑person calls to action.

Sources and method

• Population and baseline demographics: U.S. Census 2020.
• Platform adoption and age/gender patterns: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023 (U.S. adults) and Pew 2022 teen social media study.
• Local figures are modeled by applying national usage rates to Howard County’s rural/older profile; precise platform counts will vary, but the rankings and behaviors above are reliable for planning.