Nuckolls County

Nuckolls County, Nebraska — key demographics

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 4,095 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: about 48 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18 to 64: ~54%
• 65 and over: ~25%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (shares, ACS 2018–2022)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~93–95%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Black or African American: ~0–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0–1%
• Asian: ~0–1%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~1,900
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Average family size: ~2.7–2.8
• Owner-occupied share: ~78–80%
• Renter-occupied share: ~20–22%
• Households with children under 18: ~20–25%
• Householder living alone: ~30–35% (including ~15–20% age 65+)

Insights

• Small, aging population with roughly one-quarter age 65+ and a median age near 48.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a small but present Hispanic community.
• Household sizes are modest, and homeownership is high, consistent with rural Great Plains counties.

Scope and density

• Population 4,100 across ~576 sq mi (7 people/sq mi), concentrated in Superior and Nelson; vast rural areas raise last‑mile costs and slow upgrades.

Email users (adults)

• Adult population ≈3,300; estimated adult email users ≈3,100 (≈94% adoption, consistent with national rural rates).

Age distribution of email users (adults)

• 18–29: 490 users (16%)
• 30–49: 800 users (26%)
• 50–64: 880 users (28%)
• 65+: 950 users (30%) Email remains near‑universal among working‑age adults and strong among seniors, though slightly lower for 65+ due to access and skills gaps.

Gender split (users)

• Female 51% (1,595); Male 49% (1,540), mirroring county demographics.

Digital access and trends

• Household broadband subscription ≈80%; computer access in household ≈85%.
• Smartphone‑only internet households ≈12–15%; residents without home internet ≈8–10% often rely on mobile data or public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, city buildings).
• Trend: steady gains since mid‑2010s in broadband subscriptions and smartphone access; speeds and reliability remain higher in towns than on farms/ranches.
• Fixed wireless and fiber buildouts are gradually reducing unserved pockets, but dispersed housing and older housing stock slow penetration.

Notes: Estimates synthesize recent Census/ACS and Pew adoption rates applied to Nuckolls County’s population profile.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Nuckolls County, Nebraska (2025)

Headline takeaways

• Smaller, older, and more rural than Nebraska overall, Nuckolls County shows lower smartphone adoption, heavier reliance on LTE rather than mid-band 5G, and a slightly higher share of mobile-only internet households compared with the state average.
• Coverage and performance cluster around Superior and other towns and along primary highways; sparsely populated areas see weaker in-building signal and fewer 5G options.

User estimates

• Adult population base: approximately 3,300–3,600 adults.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile handset): 88–92% of adults ≈ 2,900–3,300 users.
• Smartphone users: 65–72% of adults ≈ 2,100–2,600 users.
• Mobile-only internet households (use cellular data as their primary/only internet): 8–12% of households, versus roughly 6–8% at the state level.
• Multi-line family plans are less prevalent than the state average, reflecting smaller and older households; prepaid share is slightly higher than statewide norms.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age
  • 18–29: very high smartphone adoption (≈90–96%); heavy app/social/video use; low reliance on voice/SMS.
  • 30–49: high smartphone adoption (≈90–95%); most on unlimited or large data plans; hotspot use for backup connectivity.
  • 50–64: moderate-to-high smartphone adoption (≈75–85%); a meaningful minority retain voice-and-text focused plans or older devices.
  • 65+: lowest smartphone adoption (≈58–62%); higher incidence of basic/flip phones and voice-first plans; greater reliance on Wi‑Fi when available.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income households show strong smartphone ownership but skew toward prepaid and budget Android devices; higher likelihood of mobile-only internet for the household.
  • Middle-income households often combine a basic fixed broadband tier with mobile service; hotspot use as failover is common where DSL or fixed wireless is inconsistent.
• Geography within the county
  • Town centers (e.g., Superior, Nelson): highest smartphone penetration and data use; better 5G availability and indoor coverage.
  • Outlying farms and low-density tracts: more LTE-only areas, weaker indoor signal, and greater dependence on external antennas/boosters.

Digital infrastructure points

• Network generation mix
  • LTE is the de facto baseline countywide; 5G is present primarily as low-band coverage near towns and along main corridors. Mid-band 5G capacity is limited or intermittent; mmWave is effectively absent.
• Coverage pattern
  • Strongest signal clusters around population centers and along primary routes; pockets of weak or unreliable service persist in low-lying or very sparsely populated areas, especially inside metal buildings.
• Performance
  • Typical daytime download speeds are lower than Nebraska’s metro/state averages due to reliance on low-band 5G and LTE; latency is adequate for general browsing and messaging, with variable performance for high-definition video or cloud gaming outside towns.
• Backhaul and redundancy
  • Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed sites near towns and microwave-fed rural sites; single-path backhaul in remote cells can create occasional congestion or weather-related variability.
• Devices and accessories
  • Above-average use of cellular boosters, outdoor antennas, and hotspot devices in farmsteads and work trucks to stabilize service where indoor penetration is weak.
• Public safety and resilience
  • Priority/emergency services networks operate across the county; coverage investments have improved highway and town reliability, but remote dead zones remain a planning focus during storms and wildfires.

How Nuckolls County differs from Nebraska overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: roughly 10–20 percentage points below the statewide profile because of the county’s older age structure and rural settlement pattern.
• Higher basic-phone share: older residents and single-occupant households sustain a larger flip-phone/voice-first segment than the state average.
• Slightly higher mobile-only internet reliance: constrained fixed broadband options outside towns push more households to rely on phone plans and hotspots for home connectivity.
• Slower and more LTE-heavy experience: compared with Nebraska’s metro corridors, Nuckolls users see fewer mid-band 5G cells, lower average throughput, and greater need for signal enhancement in buildings and equipment sheds.
• More variability by micro-location: service quality changes quickly with terrain, building materials, and distance from highway corridors; this spatial variability is more pronounced than in urban Nebraska.

Method note

• Figures are 2025 modeled estimates that synthesize the county’s age and rural profile from recent ACS 5-year demographics with national smartphone adoption by age and typical rural network deployment patterns in Nebraska. State comparisons reference Nebraska’s higher urban share and broader mid-band 5G buildout.

Social media usage in Nuckolls County, NE (best-available local estimate, benchmarked to 2024 Pew Research U.S. usage rates adjusted for rural age mix)

User base and gender

• Adult social media reach: roughly 75–80% of adults use at least one major platform; daily users are the majority of those.
• Gender among social media users: about 52% women, 48% men overall.
• Platform gender skews: women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok; men over-index on YouTube and X (Twitter).

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use the platform, estimated local)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 40–50%
• Pinterest: 30–35% (heavily female)
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30% (concentrated among teens/younger adults)
• LinkedIn: 25–30% (professionals, educators, healthcare)
• X (Twitter): 18–22% (sports, weather, news followers)

Age-group patterns (estimated local adoption by platform)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~90%+, TikTok ~65–70%, Instagram ~60%+, Snapchat ~60%; Facebook ~30% or lower. Heavy daily use of video and messaging-focused apps.
• 18–29: YouTube ~90%+, Instagram ~75–80%, Snapchat ~65–70%, TikTok ~60%+, Facebook ~60–70%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%+, Facebook ~75–80%, Instagram ~55–60%, TikTok ~35–40%, Snapchat ~30%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~70–75%, YouTube ~80%+, Instagram/Pinterest ~35–45%, TikTok ~20–25%.
• 65+: Facebook ~60–65%, YouTube ~45–50%, Instagram/Pinterest ~15–25%, TikTok ~10–15%.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Great Plains counties like Nuckolls

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school sports, church/school announcements, buy–sell–trade, farm/ranch groups, local events, obituaries, and public safety updates. Facebook Messenger is the default for one-to-one and small group comms.
• YouTube is primarily for lean-back viewing: ag and DIY “how-to,” equipment maintenance, home projects, sermons, local sports highlights, severe-weather coverage.
• Instagram usage skews 18–44 for visual updates; Stories/Reels outperform feed posts for engagement. Local businesses, boutiques, realtors, and events lean on IG for promotions.
• TikTok is rising for short-form entertainment and discovery (recipes, homesteading, ag/rural life). Creation rates are lower than consumption; reposting to Reels is common among local businesses.
• Snapchat is the everyday chat app for teens/20s (streaks, group chats); public Stories get modest local reach.
• X (Twitter) is niche but important for high school/college sports fans, storm spotters, and following NWS/emergency updates.
• Pinterest has strong pull among women for recipes, crafts, home, weddings/prom; practical, search-driven use.
• Nextdoor has limited traction; Facebook Groups fill the neighborhood role in small towns.
• Peak activity windows: weekday evenings 7–10 pm CT, lunch hour 12–1 pm, and Sunday afternoons. Engagement spikes around school sports, severe weather, harvest/planting milestones, road closures, and missing pets.
• Content that performs: photos of local people and teams, short video highlights, clear calls-to-action for events, and timely service updates. Long text posts underperform unless tied to urgent community issues.
• Ads and targeting: boosted Facebook/Instagram posts targeted within 10–25 miles of Superior/Nelson (often bleeding into North Central Kansas) deliver efficient reach; video and carousel creatives outperform static images.

Notes on method

• Figures are localized estimates derived from 2024 Pew Research Center social media adoption by platform, age, and gender, applied to the county’s rural age structure. They reflect realistic local usage patterns for planning and outreach.