Pierce County

Pierce County, Nebraska — key demographics

Population size

• 7,317 (2020 Census decennial count)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Male: ~50.5%
• Female: ~49.5%

Racial/ethnic composition (percent of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~92–93%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–0.7%
• Black or African American: ~0.2–0.3%
• Asian: ~0.2%

Household data

• Households: ~2,900
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~68–70% of all households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77–80%

Insights

• Small, stable rural population centered in a few communities.
• Older age profile than the U.S. overall, with about one-fifth aged 65+.
• Predominantly White, with a modest but growing Hispanic/Latino presence.
• Household size near the national average; homeownership notably high.

Pierce County, Nebraska has about 7,300 residents and a rural density near 13 people per square mile. Estimated adult population is ~5,800; about 92% use email, yielding ~5,300 adult email users.

Age distribution of email users (modeled from Pew age adoption applied to a rural age mix):

• 18–29: ~900 users (near-universal adoption ~98%)
• 30–49: 1,500 users (96%)
• 50–64: 1,440 users (92%)
• 65+: 1,480 users (85%, fastest-growing cohort)

Gender split among email users is effectively even (~50% male, ~50% female), with a slight female edge typical of national patterns.

Digital access and connectivity:

• About 82% of households subscribe to broadband; roughly 90%+ have a computer or smartphone (ACS pattern for similar rural Nebraska counties).
• An estimated 8–10% of households are smartphone-only for internet.
• Access is anchored by home broadband and cellular; libraries and schools provide supplemental public Wi‑Fi.
• Trend: email usage is saturated under age 65; gains are driven by 65+ adoption and smartphone-only households as cellular networks improve.

These estimates combine county population with current U.S. email adoption rates and rural ACS connectivity benchmarks to reflect local conditions.

Mobile phone usage in Pierce County, Nebraska — summary (2025)

Baseline population and households

• Population: roughly 7,100–7,300 residents (2020 Census baseline with slight 2023–2024 decline typical of rural NE counties)
• Households: roughly 2,800–3,000
• Age structure: older than the Nebraska average; about one-fifth of residents are 65+, which materially affects smartphone uptake

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: 4,600–5,000 residents (roughly 80–85% of adults), slightly below the Nebraska statewide rate due to the county’s older age profile
• Households that are wireless-only for voice (no landline): about 65–75% of households, close to the U.S. norm but a bit under Nebraska’s metro-driven share
• Households relying on a cellular data plan as their only home internet: an estimated 18–25% (notably higher than the statewide average, reflecting more limited fixed-broadband options in rural tracts)
• Multi-line penetration: small-business, farm, and fleet lines push total active mobile lines above the adult population count; a practical planning ratio is 1.1–1.3 lines per adult

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• By age
  • 18–49: very high smartphone adoption (≈90–95%); primary device for communication and most internet use
  • 50–64: high adoption (≈80–88%); heavier use of LTE/5G fixed wireless as a home-broadband substitute where wireline is weak
  • 65+: moderate adoption (≈55–65%); more basic- and mid-tier Android devices; continued, though shrinking, landline presence in this group
• By geography
  • Towns (Pierce, Plainview, Osmond, Hadar): more consistent 5G coverage and better in-building performance
  • Outlying farms and acreages: broader reliance on LTE and fixed wireless; device boosters and outdoor antennas are common
• By income/occupation
  • Farm and small-enterprise users exhibit higher multi-line rates (work + personal + equipment/IoT), frequent hotspot use, and early adoption of fixed wireless for back-office needs

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE: countywide baseline from the national carriers; generally dependable on highways and in towns
  • 5G low-band: broad population coverage; strongest along US‑81/US‑20 corridors and around towns
  • 5G mid-band (capacity/speed layer): present but patchy; strongest near population centers and along primary corridors; limited reach in far rural sections
  • mmWave: effectively absent
• Speeds and reliability
  • Typical outdoor speeds: 20–100 Mbps in and near towns; 5–30 Mbps in rural sections depending on terrain, foliage, and tower spacing
  • Peak-time slowdowns are most noticeable during school and farm operation hours; fixed wireless sectors can congest where they substitute for home broadband
• Backhaul and tower grid
  • Sparse macro-site grid in rural tracts with large inter-site distances; coverage gaps occur in low draws and behind tree lines
  • Fiber backhaul is present on main corridors and near towns; microwave backhaul serves several rural sites
• Public-safety and priority services
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage overlays the county’s primary routes and towns; priority and preemption benefit responders and healthcare during incidents

How Pierce County differs from Nebraska statewide trends

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration because of an older population structure
• Higher share of cellular-only home internet users, reflecting more limited or costlier fixed-broadband options outside town centers
• Lower availability and continuity of mid-band 5G away from corridors, producing wider speed variance than in metro counties
• Greater dependence on mobile hotspots, boosters, and fixed wireless for work and school, especially among farm and small-business users
• Network experience is more terrain-sensitive (line-of-sight constraints), while metro Nebraska is more building-density-sensitive

Key takeaways

• Expect strong LTE/low-band 5G coverage in towns and along major roads, with mid-band 5G capacity concentrated near population centers
• Planning for digital services should assume 18–25% of households rely on cellular as primary home internet and that 65–75% of households are wireless-only for voice
• Outreach and support for older adults can close the remaining smartphone adoption gap relative to the state average
• Fixed wireless and targeted mid-band 5G infill would yield outsized benefits in rural tracts compared with metro-focused upgrades

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; recent ACS releases for population/households and age structure)
• Pew Research Center (smartphone adoption by age and rural/urban splits)
• FCC mobile deployment data and carrier public coverage disclosures through 2024
• Rural broadband adoption patterns observed in ACS S2801 (cellular-only subscription share) and state comparisons

Note: Where county-specific mobile metrics are not published, figures are estimates derived by applying observed rural Nebraska adoption and infrastructure patterns to Pierce County’s population and age structure.

Pierce County, Nebraska social media snapshot (estimates tailored to local demographics; sources below)

Overall usage

• Adult residents using any social platform: about 70% of adults (rural benchmark), translating to roughly 4 in 6 adult residents.
• Typical multi-platform behavior: most users maintain 3–4 active accounts; Facebook + YouTube is the dominant pairing.

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~80–83%
• Facebook: ~65–70%
• Instagram: ~40–45%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• X (Twitter): ~20–23%
• LinkedIn: ~25–30% Note: platform reaches overlap; totals exceed 100%.

Age-group usage (share who use any social media; top platforms in each cohort)

• 18–29: 95% use social; YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%), Facebook (55%)
• 30–49: 84%; YouTube (89%), Facebook (75%), Instagram (49%), TikTok (40%), Snapchat (29%)
• 50–64: 73%; Facebook (68%), YouTube (77%), Pinterest (40%), Instagram (29%), TikTok (24%)
• 65+: 45%; Facebook (50%), YouTube (49%), Pinterest (18%); Instagram/TikTok in the teens

Gender breakdown (who uses social overall and platform skews)

• Overall: near parity among adult users (roughly 50% women, 50% men)
• Skews by platform:
  • Facebook: slight female majority (≈55–60% of users are women)
  • Instagram: slight female tilt
  • Pinterest: heavily female (≈75–80% women)
  • YouTube: slight male tilt
  • X (Twitter) and Reddit: male-leaning
  • Snapchat: near gender parity

Behavioral trends in Pierce County-style rural communities

• Facebook as the local hub: school sports, county fair/4‑H, churches, local government, public safety/weather, and buy‑sell‑trade groups drive daily engagement; Marketplace is a primary commerce channel.
• Video-first shift: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts see strong passive viewing; YouTube remains the go‑to for DIY, ag equipment maintenance, hunting/outdoors, and “how‑to” content.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are the dominant private channels; WhatsApp has limited footprint.
• Youth patterns: teens/young adults post primarily on Snapchat and TikTok, keep Instagram for highlights, and maintain Facebook mainly for events and groups.
• Older adults: Facebook is the default network; YouTube used for tutorials and church/community livestreams.
• News consumption: local and statewide news brands reach residents largely via Facebook; X is more influential among journalists/college sports followers than the general public.
• Posting vs. lurking: most residents are “lurkers” who react and share more than they originate; posting spikes around high‑school sports, severe weather, county events, planting/harvest, and holiday seasons.
• Advertising reality: Facebook/Instagram deliver the most efficient local reach; boosted posts and geofenced campaigns (15–30 mile radius) outperform broader programmatic buys; TikTok is growing for awareness but has lighter local advertiser adoption.

Sources and method

• Percentages are derived from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use Fact Sheets (2023–2024) and urban–suburban–rural breakouts, applied to Pierce County’s rural age structure. County population context from U.S. Census Bureau (2020). Figures are presented as county‑level estimates aligned to rural Nebraska demographics.