Richardson County

Richardson County, Nebraska — key demographics

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

• Population

  • Total population: 7,871 (2020 Census)

• Age structure (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Median age: 45.9 years
  • Under 18: 21.3%
  • 65 and over: 24.8%

• Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Female: 50.4%
  • Male: 49.6%

• Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

  • White alone: 89.8%
  • Black or African American alone: 0.3%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 3.3%
  • Asian alone: 0.3%
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%
  • Some other race alone: 0.7%
  • Two or more races: 5.5%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 3.0%

• Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Total households: 3,346
  • Average household size: 2.27
  • Family households: 57.9%; nonfamily households: 42.1%
  • Married-couple households: 46% (of all households)
  • Households with someone 65+ living alone: 17.8%
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: 76.3%

Insights

• Small, aging population with nearly one-quarter age 65+, above national share.
• Household size is modest and nonfamily households are common, reflecting older age structure.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly White, with a notable American Indian presence and a small but present Hispanic population.

• County context: Richardson County, NE had 7,865 residents in 2020 across 552 square miles (14 people/sq mi; county seat: Falls City).
• Estimated email users: 5,675 adults out of ~6,449 adults (18+) use email, applying mainstream U.S. rural adoption rates to the county’s age structure.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: 1,306 (23%)
  • 35–54: 1,929 (34%)
  • 55–64: 1,078 (19%)
  • 65+: 1,362 (24%)
• Gender split of email users: Female 2,894 (51%), Male 2,781 (49%).
• Digital access trends and insights:
  • Email penetration is high among working-age adults and solid among seniors, reflecting an older-than-average population but sustained adoption for healthcare, government, and ag‑business communications.
  • Mobile-first access is growing; low population density makes cellular and community Wi‑Fi (libraries/schools) important complements to home broadband.
  • Connectivity improves around Falls City and along main corridors; more remote areas experience slower speeds and higher reliance on shared or mobile access. Sources/approach: 2020 Census population and land area for density; age/gender structure from ACS patterns for similar rural Nebraska counties; email adoption proportions aligned to widely reported Pew Research benchmarks for U.S. adults, apportioned to local age mix to produce the estimates above.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Richardson County, Nebraska

Headline takeaways

• Mobile adoption is high but skews older and more value-oriented than Nebraska overall. LTE remains the workhorse; midband 5G is spotty outside population centers and corridors.
• A larger share of residents rely on their phone as their primary internet connection compared with the state average, and prepaid/MVNO usage is notably higher.
• Terrain along the Missouri River and low tower density create persistent dead zones and indoor coverage gaps that are less common statewide.

User estimates

• Population base: approximately 7.9k residents (2020 Census). Adults comprise roughly three-quarters of the population, and the county’s age profile is older than the state.
• Any mobile phone ownership (adults): 90–95% of adults, or about 5.5k–5.9k adult users.
• Smartphone users: 80–88% of adults, or about 4.9k–5.4k people; as a share of total population, roughly 62–69%. This trails Nebraska’s statewide smartphone penetration by an estimated 3–6 percentage points due to the county’s older age structure and incomes.
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no wireline broadband): meaningfully higher than state average; expect mid- to high-teens percent of households locally versus low-teens statewide.
• Plan mix: prepaid and MVNO lines are elevated at an estimated 28–35% of consumer lines (versus roughly 20–25% statewide), reflecting price sensitivity and fewer postpaid retail storefronts.
• Platform mix: Android share likely 60–70% of smartphones (higher than the state), with legacy/feature phones around 4–7% of active handsets, concentrated among seniors and work-only lines.

Demographic usage patterns (differences vs statewide)

• Seniors (65+): larger county share and lower smartphone adoption than Nebraska overall; text/voice-first usage, simpler/legacy devices, and family-plan add‑ons are more common.
• Working-age adults (25–54): heavy LTE use for navigation, messaging, and ag/logistics apps; hotspot tethering and fixed‑wireless home internet are more common than statewide.
• Teens: high smartphone penetration, but data plans are more frequently MVNO or shared family plans; upgrade cycles run longer than in metro Nebraska.
• Income and affordability: greater reliance on ACP-era successor discounts where available and on prepaid offerings; device financing through national carriers is less prevalent.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available along US‑75 and in/around Falls City, Humboldt, and main corridors; service degrades in timbered valleys and bluffs near the Missouri River and in sparsely populated farm areas. Residents commonly use in‑home signal boosters to stabilize voice/SMS.
• 5G:
  • Low‑band 5G: present on major carriers around population centers and along primary routes; mainly improves coverage, not speeds.
  • Midband 5G: patchy outside Falls City/corridors; capacity gains are inconsistent compared with urban Nebraska where midband is widespread.
• Carriers: AT&T (including FirstNet), T‑Mobile, and Verizon operate county sites; regional roaming and legacy UScellular footprints still influence device experience near the state line. FirstNet Band 14 improves public‑safety coverage but does not eliminate civilian dead zones.
• Tower density: rural spacing leads to larger cells than in metro areas; foliage and river bluffs create shadowing. Outdoor coverage is generally reliable on corridors; indoor coverage can be weak in metal‑roof homes and outbuildings.
• Backhaul and fiber: incumbent telcos and regional providers have fiber in and between towns, but not uniformly to all tower sites; microwave backhaul persists on some sectors, limiting peak capacity versus fiber‑fed urban sites.
• Home and on‑farm connectivity: fixed wireless (including LTE/5G home internet and WISP offerings) fills gaps where DSL or cable is limited; this increases smartphone tethering and cellular data reliance compared with the state average.

Behavioral and market trends that differ from Nebraska overall

• More LTE‑centric usage with frequent network fallback; midband 5G utilization is lower due to coverage gaps.
• Higher share of prepaid/MVNO lines and price‑sensitive plans; lower incidence of premium unlimited postpaid plans.
• Greater smartphone‑only household internet dependence; mobile data carries more of the home connectivity burden.
• Longer device replacement cycles and higher Android/legacy device share.
• More multi‑carrier households and continued use of boosters to manage spotty indoor coverage.
• Coverage reliability varies more by micro‑location (terrain/foliage effects) than in most of the state’s metro counties, making carrier choice highly place‑specific.

Notes on sources and method

• Figures combine the 2020 Census population base with county age structure patterns from recent ACS 5‑year releases, national rural vs urban mobile adoption benchmarks (Pew/NTIA), statewide Nebraska mobile subscription profiles (CTIA/FCC), and typical rural‑coverage engineering constraints. County‑specific smartphone ownership is not directly published; estimates above adjust rural benchmarks for Richardson County’s older age profile and income distribution to highlight differences from state‑level trends.

Social media usage in Richardson County, Nebraska (2025 snapshot)

Baseline and user stats

• Population: 7,871 residents (2020 Census). Adults (18+): ~6,000.
• Adult social media users: ~4,300 (≈72% of adults; rural U.S. benchmark).
• Daily users: ~2,700–3,000 adults use social media daily (most platform users are daily users on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok per national patterns).

Age groups (share of adults in each age band who use at least one social platform; Pew-based proxies applied locally)

• 18–29: ~84%
• 30–49: ~81%
• 50–64: ~73%
• 65+: ~45%

Gender breakdown

• Social media users by gender: ~52% female, ~48% male (reflecting a slight female majority in the local adult population).
• Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Expect roughly 5–15 percentage-point higher usage among women for Facebook/Pinterest and among men for YouTube/Reddit/X.

Most‑used platforms (estimated share of all adults in Richardson County)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~74%
• Instagram: ~35%
• Pinterest: ~32%
• TikTok: ~23%
• Snapchat: ~20%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~18%
• WhatsApp: ~12%
• Reddit: ~11%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups (schools, churches, county services), Marketplace, local news, event coordination, and emergency/weather updates.
• Video-first, practical content: YouTube for how‑tos, ag equipment, home repair, high school sports; Facebook short video performs well. TikTok and Snapchat are concentrated among teens and younger adults.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for local businesses and community contact; WhatsApp sees limited use.
• Timing: Peaks before work (6–8 am), lunch, and evenings (7–10 pm); weekend mornings are strong for community/event posts.
• Conversion behavior: Preference for local pickup, cash-saving offers, and tangible community benefits. Older users respond to clear headlines, phone numbers, and direct calls to action.
• Connectivity reality: Patchy broadband outside towns favors shorter videos, compressed images, and offline-friendly assets; consistent cross-posting to Facebook and YouTube maximizes reach.

Notes on method

• Figures are small‑area estimates derived from U.S. Census (2020) population baselines and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform and age‑group adoption rates, adjusted for an older-leaning rural county profile. Percentages refer to adults (18+).