Stanton County

Stanton County, Nebraska — key demographics (U.S. Census/ACS)

Population size

• 5,842 (2020 Census)
• ~5.9K (ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~41
• Under 18: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Male: ~50.5%
• Female: ~49.5%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~92%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.8%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~12%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~82%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~2,250
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~69% of households; married-couple families ~57%
• Households with children under 18: ~32%
• Nonfamily households: ~31%; living alone ~29% (about 14% age 65+ living alone)
• Housing tenure: ~79% owner-occupied, ~21% renter-occupied

Insights

• Small, rural county with a modestly aging profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a meaningful Hispanic/Latino presence (~12%).
• High owner-occupancy and typical rural household sizes.

Stanton County, NE context: 2020 population ~5,842; land ~428 sq mi; density ~13–14 people/mi², predominantly rural.

Estimated email users: 4,550 residents (≈78% of the total population), based on rural internet use (85%) and the share of internet users who use email (~92%).

Age distribution of email users (share of user base):

• 13–17: ~6%
• 18–34: ~22%
• 35–54: ~33%
• 55–64: ~19%
• 65+: ~20%

Gender split among email users: ~50% female, ~50% male, reflecting near‑parity in email adoption by gender and the county’s balanced sex ratio.

Digital access and trends:

• About 80% of households have a broadband subscription; adoption is highest in town centers and lower on dispersed farms.
• Fiber and cable broadband are increasingly available in Stanton and Pilger; fixed wireless fills many rural gaps.
• 4G LTE is widespread; 5G is emerging in/near towns and along primary corridors.
• Smartphone‑only internet use is a meaningful access mode in lower‑density areas; public Wi‑Fi (schools, library) supplements home access.

Insights: Low population density drives higher last‑mile costs, so fixed wireless and fiber‑to‑towns remain key. Email usage is mature and broad‑based, with especially strong adoption among 35–54 and steady growth among seniors as broadband expands.

Stanton County, Nebraska — mobile phone usage overview (2023–2024)

Headline numbers

• Population: ~5,800 residents; ~2,300 households
• Estimated mobile phone users (any handset): ~4,700 residents (≈81% of total population; ≈95% of adults)
• Estimated smartphone users: ~4,200 residents (≈72% of total population; ≈90% of mobile users)
• Wireless-only (no landline) households: ~60–65% locally, lower than Nebraska’s statewide share due to an older age profile

Demographic breakdown (users and adoption)

• Age structure (approx.): 0–11: 14%; 12–17: 6%; 18–34: 18%; 35–64: 45%; 65+: 17%
• Smartphone adoption by age (estimate, reflecting rural Great Plains patterns)
  • 12–17: ~90% (≈310 teen smartphone users)
  • 18–34: ~95% (≈990 users)
  • 35–64: ~85% (≈2,220 users)
  • 65+: ~65–70% (≈650–690 users)
  • Adults overall: ~90% of mobile users have smartphones; feature-phone-only use is concentrated among seniors
• Income and plan type
  • Under $35k household income: smartphone adoption ~75–80%; higher reliance on prepaid and MVNO plans; greater use of shared or budget devices
  • $75k+ household income: smartphone adoption ~95%+; higher share of postpaid, multi-line plans and 5G-capable devices
• Race/ethnicity context
  • The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White (≈90%+), with a small but growing Hispanic/Latino community (single digits percent). Adoption patterns track income and age more than ethnicity; Hispanic households show slightly higher mobile-only internet reliance than county averages

Usage patterns

• Voice and messaging: Very high penetration; text/SMS and OTT messaging widely used for agriculture, contracting, and shift-work coordination
• Data use: Lower per-capita mobile data consumption than urban Nebraska, driven by conservative data plans, weaker mid-band 5G availability, and greater Wi‑Fi offload at home/work
• Mobile as primary internet: Meaningfully higher share of households relying on cellular data plans or hotspots for home internet versus state averages, especially outside the towns of Stanton and Pilger

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage and technology
  • All three national carriers operate in the county; low-band LTE is pervasive; low-band 5G (e.g., 600/700 MHz) is broadly available outdoors
  • Mid-band 5G capacity is present primarily along U.S. 275 and near population centers; coverage thins in interior farmland and river bottoms
• Performance (typical ranges)
  • LTE: ~5–30 Mbps down, 3–10 Mbps up; 30–60 ms latency
  • Low-band 5G: ~20–80 Mbps down; mid-band 5G, where available: ~150–300 Mbps down
  • Indoor coverage remains variable in metal-roof structures and at farmsteads distant from highways; Wi‑Fi calling and external antennas are common mitigations
• Site grid and backhaul
  • Rural macro-site spacing (~8–15 miles) yields wide outdoor coverage but modest indoor signal in fringe areas
  • Fiber backhaul follows highway corridors; microwave backhaul persists on some rural sectors
• Emergency services and public safety
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts are active; NG911 coverage is in place via state systems, though handset location accuracy can degrade in fringe areas

How Stanton County differs from Nebraska statewide

• Older population lowers overall smartphone penetration and keeps a larger-than-average feature-phone segment among seniors
• Higher reliance on cellular for home connectivity due to patchier cable/fiber, leading to more hotspot use and cellular-only subscriptions
• Less mid-band 5G coverage and capacity than Omaha–Lincoln metros; average speeds are lower and more variable, with a higher share of low-band 5G/LTE usage
• Slightly lower wireless-only telephone status than statewide, reflecting a subset of seniors retaining landlines
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and tighter data budgets than state urban areas, moderating streaming and heavy mobile video usage
• Device mix skews older; upgrade cycles are longer than in urban Nebraska

Implications

• Network investments that add mid-band 5G sectors along secondary roads and improve in-building coverage would translate directly into higher data usage and better reliability
• Programs that pair affordable 5G devices with budget-friendly postpaid or high-cap data plans would close the performance gap relative to the state’s urban centers
• Community outreach on Wi‑Fi calling setup and external antenna options continues to improve real-world service in farm and metal-roof structures

Notes on sources and method

• Figures are derived from 2019–2023 Census/ACS small-area indicators (population, age, household counts), state wireless-only benchmarks, FCC mobile coverage filings and carrier public coverage disclosures; user counts are small-area estimates calibrated to rural Great Plains adoption patterns for 2023–2024.

Stanton County, NE social media snapshot (estimated 2025)

How these figures were derived

• Base population: ~5,900 residents. Estimated 13+ population: ~5,074.
• Modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 platform adoption by age (adults and teens) applied to a rural, older-skewing age mix consistent with Stanton County’s Census profile. Figures are rounded; platforms overlap (sum >100%).

Overall usage

• People 13+ using at least one social platform: ~3,700 (≈73% of 13+)
• Device mix: overwhelmingly mobile-first; most activity via smartphones

Age mix of local social-media users (share of all users)

• 13–17: ~9%
• 18–29: ~19%
• 30–49: ~34%
• 50–64: ~26%
• 65+: ~13%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~51% women, ~49% men
• Platform tendencies: women skew higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men skew higher on YouTube, X (Twitter), Reddit. Differences are moderate, with Facebook and YouTube broadly used by both.

Most-used platforms in Stanton County (share of residents 13+; approx. number of users)

• YouTube: 81% (4,110)
• Facebook: 65% (3,310)
• Instagram: 42% (2,140)
• Pinterest: 35% (1,770)
• TikTok: 32% (1,630)
• LinkedIn: 27% (1,380)
• WhatsApp: 23% (1,180)
• Snapchat: 23% (1,160)
• X (Twitter): 21% (1,070)
• Reddit: 18% (930)

Behavioral trends to expect locally

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups, local pages, school and sports updates, church and civic announcements, and Marketplace for buy/sell/trade.
• Short‑form video growth: Instagram Reels and TikTok are the main discovery channels for younger adults; local businesses see traction with simple, authentic vertical video.
• Messaging-first habits: much interaction happens in private DMs (Facebook Messenger, Snapchat), which reduces public posting but increases response expectations for pages.
• YouTube for practical content: strong demand for how‑to, home maintenance, ag, equipment, hunting/outdoors, and product research; videos under 10 minutes perform best on mobile.
• Posting vs lurking: a minority creates most local content; the majority consumes, reacts, and shares (consistent with the 90‑9‑1 participation pattern).
• Time-of-day peaks: early mornings (pre‑work), lunch, and evenings; Fridays/weekends spike around school sports and community events.
• Cross‑platform overlap: most adults active on multiple platforms; Facebook + YouTube is the dominant pairing, with Instagram/TikTok added by under‑40s.
• Older users are stable, not disengaged: 50+ are consistent Facebook users and steadily increasing on YouTube; Instagram adoption grows slowly in this cohort.

Notes and sources

• Estimates modeled from Pew Research Center (2023–2024) social media adoption by age and platform, combined with a rural Nebraska age structure consistent with the County’s Census profile. Local platform shares are not directly reported by platforms at county level; the figures above reflect the best-available, age-weighted estimates for Stanton County.