Thurston County

Thurston County, Nebraska — key demographics

Population size

• 7,224 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~29 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~35%
• 65 and over: ~10%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census)

• American Indian and Alaska Native (alone or in combination): ~62%
• White (alone or in combination): ~35%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~10%
• Black or African American: <1%
• Asian: <1% Note: Hispanic is an ethnicity and overlaps with race.

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~2,100
• Average household size: ~3.3–3.4
• Family households: ~75–80% of households
• Owner-occupied housing: ~55%; renter-occupied: ~45%
• Households with children under 18: ~50%

Insights

• One of Nebraska’s youngest counties by median age, with a large share of children and larger-than-average household sizes.
• Majority Native American population, centered on the Omaha and Winnebago Reservations.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171) and American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Thurston County, Nebraska snapshot (email and access)

• Population and density: 7,224 residents (2020 Census); about 18 people per square mile across ~395 square miles. The county includes the Omaha and Winnebago Reservations, with population clustered in Winnebago, Walthill, Macy, and Pender.
• Estimated email users: ~5,000 residents (about 69% of all residents; roughly 93% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (≈5,000 total):
  • 13–17: ~630 (13%)
  • 18–29: ~1,150 (23%)
  • 30–49: ~1,600 (32%)
  • 50–64: ~1,000 (20%)
  • 65+: ~620 (12%)
• Gender split among users: ~51% male, ~49% female, mirroring the county’s population structure.
• Digital access trends:
  • Email access skews mobile-first among younger users; adults predominantly access via smartphones and home broadband where available.
  • Fixed wireless is common in outlying areas; fiber-to-the-home is expanding in and around Winnebago and Macy via recent tribal and federal broadband investments (post‑2021), steadily improving speeds and reliability.
  • Connectivity is heterogeneous: denser village cores have substantially better fixed options than sparsely populated areas, where terrain and long loop distances have historically limited DSL and fiber reach.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Thurston County, Nebraska

Core user estimates

• Population baseline: 7,224 (2020 Census). A young county by Nebraska standards, with a large American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population centered on the Omaha and Winnebago Reservations.
• Adults (18+): approximately 4,750. Applying observed rural/low-income smartphone adoption (around 80–85% of adults), Thurston County has an estimated 3,900–4,050 adult smartphone users. Midpoint estimate: about 4,000 adult smartphone users.
• Teens (13–17): roughly 550; at ~95% smartphone access among teens, that adds ~520 teen smartphone users.
• Total smartphone users 13+: approximately 4,500–4,600 county residents.
• Household reliance on mobile data for home internet: roughly 350–450 households are mobile-only (cellular data as primary/sole internet). That is on the order of twice Nebraska’s average rate.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Racial/ethnic composition: Thurston County has one of the highest AIAN shares in Nebraska (majority AIAN), with smaller White and Hispanic populations. Smartphone dependence (using a phone as the primary internet device) is notably higher among AIAN and lower-income households due to gaps in affordable fixed broadband.
• Age structure: The county is younger than the state overall. Smartphone adoption is near-universal among younger adults and teens, while older adults (65+) lag by 20–25 percentage points. Seniors still show majority adoption but are less likely than younger residents to use mobile data as their primary home connection.
• Income and plan mix: Higher poverty rates than the state translate into a greater share of prepaid/MVNO lines, more data-capped plans, and a higher incidence of smartphone-only households.
• Work, school, and telehealth: Mobile phones are used disproportionately for job search, benefits access, telehealth, and school communication compared with statewide patterns, reflecting both cultural preferences and infrastructure constraints.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14 for public safety), Verizon, and T-Mobile provide 4G LTE across primary corridors and population centers (Pender, Walthill, Winnebago, Macy, Rosalie). 5G low-band is present in and near towns; mid-band 5G (faster) remains limited compared with Nebraska’s metro areas.
• Coverage quality: Service is reliable in town centers and along main highways but becomes variable between towns and in sparsely populated areas. In-building coverage can be challenging in some homes and community buildings without signal boosters.
• Backhaul and local networks: Fixed broadband options are patchier than the state average. Fiber reaches parts of the county (especially in/near towns and public institutions), with DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite filling gaps. Tribal and regional providers have expanded middle-mile and last‑mile capacity in recent years, improving backhaul for nearby cell sites and community anchor institutions, but many outlying households still rely on mobile data.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet has improved mission-critical coverage for responders. Backup power and microwave links keep many rural cell sites online, but weather-related outages can still create temporary dead zones away from towns.

How Thurston County differs from the Nebraska state picture

• Higher smartphone dependence: A markedly larger share of households use mobile data as their primary or only home internet connection (roughly double the statewide share), driven by affordability and fixed-broadband availability gaps.
• Younger, more mobile-first users: The county’s younger age profile and cultural factors on the Reservations yield heavier day-to-day reliance on smartphones for core services than the state overall.
• More prepaid and budget plans: A higher prevalence of prepaid/MVNO subscriptions, with tighter data caps and hotspot use, compared with Nebraska’s metro-dominated postpaid mix.
• Slower 5G rollout beyond towns: Low-band 5G is present, but mid-band 5G capacity and speeds trail Omaha–Lincoln and other larger Nebraska markets. Practical performance often defaults to solid LTE outside town centers.
• Infrastructure asymmetry: Fiber and cable footprints are narrower than the state average, so mobile networks carry a larger share of home connectivity and essential services for rural and tribal households.

Bottom line

• About 4,500–4,600 residents aged 13+ use smartphones in Thurston County, including roughly 4,000 adults. Mobile phones are the primary internet onramp for several hundred households—significantly more, proportionally, than statewide. Coverage is dependable in towns and along main routes, with improving but still uneven 5G capacity outside population centers. These conditions make Thurston County more mobile-first than Nebraska as a whole and place added importance on affordable data plans, device reliability, and continued investment in both cellular and fixed broadband infrastructure.

Social media usage in Thurston County, NE — concise snapshot (2025)

County baseline

• Population: 7,224 (2020 Census). Predominantly rural and young relative to the U.S. average due to the Omaha and Winnebago reservations.
• Internet/social adoption context: About 92% of rural U.S. adults use the internet and roughly 70% use at least one social platform. Thurston County adults track closely with these rates.

Most‑used platforms (share of adults who use each platform; best proxy for the county comes from Pew Research Center 2024)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• LinkedIn: 31% (often lower in rural areas)

Age‑group usage patterns (national patterns applied to local age mix; county skews younger, so 18–34 behaviors carry extra weight)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~67%
• 30–49: YouTube ~92%, Facebook ~75%, Instagram ~53%, TikTok ~39%, Snapchat ~40%
• 50–64: YouTube ~83%, Facebook ~73%, Instagram <30%, TikTok <20%
• 65+: Facebook ~50%, YouTube ~49%; other platforms low

Gender patterns

• Women over‑index on Facebook and especially Pinterest (about half of women use Pinterest vs about one‑fifth of men).
• Men over‑index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
• Instagram usage is high across genders, slightly higher among women.

Behavioral trends observed in rural counties like Thurston (applicable locally)

• Facebook is the organizing hub: local government, schools, and tribal departments rely on Pages and Groups; Marketplace drives high daily engagement.
• Short‑form video is rising: TikTok and Instagram Reels for local events, youth culture, and small‑business promotion; cross‑posting to YouTube Shorts is common.
• Messaging first: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are primary for direct communication among teens and young adults; SMS still used where coverage is spotty.
• YouTube is the go‑to for how‑to content (agriculture, auto repair, education) and for longer local updates.
• Trusted messengers: posts from schools, tribes, county offices, and known community figures outperform brand pages; boosting with tight geo‑targeting (15–25 miles) is efficient.
• Engagement rhythm: peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; daytime spikes align with school/government announcements.

Practical reach in the county

• Broad adult reach: Facebook + YouTube.
• Under‑35 reach: TikTok + Snapchat + Instagram.
• Women‑focused/retail: add Pinterest.
• Hiring/professional: Facebook + LinkedIn, supplemented with YouTube video.

Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (national and rural breakouts); U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; ACS). Percentages above are authoritative national figures used as the best available proxy for county‑level usage, adjusted by local demographics.