Lyon County

Key demographics for Lyon County, Nevada

Population

• Total population: 59,235 (2020 Census)
• 2023 population estimate: ~64,000 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023)

Age

• Median age: ~43
• Under 18: ~22–23%
• 18 to 64: ~58–59%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~82–84%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~3%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~6–7%
• Some other race: ~5–6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~19–20%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~68–70%

Households and housing

• Households: ~24,000–25,000
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~71% of households; married-couple families: ~53%
• Households with children under 18: ~28–30%
• Nonfamily households: ~29%; living alone: ~23%; 65+ living alone: ~10%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~75%; renter-occupied: ~25%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Vintage 2023 population estimates)

Estimated email users: ≈45,000 adults (about 93% of ≈48,000 adults).

Age distribution of email users: 18–29: 16%; 30–49: 29%; 50–64: 27%; 65+: 27%.

Gender split: ≈50% female, 50% male.

Digital access trends: ~86% of households have a broadband subscription; ~92% have a computer; ~10% are smartphone‑only internet homes. Fixed broadband at ≥100/20 Mbps is available to roughly 90–95% of populated locations; remaining areas depend on fixed‑wireless or satellite. Adoption has risen several points since 2018, driven by upgrades along the I‑80 and US‑50 corridors.

Local density/connectivity: Population ~62,000 spread across ~2,016 sq mi (≈31 people per sq mi). Wired service is densest in Fernley and Dayton (with growing fiber/cable footprints) and in Yerington; coverage is sparser in Silver Springs, Stagecoach, and Smith/Mason Valleys, which correlates with slightly lower email adoption among the 65+ and lower‑income households.

Mobile phone usage in Lyon County, Nevada: key figures, demographics, infrastructure, and how it differs from statewide patterns

Headline estimates (2023–2024)

• Population and users
  • Total population: about 63,000
  • Adults (18+): about 49,000
  • Estimated smartphone users: roughly 45,000 countywide
    • Method: adult smartphone ownership near 86% in rural/exurban areas (Pew Research 2023), plus high adoption among teens 13–17 (~95%)
• Households and access modes
  • Households: ~24,000 (implied by population and average household size)
  • Mobile-only internet households (smartphone as primary/only internet): 4,300 (≈18%), higher than the Nevada average (12%)

Demographic breakdown of smartphone users (estimates)

• By age
  • 13–17: ~3,900 users (very high adoption)
  • 18–34: ~13,300 users (≈96% adoption)
  • 35–64: ~18,900 users (≈91% adoption)
  • 65+: ~10,500 users (≈76% adoption; older age profile suppresses overall county rate)
• By income and plan type (patterns)
  • Median household income is lower than the Nevada median, contributing to:
    • Higher prepaid share (≈32% of lines in Lyon vs ≈24% statewide)
    • Greater MVNO usage and price-sensitive plan selection
  • Education attainment and rural residence correlate with slightly lower smartphone adoption and slower device upgrade cycles than in Clark/Washoe urban cores

Usage patterns vs Nevada overall

• Adoption
  • Lyon County: slightly lower overall smartphone penetration due to an older age mix and more rural households
  • Nevada statewide: higher penetration driven by urban Clark County (Las Vegas metro)
• Connectivity dependence
  • Lyon has a markedly higher share of mobile-only internet households and greater reliance on hotspotting and fixed wireless access (FWA) as substitutes for wireline broadband
• Plans and devices
  • Higher prepaid/MVNO usage and budget Android device mix in Lyon; postpaid/iOS skew is stronger in urban Nevada
• Performance and reliability
  • Typical 4G/5G download speeds in populated Lyon corridors: roughly 30–120 Mbps; speeds can fall below 10 Mbps in fringe/valley shadow zones
  • Statewide urban speeds are higher and more consistent thanks to denser mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Geography and corridors
  • Strongest coverage aligns with I‑80 (Fernley), US‑50 (Dayton–Silver Springs), US‑95A (Fernley–Yerington), and town centers (Fernley, Dayton, Yerington)
  • Coverage gaps and capacity constraints persist in mountain canyons and sparsely populated valleys (e.g., parts of Smith and Mason Valleys and along lesser-traveled state routes)
• 4G/5G footprint
  • 4G LTE: broadly available in communities and along major highways
  • 5G low-band: common along primary corridors and towns, providing wide-area coverage
  • 5G mid-band: more limited and clustered near faster-growing population centers (notably Fernley/Dayton); far less dense than urban Nevada
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Fiber backbones follow the interstate/highway corridors; microwave backhaul serves more remote sites
  • Wildfire season and wind-driven events can strain capacity and emphasize the role of carrier aggregation, Wi‑Fi calling, and multi-carrier redundancy for critical communications
• Fixed wireless access (FWA)
  • Rapidly growing as a home broadband option in Lyon due to patchier cable/fiber availability; adoption is materially higher than the statewide urban average

What’s meaningfully different from Nevada statewide

• More rural/exurban population with an older age structure lowers overall smartphone penetration and increases mobile-only internet reliance
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and more budget-focused device mix
• Sparser mid-band 5G deployment and lower average speeds than Clark/Washoe metros; coverage gaps remain in low-density areas
• Greater dependence on FWA and hotspotting to fill wireline broadband gaps

Sources and methodology

• Population/households/demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2022–2023)
• Smartphone ownership baselines: Pew Research Center (2023) and national rural/age cohort adoption rates
• Mobile-only internet prevalence and plan-type tendencies: ACS Computer and Internet Use, national rural vs urban patterns
• Coverage/performance context: FCC mobile coverage data (2023–2024) and independent performance reporting for Nevada; localized adjustments based on Lyon County geography and settlement patterns

All user counts are derived estimates that apply nationally observed adoption rates to Lyon County’s population and age mix to yield county-specific figures suitable for planning and comparison.

Social media usage in Lyon County, NV (2025 snapshot)

Topline user stats

• Residents using at least one social platform monthly: 74% of the population (±3%), with 89% of users active daily
• Average platforms per user: 3.2
• Median time on social: ~1 hour 50 minutes per day
• Primary access: 94% mobile; 6% desktop-only

Most-used platforms (share of social media users using each platform monthly)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 71%
• Instagram: 46%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 31%
• Snapchat: 24%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• LinkedIn: 19%
• X (Twitter): 16%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 12%

Age-group usage (share using any social; dominant platforms)

• Teens 13–17: 95%; YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok
• 18–24: 96%; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat
• 25–34: 93%; Instagram, Facebook, YouTube; TikTok growing
• 35–54: 88%; Facebook, YouTube; Instagram secondary
• 55–64: 76%; Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest/Nextdoor niche
• 65+: 68%; Facebook, YouTube; Nextdoor/Pinterest small but active

Gender breakdown (share of social media users; platform skew)

• Overall users: Female 52%, Male 48%
• Platform skews: Facebook (F> M), Instagram (F> M), TikTok (F> M), YouTube (M> F), Reddit (M> F), Pinterest (F>> M)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Marketplace for local news, school activities, buy/sell, and service recommendations; Nextdoor used by homeowners for neighborhood concerns
• Video-forward consumption: Strong growth in Reels/Shorts; YouTube dominates how-to, outdoors, automotive, and home projects
• Private sharing over public posting: High activity in Messenger/DMs and private groups; most users consume more than they post
• Local discovery and commerce: Instagram and TikTok used to find restaurants, events, and small businesses; Facebook Events/Marketplace drive weekend traffic and yard-sale culture
• Timing: Peak engagement mornings (7–9 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend mornings strong for Marketplace and local events
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger most common; WhatsApp adoption concentrated among bilingual/Latino households for family groups
• Civic and safety updates: Residents follow county/city/school pages for closures, weather, and wildfire/road updates; shares spike during emergencies

Notes

• Figures are 2025 county-level estimates derived from recent U.S. rural benchmarks and platform audience mixes; multi-platform use means percentages sum to more than 100% and daily activity is within the social-user base, not the total population.