Crawford County

Here are key demographics for Crawford County, Ohio. Figures are rounded; sources are the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census for population count; 2018–2022 ACS 5‑year estimates for breakdowns).

• Population: 42,025 (2020 Census)
• Age (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Median age: ~44 years
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–64: ~58%
  • 65 and over: ~21%
• Gender (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Male: ~49%
  • Female: ~51%
• Race/Ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022):
  • White alone: ~94%
  • Black or African American alone: ~2–3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0–0.5%
  • Asian alone: ~0–0.5%
  • Two or more races: ~3%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2–3% [note: overlaps with race categories]
• Households (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Total households: ~17.6–17.8k
  • Average household size: ~2.3
  • Family households: ~66% of households
  • Married‑couple families: ~49% of households
  • One‑person households: ~29% of households

Crawford County, OH email usage (estimates; based on ACS/NTIA/Pew/FCC data applied to local demographics)

• Estimated email users: 26,000–30,000 residents use email regularly. Basis: ~41k population, ~33k adults; 75–85% adult email adoption in similar rural areas, plus some teens.
• Age distribution of users:
  • 18–29: ~15–18% of users; email use among this group ~90–95%.
  • 30–49: ~28–32%; ~95% use email.
  • 50–64: ~28–32%; ~90% use email.
  • 65+: ~22–26%; ~75–85% use email.
• Gender split: Roughly even (about 50–51% female, 49–50% male among users), reflecting near‑equal email adoption by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • 75–85% of households have a home broadband subscription; 10–15% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Fiber is expanding in municipalities; rural areas rely more on cable/DSL and fixed wireless; libraries and schools provide public Wi‑Fi.
  • State BEAD‑funded builds (2024–2026) aim to reduce remaining un/underserved pockets.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population density ~100 people/sq mi. Service quality is strongest in Bucyrus and the Bucyrus–Galion corridor along US‑30 (multiple ISPs, higher speeds), with more variable connectivity in outlying townships.

Below is a practical, county-level picture built from recent national/rural adoption patterns (Pew), FCC mobile/broadband mapping, and ACS demographics, scaled to Crawford County’s size and age profile. Figures are presented as ranges to reflect uncertainty and year-to-year shifts.

Quick context

• Population: roughly 41–42k residents, older and more rural than Ohio overall. Bucyrus and Galion anchor most population; many townships are sparsely populated.
• Implication: slightly lower smartphone adoption than the Ohio average, a higher share of prepaid users, and more LTE-only areas outside towns.

Estimated mobile phone users

• People with any mobile phone: about 33k–36k residents (roughly 80–86% of total population).
• Smartphone users: about 30k–33k residents (roughly 73–79% of total population).
• Adult smartphone penetration: roughly 82–88% of adults (vs Ohio ~90–92%).
• Households relying on mobile data as primary internet: noticeably higher than the state average, particularly in rural townships where fixed broadband options are limited.

Demographic breakdown (ownership/use patterns)

• Age
  • Teens/young adults (13–24): near-saturation for mobile (96–99%) and smartphones (95–98%); comparable to state.
  • Prime working age (25–54): mobile 95–97%; smartphones 90–95%; slightly below state in the 45–54 bracket.
  • Pre-retirement (55–64): mobile 92–95%; smartphones 82–88%; a few points below state.
  • Seniors (65+): mobile 85–90%; smartphones 70–78%; 5–10 points below state, the biggest local gap.
• Income and plan type
  • Prepaid share is elevated (roughly 30–35% of lines vs ~20–25% statewide), driven by lower median incomes and discount retail channels (e.g., TracFone/Straight Talk, Cricket, Metro).
  • Device mix skews more value-oriented; upgrades cycle slower than in metro Ohio.
• Platform mix
  • Android roughly 55–62% of active smartphones; iOS about 38–45% (statewide mix tilts more toward iOS).
• Usage style
  • Voice/SMS remains comparatively strong among older residents.
  • Mobile hotspot use is more common for homework, telehealth, and seasonal work where home broadband is weak.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE is broadly available in and between Bucyrus, Galion, Crestline, and along US-30; pockets of weaker coverage persist in wooded/low-lying rural areas and inside older brick buildings.
  • Low-band 5G from all three national carriers reaches town centers and main corridors; mid-band 5G (T-Mobile 2.5 GHz; Verizon/AT&T C-band) is concentrated around Bucyrus, Galion, US-30, and a few high-traffic sites; mmWave is effectively absent.
• Performance (typical, not guaranteed)
  • Mid-band 5G: often 100–400 Mbps down in covered zones.
  • Low-band 5G/LTE: commonly 5–80 Mbps; rural edges see larger swings and higher latency.
  • Evening and event-time congestion is noticeable where tower density/backhaul is thin.
• Carriers
  • Verizon and AT&T historically strongest rural coverage; T-Mobile has improved with 600 MHz but still has patchier rural edges.
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is present on select sites supporting public safety; helps resilience but does not ensure uniform consumer coverage.
• Backhaul and public access
  • Fiber backhaul is solid along US-30 and in towns; more limited elsewhere, which constrains peak speeds.
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings provide important public Wi‑Fi; schools and libraries have distributed hotspots in recent years to offset home broadband gaps.

How Crawford County differs from Ohio statewide

• Adoption
  • Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration, with the gap concentrated among residents 55+.
  • Higher prepaid share and a stronger Android skew than the state average.
• Network experience
  • Lower proportion of residents regularly on mid-band 5G; more time spent on LTE/low-band 5G, especially outside towns.
  • More coverage variability indoors in older downtown structures and along rural fringes.
• Household connectivity
  • Greater reliance on mobile phones and hotspots as primary internet in rural areas, partly due to sparser cable/fiber options and the lapse/limits of broadband subsidies.
• Usage patterns
  • Heavier reliance on voice/SMS among older adults; data growth tied to video and telehealth is rising but trails metro counties.
  • Network load has noticeable seasonal spikes (agriculture, school year, events) compared with steadier urban usage profiles.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• County-level user counts are derived by applying national/rural ownership rates by age to Crawford’s size and older age profile (ACS), then cross-checking against Ohio-wide adoption norms (Pew) and rural adjustments. FCC mobile/broadband maps inform the infrastructure summary but exact tower/site counts and carrier roadmaps change frequently. For planning, validate against the latest carrier coverage tools, the FCC National Broadband Map, and local anchor institutions.

Crawford County, OH social media snapshot

Data note: There’s no official county-level social media census. Figures below combine U.S./Ohio benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research Center 2024) with Crawford County’s demographics (older/rural-leaning) to give practical estimates. Treat numbers as directional.

User stats

• Population baseline: ~42,000 residents (2020 Census).
• Estimated adult social media users: roughly 22,000–26,000 (applying the common U.S. finding that about 7 in 10 adults use at least one social platform; older rural mix may nudge this slightly lower than big-city areas).
• Access: Mobile-first usage is dominant; broadband coverage is widespread but patchier in some rural pockets, which can shift activity to lighter-weight apps (Facebook, Messenger) and short-form video.

Age groups (who’s active and where)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; Facebook mostly for family/school groups.
• Young adults (18–29): Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat daily; YouTube for entertainment/how‑to; Facebook for Marketplace and local groups.
• Adults (30–49): Facebook is home base (groups, Marketplace, school/sports, events); Instagram for visuals; YouTube and Pinterest for DIY, recipes, home projects.
• Adults (50–64): Facebook + YouTube dominate; some Pinterest; growing but modest TikTok use.
• 65+: Facebook (friends/family, local news, obituaries) and YouTube; messaging via Messenger.

Gender patterns (directional)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Pinterest; strong engagement with community, school, church, health/wellness, recipes, crafts.
• Men: Over-index on YouTube (sports, DIY, auto, outdoors), Reddit, and X (news/sports); strong interest in local trades, equipment, and hunting/fishing content.
• TikTok and Instagram are relatively balanced by gender; LinkedIn use is modest overall, higher among healthcare, education, and manufacturing managers.

Most-used platforms (with benchmarks)

• Facebook: Expect the top platform locally. U.S. benchmark ≈ two-thirds of adults; likely the same or slightly higher here given the older age mix. Very strong use of Groups and Marketplace.
• YouTube: Near-universal among internet users nationally (roughly 8 in 10 adults). Locally, heavy for how‑to, repairs, outdoor, farming, and school sports highlights.
• Instagram: U.S. benchmark roughly half of adults; locally strong under 40, moderate 40–54, light 55+.
• TikTok: U.S. benchmark roughly 3 in 10 adults; locally strong under 35, lighter in older cohorts.
• Snapchat: Popular among teens/20s; drops sharply after 30.
• Pinterest: Particularly strong among women 25–54.
• X (Twitter): Lower overall penetration; used by news/sports followers and a small civic cohort.
• LinkedIn: Niche; recruiting and professional networking (healthcare, education, manufacturing).
• WhatsApp/Messenger: Messenger is widely used for local communication; WhatsApp pockets exist among families with cross-border ties.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first: Facebook Groups are the county’s digital town square (school districts, youth sports, county fair/4‑H, churches, city/county agencies, buy/sell/trade).
• Local commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a top channel for vehicles, tools, farm equipment, furniture; service providers rely on word-of-mouth in groups.
• Local news patterns: Residents follow local paper/radio Facebook pages for breaking updates (weather, road closures, school alerts). Posts with familiar names, faces, or places outperform generic news.
• Content that travels: High engagement on youth sports, community events, obituaries, lost/found pets, weather, and road conditions. Photos and short vertical video outperform text-only posts.
• Timing: Evenings and weekends see the most interaction; school-year rhythms matter (after-school and late evening peaks).
• Trust signals: Posts from recognizable local institutions, coaches, pastors, and small-business owners get more shares/comments than brand pages without a local face.
• Ads that work: Simple geo-targeted Facebook/Instagram ads with location, phone, and clear offer/call-to-action; boosted posts around events, openings, seasonal services.
• Customer service: Many residents message pages directly (Facebook/Messenger) rather than email/phone; slow replies dampen conversions.

Sources/benchmarks used

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use (2024) for national platform adoption by age/gender.
• U.S. Census Bureau (2020) for county population baseline. Note: Exact county-by-county platform percentages aren’t published; the estimates above adapt national patterns to Crawford County’s age/rural profile.