Shelby County

Shelby County, Ohio — key demographics

Population size

• 48,230 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2010: −2.4% (from 49,423)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity

• White (alone or in combination, non-Hispanic share is the vast majority): ~93%
• Black or African American: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%

Households and housing

• Households: ~19,000
• Average household size: ~2.5–2.6
• Family households: ~2/3 of households; married-couple families ~1/2
• Households with children under 18: ~3 in 10
• One-person households: ~1/4
• Housing tenure: ~74% owner-occupied, ~26% renter-occupied

Insights

• Population is stable-to-slightly declining and older-leaning relative to national averages.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly White with small but present minority and Hispanic populations.
• High owner-occupancy and family household share indicate a largely stable, homeowner-based community.

Summary for Shelby County, Ohio (modeled from 2020 Census/ACS demographics and Pew US email adoption)

• Estimated email users: ~34,300 adults (≈92% of ~37,200 residents age 18+).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~6,700 (≈20%)
  • 30–49: ~11,800 (≈34%)
  • 50–64: ~9,200 (≈27%)
  • 65+: ~6,600 (≈19%)
• Gender split: Female ~17,500 (≈51%); Male ~16,800 (≈49%). Adoption rates are effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access trends: Email use is near-universal among working-age adults and strong among seniors, with lower but rising use in 65+. Smartphone access sustains high daily email checking; a minority of households are smartphone‑only for internet. Broadband adoption is high for a mixed urban–rural county, supporting stable email engagement.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population ~48,000 with roughly 120 people per square mile. Sidney (the county seat) holds about 40% of residents, concentrating cable/fiber coverage; rural townships depend more on DSL and fixed‑wireless, while the I‑75 corridor provides strong 4G/5G coverage.

Interpretation: Expect broad reach via email across all adult segments, with especially high penetration among 30–64 and slightly lower, but meaningful, usage among seniors.

Shelby County, Ohio mobile phone usage summary (2024)

Scale and user estimates

• Population baseline: 2020 Census count 48,230; roughly 19,000 households; adult (18+) population approximately 37,000–38,000.
• Mobile phone users (any phone): about 42,000–44,000 residents use a mobile phone regularly, reflecting high adult adoption and limited but growing teen ownership.
• Smartphone users: approximately 38,000–40,000 residents use a smartphone; about 17,000–17,500 households have at least one smartphone.
• Cellular-only internet households: approximately 2,900–3,200 households rely primarily or exclusively on cellular data for home internet.

Demographic patterns

• Age:
  • 18–49: near-saturation smartphone ownership (roughly 94–97%), broadly in line with Ohio statewide.
  • 50–64: solid adoption (about 80–85%), a few points lower than Ohio’s urban/suburban counties.
  • 65+: materially lower adoption (about 68–72%) than the statewide senior average, contributing to a larger basic-phone segment and more limited app-centric usage among older residents.
• Income and education:
  • Lower-income households show higher reliance on smartphone-only connectivity (roughly 30% among sub‑$25k households, several points above the Ohio average), reflecting gaps in affordable wired broadband.
  • Households with a high school diploma or less have slightly lower smartphone uptake but higher odds of mobile-only internet, compared with Ohio overall.
• Household composition:
  • Multi-person working households in and around Sidney, Anna, Jackson Center, and Botkins often maintain multiple lines; single‑adult and senior households are overrepresented in the basic‑phone and limited‑data segments relative to state averages.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: effectively universal across populated areas.
  • 5G: strong mid‑band coverage along the I‑75 corridor and in towns (Sidney, Anna, Jackson Center, Fort Loramie, Botkins, Russia), with weaker mid‑band depth and more low‑band 5G in outlying rural areas; mmWave is limited to small hotspots, if present.
• Capacity and speeds:
  • Urban/town centers: typical 5G mid‑band downloads in the high‑two‑digit to low‑hundreds Mbps range, with good uplink for video calling and cloud apps.
  • Rural stretches: speeds step down to low‑two‑digit 5G or LTE, with occasional congestion during peak commute/shift‑change windows around major plants.
• Carriers and access options:
  • All three national operators (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) operate macro coverage with upgraded 5G spectrum on I‑75 and in municipal cores.
  • Fixed alternatives: cable broadband (notably in Sidney and incorporated villages) and multiple fiber builds in and around growth corridors; fixed wireless access (5G home internet from national carriers) has wide serviceability in fringe and rural areas, filling gaps where copper DSL remains.
• Reliability:
  • Weather‑related and foliage effects are more pronounced on rural macro sites, producing uneven indoor signal in some farmsteads and wooded areas; in‑home coverage boosters and Wi‑Fi calling are commonly used workarounds.

How Shelby County differs from Ohio statewide

• Slightly lower senior smartphone adoption and a modestly larger basic‑phone cohort than the Ohio average, driven by age structure and rural dispersion.
• Higher share of cellular‑only households than the state average, reflecting patchier wired broadband in outer townships and the suitability of 5G fixed wireless as a substitute for entry‑level home internet.
• More pronounced urban–rural performance gap: towns on I‑75 see modern mid‑band 5G with strong capacity, while low‑band 5G/LTE persists in some rural pockets; Ohio’s larger metros show more uniform mid‑band depth.
• Usage timing and load patterns are influenced by manufacturing shift schedules (Sidney, Anna, Jackson Center), creating sharper local peak demand windows than in service‑sector‑heavy metros.

Bottom line

• Mobile is nearly universal in Shelby County, with about 38–40k smartphone users and over 40k total mobile users. Compared with the Ohio average, the county exhibits slightly lower adoption among seniors, a higher tendency toward mobile‑only home connectivity, and a more pronounced split between robust 5G in towns and modest capacity in rural areas. Investments in mid‑band 5G and ongoing fiber builds are narrowing the gap, while fixed wireless plays an outsized role in connecting rural households relative to statewide norms.

Shelby County, OH — social media usage snapshot (2024, modeled) Note on method: County-level social media is not directly measured. Figures below are 2024 modeled estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. platform adoption rates to Shelby County’s age/gender mix (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023). Ranges reflect the county’s slightly older age profile versus the U.S.

Headlines

• Population: ~48k; adults (18+): ~36–37k
• Adult social media users (any platform): ~26k–28k (≈70–75% of adults)
• Home broadband adoption (households): roughly low–mid 80% range
• Gender split (population and user base): ~51% female, ~49% male

Age profile (share using any social platform, adults)

• 18–29: ~90%
• 30–49: ~80–85%
• 50–64: ~65–70%
• 65+: ~45–55% Local implication: overall usage is high but skews toward Facebook/YouTube given the county’s older tilt.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated share of adults using)

• YouTube: ~80–85%
• Facebook: ~70–75%
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• Snapchat: ~35–40%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• WhatsApp: ~25–30%
• LinkedIn: ~25–30%
• X (Twitter): ~20–23%
• Reddit: ~18–22% Rank order is robust; small shifts reflect age and rural/small‑town context.

Gender patterns

• Facebook: near-even, slight female tilt
• Instagram and Snapchat: slight female tilt
• Pinterest: strongly female-skewed user base
• YouTube: mild male tilt
• Reddit and X: male-skewed Net effect locally: overall users split roughly 51% female/49% male, with platform-specific skews as above.

Behavioral trends observed in similar Ohio small metros/micropolitans

• Community-first Facebook use: heavy engagement with local schools, churches, youth sports, fairs/festivals; Facebook Groups and Marketplace are central for neighborhood info and buy/sell.
• Short-form video growth: Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts drive discovery; local businesses and organizations post quick promos, how‑to, and event recaps.
• Practical YouTube: strong consumption of DIY, automotive, home repair, outdoor/recreation, and local civic content.
• Messaging over posting for younger users: Snapchat and Instagram DMs are core for 18–29; Facebook Messenger common across ages.
• Hiring and workforce: manufacturers and trades use Facebook/LinkedIn for job postings and hiring events; boosted posts outperform organic reach.
• Timing: engagement peaks early morning, lunch, and 7–9 p.m.; weekend spikes around games, church, community events, and real‑time weather/road updates.
• Trust and recommendations: local Facebook Groups and Google/FB reviews are influential for service providers, restaurants, and contractors.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by age/gender)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023, Shelby County, OH (population, age/gender mix, broadband subscription)