Wasco County

Wasco County, Oregon — Key Demographics

Population size

• 26,670 (2020 Census), up 5.8% from 25,213 in 2010

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Female: ~49%
• Male: ~51% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~84%
• Black or African American: ~0.6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~3%
• Asian: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.3%
• Some other race: ~4%
• Two or more races: ~7%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~19%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~72–73%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~10,900
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~62% (married-couple families ~45%)
• Tenure: ~65% owner-occupied, ~35% renter-occupied

Insights

• Modest population growth since 2010
• Older age profile than the U.S. overall (higher 65+ share)
• Significant Hispanic/Latino community (~1 in 5 residents)

Wasco County, OR snapshot (2024 est.)

• Population and density: 26,670 residents (2020 Census) across ~2,382 sq mi ≈ 11 people/sq mi; anchored by The Dalles.
• Estimated email users: ≈20,800 residents use email regularly. Method: county age structure plus high email adoption typical of U.S. internet users; aligns with local broadband adoption.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–24: ~9%
  • 25–44: ~30%
  • 45–64: ~34%
  • 65+: ~21%
• Gender split among users: ≈50% female, ≈50% male, mirroring county demographics.
• Digital access and devices (ACS 2018–2022, Wasco County):
  • ~91% of households have a computer.
  • ~84% maintain a broadband subscription at home.
  • ~10–15% are smartphone-only internet households, indicating mobile-first communication for a notable minority.
• Connectivity and local factors:
  • The Dalles hosts Google’s long-standing data center, anchoring robust fiber backbones.
  • QLife (city/county open-access network) provides middle-mile fiber that enables local ISPs; Maupin completed citywide gigabit fiber in 2019.
  • Best fixed broadband density lies along I‑84/Columbia River corridor; southern rural areas remain spottier, where fixed wireless and satellite supplement service.

Insights: High broadband/device availability supports near-universal adult email use, with strongest usage in working-age cohorts and solid uptake among seniors due to improved local fiber infrastructure.

Mobile phone usage in Wasco County, OR — summary with county-specific estimates, demographics, and infrastructure, emphasizing differences from the Oregon statewide picture

Topline user and device estimates (best-available, 2023–2024)

• Population and households: ~26.5–27.0k residents; ~10.5–11.0k households (U.S. Census Bureau, recent vintages).
• Adult smartphone users: 17.5k–19.5k adults (approx. 82–88% of adults), modestly below Oregon’s adult smartphone adoption, which is near 90% (Pew Research Center; adjusted for the county’s older age profile and rurality).
• Households with a smartphone and cellular data plan: ~8.7k–9.3k households (about 83–87% of households). This trails Oregon’s household-level smartphone measure by a few points.
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed broadband): approximately 11–15% of households, higher than Oregon’s typical 8–11% range for metro-dominated counties (ACS “Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions” patterns, 5‑year estimates).

How Wasco County differs from Oregon overall

• More smartphone-only reliance: A noticeably higher share of households rely on cellular data as their primary/only internet connection compared with the state average, reflecting rural last‑mile gaps and cost sensitivity.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: Adult smartphone adoption and household smartphone ownership trail Oregon’s averages by a small but consistent margin, driven by an older age structure and rural coverage constraints.
• Greater geographic disparity: Near-urban areas (The Dalles) approach statewide usage levels, while outlying communities (Maupin, Tygh Valley, Dufur, Antelope) show lower adoption and more cellular-only dependence—differences that are sharper than in most Oregon counties.
• Higher peak load variability: Daytime and seasonal spikes in device density and data demand along I‑84/US‑197 (freight, tourism, events in the Columbia Gorge) are more pronounced than statewide patterns, creating localized capacity pinch points.

Demographic factors shaping mobile usage

• Age: Wasco County skews older than Oregon overall. Seniors are less likely to own smartphones and more likely to keep legacy voice/SMS devices, pulling down the county’s overall smartphone share versus the state.
• Income and affordability: Median household income is below the Oregon average. That correlates with higher take‑up of prepaid plans, ACP/Lifeline (where available), and greater smartphone-only internet reliance for budget reasons.
• Hispanic/Latino community: The county’s Hispanic/Latino share is higher than the state average, with many workers in agriculture and logistics. This contributes to strong mobile‑first behaviors (WhatsApp, Spanish‑language apps/services) and above‑average mobile data dependence in bilingual households.

Digital infrastructure and coverage landscape

• Carriers and technologies: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon provide 4G LTE across population centers and major corridors; U.S. Cellular has had a regional presence, with broader industry consolidation ongoing. Mid‑band 5G is deployed in and around The Dalles, with expanding coverage along I‑84; mmWave is limited to dense nodes, if present at all.
• Coverage pattern:
  • Strong: The Dalles urban area, I‑84 corridor, and US‑197 north–south spine.
  • Variable to weak: River canyons (Lower Deschutes near Maupin), Tygh Ridge uplands, and sparsely populated south/east areas where terrain shadows macro sites.
• Backhaul/fiber: The Dalles hosts a major hyperscale data center cluster and multiple long‑haul fiber routes (e.g., along the Columbia River/I‑84), improving regional backhaul and enabling robust urban macro and 5G upgrades. Rural last‑mile fiber remains patchy, sustaining a higher share of cellular‑only households than statewide.
• Public safety and resiliency: FirstNet (AT&T) and carrier hardening along I‑84/US‑197 have improved corridor reliability, but remote canyons still experience outage sensitivity and dead zones relative to western Oregon counties.

Usage behaviors and market implications (county vs state)

• Mobile data as primary access: A larger segment of Wasco County residents treat the smartphone as their primary computing device, driving heavier mobile data consumption per user than similarly sized urban Oregon communities.
• Plan mix: Prepaid and budget postpaid tiers likely compose a higher share of lines than the statewide average, reflecting price sensitivity and variable credit access.
• Work and seasonal patterns: Agriculture, logistics, and outdoor recreation amplify demand for wide‑area coverage, off‑peak rural capacity, and hotspot tethering, diverging from the app‑heavy, dense‑cell traffic seen in Portland‑metro.

Key numbers to track locally

• Adult smartphone adoption: ~82–88% (vs Oregon near ~90%).
• Household smartphone ownership: ~83–87% (vs Oregon several points higher).
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~11–15% (vs Oregon ~8–11%, metro‑weighted).
• Population coverage: 4G LTE covers the vast majority of residents; 5G mid‑band covers The Dalles and primary corridors, with rural gaps persisting away from highways and town centers.

Methodological note

• These county estimates synthesize U.S. Census Bureau ACS (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions, 5‑year), Pew Research Center smartphone adoption, FCC mobile coverage mapping (2023–2024), and known local infrastructure (I‑84 corridor fiber and The Dalles data center/backhaul footprint). Ranges are used where county‑level sampling error and terrain-driven variability materially affect point estimates.

Social media in Wasco County, OR (2025, local-modeled estimates)

Headline numbers

• Population: 26,750
• Residents age 13+: 23,000
• Active social media users (13+): 17,500 (65% of total population; 76% of 13+)

Age profile of social users (users and penetration by age)

• 13–17: 1,700 users; 92% of teens
• 18–29: 3,350 users; 90%
• 30–49: 5,700 users; 85%
• 50–64: 3,650 users; 72%
• 65+: 3,100 users; 55%

Gender breakdown of social users

• Female: 9,100 (52%)
• Male: 8,400 (48%)

Most-used platforms in Wasco County (share of residents age 13+, monthly; est. users)

• YouTube: 80.6% (18,550)
• Facebook: 67.1% (15,450)
• Instagram: 42.7% (9,830)
• TikTok: 34.0% (7,820)
• Pinterest: 33.2% (7,640)
• Snapchat: 25.4% (5,840)
• Also notable: WhatsApp 24.9% (5,730), LinkedIn 23.4% (5,380), X (Twitter) 20.3% (4,670)

Behavioral trends and local insights

• Facebook is the county’s default community hub: heavy use of Groups for school, civic, and event updates; Marketplace is a leading buy/sell channel for farm, outdoor, and household goods.
• YouTube is dominant for DIY, home/land maintenance, automotive and equipment repair, and outdoor recreation content; strong weekday evening and weekend viewing.
• Visual discovery is split: Instagram for regional lifestyle and local business discovery; Pinterest for home, garden, and crafts, skewing female 25–54.
• Short-form video is rising: TikTok adoption is strong among under-35s for local happenings, food spots, and trends; cross-posting to Instagram Reels is common among small businesses.
• Private/messaging layers matter: Snapchat is core for teens and college-age; WhatsApp is used for family/community communication, including multilingual households.
• News and alerts: Facebook and YouTube carry local news; X usage is smaller but spikes for wildfire, road, weather, and emergency updates.
• Older adults are active but narrower: 50+ concentrate on Facebook and YouTube; lower adoption of TikTok/Snapchat but growing use of Instagram for family updates.
• Device and timing: Mobile-first usage; peak activity 6–9 p.m. local time; weekend engagement favors YouTube and Facebook, weekday lunch and evenings favor Instagram and TikTok.
• Commerce and calls-to-action: Facebook/Instagram drive local foot traffic via events and Stories; Pinterest converts for home/garden projects; YouTube how-to content drives local service inquiries.

Method notes and sources

• Local-modeled estimates combine 2023 ACS population/age structure for Wasco County with 2024–2025 platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center (U.S. adults), Pew’s teen social media research, and Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial. Figures are rounded to reasonable precision and reflect monthly reach among residents age 13+.