Ellis County

Which source/year would you like these figures from?

• Latest ACS 1-year (2023; covers counties ≥65k)
• ACS 5-year (2018–2022; more stable for smaller geos)
• 2020 Decennial Census (baseline counts)

I’ll provide concise bullet points (population, age, sex, race/ethnicity, households) for your choice.

Ellis County, TX — email usage (estimates)

• Estimated users: 150k–180k residents (age 13+) use email at least occasionally. Basis: ~220k population; ~80–90% of 13+ online adopt email.
• Age mix among email users (approx. share): 13–24: 18–22%; 25–44: 33–38%; 45–64: 28–32%; 65+: 12–16%.
• Gender split: roughly even (≈49–51% each).

Digital access and trends

• Household internet subscription likely 80–85%; ~15–20% smartphone‑only. Fiber service is expanding in Waxahachie, Midlothian, Red Oak, and Ennis; rural southern tracts rely more on fixed wireless/satellite.
• Strong 4G/5G coverage along I‑35E, I‑45, and US‑287 corridors; speeds and reliability decline in sparsely populated areas.
• Continued population growth from the DFW metro spillover is boosting broadband uptake and email reliance for schools, logistics/manufacturing workplaces, healthcare portals, and local commerce.

Local density/connectivity facts

• The Waxahachie–Red Oak–Midlothian corridor is the most densely populated and supports multiple ISPs; exurban areas face last‑mile gaps.
• Heavy commuting to Dallas–Fort Worth contributes to high mobile email usage during workdays.

Notes: Figures are directional, modeled from Texas/Pew digital adoption benchmarks and typical county age structure applied to Ellis County.

Ellis County, TX mobile phone snapshot (2024–2025)

User estimates

• Population baseline: ≈220,000 residents; fast-growing suburban/exurban county in the Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) orbit.
• Smartphone users: roughly 160,000–175,000 active smartphone users.
  • Assumptions: adult smartphone adoption ~90% (Pew-level U.S. rates), teen adoption ~95%, and a small share of children with phones.
• Mobile lines in service (phones + tablets/IoT): on the order of 270,000–300,000 lines, reflecting typical 1.2–1.4 wireless lines per resident in suburban U.S. markets.

Demographic usage patterns

• Age: More family households and school‑age children than the Texas average; heavy family‑plan penetration and multi‑line accounts. Teen smartphone use and social/video messaging are very high.
• Income: Median household income is somewhat higher than the Texas average; this correlates with higher 5G device penetration and postpaid plan adoption, and slightly higher iOS share than rural Texas.
• Race/ethnicity: Lower Hispanic and Asian shares than the Texas average and a higher non‑Hispanic White share. Spanish‑first mobile use is present but less dominant than at the state level; bilingual customer support demand is moderate.
• Work patterns: A large commuter population to DFW drives heavy, time‑bounded network load along I‑35E, US‑287, and I‑45 during peak hours; business use skews toward logistics, construction, manufacturing, and public safety.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Coverage and technology:
  • All three national carriers provide countywide voice/LTE coverage; 5G mid‑band is broadly available in population centers (Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, Red Oak).
  • Rural fringes and lake/creek corridors can drop to LTE‑only with lower uplink; pockets south/west of Waxahachie, around Maypearl/Italy/Forreston, and near Lake Bardwell see variability.
• Capacity and speeds:
  • In towns and along interstates: typical 5G median downloads around 100–300 Mbps; LTE/low‑band 5G in rural stretches often 20–80 Mbps with higher latency.
  • Peak congestion appears on commuter corridors and during large events (e.g., Texas Motorplex in Ennis), sometimes requiring temporary capacity (COWs/COLTs).
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Strong fiber presence from DFW extending down I‑35E/US‑287/I‑45 supports 5G mid‑band and small‑cell densification in Waxahachie and Midlothian.
  • New subdivisions often get AT&T fiber; where fiber lags, fixed‑wireless access (FWA) fills gaps.
• Fixed‑wireless access:
  • T‑Mobile Home Internet is widely available; Verizon 5G Home is available in denser areas; both are used as primary service in newer neighborhoods and by small businesses awaiting fiber/cable drops.
• Public safety:
  • Robust FirstNet (AT&T) footprint given proximity to DFW; storm resiliency is a focus due to severe weather risks. Some brief rural outages occur after major wind/hail events until power/backhaul are restored.

How Ellis County differs from Texas overall

• Higher coverage quality and 5G availability than the state average due to proximity to DFW and highway fiber backbones; fewer persistent dead zones than in rural West/South Texas.
• Slightly higher device and plan tiers (more 5G handsets, hotspot add‑ons, unlimited plans) aligned with higher household incomes; state average shows a wider spread into budget prepaid segments.
• Lower smartphone‑only (mobile‑only) home internet reliance than the Texas average:
  • Texas statewide smartphone‑only share is near one in five households; Ellis County is likely in the 12–15% range thanks to better fiber/cable availability and high FWA uptake as an interim solution.
• Traffic patterns are more commute‑centric than the state average:
  • Distinct AM/PM demand spikes on north–south corridors into DFW; many rural Texas counties instead show mid‑day agricultural/energy‑sector patterns.
• Language/marketing mix tilts less toward Spanish‑first than the state, though pockets (notably in Ennis and parts of Waxahachie) still warrant bilingual outreach.
• Enterprise/industrial usage is skewed to construction, cement/manufacturing, logistics, and public safety; this includes growing interest in private LTE/CBRS and rugged devices on job sites, which is less prominent in many rural counties.

Behavioral and adoption notes

• Family‑plan penetration is high; multi‑line discounts and device installment plans drive upgrades to 5G handsets faster than in rural Texas.
• Video streaming, navigation, and messaging dominate mobile data; in‑vehicle usage is high due to long commutes.
• Schools increasingly use mobile engagement for parents/students; however, most homework connectivity relies on home broadband or FWA rather than phones alone.

Pain points to watch

• Rural edge coverage variability and uplink limitations for video calls.
• Event‑driven and rush‑hour congestion on I‑35E/US‑287/I‑45.
• Build‑out lag in some fast‑growing subdivisions before fiber arrives; FWA helps but can degrade at peak load.

Bottom line Ellis County’s mobile experience is closer to a DFW suburban profile than to the Texas statewide average: more 5G, better backhaul, higher-end plans, and fewer mobile‑only households. Remaining gaps are largely about rural edges, peak‑hour corridor congestion, and keeping infrastructure paced with rapid housing and industrial growth.

Below is a concise, data-informed overview. Because county-level platform data aren’t published, figures are modeled from 2024 U.S./Texas benchmarks (Pew Research Center, DataReportal) adjusted to Ellis County’s suburban, family-heavy demographics. Treat them as reasonable estimates.

Headline snapshot

• Population: ~210–215k; residents 13+: ~175–185k
• Active social media users (13+): ~145k–160k (80–85% penetration)
• Overall gender split among users: ~53% female, ~47% male

Most-used platforms in Ellis County (estimated monthly reach among residents 13+)

• YouTube: 78–85%
• Facebook: 62–70%
• Instagram: 42–50%
• TikTok: 35–45%
• Pinterest: 28–35%
• Snapchat: 25–35%
• WhatsApp: 20–30% (higher among Hispanic/Latino residents)
• LinkedIn: 22–30% (boosted by DFW-area commuters/professionals)
• X (Twitter): 18–25%
• Reddit: 15–22%
• Nextdoor: 15–25% (varies by neighborhood/HOA density)

Age mix and tendencies (share of local social media users; ranges)

• 13–17: 8–10% — heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; IG Stories > feed; low Facebook posting
• 18–29: 20–22% — IG, TikTok, YouTube; Snapchat and Reddit notable; DMs > public posts
• 30–44: 26–30% — Facebook Groups/Marketplace, IG/Reels, YouTube; Pinterest for home/family; some Nextdoor
• 45–64: 24–28% — Facebook (news, groups, buy-sell), YouTube (DIY, local info), some IG/Pinterest
• 65+: 10–14% — Facebook (community/church/civic), YouTube; limited multi-platform use

Gender patterns by platform (typical U.S. skews likely local too)

• More female: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Nextdoor
  • Pinterest ~75–80% female; TikTok/IG ~55–60% female; Facebook/Nextdoor ~55–60% female
• More male: YouTube (55–60% male), Reddit (70% male), X/Twitter (60–65% male), LinkedIn (55–60% male)
• WhatsApp: roughly balanced overall; higher use in bilingual households

Behavioral trends observed in similar suburban Texas counties (likely in Ellis)

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups dominate for schools/boosters, youth sports, churches, city updates, buy-sell-trade, and storm/traffic alerts; Marketplace is a major local commerce channel.
• Short-form video rules: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for restaurants, salons, realtors, fitness, and events; many posts are cross-published to Facebook Reels.
• Neighborhood chatter: Nextdoor used for HOA issues, contractor recs, lost/found, safety; high trust in neighbor referrals.
• Messaging over posting: Younger users favor Snapchat/IG DMs; families commonly use Messenger; WhatsApp notable in Hispanic/Latino communities.
• Shopping and intent: Pinterest and Facebook influence home, DIY, and seasonal purchases; Facebook events used for weekend planning; Google/YouTube for how-to and product research.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm CT) and weekends; school-year spikes around mornings and late afternoons for parents.
• Content that travels: Local wins (school sports, openings/closings, weather, road construction, property taxes, new developments) outperform generic content; short, authentic video and photo carousels outperform text-only posts.

How to read these numbers

• They are directional estimates for Ellis County built from 2024 U.S./Texas usage rates applied to local demographics. For precise figures, field a short county survey or pull platform ad-reach tools with tight geo-fences around major cities (Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, Red Oak) and deduplicate.