Gonzales County

Here are the most recent, high‑level demographics for Gonzales County, Texas.

Population

• Total: 20,837 (2020 Census); ~21,000 (2019–2023 ACS 5‑year estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~37–38 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~16–17%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (ACS, race alone; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~50%
• Non‑Hispanic White: ~40%
• Black/African American: ~7%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more/Other: ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~7,300
• Average household size: ~2.8 persons
• Family households: ~65%
• Owner‑occupied housing: ~70%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5‑year estimates).

Gonzales County, TX snapshot (estimates)

• Population and density: ~21,000 residents across ~1,060 sq mi; ~20 people per sq mi (rural).
• Email users (adults): ~13,500–15,000. Assumes ~16,000 adults (≈76% of residents) with 85–90% email adoption, reflecting rural internet access.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~17%
  • 30–49: ~33%
  • 50–64: ~28%
  • 65+: ~22% Older adults participate at lower rates than younger cohorts, but still substantial.
• Gender split among users: roughly even, ≈49% male / 51% female.
• Digital access trends:
  • Broadband subscription: roughly 70–80% of households; higher in town centers, lower in outlying ranchland.
  • Access modes: Cable/DSL or some fiber within Gonzales/Nixon/Waelder corridors; fixed wireless and satellite common in sparsely populated areas.
  • Mobile: Stronger 4G/5G along I‑10 and US‑183; patchier service in low-density, wooded, or low-lying areas.
  • Device reliance: ~15–20% likely smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Affordability: The 2024 wind‑down of the Affordable Connectivity Program reduced discounts for some low-income households, pressuring subscriptions. Notes: Figures are modeled from U.S. rural adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew/ACS) applied to local population; use as directional, not official counts.

Gonzales County, TX — mobile usage summary

User estimates

• Population baseline: ~20.5–21.5k residents; ~15–16k adults (ACS 2020–2023 range).
• Adult smartphone users: ~12.5–13.5k (about 80–85% of adults, applying Pew rural adoption rates).
• Total mobile phone users (incl. teens 13–17 and older adults with basic phones): ~14.5–16.5k.
• Resident mobile subscriptions (smartphones, tablets, watches, IoT): roughly 24–30k lines (about 115–140 lines per 100 residents, in line with U.S. norms, slightly lower end likely in very rural areas and higher where farm/energy IoT is used).
• Smartphone-only home internet households: ~1,500–2,100 (about 22–30% of ~7k households), reflecting heavier mobile reliance where wired broadband is limited.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Older share is above the Texas urban average; smartphone adoption remains high among under-50 adults (>90%), but drops among 65+ (≈60–70%). Expect more basic-phone retention in 65+ than statewide.
• Income/plan type: Median household income trails the Texas median, supporting a higher-than-state share of prepaid/MVNO plans (Cricket, Metro, Boost) and slower device upgrade cycles.
• Race/ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino population is about half the county (≈48–55%), materially above the statewide urban composition in many metros. This tends to lift usage of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Spanish-language plans/content relative to non-Hispanic-majority counties.
• Home internet substitution: Because wired options outside town centers are limited, hotspotting and mobile-only broadband use are more common than in Texas metros.

Digital infrastructure (mobile and backhaul)

• Coverage: All three nationals (AT&T/FirstNet, Verizon, T-Mobile) cover town centers (Gonzales, Nixon, Smiley, Waelder) and highway corridors (I‑10 near Waelder, US‑183/US‑90A/TX‑97). Between towns and in river bottoms/parkland (e.g., along the Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers/Palmetto State Park), coverage can thin, with LTE fallback common.
• 5G:
  • Low‑band 5G is broadly available.
  • Mid‑band 5G (n41/C‑band) is mainly clustered in/near towns and I‑10; rural sections frequently fall back to LTE. mmWave presence is negligible.
  • AT&T Band 14 (FirstNet) materially improves public‑safety and rural indoor coverage versus non‑FirstNet markets.
• Capacity/performance: Typical town‑center speeds 50–150 Mbps; rural LTE areas may be 10–30 Mbps with higher variability. Latency and upload speeds lag metro Texas.
• Backhaul/fiber: I‑10 and major corridors carry long‑haul fiber. Local fiber/co‑op builds (e.g., GVEC Fiber in and around the region) and cable in city limits improve tower backhaul and anchor‑institution connectivity, but fiber to scattered rural premises remains patchy.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile and Verizon 5G Home/FWA have a noticeable footprint in and around towns, serving households that lack cable/fiber—this reinforces mobile network load during evening hours.

How Gonzales County differs from Texas overall

• Higher reliance on mobile as primary home internet: Smartphone‑only households and hotspot use are meaningfully above state urban averages.
• More prepaid/MVNO usage and longer device replacement cycles than statewide, driven by income mix and rural retail footprints.
• Coverage quality gap outside towns: More LTE fallback, fewer mid‑band 5G sectors per square mile, and more dead zones than Texas metros; mmWave essentially absent.
• Throughput gap: Median download/upload speeds and consistency trail large Texas markets; uplink can be a constraint for telehealth/remote work in outlying areas.
• Public safety advantage: FirstNet Band 14 presence provides a larger relative improvement in rural coverage here than it does in dense cities.
• App and language use: Given the county’s high Hispanic share, WhatsApp and Spanish‑language communications/plan features are likely above the statewide average mix.

Notes on method and confidence

• Population/households/demographics: U.S. Census/ACS 2020–2023 ranges for Gonzales County.
• Adoption rates: Pew Research Center (smartphone ownership by age/income/rural) applied to local age mix.
• Subscriptions per capita: Based on CTIA/U.S. averages adjusted for rural IoT and secondary devices.
• Infrastructure/coverage: Synthesized from FCC coverage norms, carrier build patterns in rural Texas, highway/town topology, and known FirstNet/low‑band deployments. Exact tower counts and sector maps vary by operator and are not uniformly published.

Below is a concise, planning‑oriented snapshot of social media use in Gonzales County, TX. Because platform companies and public agencies don’t publish county‑level adoption, figures are modeled from the county’s rural/age makeup and recent U.S. usage studies; use them as directional estimates and validate with your own analytics/ad‑platform audience tools.

Overall reach (estimates)

• Social media users: ~12,000–15,000 residents
• Share of adults using at least one platform: ~70–80%
• Household internet access (rural profile): moderate–high, but mobile‑first behavior is common

Most-used platforms among local social users (estimated penetration)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Facebook Messenger: 55–60%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 30–40%
• WhatsApp: 20–30% (higher among Hispanic/bilingual households)
• Snapchat: 18–25% (teens/young adults)
• Pinterest: 20–25% (women 25–54 skew)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (niche/news)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (hiring, white‑collar)
• Reddit: 10–12% (younger male skew)
• Nextdoor: 5–8% (limited footprint outside town centers)

Age patterns (what they use most)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; light Facebook except for school/sports updates
• 18–29: Instagram (high), TikTok (high), YouTube; Facebook for events and family
• 30–49: Facebook (very high), YouTube; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing
• 50–64: Facebook (very high), YouTube; Instagram light; some TikTok/WhatsApp
• 65+: Facebook (high), YouTube; other platforms limited

Gender breakdown (overall)

• Roughly even split among total users (about half female, half male)
• Notable skews: Pinterest (female), Reddit (male), TikTok (slightly female), LinkedIn (slightly male), Facebook largely even

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, buy/sell/trade groups, school sports, churches, county events, emergency updates
• Video first: short‑form clips (Reels/TikTok) of local sports, rodeos, fairs, 4‑H/FFA, and “how‑to” home/auto content perform best
• Messaging over posting: DMs via Messenger/WhatsApp for appointments, quotes, and customer service; bilingual messaging matters
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; noticeable spikes around high‑school sports and community events
• Trust signals: Faces, names, and recognizable locations; user‑generated photos; local micro‑influencers (coaches, pastors, small‑business owners)
• Commerce: Facebook and Instagram drive foot traffic for boutiques, salons, food trucks; Marketplace is influential for services and secondhand goods
• Jobs: Facebook groups and LinkedIn for hiring (manufacturing, healthcare, logistics); YouTube pre‑roll effective for local services
• Low X/Twitter reliance; use mainly for weather, state news, and sports

Notes on methodology

• County profile (rural, older, sizable Hispanic population) applied to current U.S. platform adoption benchmarks; figures adjusted slightly downward for rural adoption/broadband gaps and upward for WhatsApp among Hispanic residents.
• Treat ranges as directional; confirm with Meta/Google/TikTok audience tools for precise campaign sizing.