Morgan County

Morgan County, Utah — key demographics

Population

• 14,5K (July 1, 2023 est., US Census PEP)
• 12,295 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2019–2023, 5-year)

• Median age: 33.6 years
• Under 18: 36.0%
• 65 and over: 10.6%

Sex (ACS 2019–2023)

• Male: 50.7%
• Female: 49.3%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: 94.7%
• Black or African American alone: 0.3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.4%
• Asian alone: 0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 3.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 6.6%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 90.8%

Households and families (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: 3,930
• Persons per household: 3.57
• Family households: 86%
• Married-couple family households: 77%
• Households with children under 18: 54%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 91%
• Average family size: 3.92

Insights

• Rapid growth since 2020 alongside one of Utah’s largest average household sizes.
• Young age profile with a majority of households being married-couple families and a high share with children.
• Predominantly White, with a small but present Hispanic/Latino population.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program).

Morgan County, Utah (2020 pop. ~12,295; ~611 sq mi, ~20 people per sq mi).

Estimated email users: ~8,100 residents use email regularly (method: ~66% adults × 12,295, with ~92% adult email adoption, plus modest teen usage).

Estimated age mix of email users:

• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~38%
• 50–64: ~26%
• 65+: ~16% Teen users (13–17): ~8% of all users.

Gender split: Near parity; men ~50–51%, women ~49–50% of users, reflecting the county’s population and minimal gender gaps in email adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• Household device access and connectivity are high: roughly mid-90% have a computer and about ~90% have a broadband subscription (ACS trend, 2020–2022), supporting daily email use.
• Smartphone adoption is widespread among Utah adults (~90%+), driving on-the-go email usage.
• Connectivity is strongest in communities along the I-84 corridor (e.g., Morgan City, Mountain Green); mountainous and canyon areas see more reliance on fixed wireless or satellite.

Insight: Email is essentially universal among working-age adults, with the 30–49 cohort dominating usage. High broadband and smartphone penetration sustain consistent access, while low population density creates pockets of slower service in outlying areas.

Mobile phone usage in Morgan County, Utah – 2024 snapshot

User estimates and penetration

• Population base: ~14,000–15,000 residents; ~4,200–4,500 households
• Active mobile subscriptions: ~16,000–19,000 (roughly 115–130 lines per 100 residents; in line with U.S. rural/suburban norms and slightly above Utah’s average due to larger family plans)
• Household smartphone presence: 94–96% of households have at least one smartphone (on par with, or a touch above, Utah overall)
• Smartphone-only households (no fixed home internet): 4–6%, below Utah’s ~7–9% range; most households use home broadband and offload mobile data to Wi‑Fi
• Multi-line adoption: 3+ lines in 55–65% of households, above Utah’s average, reflecting larger household sizes and family-plan clustering

Demographic breakdown of adoption

• Teens (12–17): 85–90% have a smartphone; heavy use of messaging/social apps, but high Wi‑Fi offload at school/home
• Young adults (18–34): 98–99% smartphone adoption; highest 5G usage and mobile payments uptake
• Prime working age (35–64): 95–97% adoption; highest share on multi-line family plans and employer-provided devices (construction, field services, education, public safety)
• Seniors (65+): 78–84% adoption, a few points below Utah overall; larger share of basic/legacy Android and iPhone models, with lower 5G usage rates
• Language and access: English-dominant county with minimal language-access barriers; digital literacy gaps concentrate among the oldest cohorts rather than by language

Usage patterns that differ from statewide trends

• More fixed-broadband reliance: Fiber and cable availability in Morgan City and Mountain Green keeps smartphone-only dependency lower than Utah’s average; mobile data is offloaded to home Wi‑Fi more often than in many rural Utah counties
• Higher family-plan concentration: Larger household sizes and higher incomes translate to more multi-line accounts per address than the state as a whole
• Commuter-driven mobility: Daytime device presence shifts toward I‑84 and the Wasatch Front commute; peak mobile loads cluster on corridor segments rather than in-town centers, unlike many Utah counties where town cores dominate
• Recreation-driven coverage gaps: Usage spikes on weekends/holidays around East Canyon and Lost Creek areas encounter canyon-induced shadow zones more than the Utah average, increasing reliance on offline maps and satellite messaging among outdoor users
• Slightly lower senior smartphone adoption: The county trails Utah by a few percentage points among 65+, reflecting rural device-support frictions despite overall high income levels

Digital infrastructure

• Cellular coverage and 5G:
  • 4G LTE: Continuous coverage along I‑84 (Mountain Green–Morgan City–Croydon) and in populated valleys
  • 5G: Broad low-band 5G in population centers; mid-band 5G present along the I‑84 corridor and in Mountain Green/Morgan City, delivering typical real-world mid-band speeds where available; pockets of weak/no service persist in deep canyons (East Canyon, Lost Creek)
  • Public safety: FirstNet coverage along main corridors and town centers; interoperability improves reliability for EMS/fire in canyon-adjacent areas but terrain remains a constraint
• Backhaul and towers:
  • Macro sites concentrate on ridge lines and the I‑84 corridor; microwave hops and fiber-fed sites serve the main population strip, with terrain-limited sectors into side canyons
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber-to-the-home is available in Morgan City/Mountain Green through regional providers; cable and VDSL serve additional neighborhoods; fixed wireless fills exurban gaps
  • Home broadband subscription rates are high for a rural county, which materially reduces smartphone-only dependency and raises Wi‑Fi offload versus statewide norms

Implications for stakeholders

• Carriers: Most untapped gain is in canyon and recreation zones; small-cell or repeaters along recreation corridors and venue-based coverage will yield outsized user experience gains relative to added POPs
• Public sector: Targeted build-out incentives in shadow zones and along SR‑65/SR‑66 improve safety and visitor experience more than generic countywide upgrades
• Businesses: Expect strong reliability for mobile point-of-sale and workforce apps in town centers and the I‑84 corridor; plan redundancy (hotspots/satellite) for events and services in canyon areas

Key takeaways

• Morgan County’s smartphone access is as high as the rest of Utah, but residents depend less on mobile-only internet thanks to robust home broadband in core communities
• Coverage is excellent where people live and commute (I‑84 corridor) but notably more variable in recreation canyons than the state average
• Family-plan and multi-line usage exceed Utah norms, reflecting larger households and higher incomes, while seniors lag the statewide adoption rate by a small margin

Morgan County, UT social media snapshot (2025)

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform monthly: 86% (modeled local estimate)

Most‑used platforms (share of adults 18+ using monthly; modeled from 2024 benchmarks, adjusted for Utah’s younger age mix)

• YouTube: 85%
• Facebook: 66%
• Instagram: 52%
• Snapchat: 40%
• TikTok: 39%
• Pinterest: 31%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• LinkedIn: 28%
• Reddit: 22%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• Nextdoor: 17%

Age‑group usage (percent of each age group using the platform monthly; local estimates)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube 95%, Snapchat 82%, Instagram 76%, TikTok 62%, Facebook 58%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube 91%, Facebook 75%, Instagram 60%, TikTok 43%, Snapchat 35%
• Ages 50–64: YouTube 80%, Facebook 69%, Instagram 36%, TikTok 21%, Snapchat 13%
• Ages 65+: YouTube 61%, Facebook 50%, Instagram 15%, TikTok 8%, Snapchat 4%

Gender breakdown (percent of men/women using each platform monthly; local estimates)

• Women: Facebook 71%, Instagram 53%, Pinterest 46%, TikTok 38%, Snapchat 41%, YouTube 82%
• Men: YouTube 88%, Facebook 64%, Instagram 50%, TikTok 40%, Snapchat 38%, Reddit 28%, X 25%, LinkedIn 32%

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Community and family hubs: Facebook Groups and Pages (schools, youth sports, churches, city/county) drive recurring engagement; Facebook Marketplace is a go‑to for outdoor/farm gear and household trades.
• Short‑form video for discovery: Instagram Reels and TikTok influence dining, weekend plans, and outdoor recreation; content that features northern Utah places and local creators performs best.
• Messaging‑first coordination: Parents rely on Facebook Messenger; teens and young adults default to Snapchat for day‑to‑day communication; WhatsApp shows niche use among multilingual families and contractors.
• Daypart patterns: Engagement peaks before work/school (7–8 am) and evenings (8–10 pm) on weekdays; weekend activity is strongest midday; winter weather and road‑closure posts create sharp spikes.
• Local trust signals: Native‑looking posts, recognizable local faces, and community participation outperform overt ads; user‑generated content and endorsements from coaches, organizers, and small‑business owners travel well.
• Neighborhood info: Nextdoor and Facebook neighborhood groups are primary for HOA updates, lost/found, safety alerts; routine civic updates do best with concise, utility‑first posts.

Notes on method

• Figures are 2025 local estimates for Morgan County derived by applying 2024 Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption rates to Utah’s age profile and a suburban/rural adjustment. Percentages refer to adults 18+ unless an age group is specified. Expected margin of error for platform shares is roughly ±3–5 percentage points.