Grant County

Grant County, Washington — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population

• 2023 population estimate: ~102,300 (up from 99,123 in 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~33 years
• Under 18: ~30%
• 18–64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~13%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~45%
• White, non-Hispanic: ~48%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Black, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households

• Total households: ~33,800
• Average household size: ~3.1
• Family households: ~75% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~42%
• Married-couple households: ~56% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~66%

Insights

• Younger age profile and larger average household size than the state average.
• Nearly half of residents are Hispanic/Latino, a defining demographic characteristic.
• Continued population growth since 2020.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 Population Estimates; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year and 2023 ACS 1-year).

• Population and density: 99,123 residents (2020 Census) across ~2,791 sq mi, ≈35.5 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈70,000–75,000 residents. Method: apply national adult email adoption (~92%) to Grant County’s adult population and include older teens (Pew Research Center, recent U.S. benchmarks).
• Adoption by age (share using email, national benchmarks applied locally): 18–29 ≈94%; 30–49 ≈96%; 50–64 ≈92%; 65+ ≈85%. Grant County’s sizable working‑age and senior populations imply broad but slightly lower uptake among the oldest cohort.
• Gender split: essentially even; men ≈92% and women ≈93% use email, mirroring national patterns.
• Digital access (ACS 2018–2022, Computer and Internet Use): approximately 92% of households have a computer and about 86% have a broadband internet subscription, indicating strong capacity for email use but with rural gaps.
• Local connectivity facts and trends: The Moses Lake–Ephrata–Quincy corridor concentrates population and infrastructure. Quincy hosts a large data‑center cluster (e.g., Microsoft and peers), reflecting robust regional fiber/backbone presence. Grant PUD operates and expands open‑access fiber, improving service in towns and some rural areas, while sparsely populated agricultural tracts remain comparatively underserved, which can suppress email usage among the least connected households.

Mobile phone usage in Grant County, Washington — summary with county-level stats, differences versus Washington statewide, and infrastructure context.

User estimates

• Estimated mobile phone users (people using any mobile handset): ~70,000.
  • Method: ACS 2018–2022 puts Grant County’s population just under 100,000 with roughly 71% adults; applying contemporary smartphone adoption among adults adjusted for rural/lower-income mix (≈85%) plus very high teen adoption and a small share of non‑smartphone users yields ≈70k active phone users countywide.

Adoption and access (ACS 2018–2022, household-level)

• Households with a smartphone:
  • Grant County: about 89%
  • Washington: about 92%
• Households with a cellular data plan:
  • Grant County: about 80%
  • Washington: about 85%
• Cellular‑data–only households (households that rely on mobile data without a fixed home broadband subscription):
  • Grant County: roughly 8%
  • Washington: roughly 4%
• Households with no internet subscription:
  • Grant County: about 11%
  • Washington: about 6%
• Households with broadband of any type:
  • Grant County: about 86%
  • Washington: about 92%

What’s different from state-level

• Higher mobile-only reliance: The share of cellular‑data–only households is roughly double the statewide rate, indicating heavier dependence on phones for primary internet access.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: Household smartphone presence trails Washington by several points, consistent with rural and lower‑income patterns.
• Larger households, more youth: A younger age structure and larger average household size push total device counts up within smartphone households, even as overall penetration is a bit lower than the state.
• Language and affordability dynamics: A much larger Spanish‑speaking and Hispanic/Latino population and lower median incomes correlate with higher prepaid and budget plan usage compared with the state average.
• Seasonal swings: Agricultural seasonality brings notable spikes in mobile traffic around Moses Lake, Quincy, Royal City, Warden, and along field operations corridors—patterns less pronounced in Washington’s urban counties.

Demographic context (ACS 2018–2022, unless noted)

• Population: just under 100,000; households ≈33,000.
• Age: higher share under 18 than statewide; lower share 65+ than statewide.
• Race/ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino around low‑to‑mid‑40% of the population—well above the state average.
• Income/education: Median household income below the state median; bachelor’s degree attainment markedly below the state rate. These factors are associated with higher mobile‑only internet use.

Digital infrastructure points

• Open‑access fiber backbone: Grant County PUD operates a countywide open‑access fiber network that wholesales capacity to multiple ISPs. This provides unusually strong backhaul for a rural county and supports dense wireless small‑cell and macro upgrades where fiber laterals exist.
• 5G and LTE coverage pattern:
  • 5G is present in population centers (Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy) and along primary corridors (e.g., I‑90, SR‑17, SR‑28), with mid‑band deployments concentrated in towns.
  • Large agricultural tracts still skew toward LTE for reliable coverage; population coverage is high, but land‑area coverage has notable gaps compared with Washington’s urban counties.
• Data center and transport advantage: Quincy’s hyperscale data center cluster and regional hydro‑powered grid translate to abundant long‑haul and metro fiber, benefiting carrier backhaul and network resiliency relative to typical rural Washington.
• Public safety and redundancy: Widespread FirstNet-capable sites and PUD fiber rings improve redundancy for emergency communications and disaster response versus many peer rural counties.

Implications for carriers and service providers

• Market opportunity in mobile‑primary households: Plans, devices, and content optimized for mobile‑only users, including bilingual support and prepaid flexibility, will over‑index here compared with statewide.
• Capacity engineering: Harvest‑season demand and corridor mobility require temporary capacity augments and rural sector optimizations beyond Washington’s urban tuning profile.
• Fixed‑wireless growth: Given higher mobile‑only reliance and broad PUD fiber backhaul availability, 5G fixed‑wireless access is well‑positioned as a substitute or complement to wireline in outlying communities.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2018–2022) tables on device/connection types (S2801, B28002) and demographics (DP05); sector benchmarks from recent national adoption studies. The figures above reflect ACS household-level measures for Grant County versus Washington statewide and observed infrastructure deployments in the county.

Social media usage snapshot: Grant County, Washington (2025)

Audience size and penetration

• Population: ≈103,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate). Hispanic/Latino ≈45% (2020 Census). Median age ≈31.
• Adults (18+): ≈72,000.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈60,000–62,000 (≈83–86% of adults; Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adoption applied to local age mix).
• Teens (13–17) using at least one platform: ≈85–90% (Pew 2023), or roughly 7,500–8,000 locally.

Most-used platforms (estimated share of adult residents using the platform; Pew 2024 U.S. rates, adjusted for Grant County’s younger and bilingual profile)

• YouTube: ~84%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~50%
• TikTok: ~37%
• Snapchat: ~36%
• WhatsApp: ~35% (elevated vs. U.S. average due to large Hispanic/bilingual population)
• Pinterest: ~33%
• LinkedIn: ~22% (slightly lower given local industry mix)
• X (Twitter): ~20%
• Reddit: ~20%
• Nextdoor: ~12%

Age groups (share of adults using any social media; Pew 2024 benchmarks reflected locally)

• 18–29: ~90–95%
• 30–49: ~85–90%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~45–50%
• Teens 13–17: ~85–90% (Pew 2023)

Gender breakdown

• Population sex split: ~49% female, ~51% male (Census).
• Among social media users locally: approximately balanced overall; women are modestly overrepresented on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, while men are overrepresented on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Pew 2024 patterns).

Behavioral trends observed/expected locally

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups (schools, youth sports, churches, farm swaps) and Marketplace; reliable reach for local announcements and events.
• Mobile-first, messaging-first: DMs and group chats (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram) drive faster responses than public posts; customer-service and appointment coordination often happen in messaging.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts strong among under 35 for local food, outdoors, boating/fishing, farm-life, and DIY content; long-form YouTube remains dominant for how-to, auto, and ag equipment repairs.
• Bilingual engagement: Spanish-language or bilingual content performs above average; WhatsApp and Facebook are key for family networks and community updates.
• Daypart and seasonality: usage spikes early mornings, lunch, and late evenings; seasonal dips during harvest and spikes around school-year milestones and county events.
• Trust in local voices: posts from local officials, schools, first responders, and known small businesses outperform generic brand content; creator collaborations with recognizable local figures lift reach.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census (race/ethnicity), 2023 population estimates (QuickFacts); ACS 5-year for age structure.
• Pew Research Center: Social Media Use in 2024 (adult platform adoption and demographics); Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (teen adoption).

Notes on methodology

• County-specific platform shares are modeled from the latest Pew U.S. adoption rates, then adjusted to Grant County’s younger median age and high Hispanic/Latino share. Where precise county-level platform data are unavailable publicly, these estimates provide the most defensible local snapshot.