Jackson County

Jackson County, Wisconsin — key demographics (most recent Census/ACS)

Population size

• Total population: ~21,300 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18 to 64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Sex

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47% Note: Elevated male share reflects the county’s correctional population.

Race and ethnicity (share of total)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~83–85%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~8–10%
• Black or African American: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• Two or more races: ~3–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4–5% Note: Native American share is well above the Wisconsin average, reflecting Ho-Chunk Nation presence.

Households

• Households: roughly 8,500–8,900 (ACS 5-year)
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~62%
• Married-couple families: ~48–50%
• Householder living alone: ~30–31% (about 12% age 65+)
• Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
• Owner-occupied rate: ~70–75% (remainder renter-occupied)

Insights

• Small, stable population with an older age profile than the state overall.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple families, but nearly one-third are individuals living alone.
• Racial composition is predominantly White, with a notably higher Native American share than the state average and a modest Hispanic presence.

Jackson County, WI overview

• Population: 21,000–22,000 residents; low density (22 people per square mile), centered on Black River Falls with extensive rural/forested areas.
• Estimated email users: 15,000–17,000 residents (driven by near-universal adult email adoption in the U.S. and typical rural-WI internet access).

Age distribution of email users (estimate)

• 13–24: ~18–20%
• 25–44: ~32–35%
• 45–64: ~28–30%
• 65+: ~17–20% (slightly lower adoption than younger groups, but growing)

Gender split

• Overall population skews roughly balanced; email usage is effectively even by gender (≈50/50). Any small male skew in population does not materially change usage split.

Digital access and trends

• Household internet: roughly 80–85% with home broadband; 10–15% lack home internet. Smartphone-only access ~8–10%, providing email without fixed broadband.
• Connectivity: Service strongest in and around Black River Falls and along I‑94/US‑12; fiber and cable expansions since 2021 have improved speeds in populated corridors. Fixed wireless fills gaps in outlying townships; some forested/low-density areas remain underserved.
• Mobile: 4G is widespread on major routes; 5G present near population centers, aiding on-the-go email access.

Insight: Email use is widespread and functionally universal among working-age adults; remaining gaps correlate with the county’s rural density and pockets lacking reliable broadband.

Mobile phone usage in Jackson County, Wisconsin — 2024 snapshot

Overall user base

• Residents using a mobile phone (any type): approximately 16,500–17,500 people, reflecting about 92–95% of adults and most teens. This is slightly below Wisconsin’s overall mobile penetration, which is typically a few percentage points higher in urban counties.

Adoption and access patterns

• Households with at least one smartphone: roughly 88–91% in Jackson County, versus about 92–94% statewide. The local shortfall reflects older age structure and rural coverage constraints.
• Smartphone-dependent for home internet (no wired broadband, relying on cellular data plans and/or carrier fixed wireless): about 19–24% of households locally, versus roughly 12–15% statewide. This is one of the clearest divergences from the state average.
• Wireless-only voice households (no landline): about 58–63% in the county, compared with roughly 66–70% statewide. A higher share of landline retention among seniors keeps the county below the state figure even as mobile dominates for most working-age residents.

Demographic breakdown of mobile use

• Age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone ownership (95–98%), heavy app- and messaging-first behavior; materially higher use of mobile hotspots.
  • 35–64: high smartphone ownership (around 90–93%); strong work dependence for logistics, agriculture, trucking, and contracting; above-average use of mobile for job scheduling and navigation.
  • 65+: lower smartphone adoption (about 73–78%); more basic phones and smaller data plans; higher persistence of landlines than the state average.
• Income
  • Lowest-income quartile: smartphone ownership around 85–88%; smartphone-dependent for home internet around 30–35% (notably above county average). Prepaid plans and data-capped offers are more prevalent than elsewhere in Wisconsin.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Native American households in and around Ho-Chunk communities show smartphone ownership comparable to county averages but measurably higher smartphone dependence for home internet (by roughly 5–10 percentage points) due to more limited wired options and affordability constraints.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE is effectively ubiquitous in populated areas and along I‑94/US‑12; coverage degrades in sparsely populated, forested areas and valleys, producing dead zones and lower indoor signal quality.
  • 5G low-band from major carriers covers most residents; mid-band 5G (n41/n77) is concentrated along the I‑94 corridor and around Black River Falls, with far thinner availability in outlying townships.
• Speeds and reliability
  • Typical median mobile downloads in the county: roughly 35–65 Mbps; uploads 5–10 Mbps. Statewide medians are notably higher (about 90–120 Mbps down, 10–18 Mbps up), driven by denser mid-band 5G in metro areas.
  • Congestion spikes around travel corridors and events; coverage gaps persist in the state forest and low-density areas.
• Home internet via mobile networks
  • Carrier fixed wireless access (FWA) using 5G from T‑Mobile and Verizon is available around Black River Falls and along the interstate, with patchier service elsewhere. This FWA footprint, plus limited cable/fiber beyond town centers, materially increases the share of smartphone- and mobile-network–dependent households compared to the state.
• Public safety and roaming
  • FirstNet Band 14 and low-band 5G improve highway and emergency coverage; overall redundancy is weaker off-corridor than in Wisconsin’s metro counties.

Trends that diverge from state-level patterns

• Higher smartphone dependence for home connectivity: Jackson County’s smartphone-only (and broader mobile-network–dependent) households materially exceed the state share, substituting mobile data for scarce or unaffordable wired broadband outside town centers.
• Slower 5G performance uplift: Mid-band 5G coverage and tower density expanded later and more narrowly than in metro Wisconsin, keeping typical speeds well below the state median.
• Greater persistence of landlines among seniors: The county retains more landlines than the state average, slightly lowering the wireless-only household share despite near-universal mobile use in younger cohorts.
• Heavier reliance on prepaid and ACP-era plans: Lower incomes and the lapse of the federal ACP in 2024 have shifted some households from wired or bundled plans to mobile-only solutions, nudging smartphone dependence upward in 2024–2025.
• Corridor-driven disparity: Service quality and 5G capacity are materially better near I‑94 and Black River Falls than in remote townships, producing within-county gaps that are less pronounced in Wisconsin’s urban counties.

Key takeaways

• Mobile phones are the primary communications channel for virtually all working-age residents, but the county’s overall smartphone and 5G experience trails the state because of rural topology, lower tower density, and a later mid-band rollout.
• Compared with Wisconsin overall, Jackson County has a distinctly higher share of households relying on mobile networks (smartphones and 5G FWA) for everyday home internet, a pattern that is unlikely to reverse until wired broadband extends beyond the core population centers.
• Expect incremental improvements along the interstate and in Black River Falls as carriers densify mid-band 5G; coverage gaps and below-state median speeds will persist in outlying areas without additional tower siting or targeted rural upgrades.

Jackson County, Wisconsin social media snapshot (2025, modeled from the county’s age mix and national platform adoption)

Topline user stats

• Residents age 13+ (est.): ~18.2k
• Social media users (age 13+): ~14.4k (≈79% of 13+)
• Share of all residents using social media: ≈67%

Age composition of social media users

• 13–17: 8.5%
• 18–29: 17.4%
• 30–49: 32.5%
• 50–64: 23.2%
• 65+: 18.4%

Gender breakdown

• Women: ~52% of users
• Men: ~48% of users
• Notes: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Most-used platforms in the county (share of residents age 13+)

• YouTube: ~75.6%
• Facebook: ~65.2%
• Instagram: ~41.7%
• TikTok: ~33.5%
• Pinterest: ~33.2%
• Snapchat: ~25.6%
• LinkedIn: ~25.9%
• X (Twitter): ~19.4%

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first on Facebook: High participation in local groups, school and youth sports updates, church and civic announcements, event promotion, and Facebook Marketplace for buy/sell/trade.
• How-to and long-form on YouTube: Strong use across ages for home, land, hunting/fishing, vehicle and farm equipment repair, and local event replays; growing viewing on connected TVs.
• Youth attention split: Teens and 18–29s lean heavily into Snapchat (messaging/stories), TikTok (short-form video, trends), and Instagram (Reels, DMs); Facebook remains secondary for this cohort except for events and family.
• Practical and seasonal content wins: Posts tied to school calendars, county fair, hunting seasons, snow conditions, road and weather updates, and local business spotlights outperform generic content.
• Commerce and services: Facebook pages and Marketplace are primary for local service discovery and peer recommendations; Instagram and TikTok drive awareness for food, retail, fitness/beauty, and events among under-40s.
• Rural connectivity effects: Mobile-first use and evening/weekend peaks; concise video with captions and clear calls to action performs best; offline periods favor asynchronous viewing (YouTube, saved posts).
• Ad/organic mix guidance: For broad reach, prioritize Facebook + YouTube; for under-35 reach, add Instagram Reels and TikTok; use geotargeting around Black River Falls, schools, clinics, the fairgrounds, and major employers.

Method notes and sources

• Figures are county-level estimates created by applying age- and gender-specific platform adoption rates from recent Pew Research Center studies to Jackson County’s population structure (U.S. Census Bureau ACS). Rounding applied.
• Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults) and Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey/QuickFacts for Jackson County, WI (latest available).