Juneau County

Juneau County, Wisconsin – key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population size

• 26,718 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 44–45 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Sex

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White: ~88%
• Black or African American: ~5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6%
• White, not Hispanic: ~84%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~10,500
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49%
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Households of individuals: ~30%
• 65+ living alone: ~13%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%

Insights

• Older-than-national age profile with roughly one in five residents 65+.
• Male share is elevated, influenced by correctional institutions.
• Predominantly White population with small but meaningful Black and Hispanic communities.
• Household sizes are modest; family households are the majority but individual households are substantial.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Juneau County, WI overview

• Population and density: ≈26,700 residents; ≈35 people per sq. mile.
• Estimated email users: ≈18,800 adult users (about 70% of all residents, ≈90% of adults), modeled from Census/ACS demographics and Pew email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: ~23% (≈4.3k)
  • 35–54: ~33% (≈6.2k)
  • 55–64: ~18% (≈3.4k)
  • 65+: ~26% (≈4.9k)
• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male (mirrors county sex ratio).
• Digital access trends:
  • ≈79% of households have a broadband internet subscription; ≈90% have a computer (ACS 2018–2022).
  • Mobile-only internet households remain significant (~10–12%), so a notable share accesses email primarily via smartphones.
  • Connectivity is strongest in and around Mauston, New Lisbon, and Necedah; dispersed rural settlement correlates with more variable fixed broadband speeds and greater reliance on cellular data and public Wi‑Fi. Insights
• Email penetration is effectively universal among working-age adults and strong among seniors, putting total adult users near 19k.
• Local density and rural geography shape access patterns: solid overall subscription rates but pockets where cellular is the primary on-ramp for email, influencing check frequency and device mix.

Mobile phone usage in Juneau County, Wisconsin — key findings and how they differ from statewide patterns

Overall usage and user estimates

• Population baseline: ~26.7k residents and roughly 10–11k households. Adult share is typical for rural Wisconsin.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: 15.5k–17.5k (roughly 75–82% of adults), below Wisconsin’s statewide adult smartphone uptake (about mid-to-high 80s).
• Households with at least one smartphone: approximately 82–87%, versus roughly 89–92% statewide.
• Mobile-only home internet (households relying on cellular data plans as their primary connection): approximately 10–15%, notably higher than Wisconsin overall (about 6–9%).
• Prepaid share of mobile subscriptions: elevated (roughly 20–28%) relative to statewide (about 12–18%), reflecting income mix and patchy fixed broadband in rural tracts.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (around 90–95%); heavy mobile data, streaming, and social app use.
  • 35–64: high adoption (around 85–90%); broad use for work coordination, navigation, and family communication.
  • 65+: materially lower adoption (about 55–65%); more voice/SMS first usage, with growing use of telehealth and messaging; adoption constrained by device cost and training. The age structure in Juneau County is older than the state average, pulling down overall smartphone adoption and increasing the share of voice/SMS-centric users.
• Income and education:
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet (often 20–30% in the under-$35k bracket), using unlimited or high-cap data plans in lieu of cable/fiber.
  • Middle- and higher-income households generally pair smartphones with fixed broadband; they report better 5G experiences near town centers but revert to LTE or Wi‑Fi calling in outlying areas.
• Geography within the county:
  • Stronger coverage and 5G availability in and around Mauston, New Lisbon, Camp Douglas, and along the I‑90/94 corridor; weaker or intermittent service in heavily forested and wetland areas (e.g., around Necedah and the sand plain), where terrain and vegetation attenuate signals.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • The county’s population is predominantly White; observed mobile usage gaps align more with age, income, and location than with race or ethnicity.

Digital infrastructure and market conditions

• Carrier presence: Verizon, AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14 for public safety), T‑Mobile, and UScellular all serve the county. UScellular retains meaningful rural footprint and roaming value for travelers.
• 4G LTE: Broad pop‑coverage for voice/SMS and basic data across settled areas, with dead zones in low-density forest/wetland tracts and along some secondary roads.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from all three national carriers is present along primary corridors and town centers.
  • Mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile n41 2.5 GHz; Verizon/AT&T C‑band n77) is concentrated near Mauston/New Lisbon/Camp Douglas and along I‑90/94, with limited reach into outlying rural blocks. This constrains peak speeds compared with state urban/suburban markets.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Interstate fiber routes and telco central offices along I‑90/94 and rail corridors anchor macro sites; rural exchanges have been upgraded selectively with fiber, which supports newer 5G radios where available.
  • Fixed wireless ISPs using CBRS (3.5 GHz) and other bands are active on rural towers; this indirectly supports mobile by enhancing shared sites and backhaul options.
• Public safety and defense:
  • Volk Field Air National Guard base (Camp Douglas) drives FirstNet focus and ensures prioritized AT&T coverage in adjacent areas; network hardening and backup power are better around public-safety nodes.
• Site topology:
  • Macro towers cluster along interstate and state highways (I‑90/94, US‑12/16, WI‑58/82); co-location is common. Small-cell deployment is limited to a few institutional locations; rural density doesn’t yet justify broad small-cell buildout.

How Juneau County differs from statewide trends

• Higher reliance on mobile-only home internet: Juneau County’s rate is roughly 1.3–1.8 times the statewide share, reflecting sparser cable/fiber in rural blocks and cost sensitivity.
• Lower mid-band 5G footprint and more LTE fallback: Users more often experience LTE or low-band 5G outside town centers, yielding lower median speeds and higher variability than the state average.
• Older age profile depresses smartphone saturation: County-wide adoption rates trail the state by several percentage points, with the 65+ cohort a key gap.
• More prepaid and budget devices: Prepaid penetration and use of budget Android handsets are higher than the statewide mix, influencing app performance and device longevity.
• Seasonal demand swings: Summer tourism, lakes/recreation, and I‑90/94 traffic drive pronounced seasonal congestion spikes not as visible in many non-tourism counties.
• Coverage constraints are terrain-driven: Forest, wetland, and sand-plain propagation challenges create persistent dead zones despite nominal LTE coverage—an issue less acute in many suburban Wisconsin counties.

Implications for stakeholders

• Carriers: Greatest ROI for new mid-band 5G sectors is on existing macro sites serving Mauston/New Lisbon/Camp Douglas and along I‑90/94, plus targeted rural infill near recreation areas with seasonal surges.
• Public sector and health providers: Maintain emphasis on FirstNet hardening and promote Wi‑Fi calling literacy for residents in fringe areas; leverage fixed-wireless and BEAD-funded fiber backhaul to improve both home broadband and mobile performance.
• Consumers: Where fixed broadband is unavailable, pairing an external 5G gateway or high‑gain LTE/5G antenna with an unlimited plan can stabilize home connectivity; expect best mobile performance near highway corridors and town centers.

Sources and methodology

• Estimates synthesize 2020 Census population baselines, American Community Survey S2801 (5‑year) device and subscription patterns, FCC mobile coverage filings (BDC), and Pew Research smartphone adoption differentials for rural versus statewide/urban populations. Localized infrastructure insights reflect carrier deployment patterns typical for rural Wisconsin counties with interstate corridors and defense/public-safety sites.

Juneau County, WI — social media usage snapshot (adult residents, 18+)

How these figures were built: Modeled estimates for Juneau County using 2024 Pew Research Center platform-adoption rates by age, gender, and community type (rural) applied to the county’s latest Census demographic profile (2020). Percentages below refer to adults; counts are rounded.

Core user stats

• Adult population baseline: ≈21,000
• Platform reach among adults (uses at least occasionally):
  • YouTube: ~80% (≈16,800)
  • Facebook: ~68% (≈14,300)
  • Instagram: ~37% (≈7,800)
  • Pinterest: ~34% (≈7,100)
  • TikTok: ~29% (≈6,100)
  • Snapchat: ~24% (≈5,000)
  • LinkedIn: ~21% (≈4,400)
  • X (Twitter): ~20% (≈4,200)
  • WhatsApp: ~20% (≈4,200)
  • Reddit: ~18% (≈3,800)
• Most-used platforms locally (by adult reach): YouTube (80%), Facebook (68%), Instagram (37%), Pinterest (34%), TikTok (~29%)

Age pattern highlights

• Any social platform usage (penetration by age, applied locally): 18–29 ~84%; 30–49 ~81%; 50–64 ~73%; 65+ ~45%
• 18–29 over-index on short-form and chat: YouTube (90%+), Instagram (75%+), Snapchat (65%+), TikTok (60%+); Facebook is secondary
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram strong; TikTok adoption growing
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest is a notable third
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube are the primary platforms; low usage elsewhere

Gender breakdown

• Overall social user base: Women ~53%, Men ~47% (women’s higher adoption of Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest offset by men’s tilt to YouTube/Reddit/X)
• Platform skews applied locally:
  • More women: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
  • More men: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn
  • Snapchat is near-balanced, slightly female-leaning among younger adults

Behavioral trends and local usage norms

• Facebook is the day-to-day hub for Juneau County: local news, school updates, municipal alerts, church and civic groups, garage sales, and Marketplace; Groups drive the highest engagement
• Video rules attention: YouTube for how‑to, trades, outdoor recreation, local sports highlights; Reels/shorts outperform static posts on Facebook and Instagram
• Messaging is default customer service: Facebook Messenger dominates for local businesses; WhatsApp used in specific communities and for family ties, not broadly public-facing
• Shopping and discovery: Facebook/Instagram fuel local retail discovery; Marketplace is a primary channel for resale of farm, outdoor, and household goods
• Younger adults prefer ephemeral/DM-first channels: Snapchat and Instagram DMs for coordination; TikTok for entertainment and trends; cross-posting from TikTok to Reels is common
• Pinterest is a planning tool for women 25–54: home projects, recipes, crafts, seasonal events around Castle Rock/Petenwell lakes and hunting seasons
• LinkedIn is niche but practical: hiring in healthcare, government, education, manufacturing; best for professional recruiting rather than consumer marketing
• Prime engagement windows: Evenings (6–9 pm) and early mornings for Facebook/Instagram; weekend spikes for events, Marketplace, and outdoor content; YouTube sees sustained evening/OTT viewing on smart TVs

Practical implications

• To reach most residents efficiently: prioritize Facebook (pages + Groups + Marketplace) and YouTube; add Instagram for 18–49 reach and visual storytelling; layer TikTok for under‑35s
• Creative format priorities: vertical short video, photo carousels, and clear local hooks; event- and season‑tied content performs best
• Community-first voice and timely responses in Messenger meaningfully lift outcomes for local organizations and small businesses