Portage County

Key demographics for Portage County, Wisconsin (latest available)

Population

• Total: 70,377 (2020 Census)
• Estimate: ~71,300 (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~37 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–24: ~15%
• 25–44: ~25%
• 45–64: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~89%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–1.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.5–0.6%
• Asian alone: ~5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Some other race alone: ~0.7–0.8%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~86%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~28,700
• Average household size: ~2.40
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~38% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~67%; renter-occupied: ~33%
• Housing units: ~31,000; vacancy rate: ~7–8%

Insights

• Slow but positive population growth since 2020
• Younger age profile than Wisconsin overall due to the university presence
• Predominantly White with a notable Asian (including Hmong) community
• Household size modest and homeownership near two-thirds

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S0101, S1101, DP04)

Portage County, WI (pop. ~71,000) email usage snapshot

Estimated users: 51,000 adult email users. Method: ~78% of residents are 18+ (55,000); ~92% of U.S. adults use email, yielding ~51,000 local adult users.

Age usage rates (share of adults using email):

• 18–29: 98%
• 30–49: 97%
• 50–64: 93%
• 65+: 85% This skews usage highest in the university-centered Stevens Point area and lowest among seniors.

Gender split: Approximately even among adult users (female ~50%, male ~50%), mirroring the county’s population; no meaningful gender gap in email adoption.

Digital access trends:

• Broadband subscription: roughly 9 in 10 households have home internet; non‑adoption is in the single digits, concentrated among lower‑income and 65+ households.
• Smartphone‑only access: about 1 in 6 households rely primarily on mobile service.
• Coverage: Fixed broadband is dense in Stevens Point–Plover; rural townships show lower subscription rates and more satellite/DSL reliance. Fiber and 100+ Mbps availability have expanded since 2019.

Local density/connectivity facts: 823 sq mi land area (86 people/sq mi). UW–Stevens Point and the I‑39/US‑51 corridor correspond with higher speeds and adoption; sparsely populated areas north/east of Stevens Point report slower options.

Mobile phone usage in Portage County, WI — summary and county-vs-state distinctions

What “usage” looks like now (users and penetration)

• Residents using smartphones (modeled estimate, 2024): about 55,000–57,000 people, or roughly 79–81% of the total population and about 91% of adults and older teens combined.
  • Basis: 2020 Census population ≈70–71k; age mix typical of a university county; smartphone ownership rates by age from recent Pew Research Center findings applied to county age structure, with teens 13–17 included.

Demographic breakdown (modeled from age structure and national adoption by age)

• 18–24: ≈9.2k residents; smartphone ownership ≈97% → ≈9.0k users
• 25–44: ≈18.5k; ≈96% → ≈17.7k users
• 45–64: ≈17.8k; ≈92% → ≈16.3k users
• 65+: ≈11.4k; ≈75–78% → ≈8.6k users
• Teens 13–17: ≈4.6k; ≈88–92% → ≈4.1k users
• Urban vs rural concentration: A majority of users live in the Stevens Point–Plover urban core (roughly half of the county’s residents), where 5G service is common; outlying townships skew older and more LTE‑reliant, with modestly lower adoption among 65+ residents.
• Income/plan type: Smartphone ownership is high across income tiers; however, the county’s large student and renter population leads to a higher share of prepaid/MVNO plans and smartphone‑only internet access than the state average.

Digital infrastructure and performance characteristics

• Coverage footprint:
  • 5G: Available from the three national carriers in the Stevens Point–Plover area and along the I‑39/US‑51 corridor; coverage transitions to LTE in northern and eastern townships.
  • LTE: Countywide baseline with pockets of weak indoor coverage in low‑density forested/farm areas (e.g., parts of Alban, Dewey, New Hope, Stockton).
• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), T‑Mobile, Verizon, and UScellular (the latter retains notable rural presence in central Wisconsin).
• Backhaul and anchors: Robust fiber backhaul in and around Stevens Point (university, hospital, schools, municipal facilities) supports higher 5G capacity locally; rural sectors rely on longer microwave/fiber runs, which can constrain peak speeds during busy hours.
• Typical user experience (indicative, not a speed test): Mid‑band 5G in the urban core often delivers triple‑digit Mbps downlink and sub‑40 ms latency; LTE in rural areas more commonly yields tens of Mbps and higher latency, with building penetration challenges at the fringes.

How Portage County differs from Wisconsin overall

• Higher smartphone‑only internet reliance: County share of smartphone‑only households is meaningfully above the statewide average, driven by university students and renters who forgo fixed broadband. Statewide ACS data place Wisconsin in the low‑teens percent for smartphone‑only households; Portage County is several points higher.
• Sharper urban‑rural network divide: The county’s services cluster tightly around Stevens Point–Plover with rapid 5G adoption there, while the rural east/north retains LTE‑only coverage and more dead‑zone complaints than the state aggregate, which averages in more suburban counties around Milwaukee and Madison.
• Carrier mix and resilience: UScellular’s relative strength and AT&T FirstNet adoption by local agencies yield good emergency coverage and redundancy compared with some Wisconsin counties, but day‑to‑day consumer capacity hinges more on T‑Mobile and Verizon mid‑band 5G in the urban core.
• Mobility patterns: Academic‑year population swings (UW–Stevens Point) create pronounced evening and event‑driven congestion around campus and major venues—an effect less visible in state averages.

Key statistics and estimates cited

• Population baseline: ≈70–71k (2020 Census; ACS 5‑year updates put the county in the low‑70k range).
• Smartphone adoption inputs: Pew Research Center’s most recent smartphone ownership rates by age (≈97% ages 18–29; ≈96% ages 30–49; ≈92% ages 50–64; ≈75–78% ages 65+; high‑80s to low‑90s among teens).
• Infrastructure characterization: FCC Broadband Data Collection mobile availability filings (2023–2024 cycles) and carrier public coverage disclosures indicate 5G concentration in Stevens Point–Plover and LTE predominance in outlying townships.

Practical implications

• Marketing/reach: Expect near‑universal mobile reach among adults under 65; rely on SMS/push for students and renters. Plan for slightly lower mobile engagement rates among 65+ in rural townships.
• Service planning: Capacity investments (mid‑band 5G) will have the highest payoff in Stevens Point–Plover; rural reliability gains depend more on additional sites and low‑band spectrum for indoor coverage.
• Digital equity: Smartphone‑only households are a larger local cohort than statewide, so mobile‑first public services (e.g., telehealth, county portals) should be optimized for phones and low‑bandwidth connections.

Social media usage snapshot: Portage County, Wisconsin (2025)

Overall user stats

• Adult adoption: Approximately 80–85% of adults use at least one social platform (modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult averages; Portage County’s age mix closely mirrors Wisconsin statewide).
• Teen adoption: Social use is near-universal among teens; platform preferences skew heavily to video- and messaging-first apps (Pew, 2023).
• Device context: Smartphone-centric consumption dominates; short-form vertical video and group messaging drive daily engagement.

Most-used platforms (share of adults; modeled from Pew 2024)

• YouTube: ~80–85%
• Facebook: ~65–70%
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• LinkedIn: ~25–30%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• X (Twitter): ~20–25%
• Reddit: ~20–25%
• WhatsApp: ~20–25%

Notes:

• Among teens (Pew 2023): YouTube (93%), TikTok (63%), Instagram (62%), Snapchat (60%), with Facebook much lower.
• Facebook remains the top “community layer” platform locally; YouTube is the largest overall reach vehicle across ages.

Age-group patterns in the county

• 13–17: Very high daily use; dominant on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram. Messaging and ephemeral content are primary; local school, sports, and campus-adjacent trends spread fastest here.
• 18–24: Strongest on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube; high receptivity to short-form video, campus life, nightlife, food, and local events (UW–Stevens Point influence).
• 25–44: Multiplatform behavior; Facebook and Instagram for family/community, YouTube for how-to and product research, TikTok rising for recommendations and entertainment.
• 45–64: Facebook + YouTube core; Instagram adoption moderate; local news, groups, school updates, and Marketplace drive engagement.
• 65+: Facebook + YouTube; emphasis on community groups, local government updates, events, and legacy media clips.

Gender breakdown (directional patterns; aligns with Pew 2024)

• Women: Higher usage of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong participation in local Facebook Groups and Marketplace; event- and recommendations-oriented behavior.
• Men: Higher relative usage of YouTube, Reddit, and X; more sports/outdoors, tech, and local policy threads; heavier long-form video consumption on YouTube.

Behavioral trends specific to Portage County

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups (neighborhoods in Stevens Point/Plover, school/parent groups, buy/sell/Marketplace) are central for local information exchange, lost-and-found, and hyperlocal recommendations.
• Event discovery and attendance: Facebook Events and Instagram Stories/Reels are primary channels for farmers markets, festivals, live music, and campus events; TikTok increasingly surfaces local venues and “things to do” lists.
• Short-form video surge: Reels and TikTok are key for food, outdoors, and campus content; cross-posting Reels to Facebook extends reach to 30+ audiences.
• Local commerce: Marketplace is a high-traffic channel for resale; small businesses lean on Facebook + Instagram for promotions; YouTube and TikTok aid product discovery and tutorials.
• News and civic info: City/county departments, school districts, and local media pages see steady engagement on Facebook; meeting clips and explainers perform well on YouTube; X is niche for real-time updates among civic/policy followers.
• Messaging backbone: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are the default coordination tools; WhatsApp is present but secondary compared with Messenger/SMS for most residents.

Practical implications

• To reach most adults quickly: Facebook + YouTube; add Instagram for under-45 reach.
• To reach students/young adults: Instagram + TikTok + Snapchat; lean into short-form video and campus-oriented hooks.
• For community trust and action: Facebook Groups and Events; pair with brief YouTube explainers for clarity and shareability.
• For professional/educational audiences: LinkedIn for credibility and recruitment; YouTube for in-depth content.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults platform adoption and daily use)
• Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (U.S. teen platform adoption)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 (Portage County age/sex structure; used to align county-level estimates with national usage rates)

Method note: Percentages shown for Portage County are best-available local estimates derived by applying Pew’s latest platform adoption rates to the county’s demographic profile; precise, county-specific platform shares are not directly published, but the estimates closely track Wisconsin’s demographic and urban–rural mix.