Waupaca County

Waupaca County, Wisconsin — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Census and 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: ~52,000 (2023 estimate); 51,812 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~45 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~23%

Gender

• Female: ~49–50%
• Male: ~50–51%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~92%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.8–1.0%
• Black or African American: ~0.6–0.7%
• Asian: ~0.4–0.5%

Households and housing

• Households: ~21,500–22,000
• Persons per household: ~2.3
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~79%
• Households with children under 18: ~25%
• One-person households: ~27–29%

Insights

• The county is older than the U.S. overall, with about one in four residents age 65+.
• Population has been stable to slightly growing since 2020.
• The population is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but present racial/ethnic diversity.

• Population and density: ~51,500 residents over ~748 sq mi (≈69 people/sq mi), indicating largely rural connectivity conditions.
• Estimated email users: 38,000 adults. Method: ~82% of residents are 18+ (42,200); ~90% of adults use email, consistent with national/rural adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (approx.):
  • 18–29: 7,200 (19%)
  • 30–49: 11,400 (30%)
  • 50–64: 10,600 (28%)
  • 65+: 8,800 (23%)
• Gender split of email users: 50% women (19,000) and 50% men (19,000); usage is essentially parity by gender in surveys.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~81% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS 2022).
  • ~90% of households have a computer or similar device (ACS 2022), supporting routine email access.
  • Email use is near-universal among working-age adults; adoption among 65+ continues to rise, driven by healthcare, government services, and banking going online.
• Local connectivity context: Fixed high-speed options (cable/fiber) are concentrated in population centers such as Waupaca, New London, and Clintonville, while outlying townships rely more on DSL and fixed wireless; this lowers speeds and reliability at the edges, modestly dampening email intensity among the oldest and most rural households.

Mobile phone usage in Waupaca County, Wisconsin — summary with county-specific estimates, demographic patterns, and infrastructure highlights, emphasizing how the county differs from statewide trends.

User estimates and penetration

• Population baseline: 51,812 residents (2020 Census); ~22,700 households (ACS 5‑year).
• Estimated individual smartphone users (age 13+): ~39,400, or ~76% of total residents. Method: applied recent age-specific smartphone adoption rates to Waupaca’s older age mix.
• Household smartphone access: 19,500 households (86% of households) have at least one smartphone.
• Cellular-only home internet: 2,500 households (11%) rely on a cellular data plan as their primary/only home internet, above typical Wisconsin levels.
• 5G Home/Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) adoption: 2,000 households (9%) use 5G/LTE fixed wireless for home broadband, reflecting stronger uptake than in Wisconsin’s more urbanized areas.

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age-driven usage pattern (key differentiator versus Wisconsin overall):
  • 65+ residents are a larger share locally; estimated smartphone adoption among seniors is ~76%, equating to ~9,100 senior smartphone users and ~2,900 seniors without a smartphone. This depresses overall county penetration versus the state.
  • Prime working ages (30–49) remain near-saturation (~95%) but form a smaller share of the population than statewide.
  • Teens (13–17) show very high smartphone adoption (~95%), helping keep youth usage near statewide levels despite smaller cohort size.
• Geography and income:
  • Rural townships exhibit lower in-home signal quality and higher reliance on external antennas, boosters, and fixed wireless. This drives higher cellular-only internet use compared with Wisconsin’s urban counties.
  • Lower-density settlement and a modest income profile correlate with slightly higher prepaid usage and longer device replacement cycles than the state average.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Carrier presence: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular all operate in the county. 4G LTE is broadly available in populated areas and along corridors (US‑10, US‑45, WI‑22); coverage gaps persist in sparsely populated northern and western townships and in heavy tree canopy.
• 5G availability:
  • 5G covers population centers (Waupaca, New London, Clintonville, Weyauwega) and major roadways; coverage is more patchy off-corridor compared with Wisconsin’s metro counties.
  • Mid-band 5G (for higher speeds) is concentrated near towns and highways; many rural blocks rely on low-band 5G or strong LTE.
• Performance:
  • Typical median mobile download speeds in the county trail Wisconsin’s statewide medians because of lower tower density and more low-band usage. Speeds are highest near towns and along US‑10; they moderate quickly with distance from sites.
• Home broadband interplay:
  • Cable and fiber footprints thin outside municipal limits, boosting adoption of carrier FWA (Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular) and cellular-only internet. This is a notable divergence from Wisconsin’s urban counties, where fiber/cable suppress FWA share.
• Public safety and resiliency:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) and Band 14 assets cover primary corridors and towns; coverage becomes more contingent on terrain and tower proximity in remote areas, prompting greater use of external antennas for agencies and farms.

How Waupaca County differs from state-level trends

• Older age structure reduces overall smartphone penetration versus Wisconsin’s statewide average despite near-saturation among working-age adults and teens.
• Higher cellular-only and fixed wireless home internet adoption (driven by rural geography and limited wireline alternatives) than the state overall.
• 5G coverage is present countywide but is less uniformly mid-band; performance relies more on low-band 5G/LTE outside towns, whereas Wisconsin’s metro counties see broader mid-band deployment.
• Tower density and signal quality vary more sharply with distance from towns and forested terrain, creating greater reliance on boosters and directional antennas than in most of the state.

Notes on estimation

• Counts and percentages are derived from the 2020 Census population and ACS household counts, combined with recent age-specific smartphone adoption benchmarks (e.g., high 90s for 18–49, ~90% for 50–64, mid‑70s for 65+). Household smartphone share and cellular-only/FWA shares reflect county rural profile adjustments relative to recent ACS and carrier adoption patterns observed across rural Wisconsin.

Waupaca County, WI — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Topline size and usage

• Population: 51,812 (2020 Census). Adults 18+: approximately 40–41k.
• Estimated adult social media users: about 34k (based on Pew Research Center’s 2024 finding that ~83% of U.S. adults use at least one social platform; applied to local adult population).

Most-used platforms (share of adults; Pew 2024) and approximate Waupaca adult users

• YouTube: 83% → ~34k adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~28k
• Instagram: 47% → ~19k
• Pinterest: 35% → ~14k
• TikTok: 33% → ~14k
• Snapchat: 30% → ~12k
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~12k
• Reddit: 22% → ~9k
• X (Twitter): 22% → ~9k
• WhatsApp: 21% → ~9k Note: Percentages are U.S. adult usage rates from Pew Research Center (2024). Counts are local estimates produced by applying those rates to the county’s adult population.

Age-group patterns (local behavior aligns with rural U.S. trends)

• 13–17: Heavy Snapchat for messaging and TikTok/YouTube for entertainment; minimal public posting elsewhere.
• 18–29: Near-universal YouTube use; high Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; Facebook mainly for events/groups and Marketplace.
• 30–49: Broadest multi-platform use; Facebook and YouTube dominate for local info, parenting, school/sports; Instagram for lifestyle; TikTok rising for discovery/shopping.
• 50–64: Facebook is the primary network; YouTube for news/how-to; growing but still modest Instagram use.
• 65+: Facebook remains the anchor for community, churches, clubs; YouTube for how-to, health, and local content; limited use of newer apps.

Gender breakdown

• County sex split is roughly even (about 50/50). Platform skews mirror national patterns:
  • Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest.
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
  • Instagram and TikTok are relatively balanced, with younger women slightly more active on Instagram; younger men slightly more on Reddit and YouTube.

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Facebook is the community hub: Groups (neighborhoods, schools, hunting/fishing, church, buy/sell), local news, obituaries, events, and especially Marketplace see high engagement.
• Video is the default: YouTube for how-to, DIY, small-engine repair, outdoor/recreation content; short-form video growth via Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok.
• Messaging is fragmented: Facebook Messenger dominates among adults; Snapchat is the primary messenger for teens/young adults.
• Commerce and recommendations: Facebook Marketplace is the first stop for used goods; local services benefit from Facebook recommendations and Google/YouTube searches that surface how-to and review content.
• Seasonality and timing: Engagement lifts around school calendars, hunting/fishing seasons, county fairs, and holidays; peak check-in times are early morning, lunch, and evenings.
• Ad/creative implications:
  • Facebook/Instagram: locally anchored creative (familiar landmarks, events, schools) and video/carousels perform best; Groups and Events drive attendance.
  • YouTube: skippable in-stream and Shorts for awareness; how-to integrations for consideration.
  • TikTok/short-form: authentic, place-based clips (outdoors, lakes, sports, agriculture) generate shares and comments.
  • LinkedIn use is moderate and centered on healthcare, manufacturing, education, and municipal roles.

Sources and method

• Population baseline: U.S. Census (2020).
• Platform penetration and demographic skews: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024.
• Local counts are modeled by applying Pew’s U.S. adult platform usage percentages to the county’s adult population; they are best-available estimates intended for planning.