Winnebago County

Winnebago County, Wisconsin — key demographics

Population size

• 171,730 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 38.6 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 21.2%
• 18–64: 61.9%
• 65 and over: 16.9%

Gender

• Male: 49.6%
• Female: 50.4% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census)

• White alone: 86.9%
• Black or African American alone: 2.3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.8%
• Asian alone: 3.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%
• Some other race alone: 1.4%
• Two or more races: 4.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 5.1%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 82.6%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: 73,200
• Average household size: 2.35
• Family households: 58% of households
• Average family size: 2.96
• Housing tenure: 66% owner-occupied, 34% renter-occupied

Insights

• Predominantly White with modest and growing diversity (notably Hispanic/Latino and Asian populations).
• Age structure slightly younger than Wisconsin overall, influenced by the university presence in Oshkosh.
• Household composition is balanced, with about two-thirds owner-occupied and average household size around 2.3.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171, DHC) and American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Winnebago County, WI snapshot (pop. ≈172,000; land ≈434 sq mi; density ≈395/sq mi)

• Estimated email users: 125,000–130,000 residents (~73–76% of all residents; ≈90% of adults).
• Adult email users by age:
  • 18–29: ~21%
  • 30–49: ~34%
  • 50–64: ~25%
  • 65+: ~20% (Reflects national age-specific email adoption applied to local age structure.)
• Gender split among users: near parity, ~50–51% women and 49–50% men, mirroring the adult population.
• Digital access and trends (ACS-based):
  • ~93% of households have a computer.
  • ~92% have some internet subscription (including cellular data).
  • ~86–88% subscribe to fixed broadband; up roughly 4–6 percentage points since 2018.
  • Smartphone-only home internet is roughly 13–15%, indicative of mobile-first access for a notable minority.
• Local connectivity context:
  • Most residents live in the Oshkosh–Neenah–Menasha urban corridor along US 41, where cable and fiber coverage is strongest and speeds are highest.
  • Rural fringes and western townships rely more on fixed wireless/DSL, with lower average speeds and higher variability.

Overall: Email usage is near-universal among connected adults, with the largest user block aged 30–49 and a balanced gender profile.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Winnebago County, Wisconsin (2023–2024)

Headline estimates (modeled from the latest ACS computer/Internet tables, Pew smartphone adoption by age, county demographics, and FCC coverage data)

• Population: ~172,000; households: ~71,000
• Residents age 13+: ~147,000
• Smartphone users (age 13+): ~136,000 (≈92–93% adoption among age 13+)
• Households with at least one smartphone: ~66,000 (≈93% of households)
• Smartphone-only Internet households (rely on cellular data, no wired broadband): ~7,000 (≈10% of households)
• Primary deviation vs Wisconsin overall: Winnebago County runs a little higher on smartphone presence and smartphone-only reliance than the state average (by roughly 1–2 percentage points for smartphone presence and 1–3 points for smartphone-only), driven by its younger, university-influenced population and urban corridor along I-41

Demographic breakdown (drivers of usage and device reliance)

• Age
  • 18–24: Very high smartphone adoption (~97–99%); larger share of the county than the state due to UW–Oshkosh and nearby employers. This raises county-wide smartphone penetration and smartphone-only reliance.
  • 25–44: High adoption (~95–97%); heavy mobile data usage and high incidence of multi-line family plans.
  • 45–64: High but tapering adoption (~88–92%); more mixed reliance (mobile plus cable/fiber at home).
  • 65+: Solid but lower adoption (~75–80%); still shows a measurable gap vs younger cohorts; lower smartphone-only reliance.
• Income and housing
  • Renters and lower-income households in Oshkosh/Menasha show higher smartphone-only Internet reliance than the county average, reflecting cost-sensitive substitution away from wired broadband.
  • Owner-occupied areas in the Neenah–Town of Menasha suburbs skew toward dual connectivity (mobile + cable/fiber).
• Urban vs rural
  • Urban/commuter corridor (Oshkosh–Neenah–Menasha, US-41/I-41) exhibits near-ubiquitous 5G and stronger mid-band capacity; smartphone usage and mobile data dependence are higher than the state average.
  • Western and far-northern townships show more 4G fallback and slightly lower smartphone-only reliance due to coverage variability and fewer multi-tenant dwellings.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Cellular networks
  • All three national MNOs (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide 4G LTE coverage with widespread 5G along the I-41 corridor and in Oshkosh, Neenah, and Menasha. Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in population centers; fringe areas see more low-band 5G/4G.
  • Indoor coverage is generally strong in newer commercial zones; older dense housing near campus and downtown Oshkosh can experience mid-band attenuation, with carriers leaning on low-band 5G/LTE or small cells.
• Fixed alternatives affecting mobile reliance
  • Cable broadband (Spectrum) is broadly available across the urbanized east; where cable/fiber is present, smartphone-only reliance declines.
  • Fiber availability is expanding but remains uneven across townships, sustaining higher smartphone-only rates in pockets without competitively priced wired options.
  • Fixed wireless access (5G home Internet from Verizon/T-Mobile) is present along the corridor and is increasingly adopted by renters and mobile-first households; this moderates but does not eliminate smartphone-only reliance.
• Public and institutional connectivity
  • The UW–Oshkosh campus and municipal facilities provide robust Wi‑Fi footprints that enable heavy mobile offload in core city areas, reinforcing high smartphone usage among students and service workers.

How Winnebago County differs from statewide patterns

• Slightly higher smartphone penetration and smartphone-only household share than the Wisconsin average, attributable to a larger 18–24 cohort and more renters near the university and along the I-41 employment corridor.
• Greater 5G mid-band coverage density and capacity in urban cores than typical Wisconsin counties of similar size, supporting higher per-user mobile data consumption.
• More pronounced urban–rural contrast within the county: the east-corridor cities mirror metropolitan usage profiles, while western townships align more closely with statewide rural patterns (more LTE fallback, lower smartphone-only rates, and higher dependence on legacy wired or satellite options).

Notes on method

• User and household figures are derived by applying the most recent county demographic structure (ACS) to current smartphone adoption benchmarks by age (Pew/NTIA) and ACS S2801 household device/subscription patterns, then aligning with FCC coverage footprints to localize smartphone-only reliance. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand for clarity.

Winnebago County, WI — Social media usage snapshot (modeled 2024)

Population base

• Residents: ~172,000
• Adults (18+): ~136,000
• Teens (13–17): ~10,500 Note: Counts below are modeled by applying current U.S. platform adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) to the county’s population. Percentages refer to share of each age group using the platform; people use multiple platforms.

Most-used platforms (adults, 18+)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults ≈ 113,000 users
• Facebook: ~68% ≈ 93,000
• Instagram: ~47% ≈ 64,000
• TikTok: ~33% ≈ 45,000
• Pinterest: ~35% ≈ 48,000
• LinkedIn: ~30% ≈ 41,000
• Snapchat: ~27% ≈ 37,000
• X (Twitter): ~22% ≈ 30,000
• Nextdoor: ~20% ≈ 27,000
• WhatsApp: ~21% ≈ 29,000

Youth usage (teens, 13–17)

• YouTube: ~93% ≈ 9,800 teens
• Instagram: ~62% ≈ 6,500
• TikTok: ~67% ≈ 7,000
• Snapchat: ~60% ≈ 6,300
• Facebook: ~33% ≈ 3,500

Age-group patterns (who uses what, locally)

• 13–17: YouTube dominant; TikTok and Snapchat central to daily messaging and trends; Instagram for friends/creators; limited Facebook use.
• 18–29: YouTube + Instagram lead; Snapchat and TikTok heavily used; Facebook still common for events/groups.
• 30–49: Facebook + YouTube anchor usage; Instagram in the mix; LinkedIn meaningful for career mobility; TikTok rising for how‑to/local finds.
• 50–64: Facebook remains primary; YouTube for how‑to/news; Pinterest for projects; growing Nextdoor adoption.
• 65+: Facebook first; YouTube second; Nextdoor and Facebook Groups for neighborhood/government info.

Gender breakdown (adult users)

• Overall split is roughly even (~50/50).
• Women over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest.
• Men over-index on Reddit and X (Twitter); slight male tilt on LinkedIn.
• Minimal gender gap on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Behavioral trends in Winnebago County

• Community-first behavior: Heavy use of Facebook Groups/Pages and Marketplace for local news, events (Oshkosh/Neenah/Menasha), garage sales, and school/club activities.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels (plus YouTube Shorts) drive discovery for local eateries, festivals, lake/boating content, and small businesses.
• Practical content wins: How‑to, DIY, outdoor recreation (fishing/boating on Lake Winnebago), and local service tips perform strongly on YouTube and Facebook.
• Campus and early-career influence: Snapchat/Instagram dominate among UW‑Oshkosh and nearby college-age users; LinkedIn usage is meaningful across healthcare, education, and manufacturing workers.
• Neighborhood networks: Nextdoor and Facebook neighborhood groups used for safety alerts, construction/road updates, and municipal notices.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups are key channels for secondhand goods; Instagram boosts boutique retail and makers.

Method note

• Figures are county-level estimates derived from Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. adoption rates applied to the county’s population profile; platform totals overlap because users maintain accounts on multiple services.