Albany County

I can provide exact figures, but they vary by source/year. Do you want the latest ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates or 2020 Decennial Census counts? Also, do you want additional household indicators (e.g., median household income, owner-occupancy), or just number of households and average household size?

Albany County, WY snapshot (estimates)

• Email users: ~26k–29k adult residents. Method: ~38k–40k residents; ~78–80% adults; 85–90% of U.S. adults use email (Pew/industry), applied to local population.
• Age distribution of users: Skews young due to the University of Wyoming in Laramie.
  • 18–24: larger than U.S. average (roughly a quarter to a third of users)
  • 25–44: ~30%
  • 45–64: ~20–25%
  • 65+: ~10–15% (still high email adoption, but lower than younger groups)
• Gender split: Approximately even; national email usage shows minimal male–female differences.
• Digital access trends:
  • ACS data indicate most households have a broadband subscription and a computer; adoption is highest in Laramie and lower in rural tracts.
  • Mobile access is widespread; rural areas rely more on fixed wireless/DSL/satellite, while Laramie has cable/fiber options.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population concentrated in Laramie (county seat); overall density ~8–10 people/sq mi across ~4,200+ sq mi.
  • I‑80 corridor and the UW campus anchor higher-speed connectivity; service quality drops with distance from Laramie.

Notes: Figures are rounded estimates using ACS population structure and national email-adoption benchmarks.

Summary: Albany County, WY looks more like a university market than the rest of Wyoming. That means higher smartphone penetration, younger-heavy usage patterns, more prepaid and mobile‑only households, and better 5G availability in the urban core (Laramie), with familiar rural coverage gaps outside town.

User estimates (adults)

• Total base: 38–39k residents; ~84% are 18+ (32k adults).
• Overall adult smartphone ownership: ~90–92% (estimate based on Pew Research age-by-age rates applied to the county’s unusually young age mix), yielding roughly 29–31k adult smartphone users.
• By age (rounded, using Albany County’s college-skewed profile and Pew 2023 ownership rates):
  • 18–29 (~34% of residents ≈ 13.1k): ~96% ownership → ~12.6k users.
  • 30–49 (~24% ≈ 9.3k): ~95% → ~8.9k users.
  • 50–64 (~14% ≈ 5.3k): ~83% → ~4.4k users.
  • 65+ (~13% ≈ 4.9k): ~76% → ~3.7k users.
• Mobile-only households: Likely above state average (student-heavy, more renters). A reasonable range is ~20–30% of households relying primarily on smartphones for internet (vs a lower statewide share), with heavy Wi‑Fi offload on campus.
• Plan mix: Prepaid share likely higher than state average (students, international users), roughly ~30–35% of personal lines vs a lower statewide share.

Demographic usage patterns (how Albany County differs from Wyoming overall)

• Younger skew: The University of Wyoming pushes the 18–29 share far above the state average, raising smartphone adoption and app-centric behaviors (payments, messaging, campus apps).
• Education and income mix: Higher educational attainment but more low-to-moderate individual incomes among students leads to:
  • More budget/prepaid plans and MVNO usage.
  • Higher mobile dependence (smartphone as primary device), but also more Wi‑Fi offload thanks to campus networks.
• International students: More reliance on over-the-top messaging (WhatsApp, WeChat), eSIM and short-term prepaid plans—less common elsewhere in WY.
• Event-driven peaks: UW athletics and campus events create temporary congestion spikes uncommon in most WY counties; carriers may add portable capacity on big game days.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology:
  • In and around Laramie/I‑80: Strong multi-carrier LTE and broad low-band 5G coverage (Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile). Mid-band 5G is present in town on at least one major carrier; mmWave is rare/spotty.
  • Outside town: Coverage thins quickly toward the Medicine Bow National Forest and lower-density ranchland; service falls back to low-band 5G or LTE with dead zones in valleys and forested/mountainous areas.
• Performance (typical, directional):
  • Laramie core: 5G mid-band where available can reach a few hundred Mbps; LTE/low-band 5G typically tens of Mbps.
  • Rural areas: Often single‑digit to low‑tens of Mbps; latency higher and signal variability pronounced.
• Carriers and regional players:
  • Nationwide carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile) all operate in Laramie; FirstNet (AT&T) presence for public safety.
  • Union Wireless serves parts of the region; roaming fills some gaps. MVNOs ride on these networks but may have lower priority during congestion.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • The I‑80 corridor carries long‑haul fiber from multiple providers; Laramie benefits from robust backhaul and the Wyoming Unified Network (state/education fiber), supporting campus and anchor institutions.
  • Off the corridor, microwave and longer fiber laterals serve rural sites, limiting capacity and upgrade cadence.
• Buildout trend:
  • 2021–2024: Notable 5G upgrades in Laramie; incremental rural improvements continue but remain constrained by terrain, economics, and power/backhaul availability.

Key ways Albany County differs from the Wyoming state picture

• Higher smartphone penetration driven by a much larger 18–29 cohort.
• Greater share of prepaid/mobile‑only households; more international/eSIM usage.
• Better in‑town 5G availability and capacity than many rural WY counties, but similar or worse edge‑of‑cell/rural gaps once you leave the Laramie/US‑287/I‑80 corridors.
• More pronounced event‑based congestion patterns and heavier daytime Wi‑Fi offload (campus effect).
• Lower relative share of ag/industrial IoT lines than many WY counties; human users dominate the mobile base.

Notes on methodology and uncertainty

• Population and age mix are based on recent Census/ACS patterns; smartphone ownership rates by age come from recent Pew Research Center surveys. Applying those rates to Albany County’s unusually young distribution yields the user estimates above.
• For precise, current figures (e.g., exact 5G footprints, tower counts, or household smartphone-only share), check the FCC Mobile Coverage Map, ACS Table S2801 (Computer and Internet Use), carrier coverage maps, and state/University network reports.

Albany County, WY — social media usage (short breakdown)

How these figures were derived

• County-specific platform data isn’t directly published. Estimates below triangulate Albany County’s population and age mix (Census/ACS; large student share from the University of Wyoming) with recent U.S. platform adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024). Treat as directional ranges.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~38,000 (majority in/around Laramie).
• 13+ population: ~33,000.
• Estimated social media users (any platform, monthly): ~26,000–29,000 (≈75–85% of 13+).
• Strong youth skew: 18–24 likely ~25–30% of the county (driven by UW), which lifts usage of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Internet access and smartphone penetration are high in Laramie, supporting heavy mobile-first usage.

Most-used platforms in the county (share of 13+ who use each, estimated)

• YouTube: 85–90%
• Facebook: 55–65% (dominant among 35+; groups/Marketplace are core)
• Instagram: 55–65% overall; 80–90% among 18–24
• Snapchat: 45–55% overall; 80–90% among 18–24
• TikTok: 45–55% overall; 70–80% among 18–24
• Pinterest: 25–35% (skews female 25–44)
• Reddit: 20–30% (skews male/student/tech/outdoors)
• X (Twitter): 18–25% (news, sports, university/game-day chatter)
• LinkedIn: 20–30% (faculty, grad students, professionals)
• WhatsApp: 10–20% (international students, cross-border families) Note: Users are multi-platform; percentages overlap.

Age-group patterns

• 13–17: Smaller base; near-daily Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram; short-form video heavy.
• 18–24 (largest active cohort): Snapchat/Instagram/TikTok are primary; YouTube ubiquitous; Discord and Reddit notable for gaming, courses, clubs; low Facebook posting but uses Events/Marketplace.
• 25–34: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook; TikTok rising; active in local buy/sell, housing, and event groups.
• 35–54: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest common; uses groups for schools, youth sports, civic info.
• 55+: Facebook and YouTube; increasing but still lower TikTok/Instagram adoption; relies on Messenger for family comms.

Gender breakdown

• Population is roughly slightly more male than female in Albany County; social media user mix likely mirrors this.
• Platform skews (national patterns reflected locally):
  • More female: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest.
  • More male: YouTube, Reddit, X.
  • Snapchat/TikTok: relatively balanced but younger-skewed.

Behavioral trends to know

• Academic calendar drives spikes: apartment turnover and Marketplace surges in Aug/Sep and Dec/May; event and ticket chatter around games; graduation content bursts.
• Local-first groups: Facebook groups for housing, buy/sell/trade, road and weather updates, lost-and-found pets, outdoor conditions.
• Short-form video rules: Reels/Shorts/TikToks outperform static posts; campus- and outdoors-themed content sees strong engagement.
• Private/ephemeral communication: Snapchat DMs/stories and Instagram Close Friends are key among students; Discord servers for classes, clubs, and gaming.
• Outdoors and lifestyle: Hiking, climbing, skiing, hunting, and fishing content performs well; gear swaps and trip reports common.
• Information and alerts: City/County/UW pages, local news, and WYDOT updates see high engagement during storms, closures, and emergencies.
• Posting windows: Evenings and late nights (student schedules) and lunch-hour spikes on weekdays.

Notes and sources

• Benchmarks aligned to Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 social media adoption reports and U.S. Census/ACS for Albany County age structure; University of Wyoming enrollment informs the youth skew. Exact county-level platform percentages are modeled estimates.