Big Horn County

I can provide exact figures, but I need your preferred data vintage/source. Do you want:

• 2020 Decennial Census counts, or
• The latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (e.g., 2018–2022)?

If no preference, I’ll use ACS 2018–2022 for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and households, plus the 2020 Census population count, and cite the U.S. Census Bureau.

Big Horn County, WY – estimated email usage (rounded)

• Estimated users: 9,000–9,800 residents use email at least occasionally (about 75–82% of the ~12,000 population), based on typical rural internet adoption and the high share of internet users who use email.
• Age distribution of email users (estimate):
  • 13–17: 7%
  • 18–29: 19%
  • 30–49: 31%
  • 50–64: 24%
  • 65+: 19%
• Gender split: ~50% female, ~50% male (email adoption is near-parity by gender).
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband subscription roughly 75–80% of households; smartphone-only access ~8–12%.
  • Fixed 100/20 Mbps availability likely 60–70% of households; fiber primarily in towns (e.g., Basin, Greybull, Lovell), with many outlying areas on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • LTE/5G coverage is strongest along highways and town centers; coverage gaps persist in valleys and remote ranchlands.
  • Public libraries and schools provide important Wi‑Fi access points for residents without reliable home service.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density is about 4 people per square mile across more than 3,000 square miles, which raises last‑mile costs and slows broadband buildout, contributing to uneven email/internet access outside town cores.

Notes: Estimates draw on ACS/FCC broadband indicators and national Pew email adoption by age.

Below is a county-level snapshot built from public statistics on rural mobile adoption, Wyoming demographic patterns, and the county’s geography/infrastructure. Figures are rounded estimates to show scale and direction, not exact counts. Emphasis is on how Big Horn County differs from Wyoming overall.

Headline takeaways

• Mobile service is widespread but shaped by rugged terrain and small-town footprints: LTE is the workhorse; 5G exists mainly in/near towns.
• Compared with the state overall, Big Horn shows slightly lower smartphone penetration, heavier reliance on mobile as primary home internet in some areas, and stronger preference for the carrier with the broadest rural footprint.

User estimates (Big Horn County ≈12K residents)

• People with a mobile phone (any type): roughly 9.5K–11K (about 85–92% of residents), a few points lower than statewide.
• Smartphone users: about 8K–9.4K (roughly 78–85% of phone owners), lower than Wyoming’s mid-to-high-80s.
• Active SIMs/lines: 12K–14K (multi-line family plans, work lines, hotspots push lines above population).
• Households relying primarily on cellular for home internet: roughly 12–18% locally (vs ~8–12% statewide), reflecting patchy or costly wired options outside town centers.

Demographic usage patterns

• Age
  • 65+: Larger share than state average; smartphone adoption in this group estimated ~55–65% (vs ~65–75% statewide). More basic/flip-phone use persists.
  • Teens: High adoption but slightly below urban Wyoming (parental controls, cost, and coverage on rural bus routes play a role).
• Income/plan type
  • Median incomes below statewide average correlate with a modestly higher share of prepaid/MVNO plans and data-capped usage; family shared plans remain common.
• Occupation and setting
  • Agriculture, energy, and outdoor work drive demand for durable devices, PTT/LMR interop, and offline-capable apps; Wi‑Fi calling is frequently used in fringe areas.
• Language/community
  • Hispanic residents (roughly high single digits to low teens percent) contribute to bilingual device settings and messaging; overall racial/ethnic diversity is lower than state urban centers.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access
  • LTE covers highways and towns; dead zones persist in canyons and on the mountain front (e.g., along/near US‑14 and backcountry roads).
  • 5G is mainly low-band in/near towns like Lovell/Greybull/Basin; wide-area rural 5G is spotty. No meaningful mmWave outside select nodes.
• Carrier balance
  • Verizon generally has the broadest rural footprint and strongest share; AT&T is present with variable depth; T‑Mobile is improving with low‑band spectrum but remains more town-centric. This mix skews more “coverage-first” than statewide urban corridors where T‑Mobile is more competitive.
• Backhaul and last mile
  • Local/co-op providers (e.g., TCT and regional ISPs) supply fiber in town cores and along major corridors; WISPs and legacy copper/DSL serve many outlying areas.
  • Where wired options are thin, households lean on phone hotspots or fixed wireless.
• Performance
  • Typical LTE speeds in rural stretches: roughly 5–30 Mbps; substantially faster in town. Low-band 5G in town centers often 30–100 Mbps but with limited reach.
• Public safety
  • FirstNet/AT&T coverage is present but agencies often dual-carry or rely on the carrier with best rural coverage; terrain-driven gaps remain in backcountry.

How Big Horn County differs from Wyoming overall

• Adoption mix: Slightly fewer smartphone users and slightly more basic phones than the state average, driven by age and coverage constraints.
• Access patterns: Higher share of “mobile-only” or “mobile-first” home internet due to sparse fiber/cable beyond towns.
• Carrier preference: Stronger tilt toward the widest-coverage carrier; T‑Mobile share is generally lower than in Cheyenne/Casper/Laramie.
• Network experience: Smaller and patchier 5G footprint; LTE remains primary outside towns. More dependence on Wi‑Fi calling and offline workflows.
• Usage profile: More conservative data consumption (caps, weaker signal areas) and higher prevalence of rugged/utility devices used in ag/energy work.

Data notes and method

• County population base ≈12K (2020–2023 period). Adoption ranges derived by adjusting national and Wyoming rural mobile/smartphone rates (Pew/ACS-type patterns) for Big Horn’s older age structure, income mix, and rural infrastructure. Mobile-only household share extrapolated from ACS broadband tables for rural counties with similar density and provider footprints.
• Use these figures as planning estimates; local carrier maps, FCC broadband maps, school district tech surveys, and co‑op build plans will refine block-level realities.

Social media in Big Horn County, WY (short snapshot, 2025)

Context

• Rural county with roughly 12–13k residents and an older-leaning age mix. Broadband access is widespread but not universal; mobile-first usage is common.

Estimated user base

• Social media users (age 13+): about 7,500–8,500 residents (roughly 65–75% of the population).
• By age (share using at least one platform):
  • 13–17: 90–95%
  • 18–29: 85–95%
  • 30–49: 80–85%
  • 50–64: 65–75%
  • 65+: 40–55%
• Gender: Overall users are roughly 50/50 male–female (county population is close to even). Platform skews noted below.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult residents; ranges reflect rural patterns)

• YouTube: 70–80% (skews male; strong across all ages)
• Facebook: 60–70% (skews slightly female; strongest 30+; groups and Marketplace are core)
• Instagram: 30–40% (younger adults; women > men)
• Pinterest: 30–40% (heavily female)
• TikTok: 25–35% (concentrated under 35)
• Snapchat: 20–30% (mostly under 30)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (news/sports followers)
• Reddit: 10–15% (male skew)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (education/health/public sector)
• Nextdoor: 3–8% (limited footprint)

Gender skews (share within each gender group, adults)

• Women: Facebook 70–75%; Instagram 35–45%; Pinterest 45–55%; TikTok 25–35%.
• Men: YouTube 80–85%; Facebook 60–65%; Reddit 12–18%; X/Twitter 12–16%; TikTok 20–30%.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: school announcements, county road/snow updates, buy/sell, local government, churches, and events. Marketplace functions as local classifieds.
• Event-driven spikes: high school sports, county fair/rodeo, hunting season, weather and road closures.
• Content that performs: practical/DIY (equipment repair, ranch/farm tips), outdoors (hunting/fishing), local business specials, and posts featuring familiar people/places. User-generated photos outpull polished creative.
• Youth patterns: Teens use YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok daily; Instagram is secondary; Facebook mainly for groups/logins.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat dominate; WhatsApp is niche.
• Timing: Highest engagement evenings (6–9 pm) and weekend mid-mornings; seasonality matters (fieldwork, school calendars, storm days).
• Ads: Best results via boosted Facebook/Instagram posts with tight geo-radius (10–25 miles around Basin/Lovell/Greybull), interests like agriculture/outdoors, simple CTAs, and frequency caps (small audience sizes). Short captions and short videos help where bandwidth is limited.

Notes on method

• Exact, published county-level platform stats are rare. The estimates above adapt Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media usage (with rural adjustments) to Wyoming’s age/gender mix; figures are shown as ranges to reflect uncertainty.