Goshen County

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Goshen County, WY context

• Population ~13–14k across ~2,200 sq. mi (≈6 people/sq. mile). About half live in/around Torrington; the rest are dispersed rural/agricultural.

Estimated email users

• 8,500–9,500 adult users.
• Method: adults ≈75–80% of population; 85–90% of U.S. adults use email. Applied locally, adjusting slightly downward for rural broadband gaps.

Age distribution (usage rates among each group, est.)

• 18–29: 95–99%
• 30–49: 94–97%
• 50–64: 90–94%
• 65+: 80–86% Email adoption is high across ages, with slightly lower usage among 65+.

Gender split

• Roughly even (male/female ~50/50); no meaningful gender gap in email use.

Digital access and connectivity trends

• ACS-style indicators suggest ~85–90% of households have a computer; ~75–80% have a broadband subscription.
• Best wired options cluster in Torrington; outside town, many rely on fixed wireless or cellular data. Speeds and reliability drop in outlying ranch/farm areas.
• Trend: gradual improvements via fiber and fixed-wireless expansions, but last‑mile gaps persist in low‑density zones.

Notes: Figures are estimates derived from national email adoption (Pew/industry) applied to local demographics and typical ACS broadband patterns for rural Wyoming.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Goshen County, Wyoming

Context

• Population: roughly 13.3–13.8k residents, with about half in Torrington and the rest in small towns and rural areas. Age profile is older and incomes are lower than the Wyoming average; agriculture is a major employer.

Estimated users and adoption (orders of magnitude; derived from ACS population, rural mobile adoption research, and Pew rural tech adoption deltas)

• Residents with at least one mobile line: 10.5–11.5k (about 78–84% of residents). This is a few points below the statewide adult smartphone/phone adoption rate.
• Smartphone users: 9–11k (about 75–82% of residents; roughly 83–88% of adults). Typically 3–6 percentage points lower than Wyoming overall.
• Total active lines in the county (phones + tablets + hotspots + watches + IoT/M2M): 14–18k. Rural ag equipment and fixed‑wireless hotspots push the lines-to-person ratio above 1.0.
• Wireless‑only households (no landline): 65–70%, a bit under the state average (~72–76%).
• Prepaid share: estimated 25–30% of phone lines, higher than the state average (roughly high‑teens to low‑20s), reflecting price sensitivity and seasonal/temporary workers.
• Platform mix: Android likely 60–65% (above state share), with iOS correspondingly lower; device replacement cycles trend longer (4–5 years vs ~3–4 statewide).

Demographic and usage patterns

• Age: 65+ share is higher than state average; flip/feature-phone use persists, especially among ranchers and in areas with spotty data coverage. Younger cohorts (18–34) are near‑universal smartphone users.
• Income and plan type: lower median household income supports higher prepaid and MVNO usage; families commonly mix one premium line with secondary prepaid lines.
• Language/ethnicity: a modest but material Hispanic/Latino population supports higher use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and international calling add‑ons.
• Occupation/ag: strong adoption of rugged devices, hotspots, and IoT/M2M lines (irrigation pivots, soil moisture sensors, stock‑tank monitors, GPS/telematics on equipment). Seasonal peaks at planting/harvest affect data use and network load.
• Education: Eastern Wyoming College students drive concentrated demand for campus‑area data capacity; school‑issued devices and campus Wi‑Fi temper per‑line cellular usage on weekdays.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: Verizon is typically the most reliable outside towns; AT&T coverage has improved on highways via FirstNet builds; T‑Mobile performs well in Torrington and along primary corridors but can drop off on county roads. Regional carrier Union Wireless fills some rural gaps; cross‑border roaming with Nebraska networks occurs near the state line.
• Radio tech: LTE remains the coverage workhorse countywide. Low‑band 5G NR is present in Torrington and along US‑26/US‑85 corridors; mid‑band 5G is limited; mmWave is absent.
• Coverage geography: best along the North Platte River valley and highways (US‑26, US‑85, WY‑92). Dead spots persist on gravel roads, in draws, south/central near Hawk Springs Reservoir, and north of Fort Laramie toward Jay Em. Metal ag buildings frequently have poor indoor signal without boosters.
• Backhaul and resiliency: many rural sites use microwave backhaul; fiber is stronger in Torrington and to a few anchor institutions. Winter storms can cause longer cell‑site outages; not all rural towers have extended backup power.
• Public safety: FirstNet coverage aligns with primary corridors and population centers; WyoLink P25 sites are often co‑located with commercial towers. During blizzards and summer wildfires, commercial networks experience congestion; priority services mitigate this for first responders.

How Goshen County differs from Wyoming overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration and a higher share of basic/feature phones, driven by older age structure and spotty data coverage outside towns.
• Higher reliance on prepaid and MVNO plans; more Android devices; longer device lifecycles.
• Above‑average per‑capita IoT/M2M usage in agriculture (pivots, pumps, telemetry) and more hotspots used as primary home internet outside Torrington.
• Greater cross‑border network interaction with Nebraska (Scottsbluff/Gering area) leading to roaming and some households with non‑WY numbers.
• Usage is more seasonal: planting/harvest, county fair, and school calendar shifts produce noticeable demand spikes.
• Network quality variance is wider: excellent along corridors/in town, with meaningful gaps on ranchlands—this spread is larger than the statewide pattern.

Notable anchors and demand nodes

• Eastern Wyoming College, Goshen County School District sites, courthouse/public safety complex, county fairgrounds, health care facilities in Torrington, the state correctional facility, grain elevators and sugar‑beet facilities, and highway junctions (US‑26/US‑85) concentrate capacity needs.

Implications/opportunities

• Highest ROI for new sites or small cells: Torrington infill (college, hospital, fairgrounds), Lingle–Fort Laramie corridor, and south toward Hawk Springs. In‑building solutions for large metal structures can noticeably improve user experience.
• Backhaul upgrades (fiber to more macro sites) and extended backup power would improve winter‑storm resiliency.
• Targeted rural coverage along farm‑to‑market roads would narrow the county’s adoption gap with the state by making data‑centric plans more valuable to older and ag users.

Method note

• Figures are estimates built from county population, rural U.S./Wyoming mobile adoption benchmarks, and known carrier footprints in eastern Wyoming. Local carrier drive tests and 911 call‑routing data would refine these ranges.

Social media usage in Goshen County, WY (short breakdown)

Snapshot

• Population: ≈13.5k residents (2024 est.)
• Estimated social media users: 8.0–9.5k residents (about 60–70% of the population; roughly 70–75% of adults; 90%+ of teens). These are county-level estimates derived from Wyoming/rural U.S. usage patterns.
• Access: Mobile-first; variable broadband and patchy cell coverage shape when/what people post (more evenings, lighter uploads).

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users; estimates)

• Facebook: 70–80% (dominant hub for community news, schools, church, rodeo/fair updates, buy/sell/trade, and Marketplace)
• YouTube: 70–80% (how‑tos, ag and equipment, hunting/fishing, home repair)
• Facebook Messenger: 60–70% (primary DM channel across ages)
• Instagram: 30–40% (strongest among 18–34)
• Snapchat: 30–40% (heavy among teens/young adults for daily chat)
• TikTok: 30–40% (growing among under‑35; short local clips, trends)
• Pinterest: 20–30% (skews women 25–54; recipes, crafts, home/yard)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (niche: sports, news watchers)
• LinkedIn: 8–12% (education, healthcare, small business owners)
• Nextdoor: <5% (Facebook Groups fill the neighborhood role)

Age profile (directional, based on rural adoption)

• 13–17: 90–95% use at least one platform (YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok dominate; Instagram secondary)
• 18–29: 85–95% (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok; Snapchat for messaging)
• 30–49: 80–90% (Facebook + Messenger core; YouTube high; Instagram moderate)
• 50–64: 65–75% (Facebook first; YouTube next; some Pinterest)
• 65+: 40–55% (mainly Facebook; some YouTube)

Gender breakdown (estimated among local users)

• Slight female skew overall: women ≈52–56% of users; men ≈44–48%
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and X/Twitter; Snapchat and TikTok relatively balanced among younger users

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups are the county’s “public square” (school sports, weather/road closures, volunteer drives, lost-and-found pets, local politics). Posts about hyperlocal issues draw disproportionate engagement.
• Commerce: Heavy use of Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups; DMs to coordinate sales more common than web checkout.
• Video habits: YouTube for practical learning (ag operations, equipment repair, DIY); TikTok/Shorts for quick entertainment and local lifestyle clips (ranching, outdoors).
• Messaging norms: Messenger is default across ages; teens favor Snapchat for day-to-day chat; younger adults comfortable DM’ing businesses.
• Posting cadence: Many are “readers” more than “posters.” Engagement spikes around severe weather, school events, county fair/rodeo, hunting season, and elections. Group moderators often keep discussions civil and on-topic.
• Timing: Peaks before work/school (6–8 a.m.), lunchtime (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekend spikes around games/events.
• What performs: Clear local value (event info, closures, giveaways, fundraisers), photos of familiar places/people, short vertical video, and posts with a direct call to action (message/call). Older users prefer phone numbers; younger users prefer DMs.

Notes on method and confidence

• Figures are localized estimates synthesized from Goshen County population data and statewide/rural U.S. social media patterns (e.g., Pew Research Center). Small-county variation is expected; use ranges for planning rather than precise forecasting.