Teton County

Key demographics — Teton County, Wyoming

Population

• Total population: 23,331 (2020 Census)
• ACS 2019–2023 estimate: ~23,700

Age

• Median age: ~39 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~12–13%

Gender

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Hispanic is any race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~79–80%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~15%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Asian: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–1%
• Black or African American: <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~9,600
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~53%
• Households with children under 18: ~25–27%
• Tenure: ~58% owner-occupied, ~42% renter-occupied
• Notable seasonal housing presence; housing unit count substantially exceeds occupied households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Teton County, WY (2024) email usage snapshot

• Estimated users: ≈18,300 email users (≈93% of ≈19,700 adults; total population ≈24,000).
• Age distribution of users:
  • 18–29: ≈20% (≈3,700)
  • 30–49: ≈41% (≈7,400)
  • 50–64: ≈26% (≈4,800)
  • 65+: ≈13% (≈2,400)
• Gender split: ≈52% male (≈9,500) and ≈48% female (≈8,800) among email users; usage rates are high and similar across genders.

Digital access and behavior

• Household access: ≈96% have a computer; ≈94% maintain a home broadband subscription; ≈10–12% are smartphone‑only for home internet.
• Remote work: ≈15–20% of workers regularly work from home, reinforcing daily email reliance.
• Mobile: Smartphone penetration is near-universal among adults; most maintain multiple devices (phone + laptop/tablet).

Local density and connectivity

• Low density: ≈7 residents per square mile, with roughly 97% of land publicly owned, concentrating robust broadband in populated corridors.
• Connectivity pattern: Fiber/cable widely available in the Jackson–Wilson–Teton Village corridor (100–1,000 Mbps typical), while outlying canyons and rural areas more often rely on fixed wireless or satellite (≈25–100 Mbps), shaping when/where residents access email.

Mobile phone usage in Teton County, Wyoming (2024 profile)

Bottom line

• Teton County’s smartphone adoption, 5G availability in population centers, and data consumption per user are all higher than the Wyoming average, while geographic constraints produce sharper rural dead zones than elsewhere in the state. Seasonal tourism and cross-border commuting from Idaho create pronounced peaks in network load that are atypical for Wyoming counties.

User estimates

• Resident base: 23,331 (2020 Census). Adult population ≈ 18,000–19,000 (ACS age structure).
• Resident smartphone users: 17,000–18,500 (roughly 92–96% of adults; higher than typical Wyoming county rates, which are closer to high-80s to low-90s).
• Households with at least one smartphone/cellular data plan: approximately 85–92% of households, reflecting the county’s high incomes, high education levels, and concentration in/near Jackson.
• Seasonal load: Grand Teton National Park receives over 3 million visits annually. Summer peaks bring tens of thousands of additional devices into the county on a given day (visitors plus seasonal staff), producing recurring congestion on corridors near Jackson, Teton Village, Moose, Moran, and park entrances—an effect much more pronounced than the state average.

Demographic breakdown (how Teton differs from the Wyoming pattern)

• Age: Near-universal smartphone ownership among adults under 55; seniors (65+) in Teton adopt smartphones at rates notably above the state average, driven by higher income and education and strong telehealth and travel use.
• Income and education: Teton’s top-tier household incomes and bachelor’s-plus education share correlate with higher smartphone penetration, more premium-plan uptake, and heavier use of app-based services (payments, mobility, travel).
• Housing and workforce: A larger share of renters and seasonal/service workers show mobile-first or mobile-only internet behavior (hotspots and unlimited plans substituting for fixed service in shared or short-term housing) relative to the statewide mix.
• Language/ethnicity: The county’s sizable Latino community relies more on mobile for everyday connectivity than the county average (consistent with national patterns), contributing to high adoption of multi-line family plans and WhatsApp-first communication.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and 5G: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all operate in the county. 5G is established in and around Jackson, Wilson, Teton Village, and along US-26/89/191 corridors. Mid-band 5G is present on select urban sites; extended-range low-band 5G covers broader areas but with lower capacity. These urban 5G footprints are denser than most Wyoming counties.
• Terrain and protected lands: Over 95% of the county is public land (national park, forest, refuges), with strict siting rules and complex backhaul, producing hard dead zones in canyons (e.g., Snake River), across Teton Pass, and inside Grand Teton NP—gaps that are sharper than typical rural Wyoming plains.
• Backhaul and redundancy: Fiber backbones run along primary highways and into Jackson via regional providers (e.g., Silver Star, Spectrum) with microwave supplements toward park areas. Single-route dependencies over mountain passes make the network more vulnerable to fiber cuts than the Wyoming average; past outages have affected voice/data countywide.
• Public safety and priority: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 operates in population centers and along primary corridors, improving resilience for first responders during peak tourist loads and storms.
• Indoor and venue coverage: Hotels and resort properties (Jackson/Teton Village) frequently deploy indoor systems or small cells to handle seasonal density; this small-cell concentration is higher than in most Wyoming counties.

Usage patterns and traffic

• Data consumption: Per-user monthly mobile data usage skews above the state average due to remote work, travel services, photo/video sharing by visitors, and hotspot substitution among seasonal workers.
• Roaming and cross-border dynamics: Daily commuting from Teton County, ID and international tourism drive above-average roaming and device churn on local sectors, a pattern less pronounced elsewhere in Wyoming.
• Offload to Wi‑Fi: High fixed-broadband penetration among homeowners and businesses in/near Jackson supports Wi‑Fi offload; however, mobile-only reliance remains elevated among service-industry renters, creating a bimodal usage profile (very heavy mobile use for some cohorts, heavy Wi‑Fi offload for others).

How Teton County differs most from Wyoming overall

• Higher smartphone penetration, especially among seniors and high-income households.
• Denser and more advanced 5G in the urbanized core, but more abrupt coverage loss outside it due to terrain/park constraints.
• Far larger seasonal surges, yielding recurrent capacity bottlenecks on specific sectors and corridors.
• Greater prevalence of mobile-only internet among renters/seasonal workers, even as homeowners enjoy strong fixed broadband for offload.
• More cross-border and international device presence, raising the importance of roaming agreements and airport/tourist-area capacity.

Implications

• Capacity planning should prioritize seasonal small cells, added sectors, and mid-band 5G upgrades in Jackson, Teton Village, park gateways, and along US-26/89/191.
• Coverage improvements should target Teton Pass, canyon stretches, and key recreation areas with low-band spectrum and carefully sited microwave-fed nodes.
• Resiliency requires additional backhaul diversity into Jackson and rapid-recovery plans for fiber cuts.
• Public safety benefits from continued FirstNet densification and interoperable coverage along evacuation and avalanche corridors.

Teton County, WY social media snapshot

Scope and method

• Population baseline: 23,331 residents (2020 Decennial Census).
• Adult base used for estimates: ≈18,700 residents age 18+ (≈80% of population; Census age structure).
• Platform penetration rates: Pew Research Center, 2024 U.S. adult social media adoption. Local platform counts below are modeled by applying these rates to Teton County’s adult base.

User stats and composition

• Adults (18+): ≈18.7k
• Gender split (population): roughly even, slightly male-leaning (≈51–52% male, ≈48–49% female; Census)
• Household type: skewed toward working-age residents with strong seasonal inflows of visitors and workers (tourism-driven economy)

Most-used platforms (adult penetration; estimated local adult users)

• YouTube: 83% ≈ 15.5k
• Facebook: 68% ≈ 12.7k
• Instagram: 47% ≈ 8.8k
• TikTok: 33% ≈ 6.2k
• Pinterest: 35% ≈ 6.5k
• LinkedIn: 30% ≈ 5.6k
• Snapchat: 30% ≈ 5.6k
• WhatsApp: 29% ≈ 5.4k
• Reddit: 22% ≈ 4.1k
• X (Twitter): 22% ≈ 4.1k
• Nextdoor: 19% ≈ 3.5k Notes: Percentages are Pew U.S. adult adoption; local counts are modeled estimates for Teton County’s adult population.

Age-group patterns (what’s most active)

• 18–29: Highest intensity on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat; heavy video and Stories/Reels consumption; location tags around Jackson, Teton Village, and parks are common.
• 30–49: Active across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube; uses Facebook Groups for community info (school updates, housing, road status) and Instagram for local businesses and family/outdoor content.
• 50–64: Strong on Facebook and YouTube; event info, nonprofits, local news, and public-safety updates drive engagement.
• 65+: Primarily Facebook and YouTube; informational and community updates outperform trend content.

Gender breakdown by platform (tendencies)

• Female-leaning: Pinterest, Instagram; strong performance for retail, wellness, food, arts, and family-oriented outdoor content.
• Male-leaning: Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn; gear, snow/summer sports, conservation policy, and local infrastructure topics perform well.
• Near parity: Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp; best for broad community reach.

Behavioral trends specific to Teton County

• Visual-first, place-based content: Scenic video/photo performs best across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube; Reels/Shorts outperform static posts.
• Seasonal surges: Peak engagement in summer (national park/tourism) and winter (ski season). Shoulder seasons see lower but more local engagement.
• Community coordination on Facebook Groups and Nextdoor: Housing, jobs, road closures (e.g., Teton Pass), wildlife advisories, weather, and event logistics drive high comment activity.
• Trip-planning behavior: YouTube and Instagram function as discovery channels for itineraries, trail conditions, dining, and lodging; save/share rates are high for checklist-style content.
• Safety and stewardship messaging: Wildlife etiquette, bear safety, trail/parking updates, and Leave No Trace tips see strong organic reach, especially when localized.
• Local commerce: Restaurants, guides, outfitters, and arts nonprofits rely on Instagram for UGC amplification; Facebook for events and ticketing; LinkedIn for recruiting and partner visibility.
• Language/access: Service and seasonal worker segments increase the utility of WhatsApp; bilingual assets (English/Spanish) improve reach for public notices and hiring.

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube deliver the broadest countywide reach; Instagram and TikTok excel for visitor-facing and visual storytelling; Nextdoor and Facebook Groups are best for hyperlocal coordination.
• Short-form video should anchor campaigns during peak seasons; informative carousels and community posts sustain off-season engagement.
• Combine geotargeting around Jackson/Teton Village with interest targeting (national parks, skiing, hiking, wildlife) to efficiently reach visitors while maintaining distinct messaging for residents.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census); Pew Research Center (2024 U.S. adult social media adoption). Local platform counts are modeled estimates derived from these sources.