Dillingham County

Note: Alaska doesn’t have counties; Dillingham Census Area is the county-equivalent.

Population size

• 2020 Census: 4,857
• 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimate: ~4,900–5,000 (stable, slight fluctuations)

Age

• Median age: ~30 years
• Under 18: ~33%
• 65 and over: ~9%

Sex

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022, percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~66–70%
• White (alone): ~22–25%
• Two or more races: ~6–7%
• Asian: ~1%
• Black: ~0.5–1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1%
• Hispanic/Latino (of any race): ~2–4%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~1,450–1,550
• Average household size: ~3.2–3.3
• Family households: ~70–75% of households
• Average family size: ~3.7–3.9
• Households with children under 18: ~40–50%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Dillingham County (Census Area), AK snapshot

• Population base: ~4,800 residents; extremely low density (<1 person/sq. mile) across scattered, roadless communities reliant on air/boat links.
• Estimated email users: ~3,600–3,900 (roughly 75–80% of residents), tempered by patchy broadband.
• Age pattern (usage share of each group):
  • 13–17: high (≈85–95%, school-driven)
  • 18–34: very high (≈95–99%)
  • 35–64: high (≈90–95%)
  • 65+: moderate-to-high (≈70–85%)
  • Under 13: limited (≈15–25%, school accounts)
• Gender split: Near-even, slightly more males in the area; email usage essentially equal by gender (≈50/50 among users).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household internet/broadband adoption is below the U.S. average but improving; many smartphone-only households.
  • Backhaul is primarily microwave and satellite; limited local fiber. New LEO satellite options (e.g., Starlink) are expanding access and speeds.
  • Public access points (schools, libraries, tribal centers) remain important; E-rate supported connectivity helps students’ email use.
  • Seasonal weather and capacity constraints can affect reliability; usage spikes during fishing seasons and school terms.
• Connectivity context: One of Alaska’s most rural regions; town centers (e.g., Dillingham) have the best service, while smaller villages experience higher latency and lower speeds.

Here’s a concise, locally focused picture of mobile phone usage in Dillingham County (Dillingham Census Area), Alaska, with emphasis on how it differs from statewide patterns.

Quick user estimates (resident base; not counting seasonal workers)

• Population baseline: roughly 4,800–5,100 residents.
• Resident mobile users (any mobile phone): about 3,200–3,600 people.
• Resident smartphone users: about 2,800–3,200 people.
• Seasonal surge: during the Bristol Bay fishing season, the number of active devices in and around Dillingham can spike substantially (thousands of additional lines roaming in), producing short-term congestion that’s uncommon elsewhere in Alaska.

How Dillingham differs from Alaska overall

• Coverage and tech mix: LTE in hub communities (e.g., Dillingham) with limited or no 5G; outside town, service thins quickly. Statewide, 5G is common in Anchorage/Mat-Su/Fairbanks corridors.
• Carrier landscape: GCI is the dominant operator; AT&T has service in the hub; Verizon users typically rely on partner/roaming coverage. T-Mobile presence is limited to none. Statewide, competition is broader in roaded areas.
• Backhaul and latency: Middle-mile relies heavily on GCI’s TERRA microwave network rather than fiber. Latency and capacity are better than pure satellite but below urban fiber-fed sites; statewide urban areas enjoy fiber and higher-capacity 5G.
• Usage behavior: Higher reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and offload to home/school/library networks due to indoor coverage constraints and data caps. More prepaid/hybrid plans and top-ups via local retailers than in urban Alaska.
• Seasonal extremes: Short, intense summer peaks in traffic from fisheries and canneries; this pronounced seasonality is less evident in most of the state.
• Safety/field comms: Notably higher parallel use of satellite messengers (e.g., inReach) and VHF marine radios alongside mobile phones for subsistence, boating, and off-grid travel.

Demographic patterns shaping mobile use

• Age: The area skews younger than Alaska overall. Teen smartphone access is common but more likely to involve shared devices or strict data management. Elder adoption is rising due to telehealth but remains below state averages.
• Indigenous communities: A majority of residents are Alaska Native (Yup’ik and other groups). Messaging and social media (especially Facebook/Messenger) are core channels for community coordination; prepaid plans and shared family lines are more prevalent than in urban Alaska.
• Income/cost sensitivity: Household budgets and data caps influence behavior—more use of offline media, messaging-first apps, and public Wi‑Fi than statewide averages.
• Mobility: Limited road connectivity means phones are essential in town but often unusable between villages; users pair phones with radios or satellite devices for travel.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Cellular footprint:
  • Dillingham hub: Multiple macro sites offering LTE; indoor coverage can still rely on Wi‑Fi calling.
  • Surrounding villages (e.g., Aleknagik, Manokotak, New Stuyahok, Togiak, Ekwok, Koliganek, Clark’s Point, Levelock, Twin Hills): Typically single-site LTE covering the community core; coverage drops rapidly beyond the village.
  • Between communities: Large coverage gaps; no continuous highway corridor like much of roaded Alaska.
• Backhaul:
  • TERRA microwave provides the primary middle-mile into the region; capacity is finite and weather-dependent but far better than satellite-only areas.
  • Some sites still depend on satellite backup; outages and weather can degrade performance more than in urban Alaska.
• Local broadband for offload:
  • In Dillingham proper, the local cooperative (Nushagak) offers wired broadband (DSL and some fiber), enabling Wi‑Fi offload at homes, schools, clinics, libraries, and businesses—an important complement to cellular.
• Power and resiliency:
  • Diesel-powered sites and long supply chains make maintenance and restoration slower than statewide urban norms; storms can affect both power and microwave paths.

Trends to watch (local vs statewide)

• Gradual improvement in LTE capacity in hub sites, but 5G arrival is likely slower than in Alaska’s road-system cities.
• Continued growth in Wi‑Fi calling and app-based messaging; video usage is growing but constrained by caps and backhaul.
• Telehealth and school connectivity drive device uptake among elders and students, narrowing—but not erasing—the gap with state-level smartphone adoption.
• Seasonal congestion persists; any future middle-mile upgrades (microwave or fiber landings) will disproportionately improve real-world mobile experience here compared with already-fibered urban Alaska.

Notes on the estimates

• Figures are derived from recent population counts and typical rural Alaska adoption rates adjusted for local income, coverage, and backhaul constraints. They represent resident users; transient/seasonal workers can significantly raise active device counts during peak season.

Below is a concise, best-available estimate for Dillingham County, AK (Dillingham Census Area, a county-equivalent). Precise, platform-verified local data aren’t published; figures are modeled from U.S. Census/ACS population and age/sex mix for the area and Pew Research 2023–2024 social media adoption, adjusted for rural Alaska usage. Treat percentages as ranges.

Population and overall social media use

• Residents: ~4,900
• Residents age 13+: ~3,900–4,200
• Active social media users (13+): ~3,000 ± 400 (about 65–75% of 13+)

Most-used platforms among local social media users (estimated share using each)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook (incl. Groups/Messenger): 60–70%
• Instagram: 30–40%
• TikTok: 25–35%
• Snapchat: 20–30% (higher among teens/20s)
• X/Twitter: 5–10%
• Reddit: 5–10%
• LinkedIn: 5–10%

Age-group patterns (share of people in each group using any social media; common platforms)

• Teens 13–17: 90%+; YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram moderate; Facebook mainly for school/community groups
• 18–29: 90%+; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok; Snapchat moderate; Facebook for events/jobs
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram/TikTok moderate
• 50–64: ~65–75%; Facebook and YouTube primary; light Instagram/TikTok
• 65+: ~40–50%; Facebook first, YouTube second; others minimal

Gender breakdown

• Overall usage is roughly even. Women lean slightly higher on Facebook/Instagram; men lean higher on YouTube/Reddit. Platform choice drives most of the apparent gender skew rather than overall participation.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first behavior: Heavy use of Facebook Groups and Messenger for local announcements, school athletics, mutual aid, buy–sell–trade, weather/road/ferry/flight updates, and public safety notices.
• Seasonal rhythm: Posting and video sharing spike around fishing and subsistence seasons; school-year events drive photo and live updates.
• Video, but mindful of bandwidth: Short video (YouTube Shorts/TikTok/Instagram Reels) performs well, yet many rely on Wi‑Fi and data caps—concise clips, compressed uploads, and text/photo posts are common.
• Trust and closed networks: Many interactions happen in closed or moderated local groups; real-name reputation matters.
• Cross-posting: Younger users originate content on TikTok/Instagram, then share into Facebook Groups for reach; YouTube links are widely circulated.
• Timing: Engagement tends to peak evenings and weekends when people are off work and on Wi‑Fi.
• Local media/government: City, tribal, school, and local radio pages get strong traction for timely info; shares/reshare chains are a key discovery path.

Practical notes for outreach

• If you must pick two channels: Facebook (Groups + Messenger) and YouTube.
• Keep videos short, captioned, and lightweight; mirror posts into relevant community groups; schedule around evenings/weekends and seasonal events.