Grant County Local Demographic Profile

Grant County, Minnesota — key demographics

Population size

  • Total population: 6,074 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

  • Median age: 45.9 years (ACS 2018–2022)
  • Under 18: 23.1%
  • 18 to 64: 52.3%
  • 65 and over: 24.6%

Gender

  • Male: 50.4%
  • Female: 49.6% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

  • White (non-Hispanic): 94.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): 2.4%
  • Two or more races: 1.7%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.6%
  • Black or African American: 0.3%
  • Asian: 0.2%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

  • Total households: ~2,600
  • Average household size: 2.28
  • Family households: 61% (married-couple families: 52%)
  • Households with children under 18: 27%
  • Nonfamily households: 39%; one-person households: 34% (including ~16% age 65+ living alone)
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: 84% (renter-occupied: 16%)

Sources

  • U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population)
  • U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year estimates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, and household data)

Email Usage in Grant County

Grant County, Minnesota email usage snapshot

  • Population and density: 6,074 residents (2020) across ~548 sq mi of land; ~11 people per sq mi.
  • Estimated email users: ~4,700 residents use email regularly.
  • Age distribution of email users:
    • Under 13: ~1%
    • 13–17: ~7%
    • 18–34: ~21%
    • 35–64: ~47%
    • 65+: ~25%
  • Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (reflects the county’s slightly older, more female-heavy population).
  • Digital access trends:
    • Roughly four in five households maintain a broadband subscription, with adoption highest among working-age adults and growing among seniors.
    • Fiber-to-the-home has been widely built by rural cooperatives; towns such as Elbow Lake, Ashby, Barrett, Herman, and Hoffman generally have gig-capable fiber or cable, with fixed wireless covering outlying areas.
    • Countywide 4G LTE is common; 5G service is emerging along the I‑94 corridor and population centers.
    • Public libraries and schools provide reliable Wi‑Fi access points that supplement home connectivity.
  • Local connectivity context: Very low population density raises last‑mile costs, so co‑op builds and state/federal programs have driven coverage gains; the county broadly meets or nears Minnesota’s 100/20 Mbps availability goals.

Mobile Phone Usage in Grant County

Summary of mobile phone usage in Grant County, Minnesota

Headline estimate

  • Population base: about 6,200 residents and roughly 2,600 households (2023 Census estimate).
  • Adult smartphone users: approximately 3,900 (about 81% of adults), derived by weighting Pew Research Center’s 2023 age-specific smartphone ownership rates by Grant County’s older-skewing age profile.
  • Overall mobile subscribers (handsets + data-only devices): on the order of 7,000–8,000 active lines when including multi-line users, hotspots, tablets, and IoT farm/vehicle lines typical of rural counties of this size.

Demographic drivers of usage

  • Older age structure: about one-quarter of residents are 65+, materially higher than Minnesota overall. This pulls down smartphone adoption versus the state, increases the share of basic/legacy phones, and slows uptake of app-centric services.
  • Household composition: more owner-occupied, single-family, and farm households than the state average, which correlates with higher landline retention and slightly lower wireless-only household share than Minnesota overall.
  • Seasonal effect: lake and cabin traffic raises mobile demand in late spring–summer weekends, producing sharper seasonal peaks than the state average, especially around recreational lakes and along I-94.

Digital infrastructure and performance

  • Coverage
    • 4G LTE: countywide outdoor coverage from the three national carriers along primary corridors (I-94, MN-27/55/79/78/9) with spotty pockets off-corridor and in low-lying/lake-dense areas common to west-central Minnesota.
    • 5G: broad low-band 5G is available; mid-band 5G is strongest on T‑Mobile (n41) across most town centers and along I‑94, with Verizon and AT&T mid-band concentrated along the interstate and expanding outward. Millimeter-wave is not a factor.
  • Typical speeds
    • LTE: roughly 10–50 Mbps in-town and along highways; can dip below 10 Mbps at the edges of cells and during lake-season peaks.
    • Mid-band 5G: commonly 150–300+ Mbps where available; low-band 5G behaves closer to strong LTE.
  • Reliability
    • Macro towers are arrayed along the interstate and state highways; between-site spacing and terrain/lakes create dead spots in some rural townships. In-home service quality often depends on exterior antennas or boosters in fringe areas.
  • Backhaul and fiber
    • Local cooperatives and regional providers (e.g., Runestone/Gardonville, and Midco in select towns) have built extensive fiber in population centers and many rural exchanges. This reduces reliance on mobile-only internet in town, while fields and more remote homesteads still lean on mobile hotspots where fiber hasn’t reached.
  • Public safety
    • FirstNet Band 14 coverage overlays AT&T’s network across the area, improving rural resilience for emergency traffic compared with pre-2019 conditions.

How Grant County differs from Minnesota overall

  • Smartphone adoption: lower than the state average due to an older population mix; estimated adult smartphone penetration around 81% locally versus mid-to-high 80s statewide.
  • Wireless-only households: meaningfully lower than the Minnesota average because of higher landline retention among seniors and solid wireline options in town from co-ops and cable.
  • 5G experience: residents are more likely to encounter mid-band 5G on T‑Mobile than on Verizon/AT&T outside the interstate corridor; in metro Minnesota the carrier balance is more even.
  • Seasonal load swings: more pronounced than statewide due to the county’s concentration of recreation areas relative to its small resident base, which temporarily stresses sector capacity near lakes and along weekend travel routes.
  • Mobile-as-primary broadband: still important for farms, construction, and on-the-go work, but the share of “smartphone-only” internet households in town areas is likely lower than the statewide average thanks to fiber-to-the-premise buildouts by local providers.

Actionable implications

  • Carrier choice matters more off-corridor: T‑Mobile currently offers the broadest mid-band 5G footprint; Verizon and AT&T are strongest along I‑94 and in towns, with improving mid-band coverage.
  • Edge-of-coverage homes benefit from exterior antennas or boosters to stabilize voice/SMS and enable reliable telehealth.
  • Continued co-op fiber expansion will further reduce smartphone-only internet reliance in town while leaving mobile networks as the key connectivity layer for fields, lakes, and travel corridors.

Social Media Trends in Grant County

Social media usage in Grant County, Minnesota (2025 snapshot)

What’s certain about the base

  • County size and makeup: Small, rural county with an older-leaning age profile and a near-even sex split (per U.S. Census/ACS). This skews usage toward Facebook and YouTube, with comparatively lower uptake for TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, and LinkedIn versus large metros.

Overall usage (adults 18+)

  • Use at least one social platform monthly: 72–78% of adults
  • Daily social users: 60–65% of adults
  • Average platforms used per adult: 3–4
  • Primary access: mobile-first (>90% of sessions)

Most-used platforms (share of adults using each at least monthly; modeled for the county’s age mix)

  • YouTube: 80–85%
  • Facebook: 70–75%
  • Instagram: 38–45%
  • Pinterest: 30–38%
  • TikTok: 28–33%
  • Snapchat: 20–24%
  • WhatsApp: 15–20%
  • LinkedIn: 18–24%
  • X (Twitter): 16–20%
  • Reddit: 12–16%
  • Nextdoor: 2–6%

Age patterns (adult cohorts; share using each platform monthly)

  • 18–29: YouTube 90–95%; Instagram 70–80%; TikTok 60–70%; Snapchat 60–70%; Facebook 55–60%
  • 30–49: YouTube 85–90%; Facebook 75–80%; Instagram 50–60%; TikTok 35–45%; Snapchat 25–35%
  • 50–64: Facebook 75–80%; YouTube 75–80%; Pinterest 35–45%; Instagram 25–35%; TikTok 15–25%
  • 65+: Facebook 70–75%; YouTube 60–70%; Pinterest 30–40%; Instagram 15–20%; TikTok 8–12%

Gender breakdown (direction and magnitude)

  • Female: higher Facebook (+3–5 points vs. male), strong Pinterest (roughly 2–3x male), slight Instagram and TikTok edge
  • Male: higher YouTube (+5–8), Reddit (~2x female), X/Twitter (+2–4), slight LinkedIn edge

Behavioral trends to expect locally

  • Facebook is the hub for the community: Groups and Marketplace dominate for buy/sell/trade, events, school and church updates, local government notices, weather and road conditions.
  • Short-form video is rising: Reels/Shorts/TikTok featuring local faces, high school sports, farm life, hunting/fishing, and how‑to content outperform static posts. Best engagement windows are evenings (7–9 pm) and lunchtime.
  • Youth split behavior: Snapchat for messaging and private groups; TikTok for discovery; Instagram for sports, activities, and announcements. Reposting to Instagram Reels reaches parents and boosters.
  • Seasonal peaks: Late summer (county fair, back‑to‑school), fall (harvest, hunting), and December holidays. Storms and emergencies drive spikes on Facebook.
  • Advertising and outreach: Facebook/Instagram provide the broadest, most efficient reach; YouTube excels for awareness with skippable video; TikTok is cost‑effective for 18–34; LinkedIn works for recruiting in healthcare, education, and public sector.

Notes on the numbers

  • County‑level platform use is not directly published. The percentages above are modeled from recent Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption (2023–2024) and rural/age skews, adjusted to Grant County’s older age profile from Census/ACS. Treat them as best‑available local estimates grounded in national benchmarks and rural patterns.