Nobles County

Nobles County, Minnesota — key demographics

Population size

• 22,290 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~34–35 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~29%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~57%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~31%
• Black or African American alone: ~7%
• Asian alone: ~6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~5%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Persons per household: ~3.0
• Family households: roughly two-thirds of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~4 in 10
• One-person (nonfamily) households: roughly 1 in 4

Insights

• One of Minnesota’s most diverse counties, with about one-third Hispanic/Latino and a White non-Hispanic share near the mid-50s.
• Younger-than-state age profile and slightly more male than female, reflecting its labor market and family composition.

Nobles County, MN snapshot (2020): population 22,290 across ~715 sq mi (≈31 people/sq mi). Worthington concentrates over half of residents, with the remainder in sparsely populated townships.

Estimated email users: ≈15,000 adults (about 88% of the 18+ population). Email adoption closely tracks internet use and is near-universal among connected residents.

Age distribution of email use (adoption rates among adults):

• 18–29: ~95%
• 30–49: ~96%
• 50–64: ~90%
• 65+: ~75% Older adults are the main gap; youth and prime‑age adults are effectively saturated.

Gender split: County population is roughly 51% male, 49% female; email usage is essentially parity by gender, so users are evenly divided.

Digital access and trends:

• ~80% of households maintain a broadband subscription; ~90% have a computer.
• ~12% are smartphone‑only, reflecting mobile‑first habits among lower‑income and multilingual households.
• Fiber and fixed‑wireless coverage are expanding via Minnesota’s Border‑to‑Border Broadband grants; LTE/5G is strong along major corridors (I‑90/US‑59), with last‑mile gaps in rural sections.
• High rurality and dispersed housing increase per‑premise build costs, concentrating the best speeds in and around Worthington.

Overall: high email penetration, with connectivity constraints chiefly affecting seniors and remote farms.

Mobile phone usage summary for Nobles County, Minnesota

Baseline and user estimates

• Population anchor: ~22,300 residents (2020 Census; ACS 5‑year around this level). Roughly 71–72% are age 18+, or about 16,000 adults.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: ~13,600 (method: apply ~85% rural smartphone ownership from recent Pew Research to ~16,000 adults).
• Estimated adult mobile phone users (any cellphone): ~14,700 (method: apply ~92% rural cellphone ownership to adult population).
• Households relying on a cellular data plan as their only internet subscription: estimated 10–14% of households in Nobles County, versus ~6–8% statewide (method: ACS “Internet subscription” patterns for rural and lower‑income counties applied to local demographics).

Demographic profile and implications for usage

• Younger and more diverse than Minnesota overall:
  • Hispanic or Latino: roughly 28–30% of county residents (vs ~6% statewide).
  • Foreign‑born: roughly 20–25% (vs ~9% statewide).
  • Age: higher share under 18 and lower share 65+ than the state average.
• Implications:
  • Higher mobile‑first behavior: younger and immigrant households show above‑average reliance on smartphones and prepaid plans, and are more likely to use mobile data as primary home internet.
  • Messaging‑centric usage: strong use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other over‑the‑top apps among multilingual households.
  • Landline abandonment is common among younger renters and shared households; wireless‑only telephone status is likely at or above state levels in Worthington and surrounding townships.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Networks present: All three national carriers operate in the county; public‑safety FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) serves key corridors and facilities.
• Coverage pattern:
  • 4G LTE: broadly available across populated areas; generally reliable along I‑90, US‑59, MN‑60, and in Worthington, Adrian, and Rushmore.
  • 5G: low‑band 5G covers most of the county; mid‑band 5G is concentrated in and around Worthington and the I‑90 corridor; rural townships see primarily low‑band 5G or LTE.
• Performance realities:
  • Outdoors coverage is strong on major roads; indoor coverage can be inconsistent in low‑density areas and metal‑clad buildings common to agriculture and light industry.
  • Peak speeds are highest near Worthington sites with mid‑band spectrum; speeds taper in outlying areas where carriers rely on low‑band 5G/LTE.
• Backhaul and siting:
  • Fiber backhaul follows the I‑90 corridor and municipal anchors; rural sectors depend more on microwave backhaul, affecting capacity during peak periods.
  • Tower siting is denser around Worthington; spacing increases in agricultural townships, which affects uplink and in‑building performance.

How Nobles County differs from Minnesota overall

• More mobile‑first: A meaningfully higher share of households rely on smartphones/cellular data as their primary or only internet connection than the statewide average.
• Demographic drivers: The county’s larger Hispanic/Latino and foreign‑born populations and younger age profile correlate with higher smartphone adoption and prepaid/MVNO use than the state average.
• Infrastructure mix: Coverage is broad but capacity is thinner outside Worthington. Compared to metro Minnesota, the county has fewer mid‑band 5G sectors per capita and more dependence on low‑band spectrum, which constrains median speeds and indoor performance.
• Affordability dynamics: Lower median household income than the state contributes to above‑average enrollment in discounted plans (ACP-era) and prepaid offerings, shaping traffic toward mobile data over fixed broadband.

Key takeaways

• Expect roughly 13.5k adult smartphone users and ~14.7k adult mobile users in Nobles County, with a higher-than-state propensity to be mobile‑first.
• Coverage is comprehensive for travel and day‑to‑day use, but capacity and in‑building service away from Worthington are the main constraints.
• Usage patterns skew toward prepaid, messaging apps, and cellular‑only home internet at levels above Minnesota’s statewide norms due to the county’s demographic and economic profile.

Nobles County, Minnesota — social media snapshot (2024–2025, best-available estimates modeled from Pew Research Center social-media adoption and U.S. Census ACS demographics for Nobles County and rural Minnesota)

Population baseline and user totals

• Residents: ≈22,300
• Adults (18+): ≈16,200
• Social media users
  • Adults: ≈72–75% of adults → ≈11,700–12,200
  • Teens (13–17): ≈1,500–1,700, with ≈90–95% using social media → ≈1,400–1,600
  • Total residents using at least one platform: ≈13,100–13,800

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults who use the platform)

• YouTube: ≈80–85% (largest reach; video-first habits)
• Facebook: ≈63–70% (community groups, local news, marketplace)
• Instagram: ≈40–50% (younger adults, visual updates)
• TikTok: ≈28–35% (short-form video, younger skew)
• Pinterest: ≈28–33% (strong among women, DIY, recipes)
• Snapchat: ≈23–28% (teens/20s; messaging-plus-stories)
• WhatsApp: ≈22–27% (above-average locally due to sizable Hispanic/Latino community)
• LinkedIn: ≈20–25% (lower than state metro areas)
• X/Twitter: ≈18–21% (news, sports, weather watchers)
• Reddit: ≈15–18% (niche, younger-male skew)

Age profile (typical usage rates in the county mirror rural U.S. patterns)

• 18–29: YouTube ≈90%+, Instagram ≈75–80%, Snapchat ≈60–65%, TikTok ≈60%+, Facebook ≈60–70%
• 30–49: YouTube ≈85–90%, Facebook ≈70%+, Instagram ≈45–50%, TikTok ≈35–40%
• 50–64: YouTube ≈80%+, Facebook ≈70%+, Instagram ≈25–30%, TikTok ≈20–25%
• 65+: Facebook ≈60%+, YouTube ≈55–65%, Instagram ≈10–15%, TikTok ≈8–12%

Gender breakdown by platform audience (approximate share of each platform’s local users who are women)

• Pinterest ≈70% female
• TikTok ≈60% female
• Snapchat ≈60% female
• Facebook ≈55–57% female
• Instagram ≈53–55% female
• WhatsApp ≈52–54% female
• YouTube ≈48–50% female
• LinkedIn ≈44–47% female
• X/Twitter ≈40–42% female
• Reddit ≈30–35% female

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Community-first on Facebook: Heavy reliance on local groups (city and county alerts, schools, churches, buy–sell, youth sports). Facebook remains the default public square.
• Bilingual communication: English and Spanish content both perform; WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger groups are common for family, work crews, churches, and event coordination.
• Video-dominant consumption: YouTube for how-to, repairs, ESL resources, farm and home projects; TikTok/Instagram Reels/Facebook Reels for short-form local life, sports highlights, and weather clips.
• Messaging over public posting: Younger users prefer Snapchat and Instagram DMs; adults rely on Messenger and WhatsApp for logistics and community organizing.
• Timing: Engagement clusters before work and school (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.). Weather events, school announcements, county fair, and local sports drive spikes across Facebook and YouTube.
• Trust anchors: School districts, county and city pages, local healthcare, and established community groups are primary sources for verified information; peer recommendations in groups influence local purchasing and attendance decisions.

Notes on method

• Figures are county-specific estimates built from Nobles County’s ACS age structure and rural Minnesota benchmarks, mapped to Pew Research Center’s 2024 platform adoption rates and teen-use studies. Percentages reflect adults unless noted and represent plausible local reach rather than unique daily actives.