Pennington County

Pennington County, Minnesota — key demographics

Population size

• 13,992 (2020 Census)
• 14,1k (ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~39.5 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• 0–17: 24.0%
• 18–24: 8.7%
• 25–44: 24.6%
• 45–64: 25.7%
• 65+: 17.0%

Gender

• Male: 50.3%
• Female: 49.7%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive; non-Hispanic unless noted)

• White (NH): 89.9%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): 3.0%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (NH): 3.2%
• Black/African American (NH): 0.9%
• Asian (NH): 0.6%
• Two or more races (NH): 2.3%
• Other (NH): 0.1%

Households and families (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~6,020
• Average household size: 2.32
• Family households: 58% of households
• Married-couple families: 45% of households
• Nonfamily households: 42%
• Householder living alone: 33% (65+ living alone: 13%)
• Households with children under 18: 28%
• Housing tenure: Owner-occupied 73%; renter-occupied 27%

Insights

• Population has been stable since 2010, with slight recent growth per ACS.
• Age structure is balanced but trending older, with roughly 1 in 6 residents age 65+.
• The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White with a notable American Indian presence; Hispanic/Latino residents comprise about 3%.
• Small average household size and high owner-occupancy indicate a largely settled, family-oriented housing market.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables including B01003, S0101, DP05, S1101, DP02, DP04).

• Population/density: Pennington County has 13,992 residents (2020 Census) across ~617 sq mi, ~23 people per sq mi. Most residents live in/around Thief River Falls, improving local connectivity relative to outlying townships.

• Estimated email users: 10,300 residents. Method: ~10,900 adults (18+) and high email adoption among adults (92%) plus some teen users.

• Age mix of email users (est.): 13–17: 6% (620); 18–29: 16% (1,650); 30–49: 33% (3,400); 50–64: 26% (2,680); 65+: 19% (~1,950).

• Gender split among email users (est.): Female ~50%, Male ~50% (county population is roughly even by sex; email adoption is similar for men and women).

• Digital access and trends:

  • Broadband subscription: ~85% of households subscribe to broadband (ACS-style county peers; Pennington’s rate is in the mid‑80s, reflecting strong access in Thief River Falls).
  • Access modes: Fiber/cable are common in town; fixed wireless and legacy DSL persist in rural areas. Smartphone-only internet households are estimated at ~8–10%.
  • Trajectory: Gradual gains from fiber builds and provider upgrades; remaining gaps are low-density areas where fixed wireless fills coverage.

Insights: Email usage is near-universal among working-age adults; seniors participate strongly but trail younger cohorts. Connectivity clusters in Thief River Falls drive higher adoption and engagement.

Mobile phone usage in Pennington County, Minnesota — summary with county-specific estimates and contrasts to statewide patterns

Context

• Population and settlement: 13,992 (2020 Census); roughly 60% reside in Thief River Falls. Land area ~600+ square miles, predominantly rural beyond the city.
• Implication: Rural dispersion plus a single urban hub produces a “strong center, weak periphery” profile for mobile coverage and usage.

User estimates (people and households)

• Adult smartphone users: ≈9,200–9,500 (about 85–88% of the county’s ~10,800 adults).
• Teen smartphone users (13–17): ≈800–900 (≈95% adoption among teens), bringing total smartphone users to roughly 10,100–10,400.
• Adults with a mobile phone but not a smartphone: ≈400–550 (about 4–5% of adults).
• Adults without a mobile phone: ≈900–1,100 (about 8–10% of adults), notably higher than metro Minnesota.
• Households relying primarily on mobile data for home internet: ≈900–1,050 households (about 15–18% of ≈6,000–6,200 households), versus roughly 10–12% statewide.
• Wireless-only voice (no landline): ≈72–80% of adults live in wireless-only households, slightly above Minnesota’s statewide range in most recent national health survey data.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • 18–29: near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95–98%); heavy app-based communication and streaming.
  • 30–64: high adoption (≈88–92%); strongest segment for bundled postpaid plans with hotspot usage for home and farm operations.
  • 65+: lower adoption (≈72–78%); higher incidence of basic phones and shared/family plans; text/voice first, data second. This older share is marginally higher than Minnesota overall, pulling down the county’s aggregate smartphone rate vs the state.
• Income and plan type:
  • Median household income trails the Minnesota average, correlating with a measurably higher share of prepaid and value MVNO plans and a lower share of premium unlimited tiers compared with the Twin Cities corridor.
  • Mobile-only internet reliance is elevated in lower-income and outer-township tracts where fixed broadband is sparse or costly, diverging from the state’s more fiber-rich suburbs.
• Race/ethnicity and digital inclusion:
  • The county is predominantly White with small but important Native American and Hispanic populations; outreach and affordability programs (ACP-era legacy and successor local discounts) have had outsized impact in school-age and elder communities compared with metro Minnesota.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint:
  • 4G LTE: near-ubiquitous across populated areas; rural dead zones persist in low-density timber and wetland sections.
  • 5G: low-band (coverage-layer) 5G blankets most population centers and highways; mid-band 5G is concentrated in and around Thief River Falls and along primary corridors, with limited reach into outer townships.
• Capacity and speeds (typical user experience):
  • Thief River Falls: mid-band 5G commonly delivers 100–300 Mbps with good indoor penetration in newer builds.
  • Rural townships: low-band 5G/LTE often 10–60 Mbps; noticeable slowdowns at evening peaks and during weekend events or harvest periods.
• Tower siting and backhaul:
  • Macro sites cluster along US-59/MN-32 and around Thief River Falls, with longer inter-site distances in the county’s north and east. Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed (in/near the city) and microwave-fed (outer areas), contributing to the urban–rural performance gap.
• Enterprise and daytime load:
  • Large employers in Thief River Falls (e.g., distribution/industrial facilities) drive daytime uplink/downlink spikes and have encouraged targeted sectorization and small-capacity add-ons near industrial parks—an atypical pattern for a county this size in Minnesota.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber and cable are strong in Thief River Falls; availability thins quickly outside city limits. This pushes a higher share of households to depend on smartphone hotspots or fixed wireless access (FWA) compared with the state average.

How Pennington County diverges from Minnesota overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration (by ~2–4 percentage points) due to an older age mix and lower median income than the statewide average.
• Higher mobile-only home internet reliance (≈15–18% of households vs ~10–12% statewide) where fixed fiber/coax options are limited.
• Greater share of prepaid/MVNO plans and cost-sensitive data choices; lower uptake of premium unlimited plans than metro Minnesota.
• More pronounced urban–rural performance split: mid-band 5G capacity is largely a Thief River Falls phenomenon; rural tracts depend on low-band 5G/LTE with wider cell spacing.
• Daytime enterprise-driven mobile traffic spikes are stronger than in comparable Minnesota counties, reflecting the county’s outsized industrial employment base relative to population.

Method notes (for transparency)

• Population and settlement patterns are based on the 2020 Census and standard ACS distributions for small Minnesota counties; user counts are derived by applying current Pew-reported smartphone adoption rates by geography (rural vs overall), CDC/NCHS wireless-only prevalence, and teen adoption studies to the county’s estimated age mix.
• Infrastructure characterizations reflect common deployment patterns in rural Minnesota and observed differences between low-band coverage layers and mid-band capacity layers in small urban hubs.

Bottom line Pennington County’s mobile ecosystem is characterized by high but not universal smartphone adoption, a notably higher reliance on mobile data for home internet than Minnesota overall, and a sharp divide between strong, mid-band 5G capacity in Thief River Falls and coverage-first, lower-capacity service in outlying areas. These factors, combined with cost-sensitive plan selection and enterprise-driven traffic patterns, distinguish the county’s mobile usage profile from the state’s predominantly metro-centered trends.

Social media usage in Pennington County, MN — concise 2024 snapshot

Headline numbers

• Residents: ~14,200
• Adults (18+): ~10,900
• Adult social media users: ~9,050 (≈83% of adults)

Most-used platforms (adults, share of all adults; rounded user counts)

• YouTube: 83% (~9,050)
• Facebook: 68% (~7,400)
• Instagram: 47% (~5,100)
• Pinterest: 35% (~3,800)
• TikTok: 33% (~3,600)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~3,300)
• Snapchat: 27% (~2,950)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~2,400)
• Reddit: 22% (~2,400)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~2,300)

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): Near-universal YouTube; heavy Snapchat and TikTok; Instagram strong; Facebook relatively low.
• 18–29: YouTube near-universal; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok dominate daily use; Facebook secondary but still common.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook lead; Instagram significant; TikTok growing; LinkedIn notable among professionals.
• 50–64: Facebook is primary; YouTube strong for how‑to/news; Instagram/TikTok moderate.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube lead; other platforms have limited reach.

Gender breakdown and platform skews (adults)

• Overall social media users: ~52% women, ~48% men.
• Notable skews:
  • Pinterest: heavily female (~75% of users).
  • Snapchat and TikTok: female‑leaning (~60% women).
  • Facebook and Instagram: slight female tilt (~55–60% women).
  • YouTube: near-even, slight male tilt.
  • LinkedIn and X: slight male tilt (~55–60% men).
  • Reddit: male‑leaning (~65% men).

Behavioral trends observed in rural MN counties of similar size (applies locally)

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell and swap groups, school and youth sports updates, church and civic events, weather/road alerts, and Marketplace transactions.
• YouTube is the primary “how-to” and cord‑cutting platform: home/auto repair, outdoor/farm equipment maintenance, local sports highlights, and product research.
• Instagram is used for local storefronts (boutiques, eateries) and events; Stories/Reels drive discovery.
• TikTok is a fast‑rising channel for younger adults and local creators; short‑form tutorials, hunting/fishing/outdoors content, and small‑business promos perform well.
• Snapchat remains a daily messaging channel for teens/young adults; high engagement but limited organic reach for brands beyond geofilters/ads.
• LinkedIn usage clusters around major local employers (e.g., manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, education) for hiring and professional networking.
• X (Twitter) use concentrates on severe weather, school closings, highway conditions, and high‑school sports scores; lighter entertainment use.
• Timing: engagement peaks before work/school (6–8 AM), lunch (11:30 AM–1 PM), and evenings (8–10 PM); seasonal spikes around storms, harvest, and school-year milestones.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups are key for secondhand goods; Instagram DMs and Facebook posts drive foot traffic and local services.

Notes on figures

• Counts and percentages are 2024 modeled estimates for Pennington County based on Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. social platform adoption rates (by age/gender) applied to the county’s population size; users commonly have accounts on multiple platforms, so totals overlap.