Pine County

Pine County, Minnesota – Key Demographics

Population

• 2023 population estimate: ~29,600
• 2020 Census: 28,876

Age

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~87%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~5%
• Two or more races: ~5–6%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–2%
• Asian alone: ~0.5–1%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~12,100
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Average family size: ~2.9
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple: ~49–50%
• Owner-occupied: ~79%; renter-occupied: ~21%
• Housing units: ~16,900; vacancy rate: ~21% (elevated due to seasonal/recreational units)
• Single-person households: ~29%; households with children under 18: ~26%; 65+ living alone: ~12–13%

Key insights

• Older age profile than Minnesota overall, with about one-fifth 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a notable American Indian population
• High homeownership and a large share of seasonal/vacant housing
• Small household sizes and a majority of family households but with significant single-person households

Email usage in Pine County, Minnesota (modeled from U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 and Pew age-based adoption):

• Population 2023: ~29,700; land area ~1,411 sq mi; density ≈21 people/sq mi.
• Adults (18+): ~23,200.

Estimated adult email users: ≈21,500 (≈93% of adults). By age (users):

• 18–34: ~5,200 (24%)
• 35–49: ~5,200 (24%)
• 50–64: ~6,400 (30%)
• 65+: ~4,800 (22%)

Gender split among users: roughly even, ~10,800 women and ~10,700 men, mirroring the county’s near 50/50 population mix.

Digital access and trends:

• Households with a computer: ~88%.
• Households with a broadband subscription: ~82%; smartphone-only internet households: ~9–10%.
• Connectivity is strongest along the I-35 corridor (Pine City, Hinckley, Sandstone) where cable/fiber is common; outlying townships rely more on DSL/fixed wireless/satellite, contributing to lower high-speed availability and higher mobile-only reliance.
• Adoption has trended upward with ongoing fiber and fixed-wireless buildouts, but speed and reliability gaps persist outside the corridor, influencing heavier email use on mobile in lower-density areas.

These figures indicate a mature email market with near-universal adoption among working-age adults and somewhat lower usage among seniors, shaped by rural connectivity constraints.

Mobile phone usage in Pine County, Minnesota (2024 snapshot)

Topline

• Pine County’s mobile landscape reflects a rural profile: smartphone adoption slightly below the Minnesota average, heavier reliance on mobile data as a primary internet connection, and 5G concentrated along the I-35 corridor with weaker mid-band 5G away from towns. Carriers with stronger low-band LTE footprints (Verizon, AT&T/FirstNet) hold an advantage outside population centers; T-Mobile coverage is best near I-35 and town sites.

User estimates

• Population and households: ~29,700 residents and ~12,200 households (U.S. Census 2023 estimates).
• Adult base: ~23,000 adults (18+).
• Any mobile phone users: ~21,800–22,300 adults (95–97% of adults).
• Smartphone users: ~19,500–20,500 adults (85–89% of adults). This is a few points lower than Minnesota’s statewide adult smartphone rate (roughly upper 80s to around 90%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home internet): ~2,300–2,800 households (19–23% of households), materially higher than the statewide share (roughly low-teens). This reflects gaps in fixed broadband plus cost sensitivity.

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (~94–97%), close to the state level.
  • 35–64: high adoption (~88–92%), slightly below state average.
  • 65+: notably lower adoption (~70–78%), producing a larger senior mobile gap than the state overall. Feature-phone retention and shared/family plans are more common in this group than statewide.
• Income
  • Households under ~$35,000 show the highest smartphone-only internet reliance (roughly 30–35% in-county vs low-20s statewide), reflecting affordability constraints for wired service.
  • Prepaid mobile plans are meaningfully more prevalent than the statewide average (roughly 1.3–1.5x the state share), tied to income mix and seasonal/part-time workers.
• Race and ethnicity
  • White, non-Hispanic households form the large majority of lines.
  • American Indian households (Mille Lacs Band presence) show above-average smartphone-only reliance compared with the county mean, consistent with patterns in rural Minnesota.
• Seasonal residents
  • Cabin/seasonal households and recreation traffic increase mobile network load on weekends and summer months, and they contribute to higher hotspot/tethering use relative to the state average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint
  • Coverage is strongest along I-35 (Pine City, Hinckley, Sandstone) and along state highways; forested and lake areas off-corridor see more LTE-only zones and indoor signal challenges.
  • 5G: County population centers and the I-35 corridor have broad low-band 5G. Mid-band 5G capacity is present near higher-traffic sites but drops off quickly outside towns; much of the interior remains LTE-dominant. This contrasts with Minnesota’s metro counties, where mid-band 5G is common and denser.
• Performance
  • Typical rural performance constraints (longer inter-site distances, more foliage) yield lower average download speeds and more variability than the statewide average, especially indoors. Users frequently lean on Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters in fringe areas.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backhaul tracks I-35 and main corridors, supporting denser sites and higher capacity in-town. Away from these routes, sites more often depend on microwave or longer backhaul spans, limiting mid-band 5G reach compared with Minnesota’s urban counties.
• Fixed broadband context
  • A higher share of locations in Pine County remain below 100/20 Mbps wired service compared to the statewide average; this drives the county’s above-average smartphone-only household rate and heavier mobile hotspot use.
• Public safety and reliability
  • FirstNet buildouts have strengthened low-band coverage for emergency services and incident response areas. Rural topography still creates pockets where voice/SMS are more reliable than data indoors.

How Pine County differs from Minnesota overall

• Smartphone adoption is modestly lower, with a larger senior gap than statewide.
• Smartphone-only households are clearly higher, indicating greater dependence on mobile for home internet.
• Carrier mix tilts more toward providers with stronger rural low-band footprints; T-Mobile’s share is better near the interstate than in the interior.
• Mid-band 5G coverage is shallower and more corridor-centric; LTE remains the workhorse away from towns, keeping average speeds below metro norms.
• Seasonal population and recreation traffic cause more pronounced weekend/summer demand spikes, shaping capacity planning and user experience.
• Residents more frequently employ Wi‑Fi calling, signal boosters, and mobile hotspots than the state average due to building penetration and coverage gaps.

Notes on sources and estimation

• Population and household counts reflect U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimates.
• Device ownership and smartphone-only household shares are derived from county-level ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns (5‑year estimates), blended with rural Minnesota differentials, Pew Research smartphone adoption levels, and Minnesota broadband availability data; ranges are provided to reflect year-to-year and survey-sample variability while giving concrete, decision-ready numbers.

Pine County, MN social media snapshot (2025, modeled)

Overall user stats

• Population base: ~30,000 residents; ~23,500 adults (18+)
• Social media users (13+): ~18,900
• Adults using at least one platform: ~17,000 (≈72% of adults)
• Teen users (13–17): ~1,900 (≈95% of teens)

Age mix of users (share of all users)

• 13–17: 9%
• 18–29: 18%
• 30–49: 33%
• 50–64: 22%
• 65+: 18%

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: 52%
• Male: 48%

Most-used platforms (adults; share of adult population)

• YouTube: 75%
• Facebook: 66%
• Instagram: 35%
• TikTok: 28%
• Pinterest: 28%
• Snapchat: 24%
• X (Twitter): 18%
• LinkedIn: 18%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 6% Notes:
• Among teens (13–17), the top four are YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram in that order; each exceeds 60% usage, with YouTube near universal.
• Multi-platform use is common; percentages sum to more than 100%.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local Groups for road conditions, school sports, community events, garage sales, and emergency/weather updates; Marketplace is a primary buy/sell channel.
• Video-first consumption: short vertical video dominates TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts; how-to and outdoor/recreation content over-index on YouTube.
• Younger cohorts message-first: 13–29 rely on Snapchat and Instagram DMs; public posting is less frequent than private sharing.
• Instagram is key for local businesses, tourism, and events; Stories perform better than feed posts for timely promotions.
• TikTok is rising for discovery among under-35s; creator base is smaller than consumer base, but local-event and outdoors content travel well via hashtags.
• News and civic info: Facebook Pages/Groups and YouTube clips are primary sources; X usage is niche and skews toward news/politics enthusiasts.
• Timing: engagement peaks before work/school (7–8 AM), lunchtime (12–1 PM), and evenings (7–9 PM); weekend mornings are strong for marketplace and events.
• Devices: overwhelmingly mobile; keep videos under 60–90 seconds with captions for silent autoplay; image posts with clear text overlays outperform long copy.
• Privacy/trust: older users prefer closed groups and recognizable local admins; concise, transparent posts get higher interaction.
• Advertising: best ROI via Facebook/Instagram for broad local reach; YouTube for evergreen how-to and brand; TikTok to reach under-35. Use geotargeting with 10–25 mile radii around Pine City/Hinckley.

Method note

• Figures are modeled local estimates using Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates blended with Pine County’s age/gender profile (U.S. Census ACS). Expect a ±3–5 percentage-point margin at the platform level; counts rounded for clarity.