Saint Louis County

Key demographics — Saint Louis County, Minnesota (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS 1-year unless noted)

• Population

  • Total: ~201,000
  • 2020 Census count: 200,231

• Age

  • Median age: ~41 years
  • Under 18: ~18%
  • 18–64: ~61%
  • 65 and over: ~21%

• Gender

  • Female: ~50.5%
  • Male: ~49.5%

• Racial/ethnic composition

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

• Households and housing

  • Households: ~87,000–88,000
  • Average household size: ~2.2 persons
  • Owner-occupied: ~69%
  • Renter-occupied: ~31%
  • Family households: ~55%; Nonfamily: ~45%
  • Households with children under 18: ~24%
  • Householder living alone: ~32–33%

Insights

• Older age profile than the state overall, with about one in five residents age 65+ and a median age around 41.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a comparatively higher American Indian share than the state average.
• Smaller household size and a relatively high share of nonfamily and single-person households.

Saint Louis County, MN email usage (2024)

• Estimated users: ~151,000 adult email users (≈75% of total population), derived from ~200,000 residents, ~80% adults, and high U.S. email adoption across ages.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: 20%; 30–49: 34%; 50–64: 26%; 65+: 21% (older adults slightly lower adoption than midlife cohorts).
• Gender split: ~50% women, ~50% men, mirroring the county’s overall demographics.
• Digital access and trends: ~86% of households have a broadband subscription; urban Duluth and adjacent townships typically have cable/fiber at 100–1000 Mbps, while rural Iron Range and far-north areas rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. Mobile‑only internet households are roughly 7%. Most email checking occurs on smartphones, with desktop strongest among office workers and older residents. Overall email engagement is stable to rising as rural broadband expands.
• Local density/connectivity context: The county spans roughly 6,860 square miles with low population density (~29 people per sq mi), making last‑mile buildouts costly. Minnesota’s Border‑to‑Border broadband grants are actively extending rural fiber in the county, improving reliability and narrowing urban‑rural gaps.

Saint Louis County, Minnesota — Mobile Phone Usage Summary (focus on county-specific trends vs. statewide)

Scope and scale

• Population and households: ≈200,000 residents; ≈87,000 households; land area 6,860 sq mi (very low density at ~29 residents/sq mi). The county’s size and sparsity materially shape mobile coverage and adoption patterns.
• Estimated users (2024):
  • Adults with any mobile phone: ≈148,000 (≈95% of ~156,000 adults).
  • Adult smartphone users: ≈134,000 (≈86% of adults).
  • Total unique mobile users (age 13+): ≈152,000.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no wireline): ≈17% county vs ≈12% Minnesota statewide, indicating a heavier reliance on cellular for home internet in the county.

Demographic factors and usage patterns (what differs from statewide)

• Older population mix: ~21% of residents are 65+ in St. Louis County vs ~17% statewide. This skews device mix toward a modestly higher share of basic/feature phones and depresses smartphone penetration relative to Minnesota overall.
• Income and affordability: Median household income is roughly $61,000 in St. Louis County vs about $80,000 statewide. Lower incomes correlate with:
  • Higher prepaid plan usage.
  • Greater likelihood of mobile-only internet households.
  • More data-constrained plans and hotspot usage for home connectivity.
• Urban–rural split: Duluth, Hermantown, Hibbing, Virginia, and nearby corridors exhibit near-urban usage patterns (high smartphone adoption, heavier data consumption). Large rural and wilderness tracts (Iron Range communities; Ely/BWCA environs) show:
  • Lower smartphone adoption among seniors.
  • More device/plan conservatism (voice/SMS reliance; metered data use).
  • Coverage-dependent behavior (offline apps, Wi‑Fi offload).
• Native nations and equity: Portions of Bois Forte Band lands lie within the county. These areas have historically faced larger coverage and backhaul gaps than the state average; reliance on targeted buildouts (e.g., FirstNet sites, new backhaul) is higher than elsewhere in Minnesota.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county realities vs statewide)

• 4G LTE is the baseline across population centers and along primary corridors (I‑35 near Duluth, US‑53 Duluth–Hibbing–Virginia, MN‑169). Outside these, service can drop to fringe LTE or no signal, especially near wilderness areas and lake country; this gap intensity is notably greater than the Minnesota average.
• 5G availability:
  • Concentrated in Duluth/Hermantown and along key travel corridors (US‑53/I‑35), extending into Hibbing/Virginia. Mid‑band 5G (e.g., 2.5 GHz, C‑band) supports typical 100–300 Mbps user rates in covered zones.
  • Rural hamlets and forested/wilderness areas are still LTE‑only or unserved—5G population coverage lags the state average even as Duluth itself is competitive with other Minnesota cities.
• Backhaul and middle‑mile:
  • The Northeast Service Cooperative’s regional open‑access fiber backbone spans much of northeastern Minnesota, including St. Louis County, providing critical backhaul to schools, governments, and carrier cell sites. This improves urban/suburban capacity but is still maturing as a foundation for deeper rural cell densification.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) Band 14 sites augment coverage on major corridors and select rural areas; nevertheless, wilderness dead zones remain more prevalent than the statewide norm.
  • Next‑Gen 911 statewide and broader E911 support are in place; however, location reliability in deep‑rural terrain is still constrained by radio footprint.
• Seasonal load:
  • Tourism surges (BWCA, North Shore gateways, lake cabins) create pronounced seasonal and weekend traffic spikes on towers near Ely and recreation corridors, producing more frequent congestion than the Minnesota average outside metro areas.

Key takeaways (how St. Louis County differs from Minnesota overall)

• Adoption: Overall adult smartphone penetration is a few points lower than the state average, driven by an older age profile and more rural households. Estimated adult smartphone users ≈134,000 (≈86% vs statewide closer to upper‑80s).
• Access mode: Mobile-only home internet is materially higher (≈17% vs ≈12% statewide), reflecting affordability constraints and sparse wireline options in outlying areas.
• Coverage: The county’s vast geography and rugged terrain produce significantly more LTE‑fringe/no‑service zones than typical for Minnesota; 5G is strong in Duluth and along major highways but lags in broad rural coverage.
• Behavior: Higher reliance on prepaid plans, hotspotting, and Wi‑Fi offload; seniors maintain a higher share of voice/SMS‑centric usage and basic phones than the statewide mix.
• Infrastructure trajectory: Continued 5G corridor buildouts, selective FirstNet expansion, and incremental fiber backhaul extensions are narrowing, but not eliminating, rural gaps; Duluth usage and speeds increasingly mirror Minnesota’s urban centers while the hinterlands remain below state averages on availability and performance.

Saint Louis County, MN social media snapshot

Population and access

• Population: ~200,000 (ACS; 2020 Census baseline 200,231; recent estimates remain near 200k)
• Adults (18+): ~164,000 (≈82% of residents)
• Gender (all ages): ~51% female, ~49% male (ACS)
• Age mix skews older than the Minnesota average, boosting Facebook and YouTube usage relative to TikTok/Snapchat

Age breakouts among adults (approx.)

• 18–29: ~18%
• 30–49: ~29%
• 50–64: ~26%
• 65+: ~27%

Most-used platforms among adults in the county (best estimates) Note: Percentages reflect Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adoption rates adjusted to the county’s older age profile. They provide a practical proxy for local use.

• YouTube: ~80–83% of adults (≈130–136k people)
• Facebook: ~70–73% (≈115–120k)
• Instagram: ~40–45% (≈66–74k)
• Pinterest: ~34–38% (≈56–62k)
• TikTok: ~27–31% (≈44–51k)
• LinkedIn: ~28–32% (≈46–52k)
• Snapchat: ~22–25% (≈36–41k)
• X (Twitter): ~20–23% (≈33–38k)
• Reddit: ~17–20% (≈29–33k)
• WhatsApp: ~17–19% (≈29–31k)

Gender patterns

• Women are more likely to use Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; men over-index on Reddit and X. Facebook and YouTube are broad across genders.

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the county’s default community hub: local news, weather/closures, school districts, township/city pages, Facebook Groups, and Marketplace drive high daily engagement.
• YouTube is near-universal for how-tos, outdoor/recreational content (hunting, fishing, trail and BWCA prep), home/vehicle maintenance, and local government meeting replays.
• Instagram is strong for restaurants, breweries, events, tourism, and outdoor brands; Stories/Reels are the primary engagement format.
• TikTok has fast-growing reach among 18–34, used for local food spots, events, and short-form outdoors content; cross-posted Reels perform similarly on Instagram.
• Snapchat is prevalent among high school/college populations (UMD, CSS, Hibbing CC, Mesabi Range) for messaging and campus life; usage drops sharply after early 30s.
• LinkedIn use reflects healthcare, education, mining/engineering, and public sector employment; effective for recruitment and professional networking.
• Seasonal and event-driven spikes: winter weather, storm events, and school/sports updates materially increase Facebook and YouTube engagement; summer tourism content lifts Instagram/TikTok views.
• Time-of-day peaks: early morning (commute/school window), lunch, and especially 6–9 pm for community posts, events, and video consumption.
• Local discovery is group- and geo-centric: Facebook Groups, city/town pages, and location-tagged Instagram/TikTok posts often outperform standalone brand pages for reach.

How to interpret the numbers

• The county’s older-leaning population elevates Facebook and YouTube above national averages and slightly suppresses TikTok/Snapchat.
• Visual, short-form video is the growth engine (Instagram Reels/TikTok) among under-40s; Facebook remains the conversion workhorse across 35+.
• Women’s higher use of Pinterest/Instagram aligns with strong performance for food, retail, home, and event content; men’s higher Reddit/X use favors tech, sports, and policy topics.

Sources and method

• Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), latest available.
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024. Local percentages are derived by weighting Pew’s age-specific adoption to Saint Louis County’s adult age profile.