Stevens County

Stevens County, Minnesota — key demographics

Population size

• 9,671 (2020 Census)

Age structure

• Median age: ~34 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–24: ~17%
• 25–44: ~24%
• 45–64: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (Hispanic is an ethnicity; persons may be of any race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~89%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~5%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Asian: ~2%
• Black/African American: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Household data

• Total households: ~3,700
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~56% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~44%
• Married-couple households: ~48% of households
• One-person households: ~34%
• Households with children under 18: ~26%

Insights

• Small, stable population anchored by the City of Morris and the University of Minnesota Morris.
• Younger age profile and elevated share of nonfamily/one-person households relative to rural counties without a university.
• Population remains predominantly non-Hispanic White with modest racial and ethnic diversity.

• Population and density: ~9,600 residents in Stevens County, MN; ~17 people per square mile (largely rural, centered on Morris).
• Estimated email users: ≈7,300 residents (roughly 75–80% of the population), derived from Minnesota internet/email adoption applied to local age mix.

Age distribution of email users

• 13–17: 5% (350)
• 18–34: 30% (2,200; boosted by the University of Minnesota Morris)
• 35–64: 45% (3,300)
• 65+: 20% (1,400)

Gender split

• Approximately even: ~50% female, ~50% male.

Digital access and trends

• ~86% of households have a broadband subscription; ~92% have a computer or smartphone (ACS 2018–2022).
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~7%, indicating most users have fixed plus mobile access.
• ~95%+ of addresses have access to ≥100/20 Mbps service, with rapid fiber expansion by local co‑ops (e.g., Federated Telephone Cooperative, Gardonville) since 2019; subscription rates are rising.
• Public and campus Wi‑Fi (UMN Morris, libraries) strengthen access in Morris; fixed wireless and fiber cover rural townships.

Insight: High student presence and broad 100/20 availability drive strong email use across ages; remaining gaps are in the sparsest townships.

Mobile phone usage in Stevens County, Minnesota — 2025 snapshot

Baseline

• Population: 9,671 (2020 Census).
• Estimated mobile phone users (any type): about 7,800 residents.
• Estimated smartphone users: about 6,900 residents. How these estimates were derived: apply widely cited U.S. adult mobile-ownership rates (roughly 97% for any mobile phone, ~85% for smartphones) to the county’s adult population, and add teen ownership (Pew Research finds ~95% of teens have smartphones). Figures are rounded to reflect small-county margins of error.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• College-driven youth skew: The University of Minnesota Morris concentrates 18–24-year-olds in the county seat, pushing smartphone adoption in that age band to near saturation. This raises overall app-based communication, ride/food delivery use, and campus-Wi‑Fi offload relative to the state average.
• Older adults: A larger rural 65+ cohort outside Morris still uses mobile phones at high rates but retains more basic/voice-first devices than statewide, keeping smartphone share below the Minnesota average among seniors.
• Income and plan mix: With more price-sensitive users (students and rural households), prepaid and MVNO plans make up a larger share of subscriptions than statewide postpaid norms.
• Mobile-only internet: A noticeably higher share of renter and rural households rely on cellular-only home internet (phone hotspots or fixed wireless) than the statewide average, reflecting patchier fixed broadband off the fiber/cable footprint.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage pattern: 4G LTE is effectively countywide outdoors, with strongest service in Morris and along US‑59/MN‑28/MN‑9 corridors; indoor coverage can dip in metal-clad farm and industrial buildings and in low-lying rural areas.
• 5G: Low‑band 5G covers the Morris area from all three national carriers; mid‑band 5G is present in-town (notably around campus and commercial corridors) and falls back to LTE across much of the open countryside.
• Capacity: Traffic spikes track the academic calendar and events in Morris, but overall rural population density keeps congestion lower than in Minnesota’s metro counties; the practical bottlenecks are coverage continuity and indoor penetration rather than spectrum exhaustion.
• Fixed wireless home internet: Carrier 5G/LTE home internet is a visible option in and near Morris and fills gaps for outlying townships where cable/fiber is limited.
• Public safety and reliability: NG911 and FirstNet integration are in place; local agencies commonly deploy in‑building boosters for critical facilities where signal penetration is weak.

How Stevens County differs from Minnesota overall

• Higher youth-driven smartphone intensity in the county seat, but a sharper town‑to‑township divide than the state norm.
• Greater reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans and mobile-only home internet among students and rural households.
• More pronounced indoor coverage challenges in agricultural and metal‑building environments, even where outdoor signal is good.
• 5G availability is more “islanded” (Morris and major corridors) versus the broader, denser statewide urban footprint; rural users more often operate on LTE.
• Network performance is constrained by geography and building materials more than by congestion, the opposite of many Twin Cities/metro contexts.

Practical takeaways

• Expect near‑universal mobile use among 18–24-year-olds in Morris, solid but less smartphone-heavy use among seniors in townships, and above-average adoption of prepaid and fixed‑wireless offers countywide.
• Coverage planning and user experience hinge on indoor solutions (Wi‑Fi calling, signal boosters) and device support for low‑band/mid‑band 5G where available, rather than on raw spectrum capacity.

Social media usage in Stevens County, MN — snapshot (2024)

User stats

• Population: ~9,700 (2020 Census).
• Estimated social media users (age 13+): ~6,000 (about 62% of residents). This reflects ~72% of adults and ~95% of teens using at least one platform.
• Daily users: ~4,200 (around 70% of social media users use at least one platform daily).

Age groups

• Teens (13–17): Very high usage; heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Low Facebook posting, but many have accounts to follow local info.
• 18–24 (UMN–Morris influence): Near-universal use; Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok dominate; YouTube for entertainment/course support.
• 25–44: Broadest cross‑platform activity; Facebook (including Marketplace/Groups), Instagram, YouTube; growing TikTok consumption.
• 45–64: Facebook is primary (Groups, local news, events); YouTube for tutorials and local content.
• 65+: Facebook for family/community updates; YouTube for long‑form and church/civic streams; limited Instagram/TikTok.

Gender breakdown

• Population is roughly even by sex. Platform usage skews follow national patterns: women over‑indexed on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over‑indexed on YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter). Local Facebook Groups and Marketplace participation skews female; ag/outdoors YouTube channels skew male.

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adult social media users; county estimates aligned to Pew U.S. adoption)

• YouTube: ~80–83%
• Facebook: ~68–72%
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30% overall (but >60% among 18–29)
• Pinterest: ~30–35% (predominantly women)
• LinkedIn: ~20–25% (lower than national due to rural/education mix)
• X (Twitter): ~20–25%
• WhatsApp: ~15–20% (used more for family/international ties than local groups)

Behavioral trends

• Local-first Facebook: High engagement in city/county pages, school/booster and buy‑sell‑trade groups; Marketplace is a key channel for household goods, vehicles, and farm equipment.
• Student-driven ephemeral posting: Stories on Snapchat/Instagram dominate day-to-day sharing; TikTok popular for trends and campus life.
• Video as utility: YouTube for DIY, agriculture, small engine repair, and local government/church streams.
• Event-driven peaks: Posting and engagement spike around school athletics, fairs, town festivals, weather events, and winter road conditions.
• Private-by-default: Preference for closed/ private groups and DMs over public posting; Messenger is the default local DM.
• Cross-posting for small business: Facebook Page + Instagram combo common for restaurants, boutiques, services; boosted posts targeted within 25–50 miles.
• Rural cadence: Highest engagement evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; lunchtime micro‑spikes on workdays.

Method note and sources

• Figures synthesize U.S. Census (2020) population for Stevens County with Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social platform adoption rates, adjusted to a rural Minnesota/college‑town profile. County-specific platform enumerations are not published; values above are localized estimates consistent with those benchmarks.