Cascade County

Cascade County, Montana — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

• Population:

  • ~85,000 residents (2023 estimate)
  • 2020 Census: ~84,800

• Age:

  • Median age: ~39 years
  • Under 18: ~22–23%
  • 65 and over: ~17–18%

• Sex:

  • Male: ~51%
  • Female: ~49%

• Race and Hispanic origin (ACS; race alone; Hispanic is of any race):

  • White: ~86%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~6%
  • Two or more races: ~6–7%
  • Black or African American: ~1–2%
  • Asian: ~1–2%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <0.5%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6%

• Households and housing:

  • Households: ~35,000
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~60% of households
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~64–66%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2023 American Community Survey 1-year; ACS 5-year). Figures rounded for clarity.

Cascade County, MT snapshot

• Estimated email users: ~62,000–67,000 residents (about 73–80% of the total population; roughly 90–95% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (est.):
  • 18–34: ~28%
  • 35–54: ~38%
  • 55–64: ~16%
  • 65+: ~18%
• Gender split among users: ~50% women, ~50% men (±1%), mirroring the county’s population.

Digital access trends

• Internet at home: roughly 80–83% of households have an internet subscription; about 10–15% are smartphone‑only; ~10–15% lack home internet.
• Access patterns: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; usage rises via smartphones, with seniors’ adoption growing but still lower than younger groups.
• Urban–rural gap: Fastest, most reliable service is in and around Great Falls; rural areas more often use DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Population ~84,000 across ~2,700 square miles (≈31 people per sq. mile), creating pockets where fixed broadband is sparse.
• Coverage is strongest along the I‑15/US‑87 corridors and in Great Falls, which concentrates most providers and public Wi‑Fi access points.

Below is a concise, county-focused picture based on public benchmarks (Pew/FCC-type adoption patterns), known local infrastructure, and Cascade County’s demographics. Figures are estimates intended for planning, not regulatory reporting.

Snapshot

• Population: about 84–85k, with roughly 65k adults. Urban core is Great Falls; outlying towns include Belt, Cascade, Ulm, Simms/Fort Shaw, Vaughn, and Neihart.
• Market presence: All three national carriers operate countywide, with the strongest capacity in and around Great Falls. Verizon and AT&T long dominated legacy LTE; T-Mobile has expanded materially since 600 MHz and mid-band 5G deployments.

User estimates

• Unique mobile users (any cellphone): ~70–75k people
  • Assumes near-universal adoption among working-age adults, high teen adoption, and rising (but not universal) adoption among seniors.
• Smartphone users: ~60–65k people
  • Method: ~86–90% of adults plus most teens; seniors lag but are improving.
• Lines in service (phones + wearables/tablets + work lines): ~90–110k total county lines
  • Urban characteristics (Great Falls), a military base, and health-care sector employment support multi-line uptake above the population count.

Demographic usage patterns

• Age
  • Teens/young adults: Very high smartphone and app-centric use; strong adoption of unlimited plans and video/short-form streaming.
  • 30–64: Heavy BYOD/work use; high use of mobile for navigation, gig/shift work, and messaging; frequent hotspotting.
  • 65+: Adoption lower than younger groups but higher than the Montana average due to better retail access, health system digital tools, and family networks in Great Falls.
• Income/plan mix
  • Median household income runs a bit below the statewide median; after the ACP wind-down in 2024, Cascade shows a noticeable uptick in prepaid, budget MVNO plans, and “smartphone-only” home internet reliance versus the Montana average.
• Military and public safety
  • Malmstrom AFB and associated contractor/public safety presence raise penetration of dependable postpaid plans, FirstNet-enabled devices (AT&T), and newer handsets. Device churn and 5G-capable handset share trend higher than statewide.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and capacity
  • Great Falls: Broad 5G availability from all three carriers, including mid-band (C-band for Verizon/AT&T, 2.5 GHz for T-Mobile) delivering strong indoor coverage and higher median speeds than most rural Montana counties.
  • Corridors: I-15, US-87/89, and MT-200 are well covered; capacity drops off on lesser county roads.
  • Gaps/terrain: Signal becomes spotty in coulees, along the Missouri River breaks, and toward the Little Belt approaches near Neihart and Sluice Boxes; low-band LTE/5G keeps basic coverage but with limited capacity.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Great Falls benefits from multiple fiber providers and transport routes (e.g., Vision Net headquartered locally, plus Charter/Spectrum and Lumen), supporting robust macro sites and some small cells near hospitals, campuses, and commercial corridors.
• Fixed wireless interplay
  • 5G Home Internet from Verizon/T-Mobile is broadly available in Great Falls. This reduces satellite and legacy DSL dependence in town and slightly increases overall mobile network traffic density.
• Public safety/E911
  • FirstNet buildout and tower hardening around Great Falls improve resilience compared to many rural Montana counties.

How Cascade County differs from statewide trends

• Higher adoption and newer devices: Smartphone penetration and 5G-capable handset share are a bit higher than the Montana average due to Great Falls’ urban footprint and base-related churn.
• Better 5G depth: Mid-band 5G is more consistently available countywide (especially in Great Falls) than in many frontier counties that rely mostly on low-band.
• Lower satellite reliance in town: Within Great Falls, mobile and cable/fiber reduce the need for satellite service; statewide, rural areas lean more on satellite or legacy DSL.
• More smartphone-only households: Because incomes trend slightly below the state median and device retail access is good, the share of households relying on a phone as their primary home internet is somewhat higher than the statewide share.
• Stronger FirstNet/public safety footprint: Presence of Malmstrom AFB and Great Falls’ role as a regional hub mean more attention to public-safety coverage and backup power than many rural counties.
• Coverage consistency: While Cascade still has terrain-driven dead zones, day-to-day reliability (call completion, indoor coverage in population centers) is better than the state average, where extremely low-density areas dominate.

Planning implications

• Capacity, not just coverage, is the issue in Great Falls: Continue densification and mid-band overlays, plus fiber backhaul upgrades.
• Edge communities need targeted fills: Low-band infill or small cells along river corridors and recreational areas would close the biggest usability gaps.
• Affordability and digital skills: Post-ACP, partner programs for low-cost plans/devices and senior digital literacy will have outsized impact in Cascade compared with many Montana counties.
• Public-safety and critical infrastructure: Maintain FirstNet and multi-carrier redundancy given the base, hospital, and regional logistics roles.

Here’s a concise, county‑level snapshot built from Pew Research’s 2023–24 platform usage, rural market skews, Montana demographics, and Cascade County’s age profile. Figures are modeled estimates for adults (18+) living in Cascade County (~85,000 residents; ~65–67k adults). Use as directional ranges, not exact counts.

Topline

• Estimated adult social media users: 45,000–52,000 (≈70–78% of adults)
• Internet/smartphone access: ~80–85% of adults online; ~85%+ own a smartphone

Most‑used platforms (share of adults in Cascade County)

• YouTube: 70–75%
• Facebook: 60–65%
• Instagram: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 25–30% (notably strong among women 25–54)
• TikTok: 20–25%
• Snapchat: 15–20% (concentrated under 30)
• X (Twitter): 10–15%
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (skews toward healthcare, education, gov/military, trades)

Age patterns (primary platforms)

• 13–17: Snapchat, TikTok; YouTube universal; Instagram secondary
• 18–29: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube heavy; Facebook for groups/events
• 30–49: Facebook + Messenger, YouTube; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing
• 50–64: Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest (women); Instagram light
• 65+: Facebook, YouTube; limited use of others

Gender tendencies (local skew similar to national)

• Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest: slightly female‑leaning
• YouTube, X, LinkedIn: slightly male‑leaning
• Overall county social users: roughly balanced (small female tilt on FB/IG offset by male tilt on YT/X)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community + info first: Heavy use of Facebook Groups (Great Falls buy/sell/trade, neighborhood watch, school and youth sports, hunting/fishing, road and weather updates, wildfire season info).
• Local news and public safety: Sheriff/city updates, snowplow/road closures, severe weather. Facebook is the hub; YouTube used for briefings and replays.
• Shopping and recommendations: Facebook Marketplace and group referrals outperform standalone local sites. Pinterest influences home, crafts, recipes; Instagram supports boutique retail and restaurants.
• Events and causes: Strong engagement for fairs, rodeos, Western Art Week, school fundraisers, veteran/military causes (Malmstrom AFB presence).
• Video habits: Short vertical video (15–60s) does best on FB/IG/TikTok; YouTube draws longer DIY, repair, outdoor, and how‑to viewing.
• Timing: Peaks around 7–9 am, 11:30 am–1 pm, and 7–9 pm MT; weekend mornings are strong for community and shopping posts.
• Younger cohorts: TikTok/IG growth among 18–34, including military families and service workers; Snapchat primarily messaging vs. public posting.
• Older cohorts: Facebook is the default internet for many; high trust in local pages/groups; share rates high for civic and school content.

Practical notes for planning or ads

• Easiest paid reach: Facebook/Instagram for broad county targeting; use Groups‑adjacent creative and short video.
• Consider Pinterest for women 25–54 (home/outdoors/recipes) and YouTube for tutorials and longer storytelling.
• Verify exact ad reach by using platform ad tools filtered to Cascade County/Great Falls ZIPs; expect totals broadly consistent with the ranges above.

Method note

• Percentages are estimated from national Pew platform usage, adjusted for rural/older skew typical of Montana and Cascade County’s age mix, plus observed platform adoption patterns in similar counties. For precise counts, pair this with Census ACS population by age/sex and current ad‑platform reach tools.