Lake County

Key demographics for Lake County, Montana (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• Total population: 31,134 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (race alone unless noted; Hispanic is of any race)

• White: ~68–70%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~20–22%
• Black or African American: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~8–9%
• Hispanic/Latino (of any race): ~4–5%
• White alone, not Hispanic/Latino: ~64–66%

Households

• Households: ~12.5–12.8k (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~8.1–8.4k; average family size: ~3.0
• Married-couple families: ~50–55% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
• Nonfamily households: ~34–36%
• Householder living alone 65+: ~11–13%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census (DP1) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (DP02, DP05). These are the most recent standard federal datasets for detailed county demographics.

Lake County, MT (2020 Census population 31,134; ≈21 people per square mile) has an estimated 21,800 adult email users. Method: adults ≈76% of population (~23,700) × 92% email adoption among U.S. adults (Pew Research).

Age distribution of email use (adoption rates): 18–29 ≈99%; 30–49 ≈98%; 50–64 ≈95%; 65+ ≈85%. Given the county’s older-leaning profile, a larger share of local users are 50+ relative to the U.S. average.

Gender split: Email usage is essentially even by gender; expected user mix mirrors population (~50% female, ~50% male).

Digital access trends and local connectivity:

• Rural, low-density county spanning much of the Flathead Indian Reservation; connectivity varies sharply by geography.
• Broadband subscription statewide is about 83% of households (ACS 2022); rural/tribal blocks in Lake County typically trail this, increasing reliance on mobile-only access for email.
• Fiber and faster fixed service cluster around Polson, Ronan, and main highway corridors; outlying areas more often use DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• Libraries, schools, and community centers serve as important access points, with seasonal demand spikes around Flathead Lake.

Lake County, Montana: mobile phone usage snapshot (mid-2025)

Key takeaways

• Estimated mobile phone users (all ages): 24,000–25,000 (about 74–77% of the total population; roughly 88–92% of adults).
• Estimated smartphone users: 23,000–24,500.
• Mobile-only internet households: about 2,800 (≈22% of households), notably higher than the statewide share (≈17%).
• Coverage is strong along the US‑93/MT‑35 corridors and in towns (Polson, Ronan, St. Ignatius) but remains patchy in mountainous and lakeshore areas; 5G is present in population centers but LTE remains the de facto standard across much of the county.

Population baseline used

• Total population: ≈32,000–33,000
• Households: ≈12,500–13,000
• Adult share (18+): ≈78%

User estimates and usage patterns

• Any mobile phone (feature or smartphone): 24,000–25,000 users
  • Adults (18+): ≈22,500–23,000
  • Teens (13–17): ≈1,800–2,000
• Smartphone users: 23,000–24,500
  • Adults: ≈21,500–22,500
  • Teens: ≈1,900–2,000
• Mobile-only internet households (smartphone or cellular hotspot as primary/only home internet): ≈2,600–3,200 (centered near 2,800; ≈22% of households)
• Prepaid share of mobile lines: elevated at an estimated 28–35% (vs ≈20–25% statewide), reflecting lower median incomes, higher rurality, and younger prepaid‑leaning segments.

Demographic breakdown (estimates derived from ACS demographics, Pew age-specific smartphone adoption, and rural adjustments)

• By age (smartphone adoption among individuals):
  • 18–29: ≈92–95%
  • 30–49: ≈93–95%
  • 50–64: ≈78–82%
  • 65+: ≈56–60%
  • Teens (13–17): ≈92–96% The county’s older age structure pulls overall smartphone penetration 1–3 percentage points below the Montana average.
• By race/tribal affiliation (household-level mobile-only internet reliance):
  • White non-Hispanic households: ≈17–20%
  • Native American households (significant share on the Flathead Reservation): ≈32–38%
  • Other/multiracial households: ≈18–22% Weighted county average: ≈22% mobile-only. This is materially higher than the statewide pattern due to the county’s larger Native population share and rural housing pattern.
• By income:
  • Bottom income quintile: smartphone ownership ≈80–85%; mobile-only reliance ≈35–40%
  • Middle income: smartphone ownership ≈88–92%; mobile-only ≈18–22%
  • Upper income: smartphone ownership ≈94–97%; mobile-only ≈8–12%

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE is the dominant layer, with near‑continuous outdoor coverage along US‑93 and in towns; indoor coverage in wood/concrete structures and in low‑lying lake/valley pockets can be weak.
  • 5G low‑band is available in and around major towns; mid‑band 5G is present in select zones but not uniform, so many users still fall back to LTE outside town centers.
• Terrain and gaps
  • Mission Mountains, canyons, and east‑shore segments of Flathead Lake introduce dead zones and variable signal quality; off‑corridor recreation areas see frequent LTE‑only or extended‑range 5G with limited capacity.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backhaul follows primary transport routes (notably the US‑93 corridor) with lateral spurs to public facilities, schools, and tribal/community anchor institutions. Outside those routes, many sites rely on microwave backhaul, constraining peak throughput.
• Seasonal load
  • Summer tourism around Flathead Lake increases mobile traffic markedly, producing evening/weekend slowdowns in lakeside and recreation hotspots and higher contention on sector-limited rural sites.
• Public access and resilience
  • Libraries, schools, and community/tribal centers serve as key Wi‑Fi anchors that backstop mobile capacity and affordability; during outages, these sites are central to continuity of service for mobile‑only households.

How Lake County differs from Montana overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: ≈22% of households vs ≈17% statewide, driven by rural housing and a larger share of Native households that rely on smartphones/hotspots for home internet.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration: 1–3 points below the state average, due to an older age profile and more very‑rural residents.
• More prepaid usage: prepaid line share is several points higher than the Montana norm, reflecting income mix and coverage‑driven carrier switching.
• Slower, patchier 5G beyond towns: mid‑band 5G is sparser than in Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Missoula counties; LTE remains the workhorse outside town centers.
• Greater seasonal congestion: tourism amplifies capacity constraints more than in many other Montana counties without a large lake‑based recreation economy.

Data and methods notes

• Population/household baselines use 2020 Census with 2023 county growth adjustments.
• Adoption rates combine Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone ownership by age with rural adjustments and Lake County’s age distribution from ACS 5‑year profiles.
• Mobile-only household reliance is derived by weighting national/rural and Native community internet‑access patterns by Lake County’s race/tribal composition and income mix.
• Coverage and infrastructure points synthesize FCC provider maps, carrier public disclosures, and rural deployment norms in western Montana’s terrain.

These figures are designed to be decision-ready county-level estimates that emphasize where Lake County’s usage and infrastructure diverge from the broader Montana pattern.

Lake County, MT social media snapshot (modeled from the latest available U.S. Census and Pew Research Center data)

Baseline population (U.S. Census, 2020)

• Total population: 31,134
• Gender: roughly even (about 50% female / 50% male)
• Adults (18+): approximately 76% of residents (~23.7k)

Estimated social-media users in Lake County (adults)

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72% of adults ≈ 17.0k
• Gender mix of users: broadly mirrors the county’s ~50/50 split

Most-used platforms among adults (percentages reflect Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult usage rates; local counts apply those rates to Lake County’s adult population)

• YouTube: 83% (~19.7k adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~16.1k)
• Instagram: 47% (~11.1k)
• Pinterest: 35% (~8.3k)
• TikTok: 33% (~7.8k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~7.1k)
• Snapchat: 27% (~6.4k)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~5.2k) Note: Platform totals overlap because many people use multiple platforms.

Age-group usage patterns (Pew 2024 patterns applied locally)

• 18–29: very high YouTube (90%+); Instagram (8 in 10), Snapchat (2 in 3), TikTok (6 in 10); Facebook much lower than older groups.
• 30–49: YouTube (9 in 10), Facebook (3 in 4), Instagram (6 in 10), TikTok (4 in 10).
• 50–64: Facebook (7 in 10) and YouTube (8 in 10) dominate; Instagram/TikTok smaller but growing.
• 65+: Facebook (about half) and YouTube (about half); other platforms relatively low.

Gender breakdown by platform (U.S. patterns reflected locally)

• Near-parity: Facebook, YouTube.
• Skews female: Pinterest (strong), Instagram (modest), Snapchat (modest), TikTok (modest).
• Skews male: Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn (slight).

Behavioral trends observed in rural U.S. counties like Lake (applied locally)

• Facebook as the community hub: local news, school and sports updates, community groups, buy/sell, events, wildfire/road conditions, and civic/tribal announcements.
• YouTube for DIY, trades, outdoors, equipment reviews, and how‑tos; strong utility among 30–64.
• Younger audiences split time across Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; short‑form video drives discovery and event turnout.
• Messaging layers: Facebook Messenger (and SMS) commonly used for transactions from buy/sell groups and local services.
• Professional networking is limited (LinkedIn small), so B2B reach often rides on Facebook Groups and direct referrals.
• Seasonality: engagement peaks around school calendars, tourism/recreation seasons, and emergency events (fires, storms).

Sources and method

• Population and age/gender baseline: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census).
• Social platform usage rates: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024.
• Local figures are derived by applying Pew’s U.S. adult usage percentages to Lake County’s adult population to produce county-level estimates.