Lincoln County

Lincoln County, Montana – Key Demographics

Population

• Total population: 19,677 (2020 Census)
• ACS estimate: ~20,300 (2018–2022 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~51 years (2018–2022 ACS)
• Age distribution: under 18 ~20%; 18–64 ~56%; 65+ ~24% (ACS)

Gender

• Male ~51%; Female ~49% (ACS)

Race and ethnicity (2018–2022 ACS)

• White alone: ~93%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~2–3%
• Black or African American alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0–0.5%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%

Households and housing (2018–2022 ACS)

• Households: ~8,700
• Average household size: ~2.25
• Family households: ~62%; nonfamily: ~38%
• Owner-occupied: ~79%; renter-occupied: ~21%
• Median household income: ~$54k
• Persons in poverty: ~16–17%

Insights

• Older-than-average population with a large 65+ share
• Predominantly White, with small but present American Indian and Hispanic populations
• Small household sizes, high homeownership, and incomes below the national median

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

• Scope: Lincoln County, MT has 19,677 residents (2020 Census) across ~3,675 sq mi, ≈5.3 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: 14,000–15,500 residents use email at least monthly (≈70–78% of the total population; ≈85–90% of adults).
• Age adoption (share using email): 18–29 ≈95%; 30–49 ≈95%; 50–64 ≈90%; 65+ ≈82–85%. Given the county’s older age profile, ≈60%+ of local email users are 50+.
• Gender split: ~50% female / 50% male among users; usage rates are essentially equal by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • About three-quarters of households report a broadband subscription (ACS), below the U.S. average.
  • Wired broadband is concentrated in Libby, Troy, and Eureka; outside town centers, fixed wireless and satellite are common due to mountainous terrain and long loops.
  • Smartphone access is widespread (≈80%+ of adults), making mobile the primary email channel for many outside cable/DSL footprints.
  • Connectivity clusters along US-2 and US-93 corridors; gaps persist in dispersed valleys and forested areas.
  • Ongoing shift from legacy DSL to cable/fixed wireless; incremental fiber builds from town cores.
• Use patterns: Email is entrenched for healthcare portals, schools, and local government; older-adult adoption continues to rise with telehealth and e-government services.

Mobile phone usage in Lincoln County, Montana — summary and contrasts with statewide patterns

User estimates and adoption

• Smartphone presence by household: Approximately 85–89% of Lincoln County households report having a smartphone and cellular data plan (ACS 2018–2022 patterns for rural Montana counties of similar profile), a few points below Montana statewide (roughly 90–93%).
• Cellular-only internet households: About 12–16% of households rely on a cellular data plan as their only internet subscription, meaningfully higher than the statewide share (about 7–10%). This reflects sparser wired broadband and drives heavier dependence on mobile data for home connectivity.
• People using mobile phones: With roughly 20–21 thousand residents and an older age structure, an estimated 15–17 thousand people carry a mobile phone (smartphone or basic), with smartphone users representing the large majority. Adoption among seniors is solid but lags younger cohorts, pulling overall usage below state averages.

Demographic breakdown shaping mobile usage

• Older population mix: Lincoln County skews older than Montana overall. The 65+ share is roughly a quarter of residents (mid‑20% range) compared with the state’s high‑teens to ~20%. This tilts device ownership and plan selection toward simpler, lower-cost plans and slows the pace of 5G device turnover compared with the state average.
• Income and education: Median household income is materially lower than the state median, and bachelor’s degree attainment is also lower. These factors correlate with higher use of prepaid plans, more price sensitivity, and a higher incidence of “mobile-only” internet households than the state overall.
• Household structure: A larger share of single‑person and fixed‑income households contributes to lower multi‑line family plan penetration than statewide norms, and to more variability in carriers used within households to patch coverage gaps.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access networks: Coverage is concentrated along the US‑2 corridor (Libby–Troy–Eureka) and town centers. 5G is present primarily in and around Libby and Eureka; LTE remains the dominant layer countywide. Mountainous terrain and forested areas create persistent dead zones, particularly in the Yaak Valley and on lightly traveled forest service roads.
• Carrier footprint characteristics:
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent rural coverage; T‑Mobile coverage is improving but remains spotty away from major corridors.
  • AT&T’s FirstNet presence supports public safety users on select sites; commercial users benefit indirectly from these upgrades where Band‑14 is deployed.
• Backhaul and fiber: Recent and ongoing middle‑mile and last‑mile fiber builds (including cooperative projects in the Tobacco Valley/Eureka area and state‑funded ConnectMT awards) are strengthening backhaul to towers and community anchor institutions. This enables capacity upgrades and future 5G densification, but many macro sites still rely on long microwave hops in remote terrain.
• Workarounds and supplements: Wi‑Fi calling, external antennas/boosters, and dedicated LTE/5G hotspots are used more commonly than statewide. Starlink and fixed wireless are frequently paired with mobile service to stabilize connectivity for remote households.

How Lincoln County’s trends differ from Montana statewide

• Slightly lower smartphone household penetration than the state, with a larger gap among seniors.
• Significantly higher reliance on cellular-only internet at home, reflecting fewer wired options.
• Slower and more localized 5G rollouts; most daily use still occurs on LTE outside town centers, whereas more Montana metro and micropolitan areas now have broad 5G coverage.
• Higher prevalence of prepaid and single‑line plans, lower multi‑line family plan share.
• Greater carrier redundancy behavior (keeping SIMs or lines on different carriers) due to localized coverage gaps, especially for residents who travel off the US‑2/MT‑37 corridors or recreate on federal lands.
• Strong seasonality: Visitor spikes around Lake Koocanusa and Kootenai National Forest stress limited‑capacity rural sectors more than typical statewide patterns, producing noticeable congestion during peak weekends.

Key takeaways

• Expect slightly lower overall adoption than the Montana average, with the gap driven by age mix and income, not by lack of interest in smartphones.
• Mobile networks are indispensable in Lincoln County for both primary home internet and mobility, but terrain and backhaul constraints cap performance outside towns.
• Fiber investments are improving tower backhaul and should translate into steadier LTE capacity and incremental 5G expansion over the next build cycles; nevertheless, coverage gaps in the Yaak and other remote areas will persist and continue to shape device/plan choices and multi‑carrier strategies.

Social media usage in Lincoln County, Montana (2024)

• Population baseline

  • Residents: ~20,000
  • Residents aged 13+: ~16,600
  • Social media users: ~12,800 (≈77% of 13+; ≈64% of total population)

• Most‑used platforms (reach among residents 13+; multi‑platform use is common)

  • YouTube: 72% (12.0k people)
  • Facebook: 65% (10.8k)
  • Instagram: 36% (6.0k)
  • TikTok: 28% (4.6k)
  • Pinterest: 28% (4.6k)
  • Snapchat: 22% (3.7k)
  • X (Twitter): 14% (2.3k)
  • LinkedIn: 12% (2.0k)
  • Reddit: 10% (1.7k)
  • Nextdoor: 6% (1.0k)

• Age profile of social users (share of total social media users)

  • 13–17: 8%
  • 18–24: 10%
  • 25–34: 16%
  • 35–44: 15%
  • 45–54: 18%
  • 55–64: 19%
  • 65+: 14%

• Gender breakdown

  • Overall social users: Female 52%, Male 48%
  • Platform skews: Facebook F55/M45; Instagram F57/M43; TikTok F60/M40; Snapchat F56/M44; Pinterest F78/M22; YouTube F48/M52; X F40/M60; Reddit F30/M70; LinkedIn F45/M55

• Behavioral trends

  • Community and commerce: Very heavy Facebook Groups and Marketplace use for local news, wildfire/road updates, school sports, buy/sell/trade, and events
  • Video habits: YouTube and Facebook video lead; how‑to, hunting/fishing, homesteading/off‑grid, equipment repair, and local business spotlights perform best
  • Messaging: Facebook Messenger is dominant; Snapchat is the go‑to for teens/young adults; WhatsApp is niche
  • Engagement pattern: Most residents are daily scrollers who post weekly or less; local relevance, photos of community life, and event reminders drive comments/shares
  • Timing: Activity peaks 6–10 pm and weekend mornings; spikes during wildfire season, weather events, and hunting season openings
  • Advertising response: Strong interest in local services (contractors, healthcare, auto/ATV, outfitters), job postings, value‑oriented offers, and seasonal events; interest targeting around outdoors/DIY outperforms broad demographics in this small market
  • Access reality: Mobile‑first usage; uneven broadband outside town centers favors shorter videos and “watch later” behavior on Wi‑Fi

Method note: Figures are 2024 estimates specific to Lincoln County derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 platform adoption rates to the county’s age mix from U.S. Census/ACS data; percentages are of residents aged 13+ and counts are rounded.