Musselshell County

Musselshell County, Montana – key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 4,730
• 2023 Census estimate: ~4,900 (modest growth since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~47–48 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution (ACS 2019–2023):
  • Under 18: ~20–22%
  • 18–64: ~55–58%
  • 65 and over: ~22–25%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49% (ACS 2019–2023)

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; race alone unless noted; Hispanic is any race)

• White: ~92–94%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~3–5%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–5%
• Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each ~0–1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~2,050
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~60–62% of households
• With children under 18: ~22–26%
• With at least one person age 65+: ~30–36%
• Housing units: ~2,700–2,900
• Occupied housing tenure: ~78–80% owner-occupied; ~20–22% renter-occupied

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

• Population and density: Musselshell County, MT has roughly 4,900 residents spread over ~1,870 sq mi (≈2.6 people per square mile), with most residents clustered around Roundup.
• Estimated email users: About 3,570 adult email users. Basis: 80% adults (3,920) and ~91% email adoption among U.S. adults applied locally.
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% male (≈1,820) and ≈49% female (≈1,750), mirroring the county’s population split.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate):
  • 18–29: ~510 users (high adoption ~93%)
  • 30–49: ~1,050 users (very high adoption ~96%)
  • 50–64: ~1,080 users (high adoption ~92%)
  • 65+: ~930 users (solid adoption ~85%)
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is roughly in the upper-70% range; computer access is high (upper-80% of households), consistent with rural Montana ACS patterns.
  • Connectivity is improving via fixed wireless and mobile broadband, but gaps persist in outlying ranch and mountain areas where satellite remains common.
  • Low population density raises last‑mile costs, creating a town–rural divide: Roundup enjoys stronger wired options; remote tracts rely more on wireless.
• Insight: Email is effectively universal among working-age adults; the main constraint is broadband quality and consistency outside population centers, not willingness to use email.

Mobile phone usage in Musselshell County, Montana — 2025 snapshot

Definitive baseline

• Population: 4,730 (2020 Census)
• Land area: about 1,860–1,870 square miles; population density roughly 2.5 people per sq. mi. (Census)
• Settlement pattern: entirely rural under the 2020 Census urban area definitions (no urbanized area or cluster meeting the 5,000-person threshold)
• County seat: Roundup

Modeled user estimates (methods apply national/rural adoption rates to local demographics; rounded to avoid false precision)

• Adult smartphone users: roughly 3,100–3,300. Method: ~3,700–3,900 adults (rural counties of this profile are ~78–82% adult) × ~80–85% rural adult smartphone ownership (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024).
• Total mobile phone users (all ages, smartphones + basic phones): approximately 3,400–3,700. Teens have very high phone adoption; a small share of older adults use basic phones.
• Households relying on cellular data for home internet: on the order of 150–250 households (about 7–12% of ~2,000–2,100 households). Method: American Community Survey patterns for rural Montana counties show elevated “cellular data plan only” subscriptions versus state averages.
• Households with no home internet subscription: approximately 15–20% (300–420 households), higher than the Montana statewide share. Method: ACS rural county benchmarks.

Demographic patterning of mobile use (directional, with estimated magnitudes)

• Age: The county skews older than the state, with roughly one-quarter of residents 65+. Expect smartphone ownership among 65+ to be 10–20 points lower than the county average, yielding an estimated 700–900 senior smartphone users. Working-age adults (25–54) are near-saturation, while 18–24 and teens are effectively saturated.
• Income: Median household income is below the statewide median; cost sensitivity shows up as higher prepaid plan uptake and lighter data plans than Montana’s metro counties.
• Geography and work: Agriculture, energy, and outdoor work are prevalent; there is heavier use of voice/SMS and offline-capable apps in the field, with opportunistic Wi‑Fi offload in town.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (what residents experience on the ground)

• Coverage mix: Strongest and most consistent LTE/low-band 5G coverage in and around Roundup and along primary corridors (US‑87/MT‑12). Coverage becomes spotty in breaks, coulees, river bottoms, and low-density ranchland away from highways.
• 5G availability: Predominantly low-band “extended range” 5G or LTE; limited mid-band 5G capacity compared with Montana’s larger metros (e.g., Billings, Bozeman, Missoula). This constrains peak speeds and in-building performance versus the state’s urban centers.
• Site density: Rural macro towers with long inter-site distances; few small cells. Backhaul is a mix of microwave and fiber along main routes, which can bottleneck capacity during peak hours.
• Carrier landscape: All three national carriers are present, but practical, reliable options often narrow to one or two carriers depending on valley vs ridge location, producing more single‑carrier dependence than the Montana average.
• Public safety: AT&T FirstNet covers the county seat and primary corridors; fire and EMS rely on conventional land‑mobile radio as the primary layer, with cellular as a secondary/auxiliary channel.

How Musselshell County differs from Montana’s statewide picture

• Lower smartphone penetration and higher “cellular‑only” home internet reliance than the state overall, driven by older age structure, lower household incomes, and more dispersed housing.
• More variable service quality by micro‑location, with larger dead zones and greater dependence on a single viable carrier than residents experience in Montana’s cities and larger towns.
• Slower rollout of mid‑band 5G and fewer capacity upgrades per capita than statewide, reflecting the county’s low density and distance from interstate corridors.
• Usage patterns skew more toward essential communications (voice, SMS, basic apps) and data‑conserving behaviors; heavy video streaming on mobile networks is less common than in metro counties where mid‑band 5G and dense Wi‑Fi are readily available.

Implications

• Adoption growth headroom is concentrated among older adults and lower‑income households; programs that pair affordable devices with discounted plans will move the needle most.
• Network experience gains will come primarily from selective new macro sites to harden coverage gaps, targeted backhaul upgrades on existing sites, and incremental mid‑band 5G overlays near Roundup and along MT‑12/US‑87.
• For service providers, reliability and indoor coverage in town, plus highway continuity for ranch and energy workers, matter more to satisfaction than raw peak speeds.

Source notes: Baselines from the 2020 U.S. Census; adoption and device/plan tendencies from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 technology adoption studies and the American Community Survey “Computer and Internet Use” 5‑year estimates; coverage characteristics reflect FCC provider filings and publicly reported carrier buildouts in rural Montana through 2024–2025. Figures labeled as estimates are derived by applying those benchmarks to Musselshell County’s population profile.

Musselshell County, MT — social media usage snapshot

Context and approach

• Musselshell County is a small, rural Montana county. There are no county-level surveys published for social media; the percentages below use the best available measured benchmarks (Pew Research Center, 2024, U.S. adults) and rural-usage patterns to infer likely local behavior.

Most-used platforms (benchmarked percentages)

• YouTube: ~83% of U.S. adults
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Reddit: ~22%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21% What this means locally: Expect Facebook to function as the de facto local hub and YouTube to be widely used; Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat form a secondary tier; LinkedIn/X/Reddit/WhatsApp are present but niche relative to the top two. Rural users skew slightly higher on Facebook and slightly lower on Instagram/TikTok/LinkedIn than the national average.

Age-group patterns (local implications)

• 18–29: Heavy on YouTube and Instagram; Snapchat and TikTok are core daily platforms. Facebook is used but not central.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook dominate; Instagram is common; TikTok/Snapchat are present but more selective.
• 50–64: Facebook is the primary network; YouTube is strong for tutorials/news/entertainment; Instagram/TikTok usage is moderate to low.
• 65+: Facebook remains the most-used network; YouTube is used for news/how-to; other platforms are low-adoption.

Gender breakdown (usage tendencies)

• Women: More likely to be active on Facebook and significantly more likely to use Pinterest; Instagram usage leans female.
• Men: More represented on Reddit and X; YouTube usage is strong for both genders.

Behavioral trends specific to small rural counties like Musselshell

• Community information hub: Facebook Groups and Pages anchor local news, wildfire/road updates, school and youth sports, church and civic events, and buy/sell/trade activity.
• Video-first problem solving: YouTube is used for DIY, ranching, equipment repair, home improvement, hunting/fishing tips, and product reviews.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default; SMS remains common. WhatsApp is niche.
• Local commerce: High engagement with posts from local contractors, auto/ag services, real estate, and seasonal businesses. Geo-targeted Facebook/Instagram ads outperform other paid social locally due to audience concentration.
• Content that performs: Community photos, youth achievements, event flyers, outdoor/agriculture content, and practical how-to videos. Short video (Reels/TikTok) gains traction among under-40; photo posts and links work better with 50+.
• Timing: Engagement typically clusters around early mornings, lunch, and evenings; weekend peaks around local events and sports.

Bottom line

• Expected local ranking: Facebook #1, YouTube #2, then Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat, followed by Pinterest (especially among women), with LinkedIn/X/Reddit/WhatsApp as smaller niches.
• For planning: Prioritize Facebook (Pages + Groups + Messenger) and YouTube. Use Instagram and short video for under-40 reach. Lean into community-oriented, service-forward content and event-driven posting.