Pondera County

Pondera County, Montana — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 5,898 residents
• Population density (2020): about 3.6 per square mile

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: ~24% under 18; ~56% 18–64; ~20% 65+

Gender

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~83–85%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~12–14%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Black or African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each <1%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–5%
• White, non-Hispanic: ~80–82%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~2,450–2,550
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~64% of households; average family size ~2.9–3.0
• Households with children under 18: ~25–28%
• Individuals living alone (particularly 65+): common in rural profile

Insights

• Small, rural county with a stable-to-slightly declining population since 2010.
• Age structure skews older, with roughly one in five residents 65+, indicating aging-in-place.
• Predominantly White with a significant American Indian population.
• Household sizes are modest; families make up about two-thirds of households.

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

• Population and density: ~6,000 residents over ~1,620 sq mi (≈3.7 people/sq mi), centered around Conrad and Valier.
• Estimated email users: ~4,600 residents use email regularly.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–24: 17% (~780)
  • 25–44: 29% (~1,330)
  • 45–64: 32% (~1,470)
  • 65+: 22% (~1,010)
• Gender split of email users: ≈51% male, 49% female, mirroring the county’s overall sex ratio.

Digital access and trends:

• Households: ~2,500; with a broadband subscription: ~1,800–1,900 (≈72–76%).
• Adult smartphone ownership: ≈80–85%; smartphone‑only internet users: ≈20–25%.
• Connectivity geography: Best fixed broadband and mobile coverage in and near Conrad along the I‑15 corridor; outlying farms and ranchlands rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite, with lower speeds and higher latency.
• Trendline: Gradual fiber and fixed‑wireless upgrades by regional providers are raising speeds and subscription rates, narrowing the rural gap. Email remains a default channel for school, agriculture markets, government, healthcare/telehealth, and small business, with rising engagement among seniors as services digitize.

Notes: Figures are 2025 estimates derived from recent ACS, FCC mapping, and national usage patterns applied to local demographics.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Pondera County, Montana

Context and population baseline

• Population: 5,898 (2020 Census). Predominantly rural with small population centers in and around Conrad and Valier.
• Age profile skews older than the Montana average, which generally correlates with slightly lower smartphone adoption and higher landline retention.

Estimated mobile user base and adoption

• Estimated mobile phone users: 4,800–5,200 residents actively using a mobile phone. This reflects rural adoption patterns and the county’s older age mix.
• Estimated smartphone adoption (adults): 82–86% of adults, below Montana’s urbanized areas but close to rural-state norms. That translates to roughly 4,000–4,400 adult smartphone users.
• 5G-capable devices: 55–65% of smartphones, or roughly 2,200–2,900 devices in circulation; actual 5G use is constrained by limited 5G coverage outside the I‑15 corridor.
• Mobile-only households (wireless phone, no landline): 60–65% locally, below Montana’s statewide share, reflecting older residents and patchier signal in outlying areas that keep some landlines in service.
• Prepaid share: higher than the state average (roughly 28–32% of lines), consistent with rural price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier hopping.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Older adults (65+): Lower smartphone adoption than younger cohorts; more mixed device portfolios (flip/feature phones remain visible). Higher reliance on voice/SMS and Wi‑Fi calling at home.
• Working-age adults: Near-parity with state-level smartphone ownership but more conservative upgrade cycles (devices kept 3–4+ years), which slows 5G uptake relative to statewide trends.
• Youth and students: High smartphone penetration, heavy app/social/video use; school and library Wi‑Fi remain important for offloading data and for households with marginal coverage.
• Indigenous residents in border communities near the Blackfeet Reservation: Coverage and affordability gaps are more pronounced than county averages; greater reliance on public Wi‑Fi, device sharing, and prepaid plans.

Network and digital infrastructure

• Macro coverage: Reliable 4G LTE along I‑15 (Conrad/Brady area) and through Valier; service degrades quickly on ranch roads, the Rocky Mountain Front, and low-lying coulees away from highways.
• 5G availability: Low-band 5G is present primarily along I‑15 and near town centers; wide-area 5G away from corridors remains limited. Mid-band 5G capacity layers common in larger Montana metros are largely absent here.
• Carriers: Network preference skews toward Verizon and AT&T due to broader rural footprints; T‑Mobile coverage exists but is spottier off-corridor. FirstNet (AT&T) is used by public safety primarily along major routes.
• Backhaul and fiber: 3 Rivers Communications operates fiber in and between town centers, enabling good in-town Wi‑Fi offload, school connectivity (E‑Rate), and small-business backhaul. Microwave and long-haul fiber traverse the I‑15 corridor; beyond that, backhaul options thin out, limiting practical 5G densification.
• Public access: Libraries, schools, and some civic buildings provide critical Wi‑Fi for homework and telehealth. Fairgrounds and community centers frequently serve as connectivity hubs during events and emergencies.
• Dead zones and reliability: Notable signal shadows along the Rocky Mountain Front and on secondary roads west and northwest of Valier and south of Conrad. Power and backhaul redundancy is better in town than in outlying areas.

Usage characteristics and how they differ from Montana statewide trends

• Coverage-driven behavior: Pondera users rely more on Wi‑Fi calling and in-home routers than the state average, and are more likely to select carriers based on specific ranch/road coverage rather than price alone.
• Slower 5G transition: A smaller share of daily traffic runs over 5G compared with Montana’s larger cities due to both device mix and coverage; most mobile data still rides on LTE, especially outside towns.
• Lower mobile-only share: Households here retain landlines more often than the statewide norm, driven by older residents and the need for reliable E‑911 reachability where cellular is inconsistent.
• Device lifecycle: Handsets are kept longer than the state average; replacement is often timed to coverage improvements or deep discount cycles rather than annual upgrades, dampening rapid adoption of newer radios.
• Prepaid and portability: Prepaid adoption is higher than statewide; SIM swapping and short-term plans are used to test carriers for seasonal work, hunting seasons, and ag operations.
• Data consumption: Average smartphone data use per line is somewhat lower than metro Montana due to limited mid-band 5G capacity and greater offload to fixed fiber/Wi‑Fi in town; streaming quality often steps down automatically off-corridor.
• Sector-specific usage: Agriculture drives above-average M2M/IoT lines (asset trackers, irrigation telemetry) relative to population. Telehealth usage via mobile is significant but often depends on in-town Wi‑Fi or fixed broadband due to coverage variability at homesteads.
• Seasonal load: Noticeable peaks during county events, harvest, and tourism passing along I‑15; temporary congestion is more acute here because there are fewer sectors and less spare capacity than in larger Montana markets.

Actionable implications

• Improving service west of town centers and along US‑89 and MT‑44 would most directly close coverage gaps that suppress mobile-only adoption.
• Additional backhaul (fiber laterals) beyond I‑15 and small-cell infill in Conrad/Valier would raise 5G availability and bring usage patterns closer to statewide norms.
• Sustained affordability support (post-ACP) and device upgrade programs targeted at seniors and low-income households would meaningfully raise smartphone and 5G adoption without waiting for full rural 5G buildouts.

Pondera County, MT — social media snapshot (2025)

Population base

• Residents: ~6,000 (U.S. Census, 2020 decennial; small net decline since).
• Estimated social media users (13+): 4,100–4,400 (roughly 68–73% of total population), combining county demographics with Pew Research platform adoption rates for rural adults and U.S. teens.

Most‑used platforms (adults 18+, localized estimates for a rural Montana county)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~40%
• Pinterest: ~32%
• TikTok: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~14%
• WhatsApp: ~12%
• Reddit: ~12%
• Nextdoor: ~6%

Teens (13–17) usage (national teen benchmarks applied to a rural county context)

• YouTube: ~95%
• TikTok: ~60–70%
• Snapchat: ~60–65%
• Instagram: ~60%
• Facebook: ~30–35%

Age patterns (behavioral)

• 13–24: Heavy short‑form video (TikTok/Reels), Snapchat for daily messaging and streaks; YouTube for creators, music, gaming, and how‑tos; Facebook used mainly for events or groups tied to school/sports.
• 25–44: Multi‑platform. Facebook and Messenger for community/news and buy‑sell groups; Instagram for lifestyle and local business discovery; YouTube for DIY, home/auto, outdoor recreation.
• 45–64: Facebook is the daily default (local news, groups, marketplaces); YouTube for tutorials, ag and equipment maintenance, hunting/fishing content.
• 65+: Facebook Groups/Pages for community and family updates; YouTube for tutorials and interest content; lower usage elsewhere.

Gender breakdown (directional skews typical of rural U.S. adults)

• Women over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over‑index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
• Estimated adult usage by gender in Pondera:
  • Facebook: women ~75%, men ~64%
  • Pinterest: women ~45%, men ~16%
  • Instagram: women ~45%, men ~36%
  • TikTok: women ~32%, men ~24%
  • Snapchat: women ~28%, men ~20%
  • YouTube: men ~83%, women ~77%
  • X (Twitter): men ~22%, women ~14%
  • Reddit: men ~16%, women ~8%
  • LinkedIn: men ~16%, women ~12%

Behavioral trends and local usage norms

• Facebook is the community backbone: school and county updates, local events, buy‑sell/swap groups, and high engagement with local business pages. Messenger is the default DM channel across ages.
• Video is dominant: YouTube for longer “how‑to” and interest content; short‑form via TikTok and Instagram Reels has strong cross‑posting and is increasingly used by local businesses.
• Discovery paths: Word‑of‑mouth and Facebook Groups → business Pages → Instagram profiles; Google/YouTube search fuels “how to” and product research.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is widely used for vehicles, equipment, and household items; Instagram and Facebook drive in‑county traffic for small retailers and services.
• Peak activity windows: early mornings (commute/school prep), lunch, and evenings; weekend spikes for events, sports, and marketplace activity.
• Overlap: Typical adult uses 3–4 platforms; Facebook + YouTube is the most common pairing. Teens/young adults split time between YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Population baseline: U.S. Census Bureau (Pondera County). Platform shares and age/gender skews: Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use (2024 adults) and Teens, Social Media and Technology (latest), with rural‑community adjustments. Figures shown are localized estimates for Pondera County derived from these sources; exact county‑level platform measurements are not directly published.