Stillwater County

Stillwater County, Montana – key demographics

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: 8,963 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: 46.6 years
• Under 18: 22.2%
• 18 to 64: 58.8%
• 65 and over: 19.0%

Gender

• Male: 51.1%
• Female: 48.9%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: 94.2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.4%
• Black or African American alone: 0.2%
• Asian alone: 0.3%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%
• Some other race alone: 0.4%
• Two or more races: 3.5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 3.4%

Households and housing

• Total households: 3,705
• Average household size: 2.43; average family size: 2.95
• Family households: 66% (married-couple: 58%)
• Households with children under 18: 27%
• Nonfamily households: 34%; living alone: 28% (age 65+ living alone: 12%)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 78%

Insights

• Small, rural county with an older-than-national median age, predominantly White population, high share of married-couple families, smaller household sizes, and high homeownership.

Stillwater County, MT (pop. ≈9,600; density ≈5 residents/sq mi)

Estimated email users: ≈8,200 (≈86% of residents)

Age distribution of email users

• Under 18: ≈1,460 (18%)
• 18–34: ≈1,530 (19%)
• 35–54: ≈2,350 (29%)
• 55–64: ≈1,410 (17%)
• 65+: ≈1,480 (18%)

Gender split among users: ≈51% male, 49% female; usage rates are effectively equal across genders.

Digital access and trends

• ≈85% of households maintain a broadband subscription; mobile-only internet is common in outlying areas.
• Gigabit-capable cable/fiber is concentrated in Columbus and along the I‑90 corridor; rural ranchlands and foothill areas more often rely on fixed wireless, legacy DSL, or satellite.
• Fiber and fixed‑wireless upgrades are steadily improving speeds and reliability; the 65+ segment shows the fastest growth in new email adoption due to telehealth, banking, and government services moving online.
• Strong commute and commerce links to Billings bolster work/school email dependence, while sparse settlement and varied terrain create last‑mile challenges outside towns.

Stillwater County, MT mobile phone usage: 2023–2024 snapshot

Scope and sources

• Figures synthesize the latest publicly available county-level indicators (U.S. Census 2020/ACS 2018–2022), FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024), state public-safety coverage disclosures, and national usage benchmarks. Values labeled “estimate” reflect modeled county measures anchored to those datasets.

Headline size and usage

• Population: 8,900–9,100 (2023 estimate; 2020 Census: 8,963). Households: about 3,600–3,800.
• Unique mobile users (estimate): 8,200–8,600 residents use a mobile phone, reflecting very high adult ownership and high teen access.
• Smartphone users (estimate): 7,300–7,700 residents use smartphones.
• Household smartphone/data adoption (ACS-aligned estimate): 82–87% of households have at least one smartphone with a cellular data plan.
• Cellular-only internet households (estimate): 14–20% rely primarily on mobile data or hotspots for home connectivity—meaningfully higher than the Montana statewide share.
• Typical mobile data consumption (estimate): 18–25 GB per smartphone line per month; materially higher (30–60 GB) among cellular-only households due to hotspot use.

Demographic breakdown and adoption patterns

• Age
  • 65+ share is elevated vs Montana overall. Estimated smartphone adoption among 65+ in Stillwater: 70–78% (lower than state seniors, ~80–85%). This pulls overall smartphone penetration slightly below the state average.
  • 18–34 adoption is near-saturation (≈96–98%), in line with statewide.
• Income and rurality
  • Rural ranching/mining areas show higher prepaid use and a higher likelihood of cellular-only home internet compared with towns along I‑90 (Columbus, Reed Point, Absarokee).
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be mobile-only and to depend on low-band 5G/LTE, aligning with state patterns but with a larger gap between rural and town households than statewide.
• Work patterns
  • Above-average on-the-road and outdoor work (agriculture, energy, services along I‑90) increases dependency on voice/SMS reliability and coverage continuity, even where 5G speeds are modest.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access
  • LTE population coverage: high along the I‑90 corridor and town centers (>95% of residents have usable LTE), but large land-area gaps persist in the Beartooth foothills and south/southwest of Absarokee/Nye.
  • 5G availability: predominantly low-band 5G on primary corridors and around Columbus; mid-band 5G (C‑band/2.5 GHz) is limited. As a result, 5G population coverage is meaningfully below the statewide average concentrated in urban counties (Yellowstone, Gallatin, Missoula).
• Performance (crowd-sourced speed tests, 2023–2024 pattern)
  • Median mobile download speeds are typically lower than statewide medians: about 20–60 Mbps in town/interstate segments, frequently <10–15 Mbps or fallbacks to LTE/3G in remote valleys and canyons.
  • Uplink and latency degrade faster off-corridor due to sparse site density and terrain shadowing.
• Carriers and public safety
  • All three national MNOs are present on the interstate/town grid; Verizon usually shows the broadest rural LTE footprint, AT&T provides FirstNet coverage on primary routes and towns, and T‑Mobile’s low-band 5G is present along I‑90 but thins quickly off-corridor.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backhaul is strongest along I‑90; microwave backhaul serves outlying sites. This limits mid-band 5G deployment depth away from the corridor compared with statewide urban nodes.
• Land area and site density
  • Very low population density (~5 people/sq mi) and complex terrain produce high “population coverage” but low “land-area coverage,” a sharper contrast than the state average.

How Stillwater County differs from Montana statewide

• Lower overall 5G availability and fewer mid-band 5G sectors than the statewide average, with 5G largely confined to the interstate/town spine.
• Higher share of cellular-only households and heavier hotspot reliance, driven by sparser wireline broadband off-corridor.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration due to a larger senior share and more pronounced rural senior non-adoption.
• Greater carrier performance variability: good along I‑90, rapid degradation in mountainous and river valley areas; the statewide picture is more even because urban counties lift the average.
• Higher dependency on Verizon/FirstNet coverage for field work and public safety in remote areas than in urban Montana counties.

Practical figures at a glance (Stillwater County, 2023–2024)

• Unique mobile users: 8.2k–8.6k
• Smartphone users: 7.3k–7.7k
• Households with smartphone/data plan: 82–87%
• Cellular-only/home internet via mobile: 14–20%
• Typical mobile speeds: 20–60 Mbps in towns/interstate; sub‑15 Mbps common in remote zones
• 5G: low-band along primary routes; limited mid-band outside Columbus area

Implications

• Network planning: Additional mid-band 5G sectors and fiberized backhaul beyond Columbus/I‑90 would materially improve capacity and uplink.
• Digital equity: Programs that pair device affordability with coverage improvements for outlying communities will close a larger gap than in urban Montana.
• Public safety and resilience: Maintaining multi-carrier, generator-backed macro sites on the I‑90 spine and adding fill-in coverage to shadowed valleys are higher-impact investments here than in the state’s denser counties.

Stillwater County, MT — Social Media Usage Snapshot (2025, modeled from latest ACS demographics, Pew Research platform adoption, and rural-usage differentials)

Overall user stats

• Social media users (residents age 13+): ≈5,600–6,300 people (≈64–72% penetration of the 13+ population). Midpoint used for breakdowns: ≈68% penetration.
• Usage frequency: ~65–70% of users report daily use; daily use probability rises to ~85–90% among users under 30 and declines to ~45–55% among users 65+.

Age-group share among social media users

• 13–17: ~8%
• 18–29: ~17%
• 30–49: ~33%
• 50–64: ~25%
• 65+: ~17% Notes: Compared with the U.S. overall, Stillwater County’s user base skews older, lifting Facebook and YouTube reliance and moderating Instagram/TikTok share.

Gender breakdown among social media users

• Women: ~53%
• Men: ~47% Platform usage (share of county social media users; users often use multiple platforms)
• YouTube: ~78–82%
• Facebook: ~72–76%
• Instagram: ~32–38% (≈35%)
• Pinterest: ~28–33% (higher among women 25–54)
• TikTok: ~24–29% (concentrated under 35)
• Snapchat: ~17–22% (teens and 18–24)
• LinkedIn: ~14–18% (mostly 25–54 professionals)
• X/Twitter: ~12–16%
• Reddit: ~7–11%
• Nextdoor: ~4–7% (low in dispersed rural areas)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first engagement: High participation in Facebook Groups and Pages tied to schools, youth sports, churches, volunteer fire/EMS, county agencies, events, and hunting/fishing/outdoors; these are primary discovery and coordination hubs.
• Marketplace and classifieds: Heavy Facebook Marketplace usage for vehicles, farm/ranch equipment, tools, outdoor gear, rentals, and local services; strong price sensitivity and preference for local pickup.
• Local news and alerts: Facebook and YouTube are the default channels for local news, weather, road conditions, wildfire information, and emergency updates; county and city pages see rapid spikes during storms/fires.
• Video-forward but practical: YouTube dominates for how-to, equipment repair, homestead/DIY, and product research; short-form TikTok/Instagram Reels consumption is growing among under-35s but remains secondary to YouTube overall.
• Lower creator share, higher lurker share: A smaller fraction of users post regularly; most engage via views, likes, shares, and comments, especially on community and marketplace content.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for buyer-seller chat and community coordination; Snapchat messaging is common among teens/college-age.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (after work/school) and weekends; midday spikes align with weather events, road closures, and school or county updates.
• Ad responsiveness: Best results for local services, trades, events, and retail tied to clear value (promotions, inventory, short-haul availability). Authentic local imagery and straightforward calls-to-action outperform polished “national” creative.

Method notes and basis

• Estimates synthesize: ACS demographic structure for Stillwater County, Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform-adoption rates by age and rural/urban cohort, and known rural U.S. usage skews (higher Facebook, slightly lower Instagram/TikTok/X).
• Percentages reflect share of social media users in the county; ranges indicate modeled uncertainty and rural adjustment.