Treasure County

Treasure County, Montana — key demographics

Population

• 696 residents (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~51 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~27%

Sex

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (percent of total population; Hispanic is any race)

• White alone: ~89%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~4%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~5%
• Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each ~1% or less (ACS 2018–2022; small-population margins of error apply)

Households and families (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~310
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~200 (about two-thirds of households)
• Married-couple households: ~55–60% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• Nonfamily households: ~35%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%; renter-occupied: ~20–25%

Insights

• Very small, sparsely populated county with an older age profile.
• Predominantly White, with small American Indian and Hispanic/Latino populations.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple and nonfamily (individual) households; small average household size.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population); American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, household measures). Small-population estimates carry larger margins of error.

Treasure County, MT has about 760 residents (2020 Census) across roughly 980 sq mi—about 0.8 people per square mile.

Estimated email users: ~530 residents; daily users: ~380. Age mix among email users: 18–34 ≈18%, 35–64 ≈54%, 65+ ≈28%. Gender split among users mirrors the population: ≈51% male, 49% female.

Digital access trends:

• Around 65% of households have a home broadband subscription; computer ownership is roughly 75–80%; about 10–15% are smartphone‑only for internet access.
• Fixed‑wireless and satellite are common; fiber is limited. Adoption is strongest in and near Hysham, with weaker service in outlying ranchland.
• Mobile LTE/5G is strongest along main highways; pockets with limited service persist in sparsely populated areas. Public Wi‑Fi hotspots help bridge gaps for residents without home service.

Insights: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults and widely used by retirees. Usage skews mobile for residents working in the field, with webmail common. Connectivity constraints limit high‑bandwidth activities, but email remains a dependable, low‑bandwidth channel for government, healthcare, agriculture, and small‑business communications in this very low‑density county.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Treasure County, Montana

By the numbers (modeled, 2024)

• Population baseline: 762 (2020 Census). Adult (18+) population modeled at ~600.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile device): ~568 adults, about 93% of adults.
• Smartphone users: ~508 adults, about 85% of adults and ~89% of adult mobile users.
• Feature‑phone–only users: ~60 adults, about 10% of adult mobile users.
• Adults without a mobile phone: ~32, about 5% of adults.
• Including teens (13–17), total smartphone users likely rises by roughly 40–60, lifting total smartphone users to about 550–570.

How Treasure County differs from Montana overall

• Adoption gap: Adult smartphone adoption is an estimated 3–5 percentage points lower than the Montana average (MT ≈ 88–90%; Treasure ≈ 85%).
• More basic phones: Feature‑phone–only use is roughly double the statewide share typical in metro Montana, reflecting coverage gaps and an older age profile.
• Hotspot reliance: A higher share of households use cellular hotspots or fixed wireless as primary home internet compared with Montana’s metro counties, increasing sensitivity to signal quality and data caps.
• 5G availability pattern: 5G is concentrated along the I‑94 corridor, with much larger off‑corridor gaps than the state’s average pattern around larger cities and reservation hubs.
• Usage intensity: Median mobile data use per line is lower than in metro Montana, driven by older users and coverage constraints, but peak‑time congestion along I‑94 can be more severe relative to the installed capacity.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–49 (~180 adults): Highest smartphone penetration (≈95%), frequent use of messaging, navigation, and hotspotting for work travel along I‑94.
  • 50–64 (~240 adults): High but slightly lower smartphone penetration (≈88%); notable use of ruggedized Android devices; heavier dependence on Wi‑Fi calling at home and work sites.
  • 65+ (~180 adults): Lower smartphone penetration (≈70%); above‑average feature‑phone retention; voice/SMS prioritized over data apps; greater incidence of shared or emergency‑only lines.
• Geography
  • Residents near Hysham and along the Yellowstone River/I‑94 corridor have materially better service and higher smartphone utilization than ranches and work sites away from the corridor.
• Income and work mix
  • Agriculture, trucking, and resource work increase demand for coverage over speed; device choices skew to durability and battery life, with higher use of external antennas/boosters than in urban Montana.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Macro coverage
  • I‑94 corridor: Consistent LTE and low‑band 5G from national carriers; best indoor service clustered around Hysham and highway exits.
  • Off‑corridor: Rapid drop‑off to weak LTE or no service in breaks and rangeland; service often usable only outdoors or with boosters.
• 5G
  • Low‑band 5G present along the corridor; mid‑band 5G (C‑band/n41) is sparse or absent; no mmWave.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Fiber backhaul primarily tracks the interstate/rail corridor; many rural sites depend on microwave backhaul, which constrains capacity during harvest, hunting season, and highway incidents.
• Fixed alternatives
  • Limited last‑mile fiber outside town centers; fixed wireless (licensed and unlicensed) and satellite internet fill gaps, contributing to higher reliance on mobile hotspots for household connectivity.
• Public safety and resiliency
  • E911/Text‑to‑911 is available; VHF public safety remains primary for coverage; residents commonly use Wi‑Fi calling and in‑vehicle boosters to mitigate indoor and fringe‑area signal issues.

Interpretation and implications

• The county’s small, older, and highly dispersed population produces a durable gap in smartphone adoption versus the Montana average, with a distinctly higher share of feature‑phone users and voice‑first behavior.
• Infrastructure is corridor‑centric: reliable along I‑94, fragile off‑corridor. This pattern shapes purchasing (rugged devices, boosters), app mix (more messaging/voice, less high‑bandwidth streaming), and home‑internet strategies (hotspots, fixed wireless, satellite).
• Any incremental tower builds or fiber backhaul extensions off the corridor would likely convert a portion of feature‑phone users to smartphones and reduce hotspot dependency, narrowing the usage gap with the rest of the state.

Method notes

• Counts and rates are modeled from the 2020 Census population for Treasure County, age structure typical of the county’s ACS profile, and national rural smartphone/cellphone ownership rates by age group (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024). Coverage and infrastructure characterization reflects FCC Broadband Data Collection releases and national carrier rural deployment patterns in eastern Montana as of 2024.

Social media usage in Treasure County, Montana (2025 modeled snapshot)

Overview

• Population: 696 (2020 Census). Adult population (18+): ~570. Estimated active social media users (monthly): ~460.
• Internet access: typical rural-MT adoption; social media use is concentrated among adults and skewed older than the U.S. average.

Most‑used platforms among local social media users (share of users)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Facebook Messenger: ~60%
• Instagram: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~25%
• TikTok: ~24%
• X (Twitter): ~11%
• Reddit: ~9%
• LinkedIn: ~10%
• WhatsApp: ~8%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age mix of social media users

• 13–17: ~7%
• 18–34: ~20%
• 35–54: ~30%
• 55+: ~43%

Gender breakdown of social media users

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: school sports, county events/fair updates, wildfire/weather info, church and civic groups, and buy/sell via Marketplace. Group participation and resharing exceed original posting.
• YouTube is practical and entertainment driven: ranching/equipment repair, hunting/fishing, weather, and how‑to content. Longer sessions but fewer comments than Facebook.
• Visual/messaging for younger users: Snapchat and Instagram dominate under‑35 communication; TikTok use is growing but constrained by bandwidth and older demographics.
• Pinterest is strong among women 35+ for crafts, recipes, garden/house projects; occasional spillover into local micro‑commerce.
• X/Reddit/LinkedIn remain niche: used primarily by a small professional/younger cohort or for statewide/national news.
• Daily peaks: early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (noon hour), and evenings (7–9 p.m.). Weekend engagement rises around local events and high school sports.
• Content that performs: hyper‑local updates, personal milestones, school/FFA/4‑H highlights, farm/ranch gear listings, severe‑weather and road status. Low tolerance for overtly salesy posts; authenticity and community benefit drive interaction.
• Advertising reach note: the small audience saturates quickly on Facebook/Instagram; efficient tactics include community group placements, event‑tied boosts, and geographic expansion to neighboring counties (Rosebud, Big Horn, Yellowstone) for scale.

Notes

• Figures are the best available 2025 estimates for Treasure County derived from the county’s population structure (U.S. Census/ACS) and rural U.S./Montana platform adoption patterns (Pew Research Center and industry audience benchmarks). They reflect platform share among local social media users rather than the total population.