Yellowstone County

Yellowstone County, Montana — key demographics

Population size

• 170,000 (July 1, 2023 estimate)
• 164,731 (2020 Census)

Age

• Under 5 years: 6.1%
• Under 18 years: 23.1%
• 65 years and over: 18.7%
• Median age: ~39 years

Gender

• Female: ~50.8%
• Male: ~49.2%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~87%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~4–5%
• Black or African American alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~6–7%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~82%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~70,000
• Persons per household: ~2.40
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~66%

Insights

• Continued population growth since 2020.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the U.S. overall, with nearly one in five residents 65+.
• Racial/ethnic diversity is moderate, with notable American Indian and Hispanic/Latino communities.
• Household size is modest and two-thirds of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2023 Population Estimates; 2018–2022 American Community Survey). Figures rounded for clarity.

• Scope: Yellowstone County, MT (≈169,000 residents; ≈2,635 sq mi; ≈64 people/sq mi). About 70% live in Billings, concentrating connectivity in the urban core.
• Estimated email users: ≈117,000 adults. Method: county adult population × internet-use rates × email adoption among internet users.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–34: 29%; 35–54: 31%; 55–64: 16%; 65+: 23%.
• Gender split among email users: ≈50% female, 50% male (email adoption is effectively universal and gender-neutral among connected adults).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ≈85% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈92% have a computer device.
  • ≈17% of adults are smartphone‑only internet users, reflecting reliance on mobile email, especially outside Billings.
  • Urban Billings enjoys cable and growing fiber availability with typical 100+ Mbps service; rural townships rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite, which lowers email reliability during peak hours or weather events.
  • 5G/4G coverage is strongest along the I‑90 corridor (Billings–Laurel–Lockwood); coverage and speeds diminish in outlying areas.
• Insight: High broadband penetration and urban concentration support near‑universal email use among working‑age adults, while older and rural residents account for most of the remaining non‑users or intermittent users.

Yellowstone County, MT mobile phone usage summary (distinct from statewide patterns)

Scope and scale

• Population base: ~169,000 residents (2023 Census estimate), roughly 15% of Montana’s population. About 70,000–71,000 households.
• Active mobile users: 125,000–135,000 adult smartphone users, reflecting higher urban adoption centered on Billings.
• Connections: 185,000–200,000 active mobile lines (including phones, tablets, hotspots, IoT), consistent with urban per-capita connection ratios above the state average.

Adoption and usage levels

• Smartphone penetration: Approximately 92–94% of households report having a smartphone (above the statewide share, which trends a few points lower).
• Home internet via cellular: About 72–76% of households maintain a cellular data plan for internet access (again above the statewide rate), driven by widespread 5G availability and mobile-plan bundling.
• Mobile-only home internet (no wired plan): Estimated 12–14% of households rely solely on cellular data at home, lower than the Montana-wide share, reflecting better cable/fiber availability in Billings and nearby suburbs.
• 5G device penetration: A majority of active lines are 5G-capable; mid-band 5G uptake is notably higher than the statewide average due to earlier urban rollouts.

Demographic breakdown (county vs state)

• Age:
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone ownership (~97–99%), in line with urban U.S. norms and above state average.
  • 35–64: High adoption (~93–96%), above the statewide level.
  • 65+: Elevated adoption (~75–82%) relative to the Montana average for seniors, bolstered by better retail support, health-system app usage, and family plan penetration in the Billings area.
• Income:
  • Lower-income households (<$25k) show higher smartphone reliance for essential services but are less likely to be mobile-only than peers elsewhere in Montana, due to greater availability of discounted wired options in Billings.
• Education and employment:
  • Higher smartphone and mobile app usage among college-educated and full-time employed segments than the statewide pattern, reflecting the county’s concentration of healthcare, energy, retail, and logistics employers that use mobile-first tools.
• Urban vs rural within the county:
  • Billings/Laurel/Lockwood/Heights show markedly higher 5G usage and mobile speeds than outer rural tracts (e.g., near Acton, Molt, Pompeys Pillar), although even rural pockets trend better than comparable tracts in more remote Montana counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Network coverage and technology:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) operate robust LTE and 5G networks across the Billings metro.
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz and C-band) covers roughly 85–90% of the county’s population; this is materially higher than Montana’s statewide mid-band 5G pop coverage.
  • Coverage is strongest along I‑90/I‑94, the refinery/industrial corridors, commercial districts, and major residential growth areas (West End, Heights).
• Backhaul and core transport:
  • Multiple fiber providers (e.g., Lumen/CenturyLink, Charter/Spectrum, Zayo) interconnect within Billings, providing dense fiber backhaul and metro rings that support higher 5G capacity than typical Montana counties.
• Measured performance:
  • Median mobile download speeds in the Billings area typically run 15–30% higher than the Montana statewide median, with urban on-net mid-band sectors often delivering 100 Mbps+ downlink and sub‑30 ms latency.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA):
  • 5G Home/FWA offerings from major carriers have meaningful presence in the metro; take-up is stronger than the state average given spectrum depth and backhaul, but competition from cable in core Billings keeps mobile-only household share lower than in rural counties.

How Yellowstone County differs from the Montana average

• Higher smartphone adoption across all age groups, including seniors.
• Greater prevalence of 5G-capable devices and mid-band 5G coverage; faster median mobile speeds and lower latency.
• More households have cellular data plans, but fewer are forced into mobile-only home internet, due to better availability of cable/fiber in Billings.
• Mobile usage is more app-centric for healthcare, retail, and logistics, reflecting the county’s urban service economy.
• Network resilience and capacity are stronger, with denser tower siting, more spectrum in use, and richer fiber backhaul than most Montana counties.

Key takeaways

• Yellowstone County is the most “urban-like” mobile market in Montana: faster adoption, broader 5G, and higher performance than the state overall.
• Even with strong mobile uptake, the presence of competitive wired broadband moderates mobile-only dependency compared to the statewide pattern.
• Continued mid-band 5G expansion and fiber backhaul investments indicate the usage gap versus the Montana average will likely persist or widen over the next 12–24 months.

Yellowstone County, MT — social media snapshot (2024)

Population baseline

• Total population: ~169,000 (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 est.)
• Adults (18+): ~132,000
• Adults using any social media: ~95,000 (≈72% of adults, applying Pew Research Center’s national adoption rate)

Most-used platforms (share of adults; Pew 2024, applied locally)

• YouTube: 83% (~110k adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~90k)
• Instagram: 47% (~62k)
• Pinterest: 35% (~46k)
• TikTok: 33% (~44k)
• Snapchat: 30% (~40k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~40k)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~38k)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~29k)
• Reddit: 22% (~29k)
• Nextdoor: 20% (~26k) Note: Percentages are nationally representative; counts are county-level estimates based on adult population.

Age-group usage and platform skews

• Any social media by age (national benchmarks):
  • 18–29: ~90%+ use social media
  • 30–49: ~80%+
  • 50–64: ~70%
  • 65+: ~40%
• Platform tendencies:
  • 18–29: Very high on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; heavy YouTube.
  • 30–49: Broadly active across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok; strong for LinkedIn among professionals.
  • 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising.
  • 65+: Facebook leads; YouTube second; lighter on Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown and tendencies

• County gender split is roughly even; among social platforms (national patterns reflected locally):
  • Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Nextdoor.
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
  • LinkedIn is near parity but skews to college-educated professionals.

Behavioral trends in Yellowstone County

• Community-first Facebook usage: Active neighborhood and community groups (crime and safety updates, school/activities, local events) and heavy Facebook Marketplace participation for vehicles, ranch/farm equipment, outdoor gear, and household goods.
• Video-forward discovery: YouTube for how-to, DIY, hunting/fishing, ranching, home improvement, and auto content; TikTok/Instagram Reels for local food, events, outdoor recreation, and small-business spotlights.
• Event-driven spikes: Peaks around fairs, rodeos, MSU Billings and high-school sports, hunting seasons, and holiday retail periods.
• Local commerce: Instagram and Facebook drive foot traffic and offers for restaurants, breweries, salons, fitness, and boutiques; stories/reels perform best for promotions and menu drops.
• Messaging and ephemeral: Snapchat is strong among teens/college-age for coordination and local nightlife; WhatsApp used within family/immigrant and work teams, but not a primary public channel.
• Neighborhood utility: Nextdoor used in Billings neighborhoods for recommendations, lost/found, contractor referrals, and code/safety notices.
• Trust and reviews: High reliance on local word-of-mouth via private Facebook groups and community pages; reviews and UGC materially affect small-business conversion.

How to use this

• Reach quickly: Facebook + YouTube provide the broadest adult reach; add Instagram for under-45s and TikTok for 18–35.
• Target by life stage: Use Facebook/Nextdoor for homeowners and 50+; Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat for students and young professionals.
• Creative that works: Short vertical video, before/after or how-to clips, event promos, and UGC/testimonials; local faces and landmarks outperform generic stock.

Sources and methodology

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 county estimates.
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center Social Media Use (2024). County counts are estimates applying national adoption percentages to Yellowstone County’s adult population.