Hettinger County

Hettinger County, North Dakota — key demographics

Population

• 2,489 (2020 Census)
• ~2,490 (2023 Census Bureau estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~49 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~95–96%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~2%
• Black or African American: ~0–1%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022, QuickFacts)

• Households: ~1,130
• Persons per household: ~2.18
• Family households: ~62% (married-couple ~52%)
• Nonfamily households: ~38%; individuals living alone: ~34%; age 65+ living alone: ~15%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74% (renter ~26%)

Insight: Hettinger County is sparsely populated, older on average, predominantly White, with small households and high owner-occupancy. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year; QuickFacts).

Hettinger County, ND snapshot

• Population/density: 2,489 residents (2020 Census) across ~1,132 sq mi; ~2.2 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~2,010 (≈81% of residents).

Age distribution of email users (estimated counts):

• 13–17: ~127
• 18–34: ~459
• 35–54: ~573
• 55–64: ~323
• 65+: ~529

Gender split (reflecting county demographics and near‑parity usage):

• Male: ~1,030 (51%)
• Female: ~980 (49%)

Digital access and trends:

• Broadband adoption: ~75% of households subscribe to fixed broadband; remaining homes lean on fixed wireless or satellite due to ranchland distances.
• Mobile connectivity: LTE/5G coverage is strongest along US‑12 and ND‑8 corridors, supporting high smartphone email use among agriculture and energy workers.
• Fiber expansion: Ongoing state/federal builds are extending last‑mile fiber, gradually lifting speeds and reliability; seniors show rising uptake but remain the least connected group.
• Rural constraint: Very low population density raises last‑mile costs, creating pockets with slower service or non‑fiber dependence.

Overall: Email is ubiquitous among adults (mid‑90% adoption for 18–64; mid‑80% for 65+), producing ~2,000 active users countywide despite rural connectivity challenges.

Mobile phone usage in Hettinger County, North Dakota

Snapshot

• Population and density: 2,489 residents across about 1,132 square miles (2020 Census), roughly 2.2 people per square mile. The county skews older than the state overall.
• Estimated mobile users (any mobile phone): 1,900–2,050 residents use a mobile handset of some kind.
• Estimated smartphone users: 1,500–1,700 residents regularly use a smartphone.
• Estimated active mobile subscriptions (including business, tablets, IoT, dual-SIM): 2,600–3,000 lines.

Demographic usage profile (county-specific estimates, informed by Pew age-specific ownership rates and an older local age structure)

• 18–29: 95–98% smartphone ownership; near-universal mobile phone ownership.
• 30–49: 93–96% smartphone ownership; near-universal mobile phone ownership.
• 50–64: 80–85% smartphone ownership; mobile phone ownership >93%.
• 65+: 58–66% smartphone ownership; mobile phone ownership ~85–92%.
• Teens (12–17): 95–98% smartphone access. Resulting pattern: total mobile-phone ownership among adults is high (roughly mid-90% overall), but smartphone penetration is notably lower than statewide due to the larger 65+ share.

Household telephony mix (estimates; contrasted with state)

• Wireless-only households: roughly 50–55% in Hettinger County, lower than North Dakota’s statewide share (about mid-60s%). Landline or VoIP retention remains higher locally, especially among seniors and on farmsteads that keep a fixed voice line for reliability.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE is the primary coverage layer countywide, with signal reliability strongest along US‑12 and ND‑8 corridors and in/near towns.
  • 5G availability is predominantly low‑band (e.g., 600/700/850 MHz) from national carriers, providing broad outdoor reach but modest speeds; mid‑band 5G (e.g., C‑band/2.5 GHz) is limited or absent in much of the county.
  • Typical user experience: consistent voice/text and basic data in populated areas; in‑building coverage can be variable in metal-clad structures and in low terrain, where residents commonly rely on Wi‑Fi calling or external antennas.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Regional fiber transport is present through North Dakota’s carrier consortiums and rural providers; towns and many farmsteads have seen incremental fiber buildouts from local/co‑op operators in the past decade, improving backhaul to cell sites and enabling better LTE performance.
  • Fixed wireless (LTE/5G FWA) is available in and around towns and along main corridors; satellite (including LEO) fills in more remote locations.
• Public safety
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) covers primary routes and towns, supporting county and regional emergency services with priority and preemption. Mutual-aid and wildfire operations benefit from deployable solutions in fringe areas.

Usage behavior and service mix (local vs state trends)

• Carrier mix: Verizon and AT&T tend to have a larger combined share locally than statewide averages, reflecting legacy rural coverage preferences; T‑Mobile’s share is growing with its low‑band 5G expansion but remains comparatively smaller than in North Dakota’s metro counties.
• Device and plans: A higher share of basic/feature phones among seniors than the state average; postpaid family plans dominate, with prepaid adoption slightly higher than in urban ND but still a minority.
• Data consumption: Median monthly smartphone data use is lower than in ND’s metros because of low‑band 5G/LTE speeds, higher Wi‑Fi offload at home, and an older user base. Streaming and mobile gaming intensity trails state averages; voice/SMS and farm/ranch apps (weather, logistics, precision ag) are proportionally more prominent.
• Reliability practices: Residents more often use signal boosters, high‑gain antennas, and Wi‑Fi calling to mitigate in‑home coverage gaps—behaviors less common in the state’s cities.

How Hettinger County differs from North Dakota overall

• Older age structure leads to lower smartphone penetration and higher landline/VoIP retention than the state average.
• Coverage is anchored by low‑band LTE/5G with larger inter‑site distances; mid‑band 5G capacity that’s widely available in urban North Dakota is limited locally, keeping typical downlink speeds lower and more variable.
• Higher reliance on fixed wireless and satellite for home connectivity; fiber is expanding but remains less ubiquitous outside towns than in metro counties.
• Carrier market is more coverage-driven (favoring AT&T/Verizon) compared with the increasingly competitive three‑carrier mix seen in Fargo–Bismarck–Grand Forks–Minot.
• Adoption and upgrade cycles are slower, with a larger installed base of older devices and fewer eSIM/multi‑line setups than statewide.

Key takeaways

• Expect roughly 1.9–2.0 thousand mobile phone users and 1.5–1.7 thousand smartphone users in a county of about 2.5 thousand residents.
• Mobile connectivity is dependable on main roads and in towns, but indoor and remote-area performance hinges on low‑band coverage, Wi‑Fi calling, and local mitigation (boosters/antennas).
• Compared with North Dakota’s state-level picture, Hettinger County exhibits lower smartphone penetration, lower typical 5G speeds, a more coverage‑centric carrier mix, and higher reliance on non‑fiber home connectivity—all consistent with its rural, older demographic profile.

Social media usage in Hettinger County, ND (2025 snapshot)

Headline numbers

• Overall adoption: About 70–75% of adults use at least one social platform (in line with rural U.S. rates and adjusted for the county’s older age profile). Including teens, total residents using social media is roughly 60–65% of the population.
• Teen adoption (13–17): 90–95% use at least one platform.
• Adult adoption by age:
  • 18–29: 85–90%
  • 30–49: 80–85%
  • 50–64: 65–70%
  • 65+: 45–50%
• Gender breakdown (adult usage rates): Women 70–75%; Men 68–72% (net usage is essentially even; women skew slightly higher on Facebook/Pinterest, men slightly higher on YouTube/X).

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 70–80%
• Instagram: 30–40%
• TikTok: 20–30% (concentrated among teens and under-35s)
• Snapchat: 20–30% (heaviest in teens/young adults)
• Secondary platforms: Pinterest 25–35% (strong among women 25–54), X/Twitter 10–20%, WhatsApp 15–20%, LinkedIn 10–15%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Pages are the default for local news, school and athletics updates, church and community events, buy/sell/Marketplace, and weather/emergency information. Engagement spikes around local sports, storms, harvest, and county events.
• Video is routine, not niche: YouTube is widely used across all ages, often for how‑to, ag, equipment, DIY, and local church/meeting streams. Short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is growing among under‑35s but trails national uptake due to the county’s older age structure.
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is the primary private channel for families and community logistics; Snapchat is common among students and recent grads.
• Commerce and outreach: Local businesses, schools, and public offices rely on Facebook posts/boosted posts for reach; Marketplace is a major channel for farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, furniture, and seasonal gear.
• Trust and sourcing: Content from known local institutions, schools, EMS, and county/city pages outperforms generic national sources. Word‑of‑mouth amplification (shares in local groups) drives the majority of viral local reach.
• Timing: Engagement clusters in early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.), with weekend peaks tied to events and sports.

Notes on methodology and reliability

• Figures are best-available 2025 estimates for Hettinger County, derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media adoption by age, rural/urban status, and platform to the county’s age/sex profile from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5‑year data. Percentages are rounded to reflect uncertainty at small-population scale.