Kidder County

Kidder County, North Dakota — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: ~2,390 (2020 Census; 2023 estimate similar magnitude)

Age

• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~27%
• Median age: ~49 years
• Insight: Older-than-average age structure with a large senior share

Gender

• Female: ~48%
• Male: ~52%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~95%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1–2%
• Black or African American alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%
• Insight: Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with small minority shares

Households and housing

• Households: ~1,060
• Average household size: ~2.2 persons
• Family households: ~61% of households
• Married-couple households: ~52% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~22%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~84–86%
• Insight: Small household sizes, high homeownership, majority family/married-couple households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S1101, S2502; QuickFacts).

Kidder County, ND email usage snapshot

• Population and density: ~2,400 residents across ~1,351 sq mi (≈1.8 people/sq mi; U.S. Census).
• Connectivity baseline: ~90% of households have a computer and ~77% have a broadband subscription (ACS 2018–2022). Fiber-to-the-home is widely available via BEK Communications; 5G mobile coverage follows the I-94 corridor through Steele.
• Estimated email users: ~1,880 residents (≈78% of population), derived from local broadband adoption and national rates of internet and email use among adults (Pew Research 2024).
• Age distribution of email users (reflecting Kidder’s older-leaning profile and age-based adoption):
  • 18–34: ~22%
  • 35–64: ~52%
  • 65+: ~26%
• Gender split among users: ~51% male, ~49% female, mirroring county demographics and negligible gender differences in email adoption (Pew).
• Digital access trends and insights:
  • High rural fiber penetration supports strong email adoption among working-age adults.
  • Older residents remain the most likely non-users, concentrated where households lack subscriptions.
  • Mobile broadband supplements fixed access, sustaining email use during planting/harvest and travel along I-94.
  • Very low population density raises per-mile infrastructure costs but cooperative fiber buildouts have narrowed the rural gap.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Kidder County, North Dakota (2023–2024 snapshot)

User estimates

• Population and users: Kidder County has roughly 2,300–2,500 residents. Estimated unique mobile phone users number 1,700–1,900, of whom about 1,450–1,650 are smartphone users and 150–250 use basic/feature phones. Non-users (primarily older adults) are approximately 200–300.
• Households: About 1,000–1,150 households, with an estimated 850–950 households having at least one smartphone. Cellular-only households (no landline) are less prevalent than the statewide average due to higher landline retention among older residents.
• Lines beyond handsets: A small but material share of active SIMs are machine-to-machine/IoT (farm equipment telematics, tank/grain-bin monitors, and field sensors), creating a higher IoT-to-population ratio than urban North Dakota counties.

Demographic breakdown influencing usage

• Age structure: The county skews older than the state. The share of residents 65+ is substantially higher than the North Dakota average, while the 18–34 share is smaller. This age mix produces:
  • Slightly lower smartphone adoption than statewide
  • Higher persistence of basic phones
  • Slower device upgrade cycles and lower per-capita mobile data consumption
• Income and occupation: Median household income is lower than the state average and employment is more concentrated in agriculture, construction, and services. This correlates with:
  • Greater sensitivity to device and plan costs (more value/postpaid budget plans and selective prepaid use)
  • Heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi at home/work to manage cellular data use
• Youth segment: Among teens and adults under 45, smartphone ownership is effectively universal and mirrors statewide patterns; the gap versus the state is driven by older cohorts.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint: Coverage is strongest along the I‑94 corridor and in/around Steele and the main towns (Steele, Tappen, Pettibone, Robinson, Dawson). Outside these nodes, service is predominantly LTE with patchier signal in sparsely populated agricultural areas and lake/lowland zones.
• 5G availability: 5G is primarily present along I‑94 and in the county seat; LTE remains the default technology elsewhere. As a result, the share of residents with practical 5G-at-home or 5G-on-the-farm access is below the state average.
• Tower density: Site density is low, with most macro sites aligned to the interstate and town centers. Indoor coverage in metal-roofed buildings and bins often requires boosters or Wi‑Fi calling, a more frequent need than in urban ND counties.
• Fixed wireless and backhaul: Fixed wireless access (FWA) is available near the interstate/town footprints; beyond that, residents rely on traditional WISPs, DSL, or satellite. Fiber backhaul to towers is present along the interstate; away from it, microwave backhaul is more common, contributing to capacity constraints at peak times.
• Reliability patterns: Seasonal traffic spikes (planting/harvest, summer travel on I‑94) and weather can affect performance more noticeably than in metro ND. First responders benefit from statewide public-safety network enhancements, but rural dead zones remain more common than the state average.

Key trends versus North Dakota statewide

• Adoption: Overall mobile adoption is high but a few points lower than statewide due to an older age distribution; the basic-phone share is higher than the state average.
• 5G and capacity: Practical 5G access and mid-band capacity are meaningfully lower than statewide norms outside the interstate corridor, leading to more LTE fallback and lower median speeds off-corridor.
• Usage patterns: Voice/SMS makes up a larger share of total use; per-capita cellular data consumption is lower, with heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi in homes, shops, and farmsteads.
• Upgrade cadence: Device replacement cycles are longer, and plan churn is lower than in urban counties, reflecting price sensitivity and fewer in-market promotions.
• Coverage experience: Off-highway coverage gaps and indoor signal challenges are more common than state-level averages; residents more frequently use boosters and Wi‑Fi calling to mitigate marginal signal.

Implications

• For consumers: Expect solid service along I‑94 and in towns, with LTE-first coverage and selective 5G. Plan for boosters or Wi‑Fi calling in metal buildings and remote farmsteads.
• For businesses/ag operations: Connectivity for equipment and sensors is feasible near tower footprints; remote fields may need external antennas, private CBRS/LTE, or store-and-forward strategies.
• For policymakers and providers: The greatest returns will come from additional rural macro sites or sector splits off the interstate, fiberizing more sites for capacity, and targeted 5G mid-band expansion in town centers and farm clusters. These moves would narrow the reliability and speed gap with statewide performance while supporting ag-tech adoption.

Social media usage in Kidder County, ND (2025)

Summary (modeled, best-available estimates)

• Total residents: ≈2,400; residents aged 13+: ≈2,000
• Social media users (13+): ≈1,520 (range 1,400–1,650), or roughly 73–79% penetration
• Internet context: Mobile-first usage is dominant; broadband access is typical of rural ND and sufficient to support high Facebook/YouTube engagement, with slightly lower adoption of newer platforms

User stats, age, and gender

• Estimated users (13+): ≈1,520
• Age mix among users (reflects older rural skew)
  • 13–17: 9% (135 users)
  • 18–29: 17% (260)
  • 30–49: 35% (530)
  • 50–64: 25% (380)
  • 65+: 14% (215)
• Gender breakdown among users
  • Female 52% (790)
  • Male 48% (730)

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

• YouTube: ≈82% (~1,245 users)
• Facebook: ≈72% (~1,095)
• Instagram: ≈38% (~580)
• TikTok: ≈31% (~470)
• Snapchat: ≈27% (~410)
• Pinterest: ≈28% (~425)
• X (Twitter): ≈20% (~300)
• LinkedIn: ≈13% (~200) Note: Percentages reflect rural/older adjustments from national benchmarks and are rounded; totals exceed 100% because people use multiple platforms.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Great Plains counties and applicable locally

• Facebook is the community backbone: school sports, churches, county services, local groups, and Marketplace drive daily reach; posts with local faces, names, and places outperform generic creative
• YouTube is the how-to hub: agriculture, ranch/repair, hunting/fishing, DIY, and weather content; watch time clusters evenings and weekends
• Instagram is lighter, more visual: Stories/Reels used by parents and younger adults; often cross-posted from Facebook
• TikTok is youth-centric but widening: strongest with under-35s for entertainment, weather/storm videos, and local humor; short-form video is the growth format countywide
• Snapchat is messaging-first for teens/younger adults; used around school events and friend groups
• X is niche: news, sports, weather alerts, and state/county agencies; concentrated among civically engaged users
• Pinterest is practical and planning-oriented: recipes, crafts, home/outdoor projects; skews female 25–54
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger (broadly) and Snapchat (youth) dominate; WhatsApp usage is minimal
• Temporal patterns: posting/engagement peaks 7–9 a.m. and 7–9 p.m.; sharp spikes during storms, school sports, and county events
• Ad responsiveness: strongest for practical, local value propositions; short native video, local testimonials, and sponsorships (fairs, youth sports) outperform polished national creative; clear call-to-visit or call beats ecommerce flows

Method and sources

• Figures are modeled for Kidder County using: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year age/gender profile; Pew Research Center Social Media Use (2024) and Teens & Social Media (2023); Edison Research The Infinite Dial (2024); DataReportal Digital 2024. Rural/older adjustments applied to platform penetrations; small-population rounding used. Direct platform-by-county statistics are not published, so values are best-available estimates calibrated to rural North Dakota patterns.