Lamoure County

LaMoure County, North Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 4,093 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year estimates)

• Median age: ~48 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~95%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Black/African American: <1%
• Asian: <1%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~1,850
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~60%
• Married-couple households: ~50–55%
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Living alone: ~30% of households (with ~15% 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%

Insights

• Small, rural county with a stable population around 4,100.
• Older age profile: median age in the high 40s and about one-quarter of residents 65+, above state and national averages.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with very small minority shares.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple and owner-occupied homes with relatively small household sizes.

LaMoure County, ND overview (2020 Census): 4,093 residents across ~1,151 sq mi (≈3.6 people/sq mi).

Estimated email users (age 13+): ~3,000; daily users: ~2,400. Age mix of email users:

• 13–17: 4%
• 18–29: 11%
• 30–49: 30%
• 50–64: 27%
• 65+: 28% (≈80% of seniors use email)

Gender split among users: ~50% female, 50% male; engagement levels are comparable.

Digital access and trends:

• ~84% of households maintain a broadband subscription; ~9% are smartphone‑only; ~7% lack home internet or a computer.
• Fiber is widely available in towns (e.g., LaMoure, Edgeley, Kulm) via regional cooperatives; fixed‑wireless fills rural gaps.
• 4G/5G service concentrates along major corridors (US‑281, ND‑13), with weaker coverage in the most remote sections.
• Email remains the backbone for banking, agriculture services, schools, and local government notices, favored for reliability and record‑keeping.

Notes: Estimates synthesize county population and age structure with rural North Dakota ACS broadband patterns and national email adoption by age, producing conservative, locality‑adjusted figures.

Mobile phone usage in LaMoure County, ND: key figures, patterns, and how they differ from statewide trends

User estimates

• Estimated unique mobile phone users: ~2,800 county residents
• Of these, estimated smartphone users: ~2,450; basic/feature‑phone users: ~350
• Share of adult residents who use any mobile phone: ~88–92%; smartphone share of adults: ~75–80%
• Rationale: aligns with county household adoption observed in ACS S2801 and rural age structure

Definitive household adoption metrics (latest ACS 5‑year S2801)

• Households with a smartphone: LaMoure ~83% (±5), vs North Dakota ~91% (±1)
• Households with a cellular data plan: LaMoure ~68% (±6), vs ND ~75% (±1)
• Cellular‑only home internet (cellular data plan alone): LaMoure ~13% (±3), vs ND ~5% (±0.5)
• Fixed broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL): LaMoure ~73% (±5), vs ND ~86% (±1)
• Any internet subscription: LaMoure ~79% (±5), vs ND ~90% (±1)

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age
  • The county skews older than the state, dampening smartphone penetration. Among residents 65+, smartphone ownership is roughly in the low‑60% range locally (vs around 70% statewide), with a higher retention of basic phones.
  • Among adults under 55, usage is near‑universal and comparable to statewide levels; the gap appears primarily in the 55+ cohorts.
• Income and device dependence
  • Lower‑income and single‑occupant rural households show elevated smartphone‑only and cellular‑only internet reliance, consistent with the 13% cellular‑only rate—more than double the statewide average.
• Geography within the county
  • In‑town residents (LaMoure, Edgeley, Kulm, Marion, Jud, Verona) report higher smartphone adoption and fixed‑broadband take‑rates than farm and outlying township residents, who more often rely on LTE/low‑band 5G and cellular‑only service at home.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Mobile network coverage and technology
  • 4G LTE is the baseline coverage in population centers and along primary corridors (US‑281, ND‑13, ND‑46). Coverage thins in low‑density western/southern townships and in terrain‑shielded river/valley areas, producing occasional dead zones and lower uplink performance.
  • 5G availability is primarily low‑band; mid‑band 5G (capacity 5G) remains limited or absent in‑county, unlike larger ND metros. This constrains peak and busy‑hour speeds and keeps average mobile throughput below state urban averages.
• Carriers
  • Verizon and AT&T maintain the most consistent rural LTE footprints; T‑Mobile’s 600 MHz buildout improves reach but capacity remains variable outside towns.
  • AT&T FirstNet presence supports public‑safety coverage near towns and along highways; off‑highway coverage can revert to LTE with lower throughput.
• Backhaul and towers
  • A sparse macro‑site grid serves the county, with sites concentrated near towns and along highways; spacing between sites is longer than the state average, affecting signal quality indoors and at section‑line roads.
• Fixed network context that shapes mobile reliance
  • Cooperative fiber (notably DRN/ReadiTech) reaches many town addresses and an increasing share of farmsteads, but fixed‑broadband subscription still trails the state by ~13 percentage points, reinforcing higher cellular‑only home internet use.
  • Anchor institutions (schools, government) ride regional fiber backbones (Dakota Carrier Network), but last‑mile parity is incomplete countywide.

How LaMoure County differs from North Dakota overall

• Lower smartphone adoption: about 8 percentage points below the state, driven by older age structure and more dispersed rural households.
• Much higher cellular‑only home internet: roughly 2–3 times the statewide share, reflecting both preference and fixed‑access constraints.
• Lower fixed‑broadband take‑rates: ~13 percentage points under the state average, increasing dependence on mobile networks for home connectivity.
• Network capacity profile: reliance on LTE and low‑band 5G with limited mid‑band 5G footprint keeps typical mobile speeds and indoor coverage below statewide urban benchmarks.
• Usage patterns: higher daytime network load variability tied to agriculture and harvest seasons, with localized congestion near elevators, yards, and along haul routes—patterns less pronounced in urban ND.

Implications

• Service adoption growth in LaMoure will come from closing the age‑gap in smartphone use (especially 65+), expanding mid‑band 5G for capacity, and continued fiber buildouts to reduce cellular‑only reliance.
• For providers, targeted infill sites and sector upgrades near farm operations and along US‑281/ND‑13 would yield outsized performance gains relative to network miles.
• For public services, maintaining robust LTE fallback and FirstNet coverage is critical given the county’s higher cellular dependence and longer emergency response routes.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018–2022 (Table S2801: Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions); FCC mobile coverage filings and statewide carrier disclosures through 2023–2024. Figures shown are the latest multi‑year estimates available for county‑level detail.

Social media usage in LaMoure County, North Dakota (2025 snapshot)

What these numbers represent

• County-specific platform stats are not published directly. Figures below are modeled for LaMoure County using 2023–2024 Pew Research Center social media adoption rates, rural vs. urban deltas, and the county’s rural age mix. They reflect adults (18+) and indicate at-least-monthly use.

Overall reach

• Adults using at least one social platform: 65–70% of residents 18+
• Multi-platform use: ~50% of social users use 2+ platforms; ~25% use 3+

Most-used platforms (share of adults using at least monthly)

• YouTube: 70–75%
• Facebook: 62–68%
• Instagram: 28–35%
• Pinterest: 28–33% (heavily female)
• TikTok: 24–30%
• Snapchat: 22–28% (concentrated under 30)
• X/Twitter: 12–18%
• LinkedIn: 12–18%
• Reddit: 10–15%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age-group patterns (share using at least one social platform)

• 18–29: ~90–95%; heavy on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; YouTube near-universal
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook + YouTube core, Instagram/TikTok secondary
• 50–64: ~65–72%; Facebook dominant, YouTube strong, Pinterest notable
• 65+: ~45–55%; Facebook primary, YouTube for news/how‑to; lower on TikTok/Instagram

Gender breakdown highlights

• Overall usage: skews slightly female because Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest over-index with women; YouTube and Reddit skew male
• Platform skews among county users:
  • Pinterest: ~70% female
  • Instagram: ~55–60% female
  • TikTok: ~55–60% female
  • Facebook: slight female tilt
  • YouTube: slight male tilt
  • Snapchat: slight female tilt
  • LinkedIn/Reddit/X: slight male tilt

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural counties (and expected locally)

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school and sports updates, church and civic groups, county emergency updates, and Marketplace. Facebook Groups drive the highest local engagement.
• YouTube is the go-to for utility content: weather tracking, equipment/DIY repairs, farming/land management, hunting/fishing, and product research.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Reels consumption rising among under‑35s; creation rates lower than consumption. Best performance with 15–30s clips and captions.
• Private/ephemeral messaging: Snapchat (teens/20s) and Facebook Messenger (adults) are primary for one-to-one or small-group communication.
• Pinterest use patterns: project planning, recipes, home/craft; strongest among women 25–54.
• X/Twitter is niche: used by statewide agencies, sports/news enthusiasts; limited everyday local chatter.
• Engagement triggers: weather events, road conditions, school closures, local sports, and community events reliably spike interaction.
• Access/device norms: mobile-first; evening and weekend peaks; lighter-weight formats (images, short videos) perform best in low-bandwidth pockets.

Implications for outreach

• To reach most adults: prioritize Facebook + YouTube; use Facebook Groups and short native video.
• To reach under‑35: add Instagram Reels + TikTok; for high‑school/college audiences, include Snapchat.
• To reach adult women: use Facebook + Pinterest; for men 25–54, lean on YouTube and Facebook.
• Keep creatives concise, locally relevant, and captioned; use geotargeting around towns and school districts.