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Mckenzie County Local Demographic Profile

McKenzie County, North Dakota — key demographics (most recent Census/ACS)

Population size

Age

Gender

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

Insights

One of the fastest‑growing U.S. counties over the 2010s, driven by energy development.
Younger-than-average population, larger households, and a marked male surplus compared with state and national norms.

Population and users: McKenzie County’s 2023 population is approximately 16,600. Estimated resident email users ≈12,200 (about 74% of residents and roughly 95% of adults), derived from county age structure and national email adoption rates.
Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 8% (0.9k users); 18–34: 42% (5.2k); 35–64: 42% (5.1k); 65+: 8% (1.0k). The county’s population skews young (median age ~31), sustaining high email adoption among working-age adults.
Gender split: The population is male-leaning (about 54% male, 46% female), reflected in email users: ~6.6k male and ~5.6k female users.
Digital access trends: About 85–90% of households subscribe to broadband, with strong fiber and fixed broadband presence in and around Watford City and along populated corridors, while remote ranchlands and well sites face last‑mile challenges. Mobile data is widely used for work and on‑the‑move access in the oilfield economy; LTE is ubiquitous in populated areas, with improving 5G coverage near the county seat.
Density/connectivity facts: McKenzie County is North Dakota’s largest by land area (2,700+ sq mi) with low population density (6 people per sq mi), which increases per‑mile infrastructure costs and contributes to patchy high‑speed coverage outside towns.

McKenzie County, North Dakota — mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

User estimates

Population baseline: 14,704 (2020 Census); fastest-growing U.S. county 2010–2020 (+131%). 2023 Census estimate is approximately 16,700 residents.
Adults (18+): ~12,300.
Estimated smartphone users: ~11,100 residents (about 66% of total population and roughly 90% of adults who own a mobile phone).
Total mobile phone users (any handset): ~12,400 residents (roughly 74% of the total population), reflecting slightly higher mobile reliance than North Dakota overall in comparable rural counties.
Enterprise/industrial lines: materially above state average per capita due to oilfield operations (telemetry, vehicle trackers, private APNs, and field handsets), which pushes total active SIMs well above the resident population in peak activity periods.

Demographic breakdown and what it means for usage

Younger and more male than the state:
- Median age ~30 (vs. North Dakota ~35–36).
- Male share ~56–57% (vs. ND ~50–51%), driven by energy-sector labor.
- Implication: higher per-user mobile data consumption (video, messaging, dispatch apps) and greater prevalence of work-issued smartphones.
Household structure:
- More non-family and group-living arrangements (man camps/temporary housing) than the state average.
- Implication: higher share of mobile-only or mobile-first connectivity for personal use; less fixed-premise dependence among transient workers.
Race/ethnicity:
- Majority White non-Hispanic; notable Hispanic/Latino growth; Native American population tied to Fort Berthold reservation lands within the county.
- Implication: multilingual messaging by public agencies and carriers sees higher engagement via mobile channels; tribal areas show mixed coverage and distinct adoption barriers compared with state averages.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

Networks present: AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14), Verizon, and T-Mobile operate countywide; regional fiber from RTC Networks (Reservation Telephone Cooperative) underpins much of the backhaul.
5G availability:
- Low-band 5G from national carriers covers primary corridors (US-85, ND-23) and population centers (Watford City, Arnegard, Alexander).
- Mid-band 5G (e.g., C-band/2.5 GHz) deployment is more limited than the state’s metro corridors; performance benefits are concentrated in/near towns rather than across oilfield lease roads or the Badlands.
Terrain and density constraints:
- Very large land area (~2,860 sq mi) with rugged topography (Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit) creates more dead zones and edge-of-cell conditions than the statewide norm.
- Macro towers cluster along highways, towns, and major well pads; coverage gaps persist on secondary/gravel roads and in coulees.
Public safety and enterprise:
- FirstNet adoption is high among county and tribal agencies and energy operators for priority access and mission-critical PTT.
- Oilfield telemetry and vehicle tracking create heavy machine-to-machine traffic, a distinctive load profile compared with the state average.
Fixed backhaul and last mile:
- Fiber rings from RTC and other providers connect most towns, schools, and many towers; however, some remote homesteads and pads rely on microwave, LTE fixed wireless, or LEO satellite, elevating the role of mobile broadband compared with the ND average.

How McKenzie County differs from the North Dakota state-level picture

Higher mobile reliance: More mobile-first and mobile-only usage due to transient workforce and dispersed housing; personal and employer-provided devices per capita both exceed the state average.
Heavier enterprise/IoT share: Oilfield operations generate a larger proportion of non-handset SIMs and private mobile data traffic than elsewhere in ND.
Coverage heterogeneity: Strong 4G/5G along arteries and in towns, but sharper performance drop-offs in rugged terrain compared with the statewide pattern.
5G mix: Greater dependence on low-band 5G for reach; mid-band capacity upgrades trail the state’s metro areas, so median speeds are less consistent outside towns.
Demand volatility: Traffic spikes align with drilling/completion cycles and seasonal workforce influx, a pattern less pronounced in the rest of the state.

Key takeaways

Approximately 11,100 residents in McKenzie County use smartphones, and about three-quarters of residents use a mobile phone of some kind, with additional enterprise/IoT lines pushing active SIM counts beyond the resident base.
The county’s young, male-skewed, energy-driven demographics and vast, rugged geography shape a usage profile that is more mobile-first, more enterprise-heavy, and more coverage-challenged than North Dakota overall.
Continued 5G mid-band infill and expansion of fiber-fed sites away from main corridors would yield outsized benefits relative to the state average, given the county’s unique load and terrain.

Social media snapshot: McKenzie County, North Dakota (2024)