Mclean County

McLean County, North Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 9,771 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~47.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~23%

Gender

• Male: ~51.5%
• Female: ~48.5%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~86%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~11%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.2%
• Asian alone: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~4,200
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple families: ~55%
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Seniors (65+) living alone: ~14%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~82%

Insights

• Older age profile and slightly more males than females.
• Predominantly White with a notable American Indian population.
• Small average household size and high owner-occupancy consistent with rural counties.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

• Scope: McLean County, North Dakota (2020 Census pop. 9,771; ~2,111 sq. mi.; density ~4.6 people/sq. mi.).
• Estimated email users: 7,000 adults. Method: ~77% of residents are 18+ (7,500) and ~92–94% of U.S. adults use email; rural usage is only slightly lower, yielding ~7.0k active email users.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated, aligned to county’s older-than-average profile): 18–34: 21%; 35–54: 33%; 55–64: 17%; 65+: 29%.
• Gender split: 51% male, 49% female population; email adoption is essentially parity by gender, so users mirror this split (3,570 male; ~3,430 female).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: roughly low-80s percent (ACS 2018–2022 5‑year indicates most McLean households have a broadband subscription).
  • Network availability: FCC broadband map data show >90% of locations in rural ND have access to ≥100/20 Mbps; fiber coverage in town centers is expanding via rural co‑ops, with fixed wireless serving outlying farms/ranches.
  • Device/usage: smartphone ownership near 90% among adults (Pew), with a meaningful rural “smartphone‑only” segment (~15%) using mobile email.
• Local connectivity facts: Service is strongest along US‑83/ND‑200 and in towns such as Washburn and Garrison; sparsely populated lake/river valleys can experience coverage gaps.

Mobile phone usage in McLean County, North Dakota — 2025 snapshot

Core context

• Population baseline: 9,771 (2020 Census). Approximate households: 4,200–4,300 (implied by typical rural ND household sizes).
• Rural profile: Low-density, older-than-state-average age structure, with small towns (e.g., Washburn, Garrison, Underwood, Turtle Lake) separated by long highway stretches and lake terrain around Lake Sakakawea.

User estimates (ownership and usage)

• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): 8,200–8,700 users countywide (≈83–89% of residents). Adult ownership is near-ubiquitous; lower take-up among the oldest seniors drives the gap from 100%.
• Smartphone users: 6,900–7,400 users (≈70–76% of total population; roughly 85–90% of adults). The remaining adult users primarily carry basic/feature phones, concentrated among residents 65+.
• Wireless-only households (no landline): ≈70–75% of households (about 3,000–3,200). This is modestly below the North Dakota statewide share, reflecting a higher local preference for keeping a landline among older residents.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no home fixed broadband): ≈14–18% of households (roughly 600–750). This is notably higher than the statewide rate (≈10–12%), indicating heavier reliance on mobile data as a primary internet connection.

Demographic breakdown (what differs from the state)

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone ownership (>95%), aligned with state levels.
  • 35–64: High smartphone ownership (~90%), slightly below urban ND due to job-site basic phone use and conservative upgrade cycles.
  • 65+: Smartphone ownership about 60–70% (well below the state average), with 30–40% using basic phones or no mobile. This age skew is the single biggest factor distinguishing the county from statewide patterns.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income and fixed-income households show higher smartphone-only internet reliance than the state, translating to more prepaid and budget-tier plans and tighter data caps.
• Native population
  • The county includes parts of the Fort Berthold area; Native households are more likely than county average to report smartphone-only internet access, mirroring regional reservation trends, which raises mobile data dependence above the state norm.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county realities vs state)

• Radio access
  • 4G LTE is the workhorse and provides the most consistent coverage across the county’s highways and towns.
  • 5G is present primarily as low-band “extended range” along US‑83 and around towns; mid-band 5G footprints are smaller than the state average, so capacity gains are less pronounced than in Bismarck–Mandan, Minot, or Fargo.
• Terrain effects
  • Coverage gaps persist in coulees, along parts of the Lake Sakakawea shoreline, and in low-lying farm/ranch areas away from major corridors. These terrain-driven shadows are more common than the statewide norm.
• Carriers and performance profile
  • All three national carriers operate in the county; low-band spectrum (e.g., 600/700 MHz) underpins most broad-area coverage. Indoor coverage in metal/agricultural buildings remains challenging unless signal boosters are used.
  • Compared with state urban centers, the county leans more on low-band LTE/5G and has fewer sectors with mid-band capacity, so busy-hour performance degrades sooner and average throughputs are lower than statewide urban medians.
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Fiber-fed tower backhaul is present near towns and along major highways; microwave backhaul is still used on outlying sites. During peak seasonal activity (lake recreation) and energy-related work cycles, localized congestion is more noticeable here than statewide.

Behavioral and usage trends distinct from statewide patterns

• Higher persistence of basic phones among seniors and a stronger tendency to keep landlines.
• More smartphone-only internet households, reflecting patchy fixed-broadband options outside town centers and budget constraints.
• Slower device upgrade cycles; a higher share of LTE-only devices remains in service compared with the state’s metro areas.
• Seasonal load swings around Lake Sakakawea recreation and construction/energy activity create more pronounced time-of-day and time-of-year variability in mobile data experience than the statewide average.

Implications

• Public services, healthcare, and banks should continue to support SMS and voice-first outreach for older residents.
• Emergency communications should account for known terrain shadows and encourage household signal boosters in fringe areas.
• For digital inclusion, subsidized fixed wireless or fiber buildouts targeted at smartphone-only households would have outsized impact in McLean County relative to statewide averages.

Notes on estimation

• Figures above synthesize recent national mobile adoption research and ACS computer-and-internet-use patterns, adjusted for McLean County’s older age mix, rural settlement pattern, and known infrastructure topology. They are appropriate for planning-level decisions and to highlight county-versus-state differences.

Social media usage in McLean County, ND (modeled 2025 snapshot)

How to read this: County-specific platform data is not directly published. Figures below are point estimates tailored to McLean County’s rural age/sex mix using Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform usage, NTIA rural internet-adoption differentials, and ACS county demographics. They reflect adults (18+) unless noted.

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform monthly: 82%
• Daily social users: 70% of adults
• Primary access: smartphone-first; YouTube and Facebook account for the majority of time spent

Most-used platforms (share of adults, monthly)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 69%
• Instagram: 40%
• Pinterest: 33%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 24%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• X (Twitter): 17%
• Reddit: 13%
• LinkedIn: 13%

Age pattern (share using any social platform)

• Teens 13–17: 95% (primarily YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok)
• 18–29: 95% (heavy multi-platform; highest TikTok/Instagram/Snapchat use)
• 30–49: 88% (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; Messenger/WhatsApp for coordination)
• 50–64: 73% (Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest meaningful among women)
• 65+: 55% (Facebook and YouTube; lighter use of newer apps)

Gender breakdown

• Any social media: women 84%, men 80%
• Platform skews:
  • Women: Facebook 74%, Instagram 42%, Pinterest 38%
  • Men: YouTube 86%, X (Twitter) 19%, Reddit 16%
• Messaging: Snapchat more common among younger women; WhatsApp slightly more common among men tied to energy, construction, and seasonal work networks

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural North Dakota counties and expected locally

• Community-first Facebook: High engagement with local groups (schools, county alerts, churches, events) and heavy Marketplace use; most local businesses rely on boosted posts over complex ad campaigns
• Video as utility: YouTube used for how‑to, ag/equipment repair, home projects, hunting/fishing, and local sports highlights; longer watch sessions on evenings/weekends
• Youth messaging over posting: Teens/young adults favor Snapchat for daily communication; Instagram/TikTok used more for browsing than publishing
• Trust pathways: Local news and weather most often encountered via Facebook shares from radio/newspaper pages; official county/school pages drive peak spikes during storms/closures
• Time-of-day peaks: 6–8 AM and 7–10 PM, with mid-day checks tied to farm/shift breaks; weekend event spikes around tournaments, fairs, and church/community functions
• Device and connectivity: Smartphone-dominant usage; video quality and upload behavior shaped by mobile data constraints when away from home or town fiber

Sources informing estimates: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024), NTIA Internet Use Survey (rural vs. urban differentials), and U.S. Census Bureau ACS (county age/sex structure).