Pierce County

Pierce County, North Dakota — Key Demographics

Population

• Total population: 3,990 (2020 Census)

Age

• Under 18: ~23%
• 18 to 64: ~55%
• 65 and over: ~22%
• Median age: ~45 years (Source for age: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates)

Gender

• Male: ~50–51%
• Female: ~49–50% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census)

• White alone: ~91–92%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~5%
• Black or African American alone: <1%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~1,750–1,800
• Average household size: ~2.25
• Family households: ~59% of households
• One-person households: ~36%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–76% of occupied units
• Average family size: ~2.9

Insights

• Small, predominantly White rural county with a notable American Indian presence.
• Older age profile and high share of one-person households point to aging demographics.
• High owner-occupancy and small household sizes are consistent with rural housing patterns.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171) and American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Pierce County, ND snapshot

• Population: 3,990 (2020); very rural at roughly 4 residents per square mile, centered on Rugby.
• Estimated email users: about 3,000 residents use email regularly. This reflects ~90% adoption among adults and strong use among teenagers.

Age distribution of email users (county skews older):

• 18–34: ~25% of users
• 35–54: ~35%
• 55–64: ~15%
• 65+: ~25% Seniors participate widely in email, though slightly below prime working-age adults.

Gender split

• Email use is essentially even by sex, mirroring the population: ~49% male, ~51% female of users.

Digital access and trends

• Internet access is broad but not universal: roughly four in five households maintain a broadband subscription, and about nine in ten have a computer, consistent with recent ACS patterns for rural North Dakota.
• Fiber and cable connections are concentrated in and around Rugby; fixed wireless and satellite fill coverage in sparsely populated townships.
• Mobile access is widespread, with growing smartphone dependence for checking email, particularly outside the US‑2 corridor.
• Low density raises last‑mile costs, but ongoing co‑op and provider fiber builds have steadily improved speeds and reliability since 2019, narrowing the rural‑urban gap.

Pierce County, ND mobile phone usage summary

Population context

• Total population: 3,990 (2020 Census); largest community: Rugby
• Older age profile than the state: roughly one-quarter are 65+ (North Dakota overall is notably younger)

User estimates (point estimates derived from age structure and rural adoption benchmarks)

• Residents using any mobile phone: about 3,300 (≈83% of the total population)
• Residents using smartphones: about 2,830 (≈71% of the total population)
• Households relying on mobile data as their only internet connection: about 175 (≈10% of ~1,770 households)

Demographic breakdown of smartphone use (estimates)

• Ages 12–17: ~250 users (≈90% of teens)
• Ages 18–34: ~700 users (≈92% of this group)
• Ages 35–64: ~1,250 users (≈85% of this group)
• Ages 65+: ~580 users (≈58% of this group)

How Pierce County differs from the North Dakota average

• Lower smartphone penetration: County-level smartphone use (≈71% of residents) trails the state by an estimated 8–12 percentage points, driven by a larger 65+ population and more feature‑phone retention among seniors
• Fewer mobile‑only households: Estimated ~10% in Pierce County versus mid‑teens statewide; strong fixed broadband (fiber) availability encourages Wi‑Fi use and reduces dependence on cellular data as a primary home connection
• Slower device refresh cycle: Households replace phones less frequently than in urban counties (more 3–4 year cycles), contributing to a higher share of older Android devices and basic phones among seniors
• Carrier concentration: Verizon is the de facto primary choice for many rural users due to coverage depth; AT&T coverage is solid along major corridors; T‑Mobile’s footprint is improving but remains less consistent outside towns compared with statewide urban areas

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Fixed broadband: The Rugby/Pierce County area is served by regional telecom cooperatives (e.g., NDTC) with extensive fiber‑to‑the‑home; gigabit service is widely available in and around Rugby and many rural exchanges. This strong fiber footprint is a defining difference from many states and helps explain the lower share of mobile‑only households
• Mobile networks:
  • 4G LTE is the baseline countywide along primary roads and in towns
  • Low‑band 5G from national carriers is available in Rugby and along US‑2; mid‑band 5G capacity is limited outside the main corridor, so many areas effectively operate on LTE for capacity
  • Indoor signal challenges are common in metal‑clad farm and commercial buildings; boosters are frequently used in outbuildings and elevators
• Resilience: Winter storms can stress sites beyond battery backup windows in remote areas; users often maintain alternative communication paths (landline, fiber‑backed Wi‑Fi calling) more than in the state’s urban counties

Key takeaways

• Pierce County’s mobile landscape is shaped by an older population and excellent fiber availability: fewer mobile‑only homes, somewhat lower smartphone adoption, and heavier reliance on a single carrier for rural coverage compared with statewide norms
• Where fixed fiber is available, users offload to Wi‑Fi, keeping per‑device cellular data use lower than in North Dakota’s metro counties, and making coverage reliability (voice/text) more critical than peak 5G speeds for many residents

Method note: Counts are estimates derived by applying rural U.S. mobile/smartphone adoption rates by age to Pierce County’s age structure from the decennial Census/ACS, then mapped to household totals; comparisons to state reflect North Dakota’s younger metro‑weighted profile.

Social media usage in Pierce County, North Dakota (2024–2025 snapshot)

Population base

• Residents: ~4,000
• Adults (18+): ~3,100; Teens (13–17): ~250
• Overall adoption: Adults using at least one platform 80–85% (≈2,500–2,650 people); daily adult users 65–70%. Teens using social media ~95%; daily ~90%

Most-used platforms (share of adult population)

• YouTube: ~75%
• Facebook: ~65%
• Pinterest: ~32%
• Instagram: ~30%
• TikTok: ~25%
• Snapchat: ~22%
• LinkedIn: ~15%
• X (Twitter): ~15%
• Reddit: ~12%
• Nextdoor: ~5%

Teen (13–17) platform reach

• YouTube ~95%
• Snapchat ~75%
• TikTok ~70%
• Instagram ~60%
• Facebook ≤30%

Age-group patterns (share within each age band)

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~65%; TikTok ~60%; Snapchat ~55%; Facebook ~45%
• 30–49: YouTube ~85%; Facebook ~75%; Instagram ~45%; Pinterest ~40%; TikTok ~35%; Snapchat ~30%
• 50–64: Facebook ~70%; YouTube ~70%; Pinterest ~35%; Instagram ~25%; TikTok ~20%
• 65+: Facebook ~60%; YouTube ~55%; Pinterest ~30%; Instagram ~15%; Nextdoor ~5–8%

Gender breakdown (adult users)

• Female-skewed: Pinterest (75% female), Facebook (57% female), Instagram (55% female), TikTok (56% female), Snapchat (~53% female)
• Male-skewed: Reddit (70% male), X/Twitter (62% male), YouTube (58% male), LinkedIn (56% male)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the local hub: community groups, school sports, church and event updates, buy/sell/trade; Messenger widely used for coordination
• Video-first habits: YouTube for how‑to, farm/ranch and equipment content, hunting/fishing, and local sports highlights; short‑form (Reels/TikTok) rising among 18–34
• Commerce and info: Facebook Marketplace performs strongly; local business pages and county/city pages drive high engagement vs national outlets
• Timing: Engagement peaks 6–8 a.m., 11 a.m.–1 p.m., and 7–9 p.m.; weekend spikes Sat morning and Sun evening
• Content that works: Clear local tie‑in, photos/video, names/faces people know; event reminders, promotions, and results/recaps outperform generic brand posts
• Ads: Best reach/ROI via Facebook/Instagram geo-targeting; YouTube pre‑roll for awareness; TikTok/Reels effective for 18–34; LinkedIn limited to specific professional niches
• Seasonality: Late summer–fall lift around fairs, harvest, and school sports; winter evenings show longer session times

Notes

• Figures are modeled for Pierce County using 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption benchmarks (Pew-style adult/teen usage) adjusted for rural/older age mix and rounded to the nearest ~5%. They reflect realistic local proportions rather than exact survey counts.