Williams County

Williams County, North Dakota – key demographics (latest Census Bureau data)

Population

• 41,600 (2023 estimate); 40,950 (2020 Census). Rapid growth since 2010 driven by energy sector.

Age

• Median age: ~33–34 years
• Under 5: ~8%
• Under 18: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~11%

Gender

• Male: ~56%
• Female: ~44%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~84%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~6%
• Black: ~3%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~12%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~74%

Households

• ~15,000 households (ACS 2019–2023)
• Average household size: ~2.6 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~64%
• Families comprise roughly two-thirds of households; about one-third have children under 18

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates; 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Williams County, ND email usage snapshot (estimates grounded in Census/ACS and Pew benchmarks)

• Estimated users: ≈28,400 adult email users (about 92–94% of ≈30,000 adults; county population ≈40,000).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ≈7,700 (email adoption ~99%)
  • 30–49: ≈11,200 (adoption ~96%)
  • 50–64: ≈6,400 (adoption ~93%)
  • 65+: ≈3,100 (adoption ~85%)
• Gender split: Email adoption is essentially equal by gender; with Williams County’s male‑skewed population, users are ≈56% male (≈15,900) and ≈44% female (≈12,500).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription rate ≈87%, with coverage strongest in and around Williston; rural townships rely more on fixed wireless/satellite.
  • Smartphone ownership is near‑universal among adults; mobile‑only internet users ≈13%, shaping email access primarily via phones.
  • Work-driven in‑migration keeps the county younger than the U.S. median, sustaining high daily email use for employment and services.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈19 people per sq. mile; roughly three‑quarters of residents live in/near Williston, the primary service hub with the most cable/fiber options.
  • Ongoing rural broadband buildouts are narrowing, but not eliminating, the urban–rural speed gap.

Mobile phone usage in Williams County, North Dakota — 2024 snapshot

Baseline

• Population anchor: approximately 41,000 residents (2020 Census), roughly 15,500–16,000 households. Adults (18+) are about 73–75% of the population.

User estimates

• Adult mobile adoption (any mobile phone): about 97% of adults, or ≈29,000 adult users.
• Adult smartphone adoption: approximately 92% of adults, or ≈28,000 adult smartphone users.
• Teens (13–17) with smartphones: ≈95% adoption; ≈2,500 users.
• Children (6–12) with a basic phone or watch: ~20–25% adoption; ≈800–1,000 users.
• Total unique mobile users: about 32,000–34,000 individuals, or roughly 78–83% of the total population.
• Lines per user: with second lines, work phones, hotspots, and IoT, average lines per user ≈1.15; estimated 36,000–39,000 active SIMs in the county.
• Wireless-only households (no landline): approximately 72–76% of households, or ≈11,000–12,000 homes. This is slightly higher than the statewide share, reflecting a younger, more mobile population and temporary housing linked to the oil economy.
• Prepaid share: elevated relative to the state due to itinerant and contract workers; approximately 25–30% of consumer lines in-county are prepaid versus a lower statewide share.
• Business/enterprise lines: roughly one quarter of active SIMs are business-provisioned, reflecting oilfield, construction, logistics, and supporting services.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Williams County skews younger in working ages. Residents 25–44 are roughly a third of the population (materially higher than the state), which drives very high smartphone and app-centric usage, mobile payments, and navigation-intensive behavior.
• Gender: male share is notably higher than the state average, consistent with energy-sector employment; rugged devices, push-to-talk, and accessory adoption (cases, battery packs) are above state norms.
• Income and plan mix: median household income is above the North Dakota average due to oilfield wages. Despite higher incomes, plan churn and prepaid/BYOD are elevated because of contract and seasonal work cycles.
• Race/ethnicity: the county is more diverse than the state average, with a larger Hispanic and Black workforce segment. This correlates with higher use of multilingual apps, cross-border calling features, and over-the-top messaging.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: all three national MNOs (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) operate 4G LTE countywide with 5G in and around Williston and along primary corridors (US-2, US-85, ND-1804). Verizon and AT&T anchor coverage in remote work sites; T-Mobile coverage has improved along highways and in-town.
• 5G footprint: low-band 5G blankets population centers; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in Williston and near high-traffic nodes. Outside the city and highways, service reverts to LTE in places.
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): 5G home internet from national carriers is widely marketed in Williston and fringe suburbs. FWA likely accounts for roughly 20–25% of residential broadband connections in the county, higher than the statewide share, because it fills gaps where cable/fiber are sparse outside city limits.
• Fiber and backhaul: multiple long-haul fiber routes follow the US‑2/BNSF corridor into Williston, with microwave backhaul supporting remote tower sites. In-town fiber and cable are strong; rural township fiber is patchy.
• Private wireless: oil and gas operators employ CBRS/Private LTE for SCADA, video, and safety telemetry on well pads and gathering sites. This increases local spectrum utilization without directly appearing as consumer traffic.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) and Verizon Frontline are active in the area; Next-Generation 911 with text-to-911 is supported. Coverage hardening focuses on highways, rail, and industrial zones.

How Williams County differs from North Dakota overall

• Higher smartphone and mobile-only dependence: more wireless-only households, more prepaid/BYOD, and a larger share of business lines than the state average.
• Heavier work-driven mobility: usage peaks align with shift changes and oilfield logistics (early morning/late afternoon), producing corridor-specific congestion, unlike the more even patterns seen statewide.
• Greater reliance on FWA: households outside Williston more often use 5G fixed wireless as primary internet, whereas other parts of North Dakota lean more on cooperative fiber and cable.
• Coverage distribution: the county has strong urban/highway service but more pronounced rural dead zones and building-penetration challenges in metal industrial structures than the state’s eastern population centers.
• Device turnover: faster replacement cycles for ruggedized phones and hotspots due to harsh field conditions, exceeding statewide averages.

Method notes

• Counts and rates are built from the 2020 Census population base for Williams County and applied using 2022–2024 national adoption benchmarks (Pew Research, NHIS wireless-only households) adjusted for the county’s younger workforce, higher business-line presence, and rural infrastructure mix. Figures are presented as best-available estimates calibrated to local conditions and are intended for planning-level use.

Williams County, ND – social media usage snapshot (2025) Note on method: County-level platform-by-platform stats aren’t directly published. Figures below are model-based estimates applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media usage rates to Williams County’s adult population (U.S. Census ACS 2023), with local context considered for behavioral insights.

Headline user stats

• Adults using at least one social platform: approximately 83% of adults (on the order of 24,000–27,000 people, given Williams County’s adult population size)
• Usage intensity: most adult users engage multiple times per week; short‑form video is the fastest-rising content format across age groups

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use the platform; estimates from Pew 2024 applied locally)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• WhatsApp: ~26%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~19%

Age‑group patterns (adult segments)

• 18–29: Near-universal social use; heavy on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; Facebook used but not primary. High receptivity to short, vertical video and DMs.
• 30–49: Broadest multi‑platform mix; YouTube and Facebook are core; Instagram and TikTok used regularly; LinkedIn relevant for jobs/recruiting; Pinterest strong among parents/DIY.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest and Instagram present; TikTok adoption growing but still secondary.
• 65+: Facebook first, YouTube second; lower use of Instagram/TikTok; higher engagement with local pages/groups.

Gender breakdown (adult patterns)

• Overall social media use: Women ≈85%, Men ≈81%.
• Platform skews: Pinterest skews female; Reddit and X skew male; Snapchat and Instagram skew slightly female; Facebook and YouTube are broadly balanced.

Behavioral trends observed/expected locally

• Community-first use of Facebook: strong engagement with local news, school and sports pages, buy/sell/trade and “scanner” groups, road/weather updates, and event promotion.
• Shift‑work cadence: energy sector schedules produce early‑morning and late‑evening spikes; private Groups/Chats (Facebook Messenger, Snapchat) used for coordination.
• Short‑form video wins attention: Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok outperform static posts for local businesses, events, and hiring.
• Recruitment and professional networking: Facebook (Pages/Groups) and LinkedIn are primary channels for oilfield and service-industry jobs; YouTube used for training and safety content.
• Messaging over public posting: high reliance on Messenger, Snapchat, and group texts for day‑to‑day coordination; WhatsApp present among transient/out‑of‑state workers.
• Seasonal content cycles: winter storm information, hunting/outdoors communities, youth sports, fairs/rodeos, and school calendars drive predictable engagement peaks.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, “Social Media Use in 2024” (U.S. adult platform adoption and demographics)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1‑year estimates (Williams County population structure)