Day County

Here are key demographics for Day County, South Dakota.

• Population:
  • 5,449 (2020 Census)
• Age (ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates):
  • Median age: ~47–48 years
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 18 to 64: ~51%
  • 65 and over: ~27%
• Gender (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Male: ~51%
  • Female: ~49%
• Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022):
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~82–85%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~12–14%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2–3%
  • Black and Asian: each <1%
• Households (ACS 2018–2022):
  • Total households: ~2,400–2,500
  • Average household size: ~2.2
  • Family households: ~60% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~50% of households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Day County, SD snapshot (estimates based on 2020 Census population ~5,450 and rural U.S./South Dakota usage patterns from Pew and FCC):

• Email users: roughly 4,200–4,800 residents use email at least occasionally (about 80–90% of the population; near-universal among adults under 65, lower among the oldest).
• Age distribution of email use: 18–29 ≈95–99%; 30–64 ≈90–97%; 65+ ≈70–85% (Day County skews older, pulling the overall rate down slightly versus urban areas).
• Gender split: approximately even; because the senior population is slightly more female, overall email users are likely ~50–52% women, ~48–50% men.
• Digital access trends: Home broadband subscription is likely ~70–75% of households, with 15–20% relying primarily on smartphones, fixed wireless, or satellite. Fiber is expanding via rural telecom cooperatives; fixed wireless fills gaps; satellite (e.g., Starlink) is a fallback for remote homes. Adoption is rising but affordability and device literacy remain barriers for some seniors/low-income households.
• Local density/connectivity: Very rural (~5–6 people per square mile); best wired and mobile coverage in and around Webster and along US‑12; lake/ refuge areas can have spottier mobile service. Overall access to 100/20 Mbps service is improving, but take‑up lags availability.

Summary Day County, SD is a sparsely populated, older, partly tribal, lake-and-prairie county where smartphone adoption is high but a bit below the statewide average, mobile-only internet reliance is meaningfully higher, and network capacity/coverage is more uneven—especially outside Webster and around lakes and reservation trust lands. Low-band 5G is broadly present from the national carriers, but mid-band/capacity 5G and indoor coverage remain spotty away from highways and towns. Seasonal lake traffic creates summer congestion spikes that aren’t typical at the state level.

User estimates

• Population baseline: roughly 5,200–5,600 residents; about 4,100–4,500 adults (older age structure than SD overall).
• Smartphone users (people): approximately 3,400–4,000 adult users.
  • Method: rural smartphone adoption of roughly 80–88% of adults (Pew/ACS patterns), adjusted down slightly for older median age and income mix.
• Mobile subscribers (all ages, including teens): about 3,800–4,400 human users carrying a mobile phone at least weekly.
• Smartphone-dependent/mobile-only internet households: estimated 14–20% of households (vs roughly low-teens statewide), reflecting areas without cable, the end of ACP subsidies in 2024, and reliance on cellular for home internet.
• Device mix: a modestly higher share of basic phones among 65+ than the SD average, but still a small minority; hotspot devices used for home connectivity are more common than statewide.
• Seasonal swing: summer population at cabins on Pickerel, Enemy Swim, Waubay, and other lakes noticeably increases active users and peak-hour mobile data demand.

Demographic breakdown (how usage differs from the SD average)

• Age: Seniors make up a larger share than statewide; smartphone adoption among 65+ likely 70–80% (vs higher in urban SD), with more voice/text-first usage and lower app diversity.
• Income and plans: Lower median incomes and credit profiles translate to a higher prepaid share and slower device upgrade cycles than the SD average.
• Tribal households: Portions of the Lake Traverse Reservation extend into Day County. Tribal households often face higher rates of device sharing and mobile-only connectivity and may rely more on Lifeline; the ACP sunset likely increased cost sensitivity and plan downgrades.
• Work patterns: Agriculture/outdoor work increases demand for wide-area coverage, PTT-like apps, and reliability along section roads—needs that are less intense in metro SD.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (what stands out locally)

• Carriers and 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from the national carriers generally covers Webster, US-12, and primary corridors; it offers reach but modest capacity.
  • Mid-band/high-capacity 5G is concentrated in and near Webster and along main highways; many rural areas fall back to LTE or low-band 5G with limited throughput.
• Capacity and congestion:
  • Noticeable summer congestion around major lakes and weekend peaks; this seasonal load pattern is more pronounced than statewide.
  • Sparse macro-site grid means larger cells; capacity per user drops quickly during peak times or outages.
• Coverage gaps:
  • Dead zones persist in low-lying glacial terrain, lakeshore pockets, and some trust land areas; indoor coverage weakens in metal-clad buildings and basements outside town.
  • County and township roads away from US-12/SD-25 see variable signal and handoff performance.
• Backhaul and middle-mile:
  • Fiber backhaul exists along primary corridors; away from them, microwave backhaul is still common, constraining upgrade paths and resiliency compared to urban SD.
• Fixed alternatives shaping mobile use:
  • In Webster, cable or fiber reduces mobile-only dependence; outside town, fixed options are uneven. 5G fixed wireless (where mid-band is strong) and LTE home internet fill gaps but are capacity- and signal-quality-dependent.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage improvements have helped along key routes, but in-building and remote-area reliability remains mixed; winter storms and ice loading stress backup power at sites more than in urban areas.

Trends that differ most from the South Dakota statewide picture

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration overall due to older demographics; higher share of basic/voice-first users among seniors.
• Higher reliance on mobile-only or mobile-primary internet, amplified by uneven fixed broadband and the end of ACP.
• Greater prepaid share and longer device replacement cycles.
• More pronounced seasonal congestion spikes at lakes and during events.
• Wider and more persistent rural coverage gaps and weaker indoor service outside towns, with backhaul constraints limiting rapid capacity upgrades.
• Public safety and agricultural connectivity needs drive demand for broad-area reliability more than sheer urban-style capacity.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Estimates synthesize county population, ACS computer/internet-use patterns for rural counties, Pew Research smartphone adoption by rural/age cohorts, and FCC/NTIA rural coverage characteristics. Small-population counties have wide margins of error; figures are provided as ranges rather than point estimates.

Here’s a concise, planning-ready snapshot for Day County, South Dakota. Figures are estimates based on the county’s population (~5,450; 2020 Census), rural Midwest patterns, and recent US social media benchmarks.

Overall usage

• Estimated active social media users: 3.1K–3.5K people
• Adults (18+): ~4.2K–4.4K; adult social adoption ~65–75%
• Teens (13–17): ~280–320; social adoption 90%+

Age mix and adoption (approx.)

• 13–17: 90%+ use social; ~8% of local social users
• 18–29: 84–90% use social; ~12–15% of users
• 30–49: 78–85% use social; ~28–32% of users
• 50–64: 65–75% use social; ~22–26% of users
• 65+: 40–55% use social; ~20–25% of users

Gender breakdown (overall social users)

• Female: 52–56%
• Male: 44–48%
• Note: Pinterest and Facebook skew more female; YouTube slightly male-leaning; Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram lean female among younger cohorts.

Most-used platforms among adults (Day County estimates)

• YouTube: 70–80%
• Facebook: 60–70%
• Instagram: 25–35% (heavier 18–34)
• TikTok: 20–30% (heavier under 35)
• Snapchat: 15–25% overall; 60–75% of teens/20s
• Pinterest: 15–25% overall; 30–40% of women
• X (Twitter): 8–15%
• LinkedIn: 8–12% (mostly 25–54)
• WhatsApp: 8–12%
• Reddit: 8–12% (younger male skew)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school and sports updates, churches, obituaries, buy/sell/Marketplace. Groups drive most engagement.
• Video wins: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) and simple how-to or “local interest” clips outperform text/image posts. YouTube used for how-to, ag/mechanic content, outdoor/recreation, church services, and school streams.
• Messaging over posting (younger users): Instagram DMs, Snapchat, and Messenger are primary channels for coordination and customer inquiries.
• Strong local trust signals: posts from schools, local government, EMS, churches, and known businesses get higher reach and shares than generic brand content.
• Timing: engagement peaks before work (6–8am), lunch (11:30–1), and evenings (7–9pm); Sundays and bad-weather days see bumps. Planting/harvest shift patterns earlier/later.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is heavily used for vehicles, farm/ranch gear, tools, furniture. Local promos with clear callouts (dates, prices, location) perform best.
• Creative preferences: real people and familiar places; concise copy; community and family themes; minimal corporate polish.
• Targeting radius: most response comes from within 25–50 miles; micro-targeting by town/school district or interest (ag, outdoors, youth sports) improves efficiency.
• Older cohort behavior: high Facebook loyalty but lower platform switching; clear legible graphics and straightforward CTAs matter. Younger cohorts: quick, snackable vertical video; ephemeral stories; humor and authenticity.

Notes and confidence

• Data are modeled from county population structure and rural US usage patterns (Pew and similar studies). For precise campaign planning, validate with platform ad audience estimates (Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) using a 25–50 mile radius around Webster/Day County.