Deuel County

Which reference source/year would you like? I can summarize from:

• 2020 Decennial Census
• Latest ACS 5-year (2019–2023) estimates

Also, for “household data,” do you want just number of households and average household size, or also family vs. nonfamily, households with children, and homeownership?

Deuel County, SD snapshot (approx. 2024):

• Population/density: ~4,300 residents across ~630 sq mi (about 6–7 people per sq mi). County seat: Clear Lake. Local fiber/co-op: Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative (ITC), headquartered in Clear Lake, has expanded fiber in the area.
• Estimated email users: 2,900–3,300 adults. Basis: ~75–78% of residents are 18+, and around 85–92% of U.S. adults use email; rural rates skew slightly lower for seniors.
• Age pattern:
  • 18–29: very high email use (≈95%).
  • 30–49: very high (≈90–95%).
  • 50–64: high (≈85–90%).
  • 65+: moderate–high (≈75–85%); Deuel’s older share is above average, slightly lowering overall penetration.
• Gender split: roughly even; no meaningful difference in email adoption by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household internet/broadband subscription likely ~80–85%; computer access ~85–90%; a minority (≈7–12%) are smartphone‑only.
  • 4G LTE is widespread; 5G is present along main corridors in eastern SD. Public Wi‑Fi available via local libraries/schools.
  • Ongoing fiber builds (e.g., ITC, state ConnectSD efforts) continue to improve speeds and reliability, supporting near‑universal email access among connected households.

Note: Figures are estimates synthesized from U.S. rural adoption patterns and ACS/Pew trends applied to Deuel County’s size and age mix.

Deuel County, SD — mobile phone usage snapshot (with emphasis on how it differs from statewide patterns)

Headline estimates

• Population baseline: roughly 4,300–4,500 residents; about 1,900–2,000 households.
• Unique mobile phone users (any mobile phone): about 3,300–3,700 people (≈75–85% of the total population; ≈90–96% of adults). This is a few points lower than South Dakota’s statewide adult usage due to Deuel’s older age profile.
• Smartphone users: about 3,000–3,400 people (≈70–80% of total population; ≈82–90% of adult users). This trails statewide smartphone penetration by several points, largely because Deuel has a higher share of residents 65+.
• Active mobile subscriptions (phones, tablets, hotspots, IoT): roughly 110–140 lines per 100 residents. This can look “high” for a small county because agricultural and telematics/IoT lines add to the total.

Demographic drivers of usage (what’s distinctive vs state-level)

• Older population mix
  • Deuel has a larger 65+ share than the SD average (roughly low-20s% vs high-teens% statewide).
  • Result: slightly lower smartphone adoption and a higher share of basic/flip phones among seniors than the state average.
• Age-by-adoption pattern (rounded)
  • 18–49: near-statewide smartphone adoption (mid/high-90s%).
  • 50–64: high but a bit below state average (upper-80s to ~90%).
  • 65+: materially lower than state average (around 70–80% smartphone adoption), pulling down the county-wide rate.
• Household internet posture
  • Mobile-only internet households likely lower than the SD average (≈8–12% in Deuel vs ≈15–18% statewide), because fixed fiber coverage from local co-ops is relatively strong in this part of eastern SD. In many western/central SD counties the reverse is true.
• Income/plan mix and upgrade cadence
  • Slightly lower median income than the state average fosters price-sensitive plans (MVNOs, family plans, and slower upgrade cycles), which in turn slows 5G handset penetration relative to statewide urban counties.
• Agriculture’s footprint
  • Higher share of ag-related lines (hotspots in equipment, sensors, telematics, private two-way/Push-to-Talk) than statewide average. This inflates “lines per capita” but doesn’t translate 1:1 to people with smartphones.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (local points that shape usage)

• Cellular coverage profile
  • All three nationwide carriers serve the county; low-band 5G is broadly available, but mid-band 5G capacity is mostly confined to/near towns and along primary corridors. Rural sections still lean on 4G LTE.
  • Coverage gaps persist in low-lying and fringe rural areas and around some lake basins; signal handoffs on the Minnesota border are common. This is more noticeable than in SD’s larger metro counties.
• Public-safety and priority service
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is available and used by first responders; in very rural pockets responders still supplement with radio systems—typical for rural SD.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Towns and many rural routes are served by local telephone/fiber cooperatives (e.g., ITC/SDN member networks), yielding comparatively strong home broadband. That reduces dependence on mobile-only service versus statewide norms.
• Seasonal and weekend peaks
  • Lakes and recreation areas (e.g., Lake Cochrane) create summer/weekend spikes in mobile data demand, leading to occasional sector congestion—an effect more pronounced here than in most of SD outside the Black Hills.

How Deuel’s trends differ most from statewide

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration and 5G handset share, driven by an older age mix and cost-conscious plans.
• Lower incidence of mobile-only households because fixed fiber is relatively robust for an eastern rural county.
• Higher share of non-handset (ag/IoT) lines, so “lines per capita” looks high even as unique human smartphone usage is a bit lower.
• Coverage variability is more about rural terrain/lake shadow zones and border handoffs, whereas statewide differences are often urban vs reservation/remote divides.

Method notes

• Figures are estimates combining 2020–2023 Census/ACS population order-of-magnitude, Pew Research rural smartphone ownership rates, and typical rural carrier footprints in eastern South Dakota. Ranges are used to avoid false precision and to reflect small-area variability. If you have a specific year or source set you need matched, I can recalc to that basis.

Below is a concise, county‑level snapshot built from Pew Research’s latest U.S./rural social media patterns, platform demographic norms, and small‑town Midwest behavior. Exact county‑only datasets aren’t published; figures are best‑estimate ranges for Deuel County’s adult population.

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~70–75% monthly; ~55–60% daily.
• Teens (13–17): ~90%+ on at least one platform; daily use is the norm.

Most‑used platforms (adult monthly reach, estimated)

• YouTube: ~75–80%
• Facebook: ~65–70% (highest local community engagement)
• Instagram: ~35–45%
• Snapchat: ~30–40%
• TikTok: ~30–40%
• Pinterest: ~25–35%
• X/Twitter: ~10–15%
• LinkedIn: ~10–15%
• Reddit: ~10–15%
• WhatsApp/Nextdoor: low (<10%)

Age patterns

• 13–17: YouTube 90%+, Snapchat 75–85%, TikTok 70–80%, Instagram 60–70%, Facebook 30–40%.
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+, Instagram 70–80%, Snapchat 65–75%, TikTok 60–70%, Facebook 60–65%.
• 30–49: Facebook 75–85%, YouTube 85–90%, Instagram 45–55%, TikTok 35–45%, Snapchat 35–45%, Pinterest 35–45%.
• 50–64: Facebook 70–80%, YouTube 70–80%, Instagram/Pinterest 25–35%, TikTok 20–30%.
• 65+: Facebook 60–70%, YouTube 55–65%; others lower (≤25%).

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest: skew female (Facebook/Instagram/TikTok roughly 55–60% women; Pinterest heavily female).
• YouTube, Reddit, X: skew male (roughly 55–65% men).
• Overall social use is near even by gender.

Behavioral trends in Deuel County–type communities

• Facebook is the local hub: community groups, school sports, churches, events, road/weather updates; Marketplace is heavily used for buy/sell (farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, household).
• Video is rising everywhere: Reels/TikTok for short local highlights; YouTube for how‑to (home, auto, ag), product research, and local recordings (games, meetings).
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat dominate; group chats for teams and clubs. WhatsApp is niche.
• Posting styles: many “lurkers” 35+, with high engagement on photos/giveaways/service alerts; under‑30s favor Stories/Snaps over feed posts.
• Timing: engagement bumps before work (6–8 a.m.), lunch, and evenings (7–9 p.m.), plus weekends; activity clusters around Clear Lake and other towns (Gary, Toronto, Astoria, Brandt, Goodwin, Altamont).
• News/discovery: county pages, school districts, local businesses, and regional TV outlets drive link‑sharing; word‑of‑mouth amplified via Facebook groups.

Note on uncertainty

• Percentages are modeled for a rural South Dakota county; real‑world reach varies with connectivity, school calendars, and local pages’ strength.