Faulk County

Faulk County, South Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 2,125 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~47 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~54%
• 65 and over: ~23–24%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~95–96%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~1–2%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Black/African American and Asian: each <1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~900–950
• Average household size: ~2.2–2.3
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50–55%
• Single-person households: ~30–35%

Notes: Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5-year). Small-county ACS estimates carry larger margins of error.

Faulk County, SD (pop. ~2,100) is very sparsely populated—about 2.1 residents per square mile across ~1,000 sq mi.

Estimated email users

• ~1,600 residents use email (≈75% of all residents; ≈89% of those age 13+). Method: 2020 Census population with typical Pew U.S. email adoption rates by age applied to rural age mix.

Age distribution of email users (approx.)

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–29: 16%
• 30–49: 32%
• 50–64: 24%
• 65+: 20%

Gender split among users

• Roughly even: ~49–51% male/female. (Email adoption is nearly uniform by gender; slightly more women at older ages.)

Digital access and connectivity trends

• Most households have internet via fixed broadband or smartphones, but a meaningful minority still rely on slower DSL/satellite or have no subscription.
• Mobile broadband (4G/5G) covers most traveled areas; fixed fiber and fixed‑wireless availability is expanding, yet gaps remain on remote farm/ranch properties.
• Low density increases last‑mile costs, contributing to lower adoption among older residents and those on the most rural roads.

Notes: Estimates use national usage benchmarks (Pew/ACS-type rates) scaled to Faulk County’s small, older‑leaning population.

Mobile phone usage in Faulk County, South Dakota — 2025 snapshot

Context

• Very rural county (~2–3 people per sq. mile) centered on Faulkton and the US‑212 corridor. Population skews older than the South Dakota average and incomes are modestly lower, with a high share of agricultural and small‑business employment.

User estimates (transparent ranges; based on ACS 5‑year computer/internet indicators for rural SD counties, Pew smartphone-by-age adoption, and FCC mobile availability)

• People using a mobile phone (any type): roughly 2,000–2,200 residents. That implies ~88–95% adoption among teens/adults—slightly below statewide due to older age mix.
• Smartphone users: about 1,600–1,900 residents (roughly 70–85% of the population), below the South Dakota statewide profile (typically mid‑80s to ~90%).
• Households relying primarily on cellular for home internet: approximately 15–25% (higher than the statewide share, reflecting scattered farmsteads and patchy fixed broadband just outside town centers).
• Device lifecycle: longer than state average; more residents keep phones 4+ years and use budget or MVNO plans to manage costs.

Demographic breakdown of usage (how Faulk County differs from statewide)

• Youth/young adults (roughly 13–24): near‑universal smartphone use and high social/video consumption, but this age group is a smaller slice of the county than statewide, so it contributes less to overall mobile data demand.
• Working age (25–54): high smartphone adoption; notable use of hotspots and mobile data for farm operations, small business, fieldwork, and telework—greater reliance on LTE for productivity than in urban SD counties.
• Older adults (55+): larger share of the population than statewide. Mobile phone ownership is high, but smartphone adoption and app intensity are lower. Feature phones and simplified Android/iOS setups are more common; use skews to voice/SMS, telehealth, and alerts rather than heavy streaming.
• Occupational/IoT tilt: higher proportion of machine‑to‑machine lines (telemetry for wells, grain bins, pivots, machinery) and seasonal spikes during planting/harvest—patterns that are less pronounced at the state level.

Digital infrastructure points (what’s on the ground and how it shapes use)

• Coverage pattern: Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile provide broad LTE coverage; dependable 5G is mostly low‑band along US‑212 and in/near Faulkton. Mid‑band 5G (for higher speeds/capacity) is sparse compared with SD’s metro corridors (Sioux Falls, Rapid City).
• Tower density and backhaul: few macro sites with long inter‑site distances; microwave backhaul is common outside towns. This yields good outdoor coverage but weaker indoor performance in steel/ag buildings and low‑lying areas; signal boosters are widely used.
• Speeds/experience: more time on LTE than statewide; download speeds and uplink consistency trail state averages, especially off the highway grid. Congestion is usually low but capacity can dip during seasonal events or at schools/athletic venues.
• Public safety and resiliency: FirstNet (AT&T) presence along primary routes; redundancy is improving but single‑fiber/microwave spans mean weather or power events can disproportionately affect service versus urban SD.
• Fixed‑broadband interplay: fiber is increasingly available in town; many farmsteads rely on fixed wireless or satellite, which pushes some households to use mobile plans/hotspots as their primary or backup connection—more common than the statewide pattern.

Trends that differ most from the South Dakota statewide profile

• Lower smartphone and 5G adoption, driven by an older population and sparser 5G mid‑band buildout; heavier reliance on LTE.
• Higher share of mobile‑only or mobile‑primary households for internet access.
• More IoT/M2M lines per capita tied to agriculture and seasonal traffic peaks aligned with farm operations.
• Longer device replacement cycles and greater use of prepaid/MVNO plans.
• Larger indoor coverage gaps in metal ag structures and greater need for boosters/Wi‑Fi calling.

Implications

• Targeted mid‑band 5G infill along US‑212 and around farm clusters would yield outsized benefits (uplink for telemetry, higher‑throughput hotspots).
• Programs that bundle indoor coverage solutions (boosters, Wi‑Fi calling education) with device upgrades will close a meaningful quality gap.
• Maintaining resilient backhaul/power at a small number of key sites is critical, given sparse redundancy compared with urban SD.

Notes on method

• Figures are estimates synthesized from recent ACS county‑level computer/internet indicators (for device and subscription patterns), Pew Research smartphone ownership by age, and FCC mobile availability maps for rural SD. For planning or investment, validate with the latest ACS S2801 (Computer and Internet Use), FCC Broadband Map mobile layers, and carrier‑specific coverage/performance data.

Here’s a concise, best-available snapshot. Because Faulk County is small and no county-level social media data is published, figures below are estimates created by applying current U.S. usage rates (Pew Research Center, 2024) to the county’s size and rural profile. Treat them as directional, not exact.

County size (for scale)

• Population: ~2.3k residents; ~1.7–1.9k adults (18+). Older-skewing, rural, agriculture-oriented.

Most-used platforms (share of adults; national rates adjusted slightly for rural patterns)

• YouTube: ~80–85% (dominant for how-to, news clips, sports, ag content)
• Facebook: ~70–75% (community groups, school/church updates, local news, Marketplace)
• Instagram: ~40–50% (younger adults, local events, small business promotion)
• TikTok: ~28–35% (growing among teens/20s; short local videos, hunting/farm, humor)
• Pinterest: ~30–38% (home, crafts, recipes; strong female skew)
• LinkedIn: ~25–32% (smaller professional niche; teachers, healthcare, government, small biz)
• Snapchat: ~22–30% (daily messaging among teens/younger adults)
• X (Twitter): ~15–22% (state/national news, sports; lighter local use)
• Reddit: ~15–20% (interest-based forums; lower local emphasis)
• Nextdoor: ~15–22% (neighborhood-focused; may be limited by small-town structure)

Approximate adult reach (if adult pop ≈ 1.8k; rounded)

• YouTube 1.4–1.5k; Facebook 1.2–1.3k; Instagram 0.7–0.9k; TikTok 0.5–0.6k; Pinterest 0.5–0.7k; LinkedIn 0.45–0.55k; Snapchat 0.4–0.55k; X 0.27–0.4k; Reddit 0.27–0.36k; Nextdoor 0.27–0.4k.

Age-group patterns (behavioral)

• Teens/18–24: Snapchat and Instagram for daily comms; TikTok for entertainment and trends; YouTube for sports/how-to. Facebook mainly for events and parents’ groups.
• 25–44: Facebook + Messenger for community and Marketplace; Instagram for local businesses and family content; YouTube for tutorials; TikTok growing for quick tips/recipes.
• 45–64: Facebook is primary hub (local news, school, church, hunting/fishing groups); YouTube for repairs, ag insights, weather; Pinterest for projects.
• 65+: Facebook for keeping up with family and local updates; YouTube for how-to and news recaps. Lower adoption of TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender tendencies

• Women: Over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; heavy use of community groups, school pages, and Marketplace.
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; frequent use of equipment/how-to videos, sports, ag/weather channels.

Local behavioral trends to expect

• High engagement on Facebook Groups (city/county pages, school sports, churches, buy/sell/trade).
• Event-driven spikes (school activities, fairs, sports, severe weather).
• Marketplace is a key commerce channel (farm/ranch gear, vehicles, furniture).
• Video preference on YouTube; short-form discovery on TikTok/Instagram Reels.
• Messaging happens in Facebook Messenger (older/middle) and Snapchat (younger).

Notes on methodology and sources

• Population baseline: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Faulk County). Age/gender distribution likely skews older than U.S. average.
• Platform percentages: Pew Research Center Social Media Fact Sheet (2024). Figures adjusted modestly to reflect typical rural patterns (slightly higher Facebook; slightly lower X/Reddit).
• Use these as planning benchmarks; validate with page insights, ad reach estimates, or local surveys where possible.