Hand County

Hand County, South Dakota — Key demographics

Population size

• 3,145 residents (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 46.9 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: Under 18: 23.0%; 18–24: 6.5%; 25–44: 21.0%; 45–64: 27.5%; 65+: 22.0% (ACS 2019–2023)

Gender

• Male: 50.9%; Female: 49.1% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; ACS 2019–2023)

• White (non-Hispanic): 94.8%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): 2.2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): 1.5%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): 1.2%
• Black (non-Hispanic): 0.2%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): 0.1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: 1,371
• Average household size: 2.29
• Family households: 61.2% of households; married-couple households: 51.0%
• Households with children under 18: 22.8%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 78.4% (renter-occupied: 21.6%)
• Median household income: $65,345
• Poverty rate (people): 10.4%

Insights

• Small, aging, predominantly White population
• High homeownership and a large share of married-couple households
• Income levels modest relative to U.S. average; poverty consistent with rural norms

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

• Context: Hand County, SD has 3,145 residents (2020) across ~1,437 sq mi, ~2.2 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈2,400 residents (~76% of the population) use email regularly.
• Age distribution of email users (share of email users): 13–17: ~8%; 18–34: ~21%; 35–64: ~48%; 65+: ~23%. This reflects strong adult adoption and growing senior use.
• Gender split among email users: ~51% male, ~49% female, mirroring the county’s population balance.
• Digital access trends:
  • Most households maintain an internet subscription; adoption is lower in outlying farm/ranch areas than in the county seat (Miller), where fixed broadband is more available.
  • Fiber and licensed fixed‑wireless coverage have expanded since 2020, with satellite and unlicensed fixed wireless bridging the most sparsely populated sections.
  • A minority rely on smartphone‑only access, which supports email but can limit multi-account/workflows.
  • Public access points (schools, libraries, city facilities) remain important for residents in low‑connectivity pockets.
• Local density/connectivity insight: Extremely low population density (2.2/sq mi) increases last‑mile costs and leads to a town‑center vs. periphery gap in speeds and reliability, shaping email use patterns (heavier desktop/laptop use in town, more mobile‑centric use in remote areas).

Hand County, South Dakota — mobile phone usage summary

Scope and base: Population 3,145 (2020 Census). Estimates below are for adults (18+) unless noted, using the county’s older age profile and age-specific adoption rates from nationally consistent surveys applied to local demographics. Comparisons are to South Dakota overall.

User estimates and usage

• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile phone): ≈2,370 adults, or about 94–96% of the adult population. This is 1–3 percentage points below the statewide adult rate, driven by a larger senior share.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈2,010 adults, or about 80–82% of adults. This trails the South Dakota average by roughly 5–8 points; the gap is concentrated among residents 65+.
• Smartphone-only internet users: Meaning adults who primarily access the internet via a smartphone rather than a home broadband subscription are relatively more common in Hand County than statewide. The combination of limited wired options outside towns and cost sensitivity elevates smartphone-only use above the state average, even as overall smartphone penetration is lower.

Demographic breakdown shaping mobile adoption

• Older population share: Hand County’s 65+ share is roughly 10 percentage points higher than the South Dakota average, and its median age is materially higher than the state’s. This depresses smartphone adoption (seniors adopt smartphones at much lower rates) but has a smaller effect on basic mobile phone ownership.
• Age-patterned adoption (estimated, Hand County adults):
  • 18–34: ~95–97% have a mobile phone; ~95% have a smartphone.
  • 35–64: ~97–99% have a mobile phone; ~85–90% have a smartphone.
  • 65+: ~90–94% have a mobile phone; ~58–64% have a smartphone.
• Household composition: Smaller households and a higher share of single-senior households reduce multi-line plans and device-per-household counts compared with the state average.
• Income and work mix: Agriculture-heavy employment and longer travel distances raise the utility of wide-area coverage and voice/SMS reliability, while modest median incomes increase price sensitivity (e.g., prepaid and MVNO adoption) more than in urban South Dakota counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage characteristics

• Geography and density: About 1,400+ square miles with very low population density. Fewer towers per square mile than the state average create wider cell radii; coverage prioritizes highways and towns.
• Network generation mix:
  • 4G LTE is the baseline county-wide mobility layer; it is the primary service level outside Miller, St. Lawrence, and along US‑14.
  • 5G (low-band) is present mainly in and around town centers and along primary corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is more limited than in larger South Dakota metros.
• Carriers and roaming: All three national carriers operate in the county; practical performance differs by corridor and proximity to towers. Verizon and AT&T typically provide the broadest rural footprint; T‑Mobile coverage is strongest around towns and along US‑14.
• Backhaul and resilience: Microwave backhaul links are more common than fiber outside towns, which can constrain peak capacity compared with urban South Dakota. Weather (blizzards, severe storms) periodically stresses networks; voice/SMS generally remain more resilient than high-throughput data at the edges of coverage.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber and cable are available in town centers; outside them, DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite remain common. This drives higher use of cellular hotspots and smartphone tethering than the state average.
  • Where local telco co-ops have extended fiber, Wi‑Fi offload reduces cellular data demand; elsewhere, cellular data substitutes for home broadband more often than statewide.

Trends that differ from the South Dakota average

• Lower overall smartphone penetration but higher smartphone-only reliance: Despite fewer seniors using smartphones, a larger subset of households relies on mobile data as a primary connection because wired broadband options thin out quickly outside town.
• More emphasis on coverage reliability than on peak speed: Hand County users prioritize consistent LTE voice/data along farm-to-market roads and ranch properties; state urban users see more mid-band 5G capacity and higher typical speeds.
• Higher MVNO/prepaid share: Price sensitivity and simpler plan needs (voice/text with moderate data) lead to slightly higher MVNO and prepaid adoption than in the state’s metros.
• Device mix: Basic/feature phones account for a larger slice among seniors than statewide, while ag-related IoT (e.g., equipment telematics on LTE) meaningfully adds SIMs relative to the small population base.

Bottom line

• About 2,370 adults in Hand County use a mobile phone, and roughly 2,010 use a smartphone. The county lags the state in smartphone penetration because of its older age structure, yet leans more heavily on cellular for home connectivity where wired options are sparse. Coverage is broad but capacity is thinner outside towns; reliability along primary corridors is strong, and LTE remains the workhorse layer.

Hand County, South Dakota — social media snapshot (2025, modeled estimates)

Headline user stats

• Adult population (18+): ~2,500
• Adults using social media: ~77% ≈ 1,900–2,000
• Daily active social users: ~70–75% of users ≈ 1,350–1,500
• Gender among social users: Women ~52%, Men ~48%

Age mix of social users (share of all social-media users)

• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~34%
• 50–64: ~29%
• 65+: ~17%

Most-used platforms in Hand County (Share of all adults; in parentheses, share of social-media users)

• YouTube: ~72% (≈92%)
• Facebook: ~64% (≈84%)
• Instagram: ~33% (≈43%)
• Pinterest: ~30% (≈38%; majority female)
• TikTok: ~27% (≈35%)
• Snapchat: ~22% (≈29%; concentrated under 30)
• X/Twitter: ~15% (≈20%)
• LinkedIn: ~12% (≈16%)
• Reddit: ~8% (≈11%)
• Nextdoor: ~4% (≈6%)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Pages dominate local information flows (schools, sports, obituaries, churches, county fair, 4-H/FFA, road and weather updates). Marketplace is a top engagement driver.
• Video for how-to and ag: YouTube usage skews toward equipment repair, DIY, hunting/fishing, and weather content; men 25–64 drive much of the watch time.
• Younger cohorts split attention: Under-30s rely on Snapchat and TikTok for daily communication/entertainment; Instagram is the public-facing platform for sports, events, and photos.
• Older cohorts stay on Facebook: Adults 50+ use Facebook as a primary news and community hub; Messenger is key for family communications.
• Local timing patterns: Engagement peaks 7–9 pm on weeknights, with secondary spikes 6–8 am; weekends show midday bumps tied to school and community events. Severe weather and local sports produce short, high-intensity surges.
• Posting vs. lurking: A minority of residents post frequently; most engagement is in private/closed groups and direct messages. Visual posts (photos/video) outperform text across platforms.
• Discovery and trust: Recommendations in local groups and from known community members drive action more than paid ads; authenticity and local relevance matter more than production polish.

Notes on method

• Figures are 2025 estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center 2024 platform/adoption rates (with rural adjustments) to Hand County’s age/sex structure from recent U.S. Census/ACS data. Percentages are rounded; expect ±3–5 percentage points by platform and ±5–10% on counts due to small-population variance.