Harding County

Harding County, South Dakota — key demographics

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

• Population

  • Total: 1,311 (2020 Census)
  • Land area: ~2,671 sq mi; density ~0.5 persons/sq mi

• Age

  • Median age: ~46 years (ACS 2018–2022)
  • Under 18: ~24%
  • 18–64: ~56–58%
  • 65 and older: ~20–22%

• Gender

  • Male: ~53%
  • Female: ~47%

• Race and ethnicity (share of total population)

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~92–94%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2%
  • Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each <1%

• Households and families

  • Total households: ~575–600
  • Average household size: ~2.3 persons
  • Family households: ~66% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~55–60%
  • Households with children under 18: ~25–30%
  • Nonfamily households: ~34%
  • Individuals living alone: ~28–32%

Insights: Extremely small, very low-density county with an older age profile, a modest male majority, and a predominantly non-Hispanic White population. Household structure is largely married-couple families, with relatively small average household size and a sizable share of individuals living alone.

• Population and density: Harding County has about 1,311 residents (2020 Census) across 2,671 square miles—roughly 0.5 people per square mile, the lowest density in South Dakota.

• Estimated email users: ~900 adults (range 850–950). Method: ~80% of residents are 18+, and 85–90% of U.S. rural adults use email (Pew Research, 2023), yielding ~85–90% adoption among ~1,030 adults.

• Age distribution of email users (reflecting an older-than-average population and age-specific adoption):

  • 18–34: ~20–25%
  • 35–54: ~35–40%
  • 55–64: ~15–20%
  • 65+: ~20–25%

• Gender split among email users: Approximately mirrors the population, near 51% male and 49% female; email usage rates show minimal gender difference.

• Digital access trends and connectivity facts:

  • Extreme low density raises last‑mile costs and limits provider competition.
  • Broadband adoption in rural South Dakota typically trails urban areas; fixed wireless and satellite are common complements to DSL/fiber.
  • Mobile internet is a meaningful access path for some households; coverage and speeds improve near towns/transport corridors but degrade across remote ranchlands.
  • Public anchors (schools, libraries) play an outsized role for reliable Wi‑Fi in sparsely populated areas.

Mobile phone usage in Harding County, South Dakota — 2024 snapshot

Context

• Population baseline: 1,311 residents (2020 Census), one of the most sparsely populated counties in the state; largest community is Buffalo.
• Settlement and terrain are fully rural, with long distances between communities and services, which shapes both coverage and adoption patterns.

User estimates

• Estimated mobile phone users: 950–1,050 residents, or roughly 72–80% of the total population. This combines adult and teen ownership and includes basic phones.
• Estimated smartphone users: 760–900 residents, or about 58–69% of the total population and roughly 78–86% of mobile users.
• Feature phone users: about 120–200 residents, disproportionately among older adults and outdoor workers who prioritize battery life and durability.
• Mobile-only home internet: an estimated 12–20% of households rely primarily on cellular data or mobile hotspots for home connectivity, materially higher than the statewide share.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • Adults 18–64: highest smartphone penetration (roughly low-80s percent), heavy use of messaging, navigation, and ranch/field apps; hotspotting is common.
  • Seniors 65+: lower smartphone adoption (about mid-50s to low-60s percent), elevated use of basic phones; growing uptake of large-screen smartphones for telehealth and family communication.
  • Teens: near-universal smartphone access; heavy reliance on messaging apps and school platforms, but constrained by coverage away from towns and highways.
• Income and work
  • Ranching and energy-related work drive coverage-first carrier choices, ruggedized devices, external antennas, and boosters for pickups and homesteads.
  • Prepaid and budget MVNO plans are used more than in metro SD, but network selection tends to favor primary-network carriers with the widest rural footprint.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county is predominantly White with a small Native American and Hispanic population; adoption differences are driven more by coverage, age, and income than by ethnicity.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Networks present: All three nationwide carriers have a footprint; Verizon and AT&T provide the most reliable county-wide LTE coverage. T-Mobile is present but more corridor- and town-centric.
• 4G LTE: Reliable along US‑85, SD‑20, and in/near Buffalo; coverage thins rapidly off-corridor, with dead zones in low draws and at distance from towers.
• 5G: Predominantly low-band 5G where available; practical population coverage remains a minority of residents and is far below statewide levels. Mid-band 5G is sparse; mmWave is absent.
• Typical performance
  • Town/highway LTE: roughly 5–25 Mbps down, 2–10 Mbps up; peaks higher during off-peak hours.
  • Low-band 5G when present: roughly 20–100 Mbps down, variable uplink.
  • Remote areas: single-digit Mbps or fallback to 3G/voice-only in pockets; external antennas and vehicle boosters materially improve usability.
• Backhaul and resiliency
  • Many sites depend on microwave backhaul with limited fiber reach; winter storms and utility outages can degrade or isolate sectors despite generator backups.
  • Public safety and ranch operations increasingly use FirstNet-capable devices where AT&T Band 14 has been deployed on key sites and corridors.
• Complementary access
  • Wi‑Fi calling is widely used at homes and ranch buildings with fixed wireless, DSL, or satellite backhaul.
  • Starlink and other satellite options have become important for homesteads, indirectly improving mobile reliability indoors via Wi‑Fi calling.

How Harding County differs from South Dakota overall

• Coverage and 5G availability: Significantly less 5G population coverage than the state average; LTE remains the workhorse. Statewide, mid-band 5G is now common in metros and along I‑29/I‑90, but it is scarce in Harding.
• Adoption mix: Lower overall smartphone penetration than statewide averages due to an older age profile and coverage constraints; a higher share of basic phone users persists.
• Carrier choice: Stronger skew toward coverage-first carriers with better rural radio footprints; T-Mobile adoption trails the state average by a wide margin.
• Mobile-only internet: Higher share of households depending on cellular or hotspot as primary home internet compared with the state, reflecting limited fixed-broadband choices.
• Usage patterns: More reliance on voice, SMS, PTT-style apps, offline-capable tools, and Wi‑Fi calling; lower on-the-go streaming and cloud-first workflows than in urban SD.
• Equipment: Above-average use of external antennas, vehicle boosters, rugged devices, and battery-centric basic phones; accessory spend for coverage mitigation is higher than the state norm.

Key takeaways

• Expect about three out of four residents to use a mobile phone, and roughly four out of five mobile users to carry a smartphone.
• LTE is broadly usable near towns and highways; 5G is present but not yet transformative county‑wide.
• Coverage realities, age structure, and work patterns drive a distinct usage profile compared with South Dakota’s urbanized corridors, with greater emphasis on reliability tools like boosters and Wi‑Fi calling and a higher incidence of mobile-as-primary home internet.

Social media usage in Harding County, SD (2025 snapshot)

Data basis: Direct, public county-level social media panels aren’t published for Harding County. The figures below are modeled from 2023–2024 Pew Research Center data for rural U.S. adults, statewide patterns in South Dakota, and Harding County’s rural age mix. Treat them as best-available estimates suitable for planning.

Overall usage

• Adults using any social platform: 66–72% (roughly 7 in 10)
• Daily users: 45–50% of all adults (about 70% of users are daily)
• Primary access: 85–90% of users access via smartphone; broadband constraints push heavier use of short, lower‑bandwidth content

Most‑used platforms (share of all adults)

• YouTube: 78–82%
• Facebook: 64–70%
• Instagram: 30–38%
• TikTok: 22–28%
• Snapchat: 20–25%
• Pinterest: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 12–18%
• LinkedIn: 18–24%
• Reddit: 10–15%

Age profile (share within each age group who use each platform)

• 18–29: 90–95% use social; YouTube 90–95, Instagram 75–80, Snapchat 70–75, TikTok 60–70, Facebook 50–55
• 30–49: 80–85% use social; YouTube 85–90, Facebook 75–80, Instagram 45–55, TikTok 30–40, Snapchat 30–40
• 50–64: 65–70% use social; Facebook 70–75, YouTube 75–80, Pinterest 30–35, Instagram 25–30, TikTok 15–20
• 65+: 45–55% use social; Facebook 60–65, YouTube 55–60, Pinterest ~20, Instagram 15–18

Gender breakdown (tendencies among adults)

• Overall social use: similar for men and women
• Facebook: women higher by ~3–6 points; Pinterest: women higher by ~25–35 points
• YouTube: men higher by ~5–10 points; X (Twitter) and Reddit: men higher by ~5–10 points
• Instagram: women higher by ~5–8 points; Snapchat: near parity or slightly higher among women

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: school and county updates, local groups, buy/sell/trade, events, obituaries, and church/sports news; Messenger is a default contact channel
• YouTube is widely used for how‑to content (equipment repair, ag/ranch techniques), weather, and market commentary
• Short‑form video (Instagram Reels/TikTok) is growing among under‑40s but creation lags consumption; cross‑posting from Instagram to Facebook boosts reach
• Snapchat is a primary messaging platform for teens/young adults; Stories are used more than public posting
• Pinterest sees steady use among women for recipes, home projects, crafts, and seasonal planning
• X (Twitter) is niche: ag markets, meteorologists, and SD DOT/road conditions; engagement spikes during severe weather
• Usage peaks early morning and late evening (before/after ranch work); Sunday late afternoon is strong for community posts; live video is less common due to bandwidth variability
• Marketplace activity is outsized relative to population (farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, housing), often driving the most Facebook interactions
• Trust is tied to known local pages and groups; anonymous accounts underperform; practical, timely information consistently outperforms brand‑style content

Key takeaways

• To reach most adults, lead with Facebook (Groups + Page + Messenger) and supporting YouTube; use Reels/shorts to capture under‑40 attention
• Keep content practical, local, concise, and video‑lightweight; post during morning/evening peaks; leverage community groups for organic reach
• For women 30+, pair Facebook with Pinterest; for 18–29, pair Instagram with Snapchat and TikTok for awareness, then drive follow‑ups via Messenger