Hyde County

Hyde County, South Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 1,255 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~47 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~49%
• Male: ~51% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~93%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~3–4%
• Black: ~0–1%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~560
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~62–63% (married-couple families ~49%)
• Nonfamily households: ~37–38%
• One-person households: ~33%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~16%

Insights

• Very small, aging population with roughly one in five residents 65+.
• Predominantly White with a small American Indian/Alaska Native community and low Hispanic share.
• Household structure skews toward smaller and nonfamily/older-adult households.

Hyde County, SD — email usage snapshot

• Estimated email users: ≈1,000 residents (out of ~1,300–1,400 total), reflecting high adult email adoption and lower uptake among children.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 5%
  • 18–34: 20%
  • 35–54: 32%
  • 55–64: 16%
  • 65+: 27%
• Gender split among users: ~51% male, ~49% female (email adoption is effectively parity by gender; the slight tilt mirrors the county’s population mix).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~80% of households maintain an internet subscription; ~12% are smartphone‑only connections.
  • 15–20% of homes lack fixed broadband, relying on mobile, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Broadband availability is strongest in and around Highmore; coverage thins on farms and ranches where fixed wireless is common. Speeds of 25/3 Mbps or better reach most locations, with fiber/coax primarily clustered near the population center.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Very low density (~1.5–1.7 residents per square mile) raises last‑mile costs and contributes to patchier rural coverage.
  • Email remains a default channel for agriculture, government services, healthcare portals, and commerce; younger residents lean more on messaging apps but still maintain email for schooling and account access.

Mobile phone usage in Hyde County, South Dakota — summary with county-specific estimates and how they differ from statewide patterns

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population baseline: 1,255 residents (2020 Census) across roughly 860–870 square miles; density ≈1.5 residents per square mile.
• Adults: ≈77% of residents are 18+ (typical for rural SD counties), or about 965 adults.
• Smartphone users: ≈850 adult users in Hyde County, or about 85–88% of adults. This is a few points lower than South Dakota’s statewide adult smartphone adoption, which tracks close to the national ~90% level.
• Cellular subscriptions: ≈1,500–1,600 active mobile lines in the county (about 120–130 lines per 100 residents), reflecting one or more lines per person plus machine-to-machine/IoT lines common in agriculture. Per-capita line counts are slightly higher than the state average due to ag and equipment telematics.
• Mobile-only home internet: ≈70–90 households primarily relying on cellular service for home internet (about 13–17% of households), a higher share than the statewide average. This is driven by long distances and patchy wired options outside Highmore.

Demographic breakdown and usage implications

• Age structure (county vs. state): Hyde County skews older than South Dakota overall. A practical breakdown for mobile use:
  • 18–34: ≈190 adults; smartphone adoption ≈95–97% → about 180–185 users
  • 35–64: ≈560 adults; adoption ≈85–90% → about 480–505 users
  • 65+: ≈315 adults; adoption ≈65–75% → about 205–235 users This age mix is the primary reason Hyde’s overall adoption trails the state.
• Income and education: Median household income and bachelor’s attainment are below statewide averages in most recent ACS releases. That correlates with:
  • Higher likelihood of prepaid plans or value MVNOs
  • Slightly lower uptake of premium 5G plans and bundled device financing
  • Greater sensitivity to coverage consistency than to peak speeds
• Work patterns: A larger share of agriculture, ranching, and fieldwork increases:
  • The use of rugged devices and boosters
  • IoT lines (trail cams, bins, pumps, vehicle and equipment telematics)
  • Off-peak data use (overnight uploads, seasonal spikes during planting/harvest)

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Wired backstop: Venture Communications Cooperative (based in Highmore) and partner rural telcos have deployed extensive fiber in and around Highmore and along key corridors, improving Wi‑Fi offload and reducing mobile congestion where available. Outside the fiber footprint, homes often default to cellular or fixed wireless.
• Macro coverage: Outdoor LTE coverage from at least one national carrier is broadly available along US‑14 and near Highmore. Away from the highway grid and population centers, signal reliability becomes terrain- and distance-dependent, leading to frequent use of in‑home boosters and directional antennas.
• 5G availability: Low‑band 5G is present along primary corridors; mid‑band 5G capacity is limited compared with South Dakota’s metros and larger towns. As a result, typical Hyde County 5G performance advantages over LTE are narrower than the statewide experience.
• Public safety and farm operations: AT&T’s FirstNet and carrier priority services are utilized by local agencies and some critical operations, improving resilience but not materially changing consumer coverage patterns.

How Hyde County differs from South Dakota overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption driven by an older age profile, not by markedly different attitudes toward technology.
• Higher share of mobile-only households due to sparse wired options outside Highmore, compared with the state average where cable/fiber footprints cover more residents.
• More lines per resident because of ag/IoT connections, even as human smartphone adoption is a bit lower; this combination is uncommon at the state level.
• 5G is more coverage‑oriented than capacity‑oriented: low‑band 5G is present, but mid‑band density lags the statewide pattern, so speed uplifts are smaller and less consistent.
• Greater reliance on signal boosters, hotspotting, and MVNO plans, reflecting longer distances to towers and price sensitivity.

Key takeaways

• Estimated 850 adult smartphone users, 1,500–1,600 total mobile lines, and roughly one in seven households relying primarily on cellular for home internet.
• Infrastructure is sufficient for broad LTE coverage and basic 5G along main corridors, but capacity and indoor reliability drop outside Highmore and US‑14.
• Differences from state averages stem from an older population, sparse settlement, and agriculture-driven IoT growth, not from a lack of interest in mobile technology.

Hyde County, SD: social media usage snapshot (2025)

Population context

• ~1,300 residents; rural, older-than-average age profile.

User stats

• Estimated social media users (13+): ≈750 residents (≈58% of total population; ≈70% of 13+).
• Platform stacking: typical user engages with 2–3 platforms.
• Activity cadence: most users are on at least once daily; video viewing is predominantly weekly-to-daily.

Age groups (share of local social media users)

• 13–17: ≈10%
• 18–29: ≈18%
• 30–44: ≈25%
• 45–64: ≈28%
• 65+: ≈19%

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Male ≈51%
• Female ≈49%

Most-used platforms in Hyde County (share of local social media users, monthly)

• YouTube: ≈80%
• Facebook: ≈75%
• Instagram: ≈40%
• Snapchat: ≈35%
• TikTok: ≈35%
• Pinterest: ≈25% (skews female 25–54)
• X/Twitter: ≈15%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: school sports, county/city notices, church updates, storm/weather alerts; Facebook Marketplace is the primary local buy/sell channel.
• Video-forward consumption: short-form (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) for entertainment and local moments; YouTube for repairs, DIY, farm/ranch equipment, hunting/fishing, and church services.
• Youth split: teens and 18–24s center daily chat on Snapchat; discovery and trends on TikTok and Instagram; Facebook used mainly for groups and events.
• Older adults: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest used for recipes, crafts, and home projects.
• Mobile-first access with peak usage before work (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (8–10 p.m.); seasonal spikes during school sports, harvest, and severe weather.
• Trust pattern: local pages/groups and known admins outperform national media; cross-posts from schools and county offices extend reach.
• Creative that wins: people- and place-centered posts, practical “how-to” value, short native video, and photo carousels; link-out posts underperform due to app-switching.

Method note

• Figures are modeled from U.S. Census/ACS demographics for Hyde County and U.S. rural social media adoption and platform splits from Pew Research Center (2023–2024) and industry benchmarks, adjusted for the county’s older age mix and rural connectivity patterns. Estimates are rounded to reflect small-population uncertainty.