Jackson County

Jackson County, South Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 2,806 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~32 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~30%
• 65 and over: ~16–18%

Gender

• Female: ~49%
• Male: ~51%

Racial/ethnic composition (shares of total population)

• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~50–55%
• White: ~40–45%
• Two or more races: ~4–6%
• Black or African American: ~0–1%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–4%

Households

• Number of households: ~900–1,000 (ACS 2019–2023)
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~70% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~40–45%

Insights

• Population is small and rural, with a relatively young age structure and larger-than-average household size.
• American Indian and Alaska Native residents comprise a majority/plurality, with White residents forming the next largest group.

Jackson County, SD snapshot (2025):

• Estimated email users: ~2,200–2,500 residents, driven by high smartphone adoption among adults and school-connected teens.
• Age distribution of email users (estimate): 13–24: 20–24%; 25–44: 33–36%; 45–64: 26–30%; 65+: 12–16%. Usage is near-universal among working-age adults; seniors participate at lower rates but rising with telehealth and benefits portals.
• Gender split: roughly even (about 50% female, 50% male) among email users.
• Digital access trends: Most households use mobile-first internet; broadband subscription is solid in town centers and along I‑90 but notably lower in outlying ranchlands and reservation areas. Library, school, and clinic Wi‑Fi remain important on-ramps. Adoption continues to rise due to federal/state rural broadband investments and carrier 4G/5G upgrades.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population 3,100 with extremely low density (1.7 people per square mile). Connectivity is strongest near Kadoka and the I‑90 corridor; coverage weakens toward Badlands National Park and sparse southern blocks. Fixed broadband options are limited outside towns; cellular data fills gaps but can be inconsistent in valleys and distance from towers.

Overall: email is a standard communication channel for most adults, with growth led by mobile access and public Wi‑Fi support in low-density areas.

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

Context and scale

• Population: 2,806 (2020 Census). The county is young and majority Native: roughly half of residents identify as American Indian/Alaska Native and roughly half White; children and teens make up a larger share of the population than the state average.
• Adult population: approximately 1,800–1,900.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: about 1,450–1,600 (roughly 80–85% of adults), lower than South Dakota’s statewide adult smartphone penetration, which is closer to the mid-to-upper 80s.
• Adults without any mobile phone: approximately 6–10% (120–180 adults), higher than the statewide share.
• Mobile-only households (use cellular data/phone as primary connection, no fixed broadband): approximately 30–35% of households, notably higher than South Dakota overall (roughly low-to-mid 20s).
• Prepaid share: materially higher than the statewide mix. Expect roughly mid‑40% of active lines to be prepaid in the county versus closer to one‑third statewide, reflecting income constraints and credit barriers.
• Hotspot reliance: above state average; a meaningful portion of mobile‑only homes routinely hotspot for school/work, pushing monthly data usage well above typical handset‑only levels.

Demographic patterns in usage

• Native American households: higher mobile‑only reliance than county non‑Native households due to lower fixed‑line availability and affordability; smartphone ownership rates are comparable to county average but skew toward prepaid plans and shared devices.
• Youth and young adults: near‑universal smartphone access; heavier app‑based messaging and video use; depend on school or public Wi‑Fi when cellular signals are weak.
• Seniors (65+): smaller segment than statewide, with lower smartphone adoption (around 55–65% of seniors) and a higher likelihood of basic/feature phones; voice/SMS remain more important relative to data apps.
• Income effects: higher poverty rates than the state lead to slower device refresh cycles, more BYOD and second‑hand devices, and sensitivity to data caps and throttling.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access networks: All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide 4G LTE along primary corridors; 5G is concentrated along I‑90 near Kadoka and is sparse elsewhere. Away from highways and towns, coverage drops quickly.
• Coverage gaps: Persistent dead zones around Badlands National Park/Interior, the White River valley toward Wanblee, and parts of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland; indoors coverage can be unreliable outside Kadoka and other small town centers.
• Backhaul: Fiber backbones follow I‑90 and select state routes; outside those corridors, towers often rely on longer microwave hops, limiting capacity and peak speeds compared with the state’s urban counties.
• Tower density: Very low for the county’s large land area, which depresses median speeds and capacity relative to the statewide experience; seasonal tourism around Badlands creates localized congestion spikes.

How Jackson County differs from the South Dakota norm

• Higher mobile dependence: A larger share of households rely on mobile phones and cellular data as their primary or only connection, and hotspot use is more common than statewide.
• Lower and less consistent 5G availability: 5G is largely a corridor phenomenon; most populated pockets off I‑90 remain LTE‑first, unlike the more widespread 5G coverage in metro counties.
• More prepaid and subsidy-sensitive: Prepaid penetration is higher, and program changes (for example, the post‑2024 wind‑down of ACP support) have a more visible impact on plan churn and data use patterns than in most of the state.
• Wider performance variability: Compared with statewide averages, Jackson County users experience greater swings between highway/town coverage and rural dead zones, leading to heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi in public facilities and schools.

Key takeaways

• Expect roughly 1.5 thousand adult smartphone users, with mobile‑only connectivity common and concentrated among Native, lower‑income, and younger households.
• Coverage and capacity are adequate on I‑90 and in town centers but remain inconsistent across large portions of the county, directly shaping usage patterns (prepaid plans, hotspot reliance, and heavy Wi‑Fi offload) in ways that diverge from the statewide profile.

Scope and data note: There are no published, platform-by-platform social media statistics at the county level for Jackson County, SD. The figures below combine definitive local demographics (U.S. Census) with the best available benchmarks for platform usage among U.S. adults (Pew Research Center, 2024) and rural Great Plains behavioral patterns. Percentages shown are the latest national adult usage shares and are the most reliable proxy for Jackson County.

County snapshot (users and access context)

• Population: 2,806 (2020 Census)
• Rural profile: Sparsely populated; includes communities overlapping the Pine Ridge Reservation. Mobile-first access is common; fixed broadband availability and subscription rates are lower than the state average, so Facebook, Messenger, Snapchat, and YouTube dominate day-to-day use.

Most-used platforms (U.S. adults; best proxy for Jackson County)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 31%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 27%
• Reddit: 22%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• WhatsApp: 26%
• Nextdoor: ~20% (adoption tends to be lower in sparsely populated rural counties)

Age-group patterns locally (how use clusters by age)

• Teens and 18–29: Heavy on Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram; Facebook mainly for events, groups, and Messenger. Short-form video and Stories/Reels drive attention.
• Ages 30–49: Facebook + Messenger remain the hub for parenting, school and sports updates, local buy/sell (Marketplace), and community groups; Instagram and YouTube for highlights and how-tos.
• Ages 50+: Facebook first (community pages, churches, local news, Marketplace), YouTube second (how-to, regional news, worship services). Lower adoption of TikTok/Snapchat.
• Elders: Facebook for family photos, obituaries, and community announcements; YouTube for long-form content and live streams.

Gender breakdown (directional skews consistent with rural SD)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook (groups, Marketplace), Instagram (family and school sports content), and Pinterest (food, crafts, home).
• Men: Over-index on YouTube (how-to, equipment, hunting/outdoors), Reddit, and X.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous across genders; Snapchat messaging is strongest among younger women and men.

Behavioral trends in Jackson County-style rural communities

• Community-first usage: Local Facebook groups, school pages, county/tribal announcements, churches, and volunteer orgs are the primary “feeds.”
• Marketplace and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace is a top utility for vehicles, ranch/farm gear, household items.
• Events and school sports: High engagement with schedules, livestreams, photos; peak interaction around evenings and weekends.
• Mobile and data-light consumption: Short videos and image posts outperform long links; YouTube for how-to and livestreamed events.
• Word-of-mouth amplification: Shares within tight-knit groups drive reach more than paid impressions; posts with named local people/places outperform generic content.
• Seasonality: Spikes around hunting seasons, rodeos, fairs, graduations, back-to-school, and weather events (road closures, storms).
• Platform gaps: LinkedIn and Nextdoor have comparatively low traction; X/Twitter usage is niche (news, sports, weather).

What this means for outreach in Jackson County

• Lead with Facebook and YouTube; add Instagram for under-40 reach and TikTok/Snapchat for teens/20s.
• Use groups, pages, and Messenger for distribution; pair short video with clear local identifiers (school names, towns, landmarks).
• Post on community rhythms: early morning, noon, and evening; heavier on Thu–Sun and around local events.