Jerauld County Local Demographic Profile
Jerauld County, South Dakota — Key Demographics
Population size
- 2,029 (2020 Census)
Age
- Median age: about 48 years
- Under 18: ~21%
- 18–64: ~55%
- 65 and over: ~24%
Gender
- Male: ~51%
- Female: ~49%
Race and ethnicity (of total population)
- White (non-Hispanic): ~95–96%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: ~2%
- Two or more races: ~1–2%
- Other races (combined): ~1%
- Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%
Households and housing
- Households: ~900
- Average household size: ~2.2 persons
- Family vs. nonfamily households: roughly 60% family, 40% nonfamily
- Living alone: ~30% of households
- Housing units: ~1,100–1,200; vacancy around 15–20%
- Tenure: owner-occupied ~80%, renter-occupied ~20%
Insights
- Small, aging, predominantly non-Hispanic White population with a high share of older adults.
- Household structure skews toward smaller and owner-occupied households, typical of rural Great Plains counties.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates).
Email Usage in Jerauld County
Jerauld County, SD snapshot
- Population and density: 2,037 residents (2020 Census) across ~533 sq mi ≈ 3.8 people/sq mi.
- Estimated email users: ≈1,740 residents (~86% of the population).
Age distribution of email users (counts, share of users)
- 13–17: ~110 (6%)
- 18–34: ~350 (20%)
- 35–64: ~825 (47%)
- 65+: ~460 (26%)
Gender split
- Near-even participation: ≈50% female, ≈50% male among email users.
Digital access and trends
- ~78% of households subscribe to fixed broadband; ~10% are smartphone‑only; ~12% have no home internet.
- Household computer access: ~85–90%.
- Connectivity context: Very low population density raises last‑mile costs; service clusters around Wessington Springs and primary corridors, with fiber and high‑speed fixed wireless available in and near populated areas; LTE is broadly available.
- Trendline: Since 2020, fiber builds and upgraded fixed wireless have raised availability of 100/20 Mbps+ service and boosted adoption; remaining gaps persist on remote farms/ranches. The 2024 wind‑down of federal affordability support pressures lower‑income households.
Insights
- Email reach is strongest for adults 35–64; seniors are increasingly reachable but lag others.
- Pair email with SMS and offline touchpoints to cover the 10–12% without home internet.
Mobile Phone Usage in Jerauld County
Summary of mobile phone usage in Jerauld County, South Dakota
Context snapshot
- Population: 2,029 (2020 Census), about 900–950 households; very low density (≈4 people per sq. mile).
- Demographics: Skews older than South Dakota overall; seniors make up a larger share than the state average, and the county is predominantly non-Hispanic White with small Native American and Hispanic populations.
- Implication: Age and settlement pattern drive slightly lower smartphone take-up and heavier reliance on voice/SMS and low-band coverage, compared with statewide patterns.
User estimates (modeled from Census/ACS, Pew rural adoption, and FCC coverage data; rounded to practical planning bands)
- Total mobile phone users: 1,500–1,650 residents use a mobile phone regularly (roughly 75–82% of total population; higher among adults).
- Smartphone users: 1,250–1,400 (about 80–85% of adults; county is a few points below the statewide adult rate due to its older age structure).
- Basic/feature-phone users: 200–275, concentrated among 65+.
- Mobile-only internet households (smartphone/cellular plan but no fixed home broadband): 9–11% of households in Jerauld vs about 12–15% statewide. Local fiber/co-op builds appear to suppress mobile-only reliance relative to the South Dakota average.
- BYOD and prepaid share: Slightly higher than the state average, reflecting price sensitivity and limited retail presence; expect prepaid in the 20–25% range of active lines (statewide closer to the high teens).
Demographic usage differences vs South Dakota
- Age:
- 18–34: Near-universal smartphone ownership (>95%), but this cohort is a smaller slice of Jerauld’s population than the state average, pulling down the countywide adoption rate.
- 35–64: High smartphone ownership (≈88–92%), similar to state.
- 65+: Lower smartphone ownership (≈60–70%) than the state’s senior rate; higher persistence of flip/feature phones and voice-first usage.
- Income/education: Slightly higher share of cost-conscious plans and slower device upgrade cycles than statewide urban counties.
- Race/ethnicity: Minimal effect on overall county metrics due to small non-White populations; gaps track age and income more than ethnicity locally.
Digital infrastructure and performance
- Coverage:
- 4G LTE: Near-universal outdoor population coverage (≈99%) from major carriers; service quality dips in fringe farm/ranch areas and inside metal buildings.
- 5G: Broad low-band 5G (especially T‑Mobile 600 MHz) covers most populated areas and highways (US‑281, SD‑34). Verizon/AT&T provide 5G DSS/low-band along corridors and in Wessington Springs; mid-band capacity is limited and spotty.
- Speeds (typical observed ranges):
- Town centers and along main highways: 20–80 Mbps down on 4G/low-band 5G; burst higher where mid-band is available.
- Remote farmsteads/sheltered terrain: Single-digit to teens Mbps; uplink often the bottleneck.
- State comparison: South Dakota’s statewide medians are roughly around 100 Mbps; Jerauld runs materially lower outside town centers due to sparse tower density and limited mid-band deployments.
- Capacity/coverage drivers:
- Sparse macro-tower grid with 10–15 mile spacing; propagation relies heavily on low-band spectrum.
- Limited in-building penetration in steel-clad agricultural and commercial structures without boosters.
- Backhaul and resilience:
- Microwave and single/few fiber routes feed county sites; weather and backhaul maintenance windows can create localized slowdowns more so than in metro South Dakota.
- Local fixed and complementary options:
- Fiber-to-the-home/business is available in and around Wessington Springs via regional cooperatives (notably Santel Communications), with growing rural fiber reach. This reduces dependence on mobile-only internet relative to other rural counties.
- Fixed wireless (LTE/NR) is used at outlying premises where fiber isn’t yet built; performance varies with line-of-sight.
How Jerauld County differs from statewide trends
- Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration driven by an older population mix, despite very high adoption among younger adults.
- Lower share of mobile-only households than the South Dakota average where co-op fiber has been built; in non-fiber pockets, reliance on mobile hotspots is higher.
- More pronounced gap between town/highway speeds and remote-area speeds due to sparser tower placement and limited mid-band 5G.
- Higher persistence of basic phones and voice/SMS-centric usage among seniors, and longer device replacement cycles.
- Network investment pattern prioritizes coverage over capacity; the state’s urban corridors show far higher mid-band 5G availability and throughput than Jerauld’s rural footprint.
Practical implications
- For service planning: Coverage is broadly adequate, but capacity upgrades (additional sectors, mid-band 5G) would materially lift user experience in Wessington Springs and along US‑281/SD‑34; targeted small cells or C‑band where backhaul allows.
- For adoption programs: Senior-focused smartphone education, device affordability, and in-home signal boosting address the largest usage gaps.
- For digital equity: Continued rural fiber buildout by local cooperatives remains the single strongest lever to reduce mobile-only reliance and smooth performance disparities.
Sources and methods (for the estimates above)
- Baseline population/households: 2020 Decennial Census for Jerauld County.
- Adoption/usage modeling: Pew Research Center smartphone ownership by age (rural), blended with county age structure; ACS S2801 (cellular data plan and device availability) for South Dakota as statewide benchmarks.
- Coverage/performance: FCC mobile coverage filings (2023) and carrier public 5G buildouts in central South Dakota; performance bands aligned to rural field measurements typical for low-band 5G/4G and contrasted with statewide medians.
Social Media Trends in Jerauld County
Social media in Jerauld County, SD — 2024 snapshot
What this is: Modeled county-level estimates built from Jerauld County’s demographic structure (U.S. Census/ACS) combined with the latest U.S. platform adoption rates by age and gender (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024). Figures reflect residents ages 13+ and indicate monthly use. Small-population counties rarely have direct platform-reported stats; these are the most defensible local estimates available.
Overall usage
- Residents 13+ using at least one social platform: 68–72%
- Adults 18+ using at least one: 66–70%
- Teens 13–17 using at least one: 90–95%
Most‑used platforms (share of residents 13+, monthly)
- YouTube: 65–70%
- Facebook: 58–63%
- Facebook Messenger: 47–52%
- Instagram: 22–26%
- TikTok: 20–24%
- Pinterest: 22–28%
- Snapchat: 15–18%
- X (Twitter): 10–12%
- Reddit: 9–12%
- LinkedIn: 8–10%
Age-group profile (share using any social media; platform skews)
- 13–17: 90–95%; heavy Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube; Instagram common; Facebook minimal.
- 18–29: 92–96%; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok dominant; Snapchat strong; Facebook secondary.
- 30–49: 85–90%; YouTube, Facebook core; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing; Messenger frequent.
- 50–64: 70–75%; Facebook and YouTube primary; Pinterest moderate; Instagram/TikTok lighter.
- 65+: 45–52%; Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest modest; other platforms limited.
Gender breakdown (platform tendencies among local users)
- Facebook/Messenger: roughly balanced male/female.
- YouTube: slight male tilt.
- Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest: female-leaning (Pinterest most strongly).
- X, Reddit, LinkedIn: male-leaning.
Behavioral trends in a rural, older‑skewing county
- Facebook as the community hub: Local news, school/athletics, church updates, classifieds, event promotion, emergency/weather posts; high engagement in Groups and on Pages.
- YouTube for utility and local interests: How‑to/DIY, ag and equipment repair, home projects, hunting/fishing, church services, local sports highlights.
- Visual platforms among youth and young families: Snapchat for messaging/stories; Instagram for sports, school life, and local businesses; TikTok for entertainment and creator discovery more than local posting.
- Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default cross‑age DM channel; Snapchat dominates teen/young‑adult messaging.
- Professional networking is niche: LinkedIn usage is present but low; recruitment and B2B awareness tend to perform better on Facebook than LinkedIn.
- Pinterest matters for commerce categories: Home, crafts, recipes, wedding, seasonal/holiday planning—useful for retail and community events targeting women 25–54.
- Timing and cadence: Engagement typically peaks evenings (7–9 pm) and weekends; Facebook and Messenger see strong midday/lunch checks on weekdays; school‑year rhythms drive teen/parent spikes after practices/games.
Notes on interpretation
- Jerauld County is small and older than the U.S. average, which elevates Facebook/YouTube and depresses Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat versus national norms.
- Ranges reflect the county’s small population and rural usage patterns; they are consistent with recent Pew Research Center social media adoption by age/gender, adjusted to Jerauld County’s demographic mix (U.S. Census/ACS).
Table of Contents
Other Counties in South Dakota
- Aurora
- Beadle
- Bennett
- Bon Homme
- Brookings
- Brown
- Brule
- Buffalo
- Butte
- Campbell
- Charles Mix
- Clark
- Clay
- Codington
- Corson
- Custer
- Davison
- Day
- Deuel
- Dewey
- Douglas
- Edmunds
- Fall River
- Faulk
- Grant
- Gregory
- Haakon
- Hamlin
- Hand
- Hanson
- Harding
- Hughes
- Hutchinson
- Hyde
- Jackson
- Jones
- Kingsbury
- Lake
- Lawrence
- Lincoln
- Lyman
- Marshall
- Mccook
- Mcpherson
- Meade
- Mellette
- Miner
- Minnehaha
- Moody
- Pennington
- Perkins
- Potter
- Roberts
- Sanborn
- Shannon
- Spink
- Stanley
- Sully
- Todd
- Tripp
- Turner
- Union
- Walworth
- Yankton
- Ziebach