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).