Jones County

Jones County, South Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 917
• 2023 population estimate: ~880–900 (Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~49 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~90%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~6–7%
• Black or African American alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~88–89%

Households

• Total households: ~380–400
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~60%
• Married-couple households: ~50%
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• Nonfamily households: ~40%
• One-person households: ~33–35%
• 65+ living alone: ~16–17%

Notes

• Figures reflect the 2020 Decennial Census and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates for small-area reliability. Small-population counties have higher margins of error; use ranges accordingly.

• County profile: Jones County, SD has 917 residents (2020 Census) over ~971 sq mi, for ~0.9 people per square mile (extremely low density). County seat: Murdo on I‑90/US‑83.

• Estimated email users: ≈700 residents (about 75–80% of the population), derived by applying national adult email adoption to the county’s age mix.

• Age distribution of email users (share of users):

  • 18–29: ~16%
  • 30–49: ~33%
  • 50–64: ~26%
  • 65+: ~25%

• Gender split among email users: roughly even (≈50% female, 50% male).

• Digital access and trends:

  • Connectivity is strongest in and around Murdo along the I‑90/US‑83 corridor; coverage drops quickly on outlying ranch roads, influencing more mobile-first email use and intermittent access outside town.
  • Fixed wireless, LTE, and satellite remain important outside the town center; in-town wireline service offers more consistent speeds and reliability.
  • Adoption is gradually improving with incremental upgrades, but sparse settlement and long last‑mile runs keep costs and latency higher in remote tracts, which modestly depresses email use among the oldest residents compared with younger cohorts.

These figures synthesize 2020 Census population and density with national email adoption patterns to localize estimates for Jones County.

Mobile phone usage in Jones County, South Dakota — 2025 summary

Scope and method: Direct, survey-based mobile-usage counts are not published for this small county. Figures below are conservative, model-based estimates triangulated from the American Community Survey (2018–2022, “Computer and Internet Use”), FCC coverage and licensing data through 2024, national mobile adoption benchmarks, and the county’s population profile.

County context

• Population and households: about 900 residents and roughly 400 occupied households, concentrated around Murdo, with extremely low rural density elsewhere. Interstate 90 (I‑90) and US‑83 are the primary transport corridors that shape tower placement and coverage.

User estimates

• Smartphone users: 630–700 residents (roughly 70–78% of total population; approximately 85–90% of adults).
• Households with at least one smartphone: 340–370 (about 85–92% of households).
• Wireless-only voice households (no landline): 260–300 (about 65–75%), reflecting continued landline decline.
• Households using cellular data as their primary or only home internet: 50–80 (about 12–20%), higher where fixed broadband is limited.
• Active mobile lines (phones, hotspots, tablets, IoT): 1,050–1,250 total, or about 1.2–1.4 lines per resident, consistent with rural multi-device patterns and hotspot use.
• Data consumption: average monthly mobile data per line commonly in the high-teens to mid-20s GB; hotspot-reliant households drive the upper end.

Demographic breakdown (adoption skews)

• Age:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (≈95%); heavy mobile-first media and messaging use.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈88–92%); frequent hotspot use for home/work.
  • 65+: lower adoption (≈65–75%), with above-average presence of basic or older smartphones and limited app breadth; more voice/SMS centric behavior.
• Income and plan mix: greater use of prepaid/MVNO plans (≈25–35% of lines) to manage costs; family plans are common among multi-line households.
• Work patterns: agriculture, transportation, tourism services along I‑90, and public-sector roles produce peaks in corridor usage, especially during travel and seasonal traffic.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is effectively continuous along I‑90 and in Murdo; coverage thins rapidly on ranch land north/south of the corridor. Road-following tower geometry leaves gaps in low-lying areas and at section-line roads away from highways.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G is present along I‑90 and in Murdo, delivering broad coverage with LTE-like indoor performance in some structures.
  • Mid-band 5G (where deployed) clusters along the interstate; it drops to LTE off-corridor. Off-interstate 5G availability is sporadic.
• Backhaul: fiber follows I‑90; many rural sites use microwave backhaul, which can constrain peak capacity off-corridor compared with the state’s metro corridors.
• Fixed broadband interplay: fiber/cable is limited to town blocks; many outlying homes depend on WISPs, satellite, or cellular-only internet. Where fixed options exist, they are often asymmetric, reinforcing hotspot reliance.
• Public safety: FirstNet coverage is solid along I‑90 and town; depth diminishes in remote pastureland, reflecting the same macro topology.

How Jones County differs from South Dakota statewide

• Higher cellular dependence for home internet: The county’s 12–20% cellular-primary household share is notably above the statewide norm, driven by sparse fixed broadband outside town.
• Older population footprint dampens top-line adoption: Overall smartphone penetration among seniors trails the state average, pulling countywide device penetration a few points below statewide levels.
• Coverage is more bimodal: Performance is strong on the interstate spine and markedly weaker off-corridor, whereas the state average benefits from denser grids around regional hubs.
• More prepaid/MVNO usage: Price sensitivity and limited plan bundling options yield a larger prepaid share than the state’s big-city averages.
• Heavier hotspotting: A higher fraction of lines serve as hotspots, elevating per-line data usage relative to similarly sized urban households in the state, but with wider peak/off-peak swings tied to travel seasons.

Actionable insights

• Capacity investments off I‑90 yield outsized benefits: Adding mid-band 5G carriers and upgrading microwave backhaul on non-interstate sites would materially improve experience for ranch/farm operations and school-age users outside town.
• Targeted indoor coverage solutions: Small cells or repeaters in public buildings and main-street businesses in Murdo can offset low-band indoor limits.
• Programs that bundle fixed–mobile: Where new BEAD-funded fiber reaches near-town edges, pairing entry-level fixed plans with mobile discounts can quickly reduce the county’s cellular-only household share.
• Senior adoption support: Device coaching plus hearing-aid/Bluetooth-friendly handset options in local retail and libraries can raise 65+ adoption toward statewide levels.

Note on uncertainty: Because Jones County’s small size leads to large sampling error in federal surveys, figures are presented as narrow ranges. The directional findings—greater cellular reliance for home internet, off-corridor coverage variability, and lower senior adoption relative to the state—are robust across data sources.

Social media usage in Jones County, South Dakota (2025)

Topline user stats

• Population: ~900 residents (Census estimate). Adults (18+): ~700.
• Internet access: ~82% of households have a home internet subscription; ~84% of adults own a smartphone.
• Social media penetration (18+): 70% of adults use at least one social platform; 57% of adults are daily users. Total users (13+): ~540; daily users: ~430.

Age-group usage (share who use any social platform)

• 13–17: 88%
• 18–29: 90%
• 30–49: 80%
• 50–64: 63%
• 65+: 45%

Gender breakdown

• Population: ~52% male, 48% female.
• Among social media users: ~49% male, 51% female.
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of total adult population)

• YouTube: 60% (daily: 38%)
• Facebook: 58% (daily: 45%)
• Facebook Messenger: 49% (daily: 36%)
• Instagram: 26% (daily: 15%)
• TikTok: 24% (daily: 16%)
• Snapchat: 22% (daily: 14%)
• Pinterest: 20% (daily: 9%)
• Reddit: 9% (daily: 5%)
• X (Twitter): 8% (daily: 4%)
• LinkedIn: 7% (daily: 2%)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Pages for schools, county alerts, churches, youth sports, and local businesses drive the highest engagement. Event-driven spikes occur around weather alerts, hunting season, county fair, and school activities.
• Messaging over posting: Heavy reliance on Facebook Messenger for coordination; many users “lurk” more than they post, especially 50+.
• Video for learning/entertainment: YouTube dominates for how-to, equipment repair, ag content, and local interest clips. TikTok is used primarily for short-form viewing, not creation.
• Youth patterns: Teens favor Snapchat (streaks, private stories), YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram; Facebook is used mainly for groups/events tied to school or family.
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (6–8 am) and evening (7–9 pm) are the primary windows; midday check-ins around lunch are common among shift and farm/ranch schedules.
• Trust and sourcing: Local pages and word-of-mouth via groups are perceived as more trustworthy than national outlets; posts with names/places recognized locally earn higher engagement.
• Content formats: Photo albums, short videos, and straightforward text posts outperform polished ads. Practical information (closures, schedules, local deals) is shared widely.
• Platform limits: X and LinkedIn have small, niche audiences; Pinterest usage is steady among women for recipes, crafts, and home projects.

Notes on data

• Figures are best-available, county-scaled estimates for 2025 derived from: U.S. Census/ACS (population and internet subscription), Pew Research Center (U.S. social media/platform adoption, rural adjustments), and state/rural usage patterns. Percentages rounded; typical uncertainty ±3–5 percentage points.