Lincoln County

Here are the latest high-level demographics for Lincoln County, South Dakota.

Population size

• Total population: ~77,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates)
• Among the fastest-growing counties in the Midwest; population has roughly doubled since 2000 and is up strongly since 2010

Age

• Median age: ~35 years (ACS 2023)
• Age distribution: ~29% under 18; ~59% 18–64; ~12% 65+ (ACS 2023)

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50% (ACS 2023)

Race and ethnicity (share of total population; ACS 2023)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~87%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Asian: ~4%
• Black or African American: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Two or more races/Other: ~2%

Households and housing (ACS 2023)

• Households: ~28,500
• Average household size: ~2.8
• Family households: ~74% of households; married-couple households ~62%
• Households with children under 18: ~45%
• Housing tenure: ~76% owner-occupied, ~24% renter-occupied

Key insight

• Demographics reflect a fast-growing, family-oriented suburban county with a relatively young population and high homeownership.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates (PEP) and 2023 American Community Survey (1-year).

Summary (Lincoln County, SD)

• Baseline and density: 2020 Census population 65,161; ~113 residents per square mile.
• Estimated email users (adults 18+): ~44,000 users (≈92% of ~48,000 adults), equal to ~68% of total residents. Email is used by the vast majority of adults across all age groups.
• Age distribution of adult email users (est.): 18–34 ≈30% (13k); 35–54 ≈40% (18k); 55–64 ≈15% (7k); 65+ ≈15% (7k). Adoption remains >85% in all adult brackets, with a modest dip among 65+.
• Gender split (est.): ~50% women and ~50% men among users; email adoption is effectively equal by gender.
• Digital access and trends: About 9 in 10 households subscribe to home broadband, reflecting strong suburban connectivity. Fiber and cable are most prevalent in Sioux Falls–adjacent communities (Harrisburg, Tea, Lennox, Canton), with fixed wireless/DSL serving lower‑density townships. 5G from major carriers covers population centers and the I‑29 corridor. Roughly one in ten households relies on smartphone‑only internet access. Rapid population growth and commuter patterns support high email and online service penetration.

Estimates combine 2020 Census population with typical U.S. adult email adoption (Pew) and FCC/ACS connectivity indicators to localize Lincoln County’s profile.

Mobile phone usage in Lincoln County, South Dakota (2023–2024 snapshot)

Overall adoption and user estimates

• Population baseline: approximately 74,000 residents, one of the fastest‑growing counties in the state
• Adult smartphone users: estimated 50,000–53,000 (about 92–95% of adults), plus roughly 4,000–5,000 teen users (ages 13–17), for a total of about 54,000–58,000 smartphone users countywide
• Wireless‑only voice households: roughly three in four adults live in wireless‑only households (in line with national levels)
• Smartphone‑only internet households: about 6–9% of households rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet connection, roughly half the statewide share
• 5G handset penetration: approximately 70–80% of active smartphones are 5G‑capable, higher than the statewide mix

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–44: near‑universal smartphone ownership (95%+), heavy app and streaming use; high 5G handset share
  • 45–64: ownership in the low 90% range; strong BYOD for work and hotspot use, but higher Wi‑Fi offload due to robust home broadband
  • 65+: ownership substantially higher than the state average for seniors; estimated mid‑70s to low‑80s percent, boosted by suburban access, income, and healthcare app adoption
  • Teens (13–17): roughly 85–93% smartphone access; strong participation in family plans and school‑provided device ecosystems
• Income and education
  • Higher household incomes and education levels than the South Dakota average correlate with more lines per household, faster upgrade cycles, and higher 5G device share
  • Prepaid share is lower than statewide; postpaid family plans dominate
• Urban/suburban vs rural within the county
  • Harrisburg, Tea, and other Sioux Falls‑area suburbs show denser site coverage, higher 5G availability, and greater Wi‑Fi offload
  • Southern and river‑adjacent rural townships have slightly lower signal quality indoors and more reliance on external antennas for fixed‑wireless internet

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage
  • Near‑universal 4G LTE outdoors across populated areas
  • Mid‑band 5G (e.g., n41/n77) covers a clear majority of residents in suburbs and along I‑29 and major corridors; mmWave remains limited to select high‑traffic nodes
  • Known weak spots: pockets in river bottoms and around Newton Hills State Park topography can see reduced indoor coverage without boosters
• Capacity and performance
  • Typical mid‑band 5G performance delivers triple‑digit Mbps downloads with low‑tens‑of‑ms latency in suburban areas; LTE remains robust in rural stretches
  • Network densification since 2021 has added sectors and backhaul upgrades along growth corridors (Harrisburg–Tea–Lennox)
• Fixed broadband context (enables Wi‑Fi offload)
  • Broad availability of cable and fiber in metro‑adjacent communities (e.g., Midco, Lumen/SDN, and regional fiber/co‑ops), with fixed‑wireless options at the rural edges
  • As a result, smartphone‑only home internet is notably lower than the state average
• Public safety and enterprise
  • FirstNet and priority services are widely used by public agencies; hospitals, schools, and logistics operations around Sioux Falls drive private LTE/CBRS pilots and IoT deployments

How Lincoln County differs from South Dakota overall

• Higher smartphone penetration (by roughly 4–8 percentage points), especially among seniors and family households
• Lower dependence on cellular as the sole home internet (about half the statewide rate) due to stronger fixed broadband availability
• Faster device refresh cycles and higher 5G handset share (≈10 percentage points above statewide)
• Better mid‑band 5G coverage and capacity in suburbs, yielding higher typical speeds and lower latency than many rural parts of the state
• Lower prepaid share; greater prevalence of multi‑line postpaid family plans and employer‑sponsored lines
• Lower per‑user mobile data consumption than the state average, because more traffic is offloaded to reliable home and school Wi‑Fi, despite strong 5G availability

Usage implications

• Daytime traffic concentrates around schools, healthcare, retail, and logistics hubs, with heavy evening Wi‑Fi offload in residential neighborhoods
• Fixed‑wireless home internet competes primarily at the rural fringes; in suburbs, mobile is a complement to strong cable/fiber rather than a replacement
• Continued population growth will keep pressure on suburban sectors; additional small‑cell and backhaul investments will be most impactful near Harrisburg, Tea, and along I‑29

Notes on estimation

• Estimates synthesize recent Census/ACS device and subscription indicators, FCC mobile coverage filings, and industry adoption trends for suburban counties in the Sioux Falls metro. Ranges are provided to avoid false precision while retaining decision‑useful specificity.

Social media usage in Lincoln County, SD (2025 snapshot)

How to read this: County-level social stats are rarely published. Figures below are point estimates for Lincoln County derived from 2023–2024 Pew Research U.S. platform adoption, adjusted for the county’s suburban, family-heavy, higher-income profile in the Sioux Falls metro. Percentages refer to share of online residents in the stated group who use each platform at least monthly.

Overall usage

• Residents 13+ using any social monthly: 88%
• Adults 18+ using any social monthly: 84%
• Daily social users (of all users): 74%
• Average time on social (users): ~2 hours/day
• Primary access device: smartphone (>95% of users)

Most-used platforms (adults, monthly use)

• YouTube: 84%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 51%
• Pinterest: 36%
• TikTok: 34%
• Snapchat: 33%
• LinkedIn: 35%
• WhatsApp: 25%
• Reddit: 23%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• Nextdoor: 20%

Age-group usage patterns

• Teens 13–17: 95% on social; YouTube 95%, Instagram 72%, Snapchat 75%, TikTok 70%, Facebook ~30%
• 18–29: 98% on social; YouTube 95%, Instagram 78%, Snapchat 65%, TikTok 62%, Facebook 67%
• 30–49: 92% on social; YouTube 92%, Facebook 78%, Instagram 49%, Pinterest 40%, LinkedIn 38%, TikTok 28%, Snapchat 24%
• 50–64: 78% on social; YouTube 83%, Facebook 73%, Pinterest 35%, Instagram 29%, LinkedIn 25%, TikTok 15%
• 65+: 50% on social; Facebook 50%, YouTube 49%, Pinterest 18%, Instagram 15%, Nextdoor 15%

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Women: Facebook 75%, Instagram 52%, Pinterest 49%, Snapchat 36%, TikTok 38%, LinkedIn 31%, YouTube 81%
• Men: YouTube 86%, Facebook 64%, Instagram 43%, TikTok 28%, Snapchat 24%, Reddit 29%, X 27%, LinkedIn 36%, Pinterest 20%

Local behavioral trends and insights

• Facebook is the community hub: high engagement in city/county pages, school districts (e.g., Harrisburg, Tea, Canton), youth sports, churches, and Facebook Groups; Marketplace is heavily used for buy/sell and home goods
• Short-form video rules: Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts drive the highest organic reach and ad engagement; TikTok is strongest among teens and young parents for local events, sports highlights, and lifestyle content
• Suburban household focus: strong Pinterest usage for home, DIY, and meal planning; noticeable Nextdoor activity in newer subdivisions for HOA notices and contractor referrals
• Professional skew: above-average LinkedIn activity tied to healthcare, finance, construction, and tech roles in the Sioux Falls metro; effective for recruiting and B2B awareness
• Real-time information: X is niche but useful for severe weather, road conditions, and live sports; local media pages amplify reach across Facebook and YouTube
• When people engage: peaks around 7–9 am, 11:30 am–1 pm, and 8–10 pm CT; weekends lift engagement on Facebook/Instagram; Stories and Reels outperform static posts
• Seasonal spikes: back-to-school (Aug–Sep), severe weather events, holiday shopping (Nov–Dec), and spring real estate/home improvement

Notes on method

• Estimates calibrated from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform penetration and usage by age/gender, applied to Lincoln County’s suburban, family-heavy demographics and high broadband access in the Sioux Falls metro
• Treat figures as best-available local estimates suitable for planning, targeting, and benchmarking within the county