Minnehaha County

Key demographics — Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Population

• 210,900 (2023 estimate)
• 197,214 (2020 Census)

Age

• Under 5: 6.7%
• Under 18: 24.5%
• 65 and over: 14.5%

Sex

• Female: 49.6%
• Male: 50.4%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: 86.7%
• Black or African American alone: 6.0%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 3.1%
• Asian alone: 2.1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 3.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 5.6%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 81.2%

Households and housing

• Households: 78,062
• Persons per household: 2.52
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 62.7%

Insights

• Fast-growing county centered on Sioux Falls, with a relatively young age profile and increasing racial/ethnic diversity.
• Household size is modest and homeownership is around two-thirds of occupied housing.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Vintage population estimates).

Minnehaha County, SD — email usage snapshot

• Estimated email users: ~160,000 residents (≈92% of adults; ≈78% of total population), derived from county population and broadband adoption combined with national email-use rates.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: ~21%; 30–49: ~36%; 50–64: ~25%; 65+: ~18%. Usage is near‑universal under 65 and high but modestly lower among seniors.
• Gender split among email users: female ~51%, male ~49% (email adoption is effectively equal by gender).
• Digital access trends: ~93% of households have a broadband subscription; ~13% are smartphone‑only for home internet. Cable and fiber are widespread in Sioux Falls, with fixed wireless covering remaining rural pockets. Public libraries, schools, and city facilities provide free Wi‑Fi that supports email access.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population ~205,000 across ~810 square miles (≈250 people/sq. mile), concentrated in the Sioux Falls urban area. FCC availability data indicate near‑universal access to ≥100/20 Mbps in the urban core and along the I‑29/I‑90 corridors, with ongoing upgrades extending higher speeds into outlying townships. 5G mobile coverage is widespread in Sioux Falls and along major routes, reinforcing high email reach and reliability.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Context and scale

• Population base: 197,214 (2020 Census). That is 22.3% of South Dakota’s 2020 population (886,667), making Minnehaha the state’s most populous county. Growth from 2010–2020 was +16.4%, nearly double the statewide pace (+8.9%). This sustained, urban-centered growth materially shapes mobile usage, device mix, and network build priorities.

User estimates (mobile adoption and reliance)

• Estimated unique mobile phone users: approximately 175,000–185,000 county residents in 2024, reflecting high adult smartphone adoption and substantial teen phone ownership typical of large urban counties. This implies a practical penetration rate near the entire adult population and most teens, with multi-line subscriptions (watches, tablets, hotspots) pushing total active lines well beyond the number of unique users.
• Mobile-only internet households: materially higher share than statewide, driven by renters and younger households in Sioux Falls that rely on a cellular data plan for home internet. Urban counties like Minnehaha consistently show greater “cellular-only” or “smartphone-only” internet reliance compared with rural South Dakota, where fixed broadband adoption tracks availability gaps.

Demographic breakdown that affects usage

• Age structure: younger than the state overall due to Sioux Falls’ labor-market pull. This skews usage toward:
  • Higher smartphone adoption and app-centered behavior.
  • Greater mobile video and social media intensity.
  • Higher take-up of 5G home internet as an alternative to cable/DSL.
• Housing and tenure: larger renter share than the state average, supporting higher mobile-only internet and prepaid adoption among cost-sensitive households and recent movers.
• Diversity and in-migration: more racially/ethnically diverse than the state average and sustained net in-migration. This correlates with:
  • Strong demand for multilingual apps, OTT messaging (e.g., WhatsApp), and international calling plans.
  • Faster uptake of digital identity, mobile banking, and contactless payments.
• Household composition: more single-adult and small households than the state average, aligning with higher per-capita device counts (phone + wearable + tablet) and stronger demand for unlimited data plans.

Digital infrastructure and market structure

• 5G coverage: all three national carriers operate 5G across Sioux Falls and along the I‑29 and I‑90 corridors that traverse the county. Mid-band 5G density is highest in the urban core, with capacity-focused small cells concentrated around commercial districts, medical campuses, and retail corridors.
• Backhaul and fiber presence: Sioux Falls benefits from robust fiber backhaul relative to the rest of the state. Multiple providers (including regional cable/fiber operators and incumbents) have expanded fiber laterals to enterprise, multi-dwelling units, and tower sites, enabling:
  • Higher 5G mid-band capacity and better peak/median speeds than most South Dakota counties.
  • Viable 5G fixed-wireless (home internet) competition at scale in the metro area.
• Tower and small cell density: significantly above the state average due to urban demand. Macro sites line I‑29/I‑90 and arterial roads; denser infill and small cells serve downtown and high-traffic zones, supporting stadium/event capacity and reducing congestion during peak periods.
• Fixed broadband competition: stronger than the statewide norm. Cable DOCSIS and expanding FTTH compete with 5G FWA in much of Sioux Falls, increasing the share of households that bundle mobile + home internet with one provider and driving promotional switching activity.
• Public safety and resilience: Minnehaha’s PSAP and regional medical centers anchor FirstNet and priority services deployments, translating into better-maintained macro layers, multi-band redundancy, and prioritized restoration compared with rural counties.

How Minnehaha differs from the South Dakota statewide pattern

• Higher smartphone and mobile-internet reliance: more “smartphone-only” and “cellular-data-only” households than the state average, reflecting youth, renters, and competition from 5G home internet.
• Better 5G performance and capacity: denser mid-band 5G and more fiber-fed sites yield faster median speeds and lower congestion than rural counties, where low-band 5G and LTE remain prevalent.
• More competitive retail dynamics: greater plan churn, multi-line discounts, and device promotions in the Sioux Falls market; higher attach rates for wearables and tablets than statewide.
• Smaller urban digital divide: while affordability gaps persist, the coverage gap is narrower than in rural South Dakota. Device programs, MVNOs, and ACP-era habits (even post-ACP) have sustained relatively high connectivity among lower-income households compared with rural counties constrained by fixed-broadband scarcity.

Key takeaways

• Minnehaha County’s size, growth, and urban profile make it the state’s mobile bellwether: higher adoption, heavier data use, and stronger 5G competition than the statewide average.
• Network investments prioritize capacity over coverage in the county (the reverse of rural South Dakota), producing better user experience and supporting mobile-only households at levels uncommon elsewhere in the state.
• Expect continued gains in 5G fixed-wireless share, multi-device plans, and app-centric service usage, with demographics reinforcing a persistent gap in mobile behavior between Minnehaha and the rest of South Dakota.

Social media usage in Minnehaha County, SD (2024–2025 snapshot)

Scope and method

• Figures combine Minnehaha County’s latest Census/ACS demographics with Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social platform adoption by age and gender to produce county-level estimates. Percentages shown are share of county adults; counts are rounded estimates.

At-a-glance user stats

• Adult population (18+): ~160,000
• Adults using at least one social platform: 73% (117,000 people)
• Median age: ~35

Most-used platforms (share of adults; estimated)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (Twitter): 23%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 20%

Age-group usage highlights

• 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~76%; Snapchat ~65%; TikTok ~62%; Facebook ~67%
• 30–49: YouTube ~92%; Facebook ~77%; Instagram ~49%; TikTok ~39%; LinkedIn ~40%
• 50–64: Facebook ~73%; YouTube ~83%; Instagram ~29%; TikTok ~15%; Pinterest higher among women
• 65+: Facebook ~50%; YouTube ~45%; Nextdoor ~20–25%; Instagram ~14%; TikTok ~7%

Gender breakdown (share of adults using platform; estimated)

• Facebook: women ~75%, men ~61%
• Instagram: women ~50%, men ~43%
• Pinterest: women ~50%, men ~18%
• TikTok: women ~38%, men ~27%
• Snapchat: women ~32%, men ~23%
• YouTube: men ~86%, women ~80%
• Reddit: men ~29%, women ~12%
• X (Twitter): men ~27%, women ~19%
• LinkedIn: men ~34%, women ~27%
• Nextdoor: women modestly higher than men (overall ~20%)

Behavioral trends

• Community-centric use: Facebook Groups, Pages, and Marketplace are central for neighborhood updates, buy/sell/trade, school and faith communities, and civic info; Nextdoor complements for hyperlocal alerts and services.
• Local news and weather spikes: Strong reliance on Facebook and X for KELOLAND/Argus Leader updates, especially during severe weather and road/safety events.
• Events and nightlife discovery: Facebook Events and Instagram Stories/Reels drive awareness for Sioux Falls–area festivals, sports, concerts, and dining; engagement peaks evenings and weekends.
• Youth communication patterns: Snapchat is a daily messaging platform for teens and younger adults; TikTok is the primary discovery channel for trends, local food spots, and entertainment.
• Small-business marketing: Restaurants, retail, and services lean on Facebook + Instagram for promos; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) outperforms static posts; YouTube used for evergreen how‑to and service explainers.
• Hiring and professional networking: LinkedIn usage clusters in healthcare, finance, logistics, and tech; hourly and service roles commonly promoted via Facebook Groups and Pages.
• Private-by-default behavior: Residents increasingly engage via private groups, Messenger, and Stories over public posts; practical, community‑oriented content outperforms highly polished creative.

Notes

• Platform percentages reflect Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates applied to Minnehaha County’s adult population to localize estimates; overlapping usage across platforms is expected. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023), Pew Research Center (2024 Social Media Use).