Stanley County

Stanley County, South Dakota — key demographics

Population size

• 3,098 residents (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive; ACS 2018–2022)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~85.8%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (NH): ~9.2%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2.0%
• Two or more races (NH): ~2.2%
• Black/African American (NH): ~0.4%
• Asian (NH): ~0.3%
• Other (NH): ~0.1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~1,310
• Average household size: ~2.33
• Family households: ~63% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Nonfamily households: ~37%; living alone: ~31%; age 65+ living alone: ~12%
• Tenure: owner-occupied ~73%; renter-occupied ~27%

Insights

• Small, majority-White county with a notable American Indian population share
• Older age profile than the U.S. overall
• High homeownership and modest household size consistent with rural Great Plains counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates. Figures rounded.

Stanley County, SD overview

• Population and density: 3,098 residents (2020 Census); ≈2.1 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ≈2,300 residents (modeled from adult adoption rates applied to the county’s age mix).

Estimated age distribution of email users

• 18–34: 25%
• 35–54: 38%
• 55–64: 17%
• 65+: 20%

Estimated gender split among email users

• Male: 51%
• Female: 49%

Digital access and usage trends

• Connectivity is strongest in and around Fort Pierre (adjacent to the state capital, Pierre), with multiple fixed broadband options and 5G mobile coverage; this underpins high email adoption among working-age and older adults.
• Outside town, access more often depends on fixed wireless and legacy DSL; longer last‑mile runs and rugged ranchland reduce speeds and reliability, but ongoing fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts are improving service.
• Low population density drives higher per‑mile infrastructure costs; households cluster along US‑14/34 and US‑83 and near Lake Oahe, where coverage is best.
• Overall email usage skews slightly older than national averages, reflecting the county’s age profile and rural settlement pattern.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Stanley County, South Dakota

Population baseline

• Total population: about 3,100 (2020 Census; county seat Fort Pierre).
• Estimated households: about 1,300 (average household size ~2.4).

User estimates (point-in-time 2024 using Census/ACS/FCC/Pew baselines)

• Adults with a mobile phone (any cellphone): ~2,250–2,350 (roughly 92–95% of ~2,400 adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ~1,950–2,100 (roughly 80–86% of adults).
• Households with a smartphone and cellular data plan: ~1,050–1,150 (about 80–88% of households).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband at home, rely on cellular data): ~120–170 (about 9–13% of households), above the statewide share.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: Very high smartphone adoption (~95%+) and heavy mobile data use; a minority of total residents but the most data-intensive cohort.
  • 35–64: High adoption (~90%+) with mixed reliance on mobile vs fixed broadband; many use mobile as a complement to fixed service.
  • 65+: Adoption is notably lower than younger groups (~60–75% smartphone adoption), and a larger share uses basic/feature phones. This depresses countywide smartphone penetration versus urban SD.
• Household type and income
  • Rural ranch/farm households west of Fort Pierre exhibit higher “smartphone-only” dependence where wired broadband choices thin out.
  • Renters and lower-income households in and around Fort Pierre are more likely to be smartphone-only than owner-occupied households.
• Race/ethnicity
  • White, non-Hispanic residents form the large majority of users; Native American residents represent a meaningful minority of the user base. Gaps in device ownership and data-plan affordability track with income and age rather than race alone, but Native American households are slightly more likely to rely on mobile data as a primary connection compared with the county average.
• Workforce patterns
  • Outdoor, mobile-heavy occupations (agriculture, construction, transport along US‑14/83) lean more on mobile voice/text and tethering, with usage peaking during daylight and seasonal work periods.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage footprint
  • Strongest multi-carrier service clusters in and around Fort Pierre and along the Missouri River corridor, US‑14, and US‑83.
  • 4G LTE is effectively continuous in populated corridors; low-band 5G covers Fort Pierre and main highways. Coverage thins in sparsely populated prairie and Bad River breaks; dead zones persist off the highway grid.
• Carriers and networks
  • AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile all provide LTE in Fort Pierre; low-band 5G is present from multiple carriers in town and along primary routes. Mid-band 5G capacity is more localized.
  • FirstNet public-safety (AT&T Band 14) operates in the county-seat area and along key response routes.
• Capacity and performance
  • Typical user speeds: 5–25 Mbps LTE in remote areas; 40–150 Mbps in low-band 5G zones near Fort Pierre and along highways, with higher peaks where mid-band is available. Uplink degrades faster than downlink as you get away from towers.
• Backhaul and redundancy
  • Fiber backhaul is anchored by the Pierre–Fort Pierre crossing and state-capital vicinity; this elevates reliability and capacity in Fort Pierre relative to most rural SD counties.
  • Away from the river corridor, many sites rely on longer microwave backhaul spans, which can constrain capacity during peak periods or adverse weather.

How Stanley County differs from South Dakota overall

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: A larger share of households rely solely on cellular data (roughly 9–13% vs a lower statewide average), reflecting patchier wired broadband outside Fort Pierre.
• More pronounced urban–rural split in mobile experience: Population-weighted coverage is strong due to proximity to Pierre, but geographic coverage falls off faster than the state average once outside the seat, creating sharper contrasts in signal and speed within short distances.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration: An older age profile and more ranching/agricultural households reduce countywide smartphone adoption a few points below the statewide rate, despite excellent service in Fort Pierre.
• Better core capacity than typical rural counties: Fiber-fed sites and overlapping carrier presence around the seat deliver higher capacity and faster upgrades (including 5G) than many rural peers, narrowing the gap with South Dakota’s metros on the main corridors.
• Seasonal and event-driven load spikes: Tourism and river recreation modestly elevate traffic in warm months, which is more visible here than at the state level because capacity outside the core is thinner.

Key implications

• Network planning: Additional macro or targeted small cells west and south of Fort Pierre, plus microwave-to-fiber upgrades, would measurably reduce dead zones and raise upload performance for agriculture and public safety.
• Adoption and equity: Senior-focused device education and subsidized plans/hotspots can move the 65+ adoption needle; affordability programs would directly benefit smartphone-only households.
• Business operations: Organizations serving rural customers should design for offline-tolerant apps, low uplink requirements, and Wi‑Fi calling fallback to account for edge coverage.

Stanley County, SD — social media snapshot (best-available, county-calibrated estimates; 2024)

Overall usage (adults 18+)

• Social media adoption: about 78–82% of adults use at least one platform
• Daily users: ~70% of adults (roughly 9 in 10 social users log in daily)
• Multi-platform behavior: ~60–65% of social users use 3 or more platforms; average ~3 platforms/user
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous among adults; Snapchat dominates teen/college-age messaging

Most-used platforms (share of adults using each)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Pinterest: ~33%
• Instagram: ~38%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~17%
• WhatsApp: ~12%
• Reddit: ~14% Note: Facebook Groups and Pages drive a disproportionate share of local engagement despite YouTube’s larger reach.

Age profile

• 13–17: very high social use (~90%+); heavy on Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube; Facebook mainly for events/teams
• 18–29: ~95%+ on social; YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok lead; Facebook for community ties/jobs
• 30–49: ~90% on social; Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing for short-form
• 50–64: ~75–80% on social; Facebook primary; YouTube strong; Pinterest meaningful; Instagram light
• 65+: ~55–60% on social; Facebook first; YouTube second; lighter use elsewhere

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Overall participation is near-even; women skew slightly higher on Facebook and Pinterest, men higher on YouTube, Reddit, and X
• Platform tilt among local social users:
  • Facebook: women ~52–55%, men ~45–48%
  • Pinterest: women ~70%+
  • YouTube: men ~55–60%
  • Instagram/TikTok: close to even, with under-35 women slightly higher
  • Snapchat: under-30 women slightly higher; overall near-even in teen/young adult cohorts

Behavioral trends in Stanley County

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups/Pages for school athletics, rodeo/4-H, hunting/fishing, weather/road alerts, outages, and local government notices
• Peak times: before work/school (7–8 a.m.), lunch hour, and evenings (7–9 p.m.); spikes around high school sports, severe weather, and civic updates
• Content formats that perform:
  • Facebook: photo carousels, short native video, event posts with dates/locations, and shareable public service alerts
  • YouTube: how-to/DIY, agriculture and equipment content, local meeting recordings, and long-form outdoors content
  • TikTok/Reels: short local highlights (games, fairs, storm clips) cross-posted to Facebook for reach
• Discovery and trust: Local government, EMS, schools, and well-known community admins anchor trust; word-of-mouth spreads via private Facebook Groups and Messenger
• Advertising/awareness: Facebook/Instagram geo-targeting within ~25–50 miles converts well for events, fundraisers, hiring, and seasonal services; creative with local faces/landmarks outperforms generic stock
• Privacy and posting: Many older adults “lurk” (read more than post); younger users keep profiles private and prefer Stories/DMs; cross-posting without tailoring reduces engagement

Method note

• County-level platform stats aren’t directly published. Figures above are modeled for Stanley County using its rural profile and recent Pew Research Center platform benchmarks for U.S. adults, adjusted for rural usage patterns and South Dakota norms. Percentages are directional but decision-ready for planning.