Turner County

Key demographics of Turner County, South Dakota

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

• Population size:

  • 8,673 (2020 Census)
  • Land area ≈ 617 sq mi; density ≈ 14 persons/sq mi (2020)

• Age:

  • Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023)
  • Under 18: ~25%
  • 18–64: ~56%
  • 65 and over: ~19%

• Gender:

  • Female: ~49–50%
  • Male: ~50–51% (ACS 2019–2023)

• Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023):

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~90–92%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1–2%
  • Black or African American: <1%
  • Asian: <1%

• Households and families (ACS 2019–2023):

  • Households: ~3,400–3,500
  • Persons per household: ~2.5
  • Family households: ~65–67% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~50–55% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~30%
  • Nonfamily households: ~33–35%

• Context: Turner County, SD had 8,673 residents in 2020 across ~617 sq mi (≈14 people per sq mi), with towns clustered near the Sioux Falls commuter shed.
• Estimated email users: ~6,500 residents use email regularly (roughly three-quarters of the population, reflecting rural adoption patterns and adult share).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–34: ~23%
  • 35–54: ~34%
  • 55–64: ~17%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split among email users: roughly even (≈50% female, 50% male), mirroring county demographics; usage parity by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: ~85% (ACS-style measure, consistent with South Dakota rural counties near metro areas).
  • Device mix: ~85–90% of adults have smartphones; most email access is mobile-first.
  • Older-adult adoption is rising (65+ email use ~70–80%), narrowing the gap with younger cohorts.
  • Rural fringes still rely on fixed wireless or satellite; towns have cable/fiber options, benefiting from proximity to Sioux Falls backhaul.
• Connectivity facts: Low population density increases last-mile costs, but 4G/5G coverage is strong in towns and along main corridors, supporting reliable mobile email access even where wired options are limited.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Turner County, South Dakota

County baseline (definitive context)

• Population: 8,673 (2020 Census); ~3,400 households
• Age structure: older than the state overall; median age ~41–42 versus South Dakota ~37–38
• Race/ethnicity: predominantly non-Hispanic White (93–94%), smaller shares Hispanic/Latino (3%), Native American (~1%) and other groups
• Settlement pattern: small towns (Parker, Viborg, Centerville, Marion, Hurley) with widely spaced rural households

User estimates (2024 conditions inferred from ACS device/Internet indicators, Pew smartphone adoption, and local demographics)

• Adults with a smartphone: ~5,800–6,200 (≈82–86% of adults), a few points below the statewide rate due to the county’s older age profile
• Residents carrying any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): ~6,400–6,700 (≈90–93% of adults)
• Households with a cellular data plan (any mobile broadband subscription): ~2,500–2,700 (≈72–78% of households), slightly under the statewide average
• Mobile-only home Internet (households using cellular as sole subscription): ~300–450 (≈9–13%), below the South Dakota average (≈12–16%)
• Wireless-only telephone households (no landline): ~55–60%, a bit lower than the South Dakota average (≈60–65%)

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage (directionally precise; counts rounded)

• By age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (94–97%); higher mobile-only Internet use (15–20%)
  • 35–64: high adoption (90–93%); moderate mobile-only Internet use (10–12%)
  • 65+: lower adoption (70–75%) and the lowest mobile-only Internet reliance (5–7%); more frequent retention of landlines
• By income
  • <$35k: smartphone adoption ~75–80%; materially higher odds of mobile-only Internet
  • $35k–$75k: adoption ~85–90%; mixed use of fixed broadband plus mobile
  • $75k+: adoption ~93–96%; strong multi-device, multi-network usage; least likely to be mobile-only
• By race/ethnicity
  • Differences exist but are muted at the county scale because the population is less diverse than the state; age and income explain most within-county variation

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage: LTE is effectively universal across populated areas; 5G is present in and around Parker, Viborg, Centerville, Marion, and along main corridors (notably SD‑19 and SD‑44), with patchier 5G on lightly populated fringes and in some low-lying river bottoms
• Carriers: All three national operators (AT&T/FirstNet, T‑Mobile, Verizon) market countywide LTE; low-band 5G is widely available in town centers, with mid-band 5G strongest closer to the Sioux Falls metro influence on the eastern side of the county
• Capacity: Town centers typically support 5G downlink performance adequate for video, telehealth, and hotspotting; rural sections fall back to LTE with lower but workable speeds for messaging, navigation, and basic apps
• Backhaul and fiber: Eastern South Dakota’s SDN Communications member network and local co-ops have built substantial fiber backhaul into and around Turner County; fiber-to-the-home availability is moderate for a rural county and higher than many Western SD counties, reducing pressure to rely on cellular for home Internet
• Fixed wireless interplay: CBRS and other fixed-wireless offerings cover many farmsteads; where these are available, households are less likely to be mobile-only
• Public safety: AT&T FirstNet sites cover the county’s primary response areas; roaming and mutual-aid communications are consistent along main routes and population centers

How Turner County differs from South Dakota overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration and wireless-only household share than the state average, primarily due to older median age
• Lower dependence on mobile-only home Internet than the statewide average because fiber and fixed-wireless options are comparatively robust for a rural county near Sioux Falls
• Faster 5G availability growth in and near towns than in many rural SD counties, reflecting spillover from the Sioux Falls network footprint and backhaul proximity
• Daytime mobility patterns skew toward commuting into the Sioux Falls area, which concentrates peak mobile traffic near the eastern townships and along connectors rather than uniformly across the county

Key takeaways

• Roughly six thousand adults in Turner County carry smartphones, with near-universal use among younger adults and meaningfully lower adoption among seniors
• Mobile networks are strong in towns and along main corridors; LTE is reliable countywide, and 5G is present where most residents live and work
• Compared with statewide patterns, Turner County relies slightly less on mobile as the only home Internet solution and shows slightly lower wireless-only telephone prevalence, driven by its older demographics and better-than-typical rural fixed broadband options

Turner County, SD — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Method note: County-specific platform counts are not officially published. Figures below are best-available estimates derived from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. usage by age, adjusted for Turner County’s older, rural profile, and rounded to the nearest 5%.

Overall reach

• Adults (18+): 70–75% use at least one social platform
• Teens (13–17): ~95% use at least one platform
• Daily users among all users: ~65–70%

Most‑used platforms among adults (18+)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~70–75%
• Instagram: ~35–40%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• Pinterest: ~25–30%
• X (Twitter): ~15–20%
• LinkedIn: ~15–20%
• Reddit: ~10–15%
• Nextdoor: ~5–10%

Age‑group usage patterns (share using any social; leading platforms in each group)

• 13–17: ~95% overall; YouTube ~95%, Snapchat ~80%, Instagram ~80%, TikTok ~75%, Facebook ~25%
• 18–29: ~95% overall; YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~75%, Snapchat ~70%, TikTok ~60%, Facebook ~60%
• 30–49: ~90% overall; YouTube ~90%, Facebook ~75%, Instagram ~55%, TikTok ~40%, Snapchat ~30%
• 50–64: ~70–75% overall; Facebook ~70%, YouTube ~75%, Instagram ~30%, TikTok ~20–25%, Pinterest ~30%
• 65+: ~45–50% overall; Facebook ~55–60%, YouTube ~55%, Instagram ~20%, TikTok ~10–15%

Gender breakdown (tendencies among adult users)

• Women: Higher on Facebook (+5–10 pp), Instagram (+5 pp), Pinterest (+15–20 pp), TikTok (+3–5 pp)
• Men: Higher on YouTube (+10 pp), Reddit (+10 pp), X/Twitter (+5 pp)
• Overall user base is roughly even by gender, with a slight female tilt on Facebook/Instagram and a male tilt on YouTube/Reddit

Behavioral trends in Turner County

• Community‑centric Facebook use: Heavy reliance on local Groups and Pages for school sports, churches, city/county updates, road and weather alerts, auctions, obituaries, and event coordination; Marketplace is a primary channel for local buying/selling
• Video first: YouTube for how‑tos, farm/ranch and equipment repair content, hunting/fishing, local sports streams; short‑form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives discovery for younger adults
• Messaging ecosystems: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat dominate day‑to‑day communication; group chats central for families, teams, and clubs
• Time‑of‑day patterns: Peak engagement early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekend peaks around games, fairs, and community events
• Seasonality: Winter sees higher overall scrolling; planting/harvest seasons shift activity to early morning and late evening; weather events trigger sharp spikes in local Facebook activity
• Trust and conversion: Content from known local institutions and individuals outperforms brand‑only pages; clear, local CTAs (in‑store pickup, community tie‑ins, sponsorships) lift response
• Access profile: Predominantly mobile‑first usage; rural coverage means lighter daytime video streaming in the field and higher evening Wi‑Fi use at home

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube are the county’s reach workhorses, especially for 30+ and family audiences
• Teens and under‑30s cluster on Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok; short‑form video is essential to reach them
• For broad local impact: lead with Facebook Groups/Pages and YouTube; add Instagram/TikTok for growth audiences; use Messenger/Snapchat for engagement and follow‑through