Pend Oreille County

Pend Oreille County, Washington — key demographics

Population size

• 13,401 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: about 50 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~27%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White alone: ~86%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~5%
• Asian alone: ~0.5%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.3%
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~5,700
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~38% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• Households with someone age 65+: ~40%

Notes

• Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census and 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5‑year estimates). Small-population counties can see modest year-to-year variation in ACS estimates.

• Population and density: Pend Oreille County has about 14,000 residents spread over ~1,400 sq mi (≈9–10 people per sq mi), making service delivery highly rural.
• Estimated email users: ~10,300 residents use email regularly (≈90% of adults). Adult population ≈82% of residents.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate):
  • 18–29: ~1,300
  • 30–49: ~2,700
  • 50–64: ~2,500
  • 65+: ~2,100 Email use remains very high across ages but tapers modestly among 65+.
• Gender split: ~51% male, ~49% female among residents and email users.
• Digital access and devices:
  • Computer access: ~85% of households have a computer.
  • Home broadband subscription: ~74–78% of households; ~12–15% have no home internet.
  • Smartphone-only internet: ~7–10% of households, higher in lower-income and remote areas.
• Connectivity realities and trends:
  • Broadband coverage is strongest in and around towns (e.g., Newport and main corridors) and weaker in remote valleys and forested terrain, with gaps in mobile coverage.
  • Low housing density and rugged topography increase build-out costs, sustaining reliance on DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite outside town centers.
  • Trend: gradual gains in broadband subscriptions and speeds, but adoption lags persist among seniors and low-income households.

Mobile phone usage in Pend Oreille County, Washington — 2024 snapshot

What the numbers look like (modeled 2024 estimates)

• Population baseline: ≈13,800 residents; ≈11,200 adults (ACS 2022 5-year; rounded).
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile): ≈9,300 adults, about 83% of adults and 67% of total residents when including teens 12–17.
• Smartphone users:
  • Adults: ≈8,500 (≈76% of adults).
  • Teens 12–17: ≈790.
  • Total 12+ smartphone users: ≈9,300 (≈67% of all residents).
• Households with at least one smartphone: ≈4,900 of ≈5,700 households (≈86%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband): ≈1,000 households (≈18%).
• Prepaid vs. postpaid: prepaid lines ≈35–40% of the mobile base, materially above Washington statewide (~22–25%).
• Device mix: smartphones ≈88–90% of active handsets; feature phones ≈10–12%, concentrated among seniors.

Demographic breakdown (ownership and usage tendencies)

• By age (adult smartphone ownership):
  • 18–29: ≈95%
  • 30–49: ≈95%
  • 50–64: ≈85%
  • 65+: ≈70% This skews lower than statewide, driven by an older age profile and rural characteristics.
• By income:
  • <$35k households show smartphone ownership in the mid–70s to low–80s percent range and are much more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet.
  • ≥$75k households are near-saturation (mid– to high–90s) and more likely to have multiple lines per household.
• By geography:
  • Highest adoption and multicarrier choice in and around Newport/Oldtown and along the Pend Oreille River corridor (Cusick–Usk–Ione).
  • Lower adoption and more feature-phone retention in sparsely populated northern areas (Sullivan Lake/Metaline Falls) and mountainous pockets with weaker indoor coverage.
• Tribal communities:
  • Kalispel Tribe members benefit from targeted fixed-wireless/fiber projects; mobile usage rates track the county average but rely more on Wi‑Fi calling where macro coverage is inconsistent.

Digital infrastructure and network performance

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • 4G LTE is the baseline almost countywide along major corridors (US‑2, SR‑20/31). 5G is present primarily as low-band “extended” layers; mid-band 5G (n41/n77) is concentrated near Newport and a few town centers.
  • Expect notable coverage gaps in forested canyons, ridge-shadowed areas of the Selkirk Mountains, and near the Canadian border.
• Carrier positioning (share of primary lines; rough order-of-magnitude):
  • Verizon: leading share (≈45–55%) on the strength of rural LTE and low-band 5G footprint.
  • AT&T: mid-tier share (≈20–30%), bolstered by FirstNet buildouts along key corridors.
  • T‑Mobile: mid-tier share (≈20–30%); extensive 600 MHz coverage, with stronger mid-band 5G mainly in Newport and contiguous towns.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • The Pend Oreille PUD and regional middle-mile (e.g., NOANet/Zayo) provide fiber along the river corridor and through Newport, enabling higher-capacity sites where available. Outside these routes, microwave backhaul remains common and constrains cell capacity.
• Border effects:
  • Proximity to British Columbia introduces occasional cross-border roaming/handovers in northern valleys; handset network selection settings matter for bill shock avoidance.
• Typical real-world speeds:
  • LTE/low-band 5G: roughly 10–50 Mbps downlink in much of the county; mid-band 5G where present can deliver 100–300 Mbps in town cores. Uplink is often 2–15 Mbps, with larger drops indoors in fringe areas.

How Pend Oreille County differs from Washington state

• Adoption level: overall adult smartphone adoption is lower (≈76% vs. low‑ to mid‑80s statewide), with a noticeably larger 65+ gap (≈70% vs. ≈80+% statewide).
• Plan mix: prepaid penetration is 10–15 percentage points higher than the state average, reflecting price sensitivity and credit frictions.
• Smartphone-only households: materially higher share (≈18% vs. ≈10–12% statewide), tied to patchy fixed broadband and cost considerations.
• Network makeup: coverage relies more on LTE and low-band 5G, with sparse mid-band 5G compared with Puget Sound, Spokane, and the I‑5 corridor.
• Experience variability: greater day-to-day variability in signal quality and speeds due to terrain, longer inter-site distances, and microwave backhaul on outlying cells.

Operational and market insights

• Seniors and low-income segments drive the remaining adoption headroom; programs that bundle affordable devices with reliable Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters have outsized impact.
• Adding or upgrading mid-band 5G sites in Newport, Cusick/Usk, Ione, and Metaline Falls would close the biggest performance gaps and reduce prepaid churn.
• Fiber-fed densification along the river corridor and high-use recreation zones (Sullivan Lake, SR‑20/31) is the highest-return infrastructure move; microwave-to-fiber backhaul swaps will unlock significant uplink and capacity gains.
• Border-aware roaming controls and consumer education reduce unexpected charges and improve satisfaction in the northern tier.

Notes on methodology

• County counts are modeled from ACS 2022 population/household structure combined with national smartphone ownership rates by age/income (Pew Research) and rural/urban differentials, adjusted to Pend Oreille’s older age profile and rural characteristics. Carrier positioning and technology mix reflect publicly known rural buildout patterns in eastern Washington and observed differences between low-band and mid-band 5G deployment outside metro areas.

Social media usage in Pend Oreille County, WA (2025 snapshot)

Overview

• Rural, older-leaning county; usage patterns resemble rural U.S. and Eastern WA. County-level platform data is not directly published, so figures below are planning-grade estimates derived from 2024 Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption rates, adjusted for the county’s older age mix and rural profile.

User stats

• Adults using at least one social platform: 70–75% of adults
• Daily social media users: ~45–50% of adults (about two-thirds of social users)
• Heavy users (3+ platforms monthly): ~30–35% of adults
• Teen usage (13–17): ~95% on at least one platform; daily use is the norm

Age-group profile (share using any social media)

• 13–17: ~95%+
• 18–29: ~90%+
• 30–49: ~80–85%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~50–55%

Gender breakdown

• Overall usage: Women slightly higher than men by ~3–5 percentage points
• Platform skew: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X

Most-used platforms among local adults (modeled share using each at least monthly)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 60–70%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• TikTok: 25–35%
• Snapchat: 20–30%
• LinkedIn: 15–25%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 10–15% Notes:
• Facebook and YouTube lead due to older demographic and community-group reliance.
• Instagram and TikTok trail national averages slightly because of the county’s older age mix.
• LinkedIn is lower than statewide averages given the local industry mix.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first Facebook usage: Local news, school and sports updates, wildfire and weather alerts, buy/sell groups, lost-and-found, and civic discussions see the highest engagement.
• Marketplace matters: Facebook Marketplace is a primary channel for local commerce, services, and seasonal equipment.
• Video for DIY and outdoors: YouTube is heavily used for how-to content (home, homesteading, small engines), hunting/fishing, and local recreation.
• Short-form growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels usage is rising among under-40s and small businesses for quick promos and place-based content.
• Messaging preference: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are dominant for day-to-day communication; WhatsApp is niche and often tied to family ties outside the area.
• Local institutions on Facebook: City, county, schools, utilities, and public safety typically publish first on Facebook; emergency engagement spikes during fire season and winter storms.
• Mobile-first, evening peaks: Most access is via smartphones, with engagement peaking evenings and weekends.
• Privacy and groups: Older users favor closed Facebook Groups; younger users lean on ephemeral content (Stories, Snaps) and private chats.

Practical takeaways

• To reach the broadest local audience: prioritize Facebook (Page + Groups + Marketplace) and YouTube (how-to or community video).
• To reach under-40s: add Instagram Reels and TikTok; use vertical video and location tags.
• For women 30–64: include Pinterest for seasonal, DIY, and local shopping content.
• Use evening/weekend posting, cross-post emergency/service updates to Facebook first, and keep video under 60 seconds for strongest reach on short-form platforms.