tribalgeo
North Dakota / AIANNHCE 1160 / Federally-recognized area

Fort Berthold

The full tribal profile includes the report map, demographic tables, broadband tables, FCC provider sections, and interactive charts.

100.0%25/3 availability
100.0%100/20 availability
0.0%1000/100 availability
9Fixed providers
FargoBismarckGrand ForksTribal boundary detail47.7697°N, 102.2968°W1,319.13 sq mi
Figure 1. Location of Fort Berthold within North Dakota, with boundary detail (inset).

About the Tribal Area

Spans about 1319 square miles of land plus roughly 263.5 square miles of water in North Dakota, Fort Berthold Reservation serves as the core reservation for this federally recognized tribe. FCC BDC records show 9 fixed providers and 3 mobile providers across roughly 6,662 service locations, with current availability of 100.0% at 25/3 Mbps, 100.0% at 100/20, and 100.0% at 1000/100.

Tribal Area Description

Located in North Dakota, Fort Berthold is a federally recognized tribe with reservation lands. The land base is relevant for broadband planning due to rural service coverage and middle-mile access constraints.

Website Summary: www.mhanation.com

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, is located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in central North Dakota. MHA Nation invites you to visit the Fort Berthold Reservation and learn more about our government, culture and history. The MHA Nation Tribal Business Council is comprised of six Segment Representatives and the Tribal Chairman. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation is governed by a Tribal Council consisting of six Segment Representatives and a Chairman elected by MHA Nation Tribal Members. We offer a range of tribal services to help support and enhance the well-being of our community members. Available positions for MHA Nation and other tribal organizations are listed below. The reservation consists of 988,000 acres, of which 457,837 acres are owned by Native Americans, either as individual allotments or communally by the tribe.

Table 1. Demographics

Indicator201920202021202220232024
Population7,2197,1937,5447,4837,3147,267
Households2,1112,3252,4412,4952,7282,829
Median age30.931.530.931.633.034.5
Male / Female51.1% / 48.9%50.3% / 49.7%51.4% / 48.6%51.3% / 48.7%50.5% / 49.5%48.3% / 51.7%
Avg. household size3.393.073.072.972.642.52
Pop. density (per sq mi)5.55.55.75.75.55.5
HH density (per sq mi)1.61.81.91.92.12.1

Table 2. Economic & Education

Indicator201920202021202220232024
Median household income$66,042$54,696$60,929$61,230$63,320$61,645
Per capita income$27,664$26,510$27,951$29,773$33,372$33,622
Poverty rate19.1%18.9%21.1%21.0%20.1%23.5%
Unemployment rate7.1%5.4%4.9%4.0%2.9%2.4%
HS diploma or higher67.0%64.1%64.7%64.9%65.3%65.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher21.1%22.0%22.3%24.5%25.1%25.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Queried by AIANNHCE code. Population and household density are calculated from Census population or households divided by land area in square miles.

Table 3. Download/Upload Speeds (Mbps)

PeriodDownloadUpload
2019Q194.1 Mbps107.3 Mbps
2019Q263.3 Mbps68.3 Mbps
2019Q398.1 Mbps116.6 Mbps
2019Q495.9 Mbps105.4 Mbps
2020Q191.0 Mbps92.6 Mbps
2020Q295.0 Mbps100.5 Mbps
2020Q382.5 Mbps77.9 Mbps
2020Q470.4 Mbps77.8 Mbps
2021Q1110.2 Mbps123.4 Mbps
2021Q2107.9 Mbps92.6 Mbps
2021Q3207.4 Mbps197.3 Mbps
2021Q4177.7 Mbps163.8 Mbps
2022Q1150.4 Mbps145.6 Mbps
2022Q2139.7 Mbps133.3 Mbps
2022Q3157.2 Mbps135.1 Mbps
2022Q4222.5 Mbps193.5 Mbps
2023Q1183.9 Mbps179.4 Mbps
2023Q2154.3 Mbps151.9 Mbps
2023Q3153.4 Mbps139.0 Mbps
2023Q4222.1 Mbps209.7 Mbps
2024Q1216.8 Mbps195.7 Mbps
2024Q2175.9 Mbps154.8 Mbps
2024Q3209.0 Mbps169.7 Mbps

Table 4. Coverage by Tier (%)

Year25/3100/201 Gbps
201588.8%85.3%73.3%
201689.5%88.5%76.4%
201790.8%89.9%78.4%
201890.9%90.9%83.3%
201990.8%90.8%83.2%
202092.2%92.1%84.5%
2021100.0%100.0%100.0%
202293.3%84.9%77.1%
2023100.0%100.0%100.0%
2024100.0%100.0%0.0%

Table 5. Adoption (%)

YearAll householdsLow-income households
201752.0%48.5%
201857.3%49.0%
201961.3%52.9%
202067.4%56.9%
202168.2%58.2%
202270.0%58.5%
202369.5%61.4%
202468.0%74.0%

Table 6. Current Status (2024, %)

TierCoverage
25/3 Mbps100.0%
100/20 Mbps100.0%
1 Gbps0.0%

Table 7. Comparison with National Averages (%)

MetricTribalNational
25/3 Mbps100.0%92%
100/20 Mbps100.0%85%
Adoption68.0%78%

Sources: FCC Broadband Data Collection, Ookla Open Data Initiative, and U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates. National benchmarks are carried over from the report comparison section.

Figure 2. Speed Trends (2019–2024)

Figure 3. Availability (2015–2025)

Figure 4. Adoption (2017–2024)

Figure 5. Current Status (2024)

Figure 6. Comparison with National Averages

Figure 7. Fixed Coverage by Technology (25/3 Mbps)

Figure 8. Mobile Area Coverage

Notes: speed trends reflect quarterly mean throughput. Availability shows the share of population with access. Tooltips on the charts expose the underlying values for each series.

Table 8. Broadband Provider Summary

MetricValue
Fixed broadband providers9
Mobile broadband providers3
Broadband serviceable locations6,662

Table 9. Broadband Providers

FixedMobile
AT&T Inc.AT&T Inc.
Consolidated TelcomT-Mobile USA, Inc.
T-Mobile USA, Inc.Verizon Communications Inc.
EchoStar Corporation
Reservation Telephone Cooperative
Verizon Communications Inc.
West River Telecommunications Cooperative
Viasat, Inc.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Table 10. Fixed Coverage by Technology (% of locations)

Technology25/3100/20250/251 Gbps
Any Technology100.0%100.0%100.0%87.7%
Fiber87.7%87.7%87.7%87.7%
Cable0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Fixed Wireless22.1%15.8%0.0%0.0%
Copper (DSL)12.3%6.0%0.0%0.0%
Satellite100.0%100.0%100.0%0.0%

Table 11. Mobile Coverage (% of area)

TechnologyCoverage
4G LTE93.5%
5G-NR (Speed Tier 1)66.3%
5G-NR (Speed Tier 2)50.2%
Total area (sq mi)4,022.648

Table 8. Coverage by Tier and Technology (% of locations)

Dec. 2022
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless56.125.625.615.50.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
All Wired94.994.994.988.683.283.2
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless96.395.095.088.683.283.2
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.083.283.2
Any Terrestrial96.395.095.088.683.283.2
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber83.283.283.283.283.283.2
Copper11.811.811.85.50.00.0
Fiber83.283.283.283.283.283.2
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless56.125.625.615.50.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0
June 2023
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless28.722.122.116.20.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
All Wired100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Terrestrial100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Copper11.711.711.75.50.00.0
Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless28.722.122.116.20.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Dec. 2023
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless21.015.315.39.90.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
All Wired100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Terrestrial100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Copper12.312.312.35.90.00.0
Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless21.015.315.39.90.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0
June 2024
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless21.118.418.412.60.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
All Wired100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Terrestrial100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Copper12.212.212.26.00.00.0
Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless21.118.418.412.60.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Dec. 2024
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless25.124.324.320.00.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
All Wired100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Any Terrestrial100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Copper12.312.312.35.90.00.0
Fiber100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless25.124.324.320.00.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.00.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0
June 2025
Technology2/210/125/3100/20250/251000/100
All Fixed Wireless24.022.122.115.80.00.0
All Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.0100.00.0
All Wired100.0100.0100.093.687.787.7
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless100.0100.0100.093.687.787.7
Any Technology100.0100.0100.0100.0100.087.7
Any Terrestrial100.0100.0100.093.687.787.7
Cable0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Cable/Fiber87.787.787.787.787.787.7
Copper12.312.312.36.00.00.0
Fiber87.787.787.787.787.787.7
GSO Satellite100.0100.0100.00.00.00.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless24.022.122.115.80.00.0
NGSO Satellite100.0100.0100.0100.0100.00.0
Other0.00.00.00.00.00.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless0.00.00.00.00.00.0

FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC), June 2025 filing vintage. Coverage values show the share of residential broadband serviceable locations by technology and speed tier across D22, J23, D23, J24, D24, and J25 filings.

Source: FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC), June 2025 Filing (J25). Fixed coverage shows the share of residential broadband serviceable locations, and mobile coverage shows the share of tribal land area.