Crawford County

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Email usage snapshot: Crawford County, Arkansas

• Estimated email users: ~50,000 (out of ~62,000 residents). Based on ~80–85% internet adoption locally and near‑universal email use among internet users.
• Age mix of email users (approx.): 18–34: ~30%; 35–54: ~35–38%; 55–64: ~14–16%; 65+: ~18–20%. Younger and mid‑career adults show near‑saturation; seniors somewhat lower but rising.
• Gender split: ~50/50 (county population is roughly evenly split; email use shows minimal gender gap).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription estimated in the mid-to-high 70% range; 15–20% of households are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Best fixed broadband (cable/fiber and 5G) along the I‑40 corridor (Van Buren, Alma); northern/rural tracts see more DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite reliance and lower speeds.
  • Public libraries, schools, and municipal hotspots supplement access in lower‑connectivity areas.
• Local density/connectivity context: Population is concentrated in and around Van Buren/Alma with large rural areas toward the Ozark foothills; FCC maps show high availability of 25/3 Mbps service in populated corridors but patchier access to 100/20 Mbps in sparsely populated tracts.

Notes: Estimates derived from ACS/FCC availability patterns and national/rural email adoption research (e.g., Pew).

Summary Crawford County’s mobile use looks like a “two‑track” market: strong 4G/5G adoption and performance along the I‑40/I‑49/Van Buren–Alma corridor (tied into the Fort Smith metro), but more coverage gaps and mobile‑only internet reliance in the northern, mountainous parts of the county. That split makes its trends differ from Arkansas overall, where many rural counties show uniformly weaker coverage and higher mobile‑only dependence.

User estimates (orders of magnitude, rounded)

• Population base: ~62–64k residents; ~47–49k adults.
• Smartphone users: ~40–47k people (most adults and many teens). Expect adoption around the Arkansas average or slightly higher in the Van Buren/Alma areas, slightly lower in the far north.
• Any mobile phone users (including basic phones): ~50–57k.
• Households using cellular data for home internet: countywide share likely mid‑teens percent; materially lower in the cable/fiber‑served corridor, higher in the northern rural zones.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Urban/suburban vs rural split: Van Buren/Alma (denser, commuter‑oriented) show higher 5G device penetration, more bundled postpaid plans, and more video streaming on mobile; northern townships show older devices, more prepaid, and voice/text‑centric use where coverage is spotty.
• Age: Younger households in the south/central corridor are heavy mobile data users; older populations north of I‑40 have lower smartphone adoption and are more likely to keep landlines or rely on shared devices.
• Income: Lower‑income households are more likely to be “mobile‑primary” for internet (smartphone + hotspot) but will switch to fixed broadband where new fiber/cable has arrived; this produces lower mobile‑only rates in the corridor than typical for Arkansas.
• Race/ethnicity: A somewhat higher share of Hispanic households than the state average in school‑age families contributes to strong smartphone and messaging app use; language‑inclusive prepaid offers are common in retail along the I‑40 strip.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage pattern: 4G LTE is broad; 5G is strongest along I‑40/I‑49, Van Buren, Alma, and near the river. Pockets of weak service persist in the Ozark foothills and valleys north of Mountainburg.
• 5G specifics: T‑Mobile mid‑band 5G covers most populated corridors; AT&T and Verizon offer countywide low‑band with mid‑band/c‑band concentrated near Fort Smith/Van Buren. This yields better 5G availability than many rural Arkansas counties.
• Backhaul and fiber: Cable (e.g., Cox) and telco/fiber (e.g., AT&T) in Van Buren/Alma; electric‑co‑op fiber builds (e.g., Arkansas Valley Electric’s Wave Rural Connect) have extended northward. More fiber backhaul to towers has improved peak speeds and capacity.
• Public/anchor connectivity: Schools, libraries, and city facilities in Van Buren/Alma provide robust Wi‑Fi that offloads mobile traffic; fewer anchors up north mean heavier reliance on cellular where available.
• Emergency networks: FirstNet/AT&T upgrades along highways and key public‑safety sites have added band 14 capacity, improving rural reliability compared with nearby counties.

What’s different from Arkansas overall

• Less uniformly rural: Crawford shows metro‑adjacent performance in the south/central corridor and only rural‑like constraints in the far north; many Arkansas counties are consistently rural across their footprint.
• Lower mobile‑only internet share in population centers: Because cable/fiber is widely available around Van Buren/Alma, mobile‑only households are fewer there than the state average; the county average is pulled up only by the mountainous areas.
• Better 5G availability where people live and travel: Interstate adjacency and Fort Smith spillover create above‑average 5G coverage and speeds versus typical rural Arkansas.
• Commute‑driven usage: Daytime demand clusters along I‑40/I‑49 and near Fort Smith employment centers; that pattern is stronger than in counties without a large metro next door.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Figures are estimates synthesized from recent ACS device/Internet adoption patterns, carrier coverage footprints, and local infrastructure buildouts; precise, current county‑level mobile metrics aren’t published publicly. Use ranges for planning, and validate with the latest ACS S2801 tables, FCC coverage maps, and carrier 5G build notes for final decisions.

Crawford County, AR social media snapshot (short, estimate-based)

How many users

• Population: ~63,000; adults (18+): ~48,000.
• Internet access: ~75–80% of households; smartphone adoption ~80–85% of adults.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~36,000–40,000 (≈75–83% of adults).

Most-used platforms (share of adults; county-level estimates from national/rural benchmarks)

• YouTube: 78–85% (≈37k–41k adults). Daily for music, how‑to, news clips, sports.
• Facebook: 65–72% (≈31k–34k). Most community/news interaction; Marketplace dominant.
• Instagram: 35–45% (≈17k–22k). Strong among under 40, especially women.
• TikTok: 28–35% (≈13k–17k). Fast growth; short local videos, humor, DIY.
• Pinterest: 25–32% (≈12k–15k). Recipes, crafts, home, event planning; female‑skewed.
• Snapchat: 20–28% (≈10k–13k). Heavy daily use among teens/20s.
• X/Twitter: 12–18% (≈6k–9k). Niche: sports, news, civic watchers.
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (≈6k–9k). Professional/commuters to Fort Smith; light local chatter.

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): Snapchat/TikTok/YouTube dominant; IG moderate; FB minimal except for teams/schools. Group chats drive most sharing.
• 18–29: YouTube, IG, TikTok daily; Snapchat frequent; FB used for events/family and Marketplace.
• 30–49: FB is hub (schools, youth sports, church, buy/sell); IG for stories/reels; YouTube for how‑to; Pinterest common; TikTok growing.
• 50–64: FB + YouTube core; Pinterest some; TikTok adoption rising via reels cross‑posts; follow local news/weather pages.
• 65+: FB first, YouTube second; Messenger for family; prefer longer comments, local updates.

Gender notes (directional)

• Women: Slightly higher use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok; strong in groups (parent/yard sale/church), events, shopping/Marketplace.
• Men: Higher on YouTube, X/Reddit; sports, outdoors, auto, DIY, farming/ranch content.

Local behavioral trends

• Community-first: High engagement with school districts, booster clubs, youth sports, churches, city/county and Fort Smith–area media pages.
• Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups are major traffic drivers; local deals outperform brand content.
• Short vertical video wins: Reels/TikTok for highlights, behind‑the‑scenes, how‑to, weather and road updates.
• Trust = known faces: Posts from recognizable locals, coaches, pastors, and small business owners outperform polished brand creatives.
• Event-driven spikes: County fair, festivals, ball seasons, severe weather; “what’s happening this weekend” posts do well.
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is the default for customer questions and group coordination; WhatsApp is niche.
• Timing: Evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends see the highest local engagement.
• Language/access: A meaningful Hispanic population (~9–11%); bilingual posts and captions help reach families.

Notes and method

• Percentages are estimates adapted from recent Pew Research Center platform adoption, rural usage patterns, and ACS/Census age mix for Crawford County. Treat as directional for planning, not audited counts.