Sebastian County

Sebastian County, Arkansas — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 128,800 (2023 estimate; ~127,800 in 2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~37.2 years
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

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

• White alone: ~66%
• Black or African American alone: ~7–8%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~3%
• Asian alone: ~4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~6%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~17–18%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~58%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~49,900
• Persons per household: ~2.57
• Family households: ~64%; nonfamily: ~36%
• Married-couple households: ~45% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Homeownership rate: ~59%

Insights

• Majority White with a sizable and growing Hispanic population (~1 in 6 residents).
• Age structure is relatively young for Arkansas, with a median age just over 37.
• Household size is slightly above the state average, and homeownership is near 60%.

Sebastian County, AR (pop. 127,799; ~240 people/sq mi) has high email penetration.

• Estimated email users: ~89,000 adults (92% of ~97,000 adults).
• Age distribution of adult email users: ~20% 18–29, ~33% 30–49, ~27% 50–64, ~20% 65+ (email is near‑universal across ages, so users mirror the adult age mix).
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male, matching the county’s sex ratio; email usage is essentially equal by gender.

Digital access and trends:

• Broadband at home: about 80–85% of households subscribe; 90%+ have a computer or smartphone. Roughly 1 in 7 households are smartphone‑only for internet.
• Connectivity is strongest in the Fort Smith urban area; rural southern precincts show lower fixed‑line take‑up but widespread 4G/5G coverage supports mobile email.
• Adoption is stable to rising: smartphone ownership and fiber/5G upgrades are pushing more frequent email access, while a persistent 10–15% without home internet skews older and lower‑income.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• The county’s urban core and above‑state density support multiple fixed broadband options and typical download speeds well above the FCC’s 25/3 Mbps baseline.

Sebastian County, AR — mobile phone usage overview (2024–2025)

Headline user estimates

• Population and adult base: About 128–129 thousand residents; roughly 99 thousand adults (18+).
• Smartphone users: About 84–86 thousand adult smartphone users (≈85% adult adoption), plus an estimated 7–8 thousand teen users (13–17), for roughly 91–94 thousand total smartphone users countywide.
• Households and access: ~50 thousand households; ≈82% with fixed broadband and ≈97% with at least one mobile phone line.
• Mobile-only internet households (no fixed line at home): ≈17% of households (≈8,500), below the Arkansas average (≈20%).

Demographic breakdown of smartphone adoption and reliance (estimates)

• By age (adult smartphone adoption; county ≈85% overall)
  • 18–34: 93–96% adoption; low mobile-only reliance (≈14–16%).
  • 35–54: 90–93% adoption; moderate mobile-only reliance (≈16–18%).
  • 55–64: 78–82% adoption; higher reliance where home broadband is absent (≈20%).
  • 65+: 62–67% adoption; largest gains year-over-year as 3G sunsets and telehealth expands; mobile-only reliance concentrated among lower-income seniors.
• By income
  • Under $35k: smartphone adoption ≈80–85%, but mobile-only reliance ≈28–34%.
  • $35–75k: adoption ≈88–92%; mobile-only ≈16–20%.
  • $75k+: adoption ≈94–97%; mobile-only ≈8–12%.
• By race/ethnicity (usage tendencies)
  • Adoption is broadly high across groups; differences show up more in home broadband, not handset ownership.
  • Hispanic and Black households are more likely to be mobile-only than White non-Hispanic households, reflecting income and housing patterns; the county’s higher Hispanic share than the state average increases overall mobile-only usage in specific neighborhoods even as the county’s total mobile-only rate is lower than the state’s.

Digital infrastructure and market characteristics

• 5G footprint and quality
  • Fort Smith–Greenwood corridor: Countywide 5G availability from AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon; mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz n41; AT&T/Verizon C‑band n77) is live in and around Fort Smith, driving materially higher median speeds and capacity than much of the state.
  • Rural edges (south/east of Greenwood, isolated river-bottom tracts): Coverage falls back to LTE; capacity and indoor performance depend on low-band spectrum (600/700/850 MHz).
  • Result: Population-weighted 5G coverage is higher than the Arkansas average; geography-weighted coverage remains uneven along forested hills and low-lying river areas.
• Tower density and backhaul
  • Denser macro and small-cell siting along I‑540/US‑71, AR‑255, and commercial corridors in Fort Smith; sparser infrastructure toward the Ouachita foothills.
  • Urban fiber backhaul is robust; AT&T and regional cable/fiber providers anchor wireless backhaul resiliency in the metro core, enabling higher 5G capacity than is typical for many Arkansas counties.
• Home wireless broadband (FWA)
  • 5G fixed wireless from T‑Mobile and Verizon is widely marketable in Fort Smith and adjacent suburbs; take-up has accelerated as an alternative to legacy DSL/coax in older neighborhoods and for renters. County FWA adoption is above the state average because mid-band 5G is stronger here than in many rural counties.
• Public-safety and resiliency
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 is present; macro upgrades post‑2022 have improved emergency coverage in and around the urban core. Outages correlate with severe-weather events and river flooding; rural single‑sector sites remain the most vulnerable.

How Sebastian County differs from Arkansas overall

• Higher adoption and lower exclusion
  • Smartphone ownership is a few points higher than the statewide average, lifted by the Fort Smith urban base.
  • Households without any internet service are a few points lower than the state average; device ownership is not the primary barrier—affordability and fixed-line availability are.
• Lower mobile-only share overall, but pockets of heavy reliance
  • County mobile-only internet households ≈17% vs ≈20% statewide, yet certain lower-income, renter-heavy tracts in Fort Smith show mobile-only rates exceeding 30%.
• Better 5G capacity and FWA viability
  • Mid-band 5G penetration and fiberized backhaul in the metro area yield higher median speeds and more consistent 5G than much of Arkansas, supporting above-average adoption of 5G fixed wireless for home internet.
• Plan mix and market behavior
  • Postpaid share is moderately higher than the state average, and prepaid share lower, reflecting stronger employer-paid lines and credit access in the metro labor market. At the same time, discount and MVNO plans remain important in lower-income neighborhoods.
• Senior uptake is improving faster
  • 65+ smartphone adoption is rising quicker in Sebastian than statewide, helped by local health systems’ telehealth programs and carrier retail access in Fort Smith.

Practical implications

• Network investment continues to concentrate along the Fort Smith–Greenwood spine, widening the experience gap with rural fringes where LTE-only and low-band coverage persist.
• As the ACP wind-down reduced fixed-broadband subsidies in 2024, FWA and prepaid upgrades absorbed some demand; monitoring affordability pressure remains key for keeping mobile-only reliance from rebounding.
• The county’s demography—larger metro workforce, sizable Hispanic community, and aging population—creates distinct usage clusters: high-capacity 5G demand in the urban core, cost-sensitive mobile-only usage in renter corridors, and growing senior adoption tied to healthcare and messaging apps.

Notes on methodology

• Population and household counts are based on recent Census/ACS trajectories for Sebastian County (2019–2023 5‑year trend), rounded to practical planning figures.
• Smartphone adoption by age/income draws from recent Pew Research mobile adoption benchmarks, adjusted slightly upward for the county’s urban share relative to Arkansas overall.
• Fixed broadband and mobile-only shares align with ACS Computer and Internet Use indicators and observed FWA availability; county vs state comparisons are directionally conservative.

Sebastian County, AR social media snapshot (2025)

How these figures are built: There is no official county-level social platform census. Numbers below are modeled from the county’s population and age structure (ACS 2023), combined with the latest Pew Research Center U.S. adoption rates by platform and age. They provide realistic, decision-ready local estimates.

Headline user stats

• Population: ≈128,000
• Adults (18+): ≈97,000
• Estimated social media users age 13+: ≈78,400 (about 61% of total population; majority of adults plus most teens)

Age mix of local social media users (share of user base)

• 13–17: ~11%
• 18–29: ~19%
• 30–44: ~27%
• 45–64: ~30%
• 65+: ~14%

Gender breakdown of local social media users

• Women: ~52%
• Men: ~48%

Most-used platforms Among adults (share of adult residents; approximate local counts shown for scale):

• YouTube: 83% (80,500 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (66,000)
• Instagram: 47% (45,600)
• Pinterest: 35% (34,000)
• TikTok: 33% (32,000)
• LinkedIn: 30% (29,100)
• Snapchat: 30% (29,100)
• X (Twitter): 22% (21,300)
• Reddit: 22% (21,300)
• WhatsApp: 21% (20,400)

Among teens 13–17 (share of teens):

• YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~67%, Instagram ~62%, Snapchat ~60%, Facebook ~33%, X ~20%, Reddit ~20%

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: city/county info, school and church groups, local news, Marketplace, events, and fundraisers dominate. Engagement skews 30+ and 65+.
• YouTube is the research and how‑to channel: DIY, product comparisons, home/auto, outdoor and hunting/fishing content draw strong watch time across all ages.
• Short-form video wins under 35: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for local food, events, family activities, and small businesses; creator-style, face-forward videos outperform polished ads.
• Snapchat is peer-to-peer for teens: strongest for quick updates, sports/pep rallies, and friend networks; limited brand recall unless hyperlocal.
• Pinterest strong among women 25–54: recipes, home, crafts, holidays; effective for retail, decor, and seasonal promotions.
• LinkedIn is niche but useful: concentrated in healthcare, education, logistics, and manufacturing management; employer branding and hiring perform better than product ads.
• Messaging behavior: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp use rises within Hispanic/Latino communities; quick-response expectations for local businesses.
• Timing: Evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekend mid-days see consistent peaks; school-year calendars and high‑school sports noticeably shift local attention patterns.
• Creative levers that perform: localized offers, giveaways, before/after visuals, staff spotlights, Spanish/English bilingual posts, and participation in active community groups.
• Platform roles in the funnel:
  • Awareness: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram Reels, TikTok
  • Consideration: YouTube long-form, Facebook posts/comments, Instagram carousels
  • Conversion: Facebook/Instagram click-to-message or click-to-call, Facebook Marketplace for retail, Pinterest for planned purchases

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube dominate overall reach in Sebastian County.
• Under 35: prioritize Instagram Reels/TikTok; teens are heaviest on YouTube/Snapchat/TikTok.
• Women 25–54: add Pinterest for meaningful incremental reach.
• X and Reddit remain niche; use for targeted interest communities rather than broad reach.
• Keep content local, visual, and timely; leverage groups, events, and messaging for the highest response.