Sevier County

Key demographics — Sevier County, Arkansas

Population size

• Total population: 15,839 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~34–35 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~29%
• 18–64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; Hispanic is of any race)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~50%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~39–40%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~1–2%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): <1%
• Two or more races/Other (non-Hispanic): ~5–6%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~5,200
• Average household size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~72–73% of households
• Married-couple households: ~53–55% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~40%
• Nonfamily households: ~27–28% (living alone ~23–24%)
• Housing tenure: owner-occupied ~68%, renter-occupied ~32%

Insights

• Sevier County has one of the highest Hispanic/Latino population shares in Arkansas.
• The county skews younger than the state overall, with larger-than-average household sizes, reflecting the prevalence of family households.

Sevier County, AR snapshot (2020 pop. ≈17,100; ~29 people/sq. mile; county seat: De Queen)

Estimated email users

• Adults ≈13,000; email adoption ≈88–92% → 11,500–12,000 adult users

Age distribution of email use (percent of adults in each group who use email; based on recent U.S./rural benchmarks applied locally)

• 18–29: ~93–96%
• 30–49: ~94–97%
• 50–64: ~88–92%
• 65+: ~75–82%

Gender split

• Roughly even; negligible gap in usage. Expect ~50% female, ~50% male among users

Digital access and usage trends

• Household internet: roughly mid‑70s to low‑80s percent with a broadband subscription; ~85–90% with a computer device
• Smartphone‑only internet: about 10–15% of households rely primarily on mobile data
• Email remains a core communication channel for work, schools, and services; daily‑use rates highest among 30–64 and employed adults

Local density/connectivity facts

• Low population density means fixed broadband is strongest in and around De Queen and along main corridors; service quality drops in outlying areas, increasing reliance on mobile data
• Public Wi‑Fi (libraries/schools) helps fill gaps; incremental fiber builds and state/federal investments are improving coverage year over year

Notes: Estimates synthesized from 2020 Census/ACS county indicators and current Pew/U.S. rural adoption rates.

Sevier County, Arkansas: mobile-phone usage snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

Scope and sources

• Figures are best-available 2020 Census and 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS)–based county estimates, combined with standard U.S. adoption benchmarks to size mobile users. Values are rounded to whole numbers for clarity.

Population and user estimates

• Population: about 17,000 residents; roughly 12,000 are adults 18+.
• Mobile phone users (all types, adults): approximately 11,200–11,600.
• Smartphone users (adults): approximately 10,000–10,500.
• Households: about 5,800–6,100.
• Households with at least one smartphone: roughly 5,100–5,400.
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data without a fixed home broadband subscription): about 1,200–1,400.

How Sevier County differs from Arkansas overall

• Higher mobile-first dependence
  • Smartphone-only internet is meaningfully higher than the Arkansas average. County estimate: about 20–25% of households rely primarily on cellular data vs roughly mid‑teens statewide.
  • Implication: heavier use of unlimited or high‑cap mobile plans, more hotspotting, and greater sensitivity to cellular coverage and capacity.
• Younger and more Hispanic than the state
  • Sevier has one of Arkansas’s highest Hispanic/Latino shares (around one‑third of residents, compared with single‑digit percent statewide), and a slightly younger median age than the state average. Both correlate with higher smartphone adoption and app-centric communication, with above‑average usage of messaging and social platforms and higher bilingual (English/Spanish) mobile use.
• Lower income, higher prepaid mix
  • Median household income trails the state average. In practice this raises the share of prepaid and value MVNO subscriptions and increases the incidence of smartphone‑only households, especially in rural tracts.
• Rural signal realities
  • Compared with statewide urban corridors, Sevier experiences more pockets of weak indoor coverage and rural dead zones. Low‑band 5G and 4G LTE cover the populated corridors, but performance degrades faster off‑corridor than in Arkansas’s metro counties.

Demographic breakdown linked to usage

• Age
  • Adults 18–49: high smartphone penetration (well over 90%), driving most mobile data consumption.
  • Adults 50–64: solid smartphone adoption, but more mixed use of fixed broadband vs mobile‑only.
  • Seniors 65+: lower smartphone adoption than younger groups; however, in Sevier the gap vs state is narrower because fixed broadband availability and affordability are more constrained, nudging seniors toward cellular plans.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • Large Hispanic population is associated with higher mobile-first behavior, heavier use of WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger, and greater need for affordable, high‑data plans.
• Income and education
  • Lower incomes and lower four-year degree attainment than the state average correspond to a larger prepaid and MVNO footprint and higher sensitivity to device financing and plan pricing.

Digital infrastructure and performance notes

• Cellular networks
  • AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide 4G LTE, with low‑band 5G present primarily along US‑71/US‑70, in and around De Queen and other population centers. Capacity drops in forested and hilly areas away from highways.
  • FirstNet coverage (AT&T) improves public‑safety and spillover consumer coverage on major corridors and town centers.
• Fixed broadband context that shapes mobile use
  • Cable/fiber availability is more limited outside town cores than the statewide average; DSL and fixed wireless/satellite fill gaps. This constraint materially increases the share of smartphone‑only households compared with Arkansas overall.
  • Public Wi‑Fi is concentrated in schools, libraries, and municipal buildings; scarcity elsewhere elevates mobile data reliance.
• Reliability and emergency connectivity
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts are active; weather‑driven outages and power‑dependent tower backhaul can intermittently affect rural service more than in metro Arkansas.

Key takeaways

• Sevier County’s mobile landscape is more “mobile‑first” than Arkansas as a whole: a larger share of households rely on smartphones for home internet, prepaid/MVNO use is higher, and coverage quality is more variable away from corridors.
• Demographics—especially a sizable Hispanic community and a younger age profile—push smartphone adoption and data use above what county income levels alone would predict.
• Network investments that expand low‑band 5G reach, add mid‑band 5G capacity in town centers, and extend fiber or fixed wireless to rural tracts would disproportionately benefit Sevier compared with typical Arkansas counties, by directly reducing the county’s elevated smartphone‑only dependence.

Sevier County, AR — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

How these figures were derived

• County-level platform usage is not directly measured; the percentages below reflect best-available estimates by applying recent US platform adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) to Sevier County’s demographic profile. Teen figures use Pew’s 2023 teen survey.

Overall reach

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72% of adults
• Mobile-first behavior: >90% of social access is via smartphones (consistent with national usage in rural markets)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• Pinterest: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• X (Twitter): ~23%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Reddit: ~20%

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): YouTube (93%), Instagram (62%), TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%); Facebook (~33%). Heavy short‑video and messaging use, high daily frequency.
• Young adults (18–29): Near-universal YouTube; strong Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook for events/groups more than posting; Reddit present; X moderate.
• Adults (30–49): Facebook + Messenger and YouTube dominate; Instagram strong; TikTok rising; Pinterest active for home/food; LinkedIn present among white‑collar workers.
• Adults (50–64): Facebook and YouTube primary; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing as a passive video feed; Snapchat minimal.
• Seniors (65+): Facebook and YouTube lead; limited use of other platforms.

Gender breakdown (usage tendencies)

• Overall population is roughly balanced by gender; social usage skews mirror national patterns:
  • Women: More likely to use Facebook and Pinterest; strong Instagram participation.
  • Men: More likely to use YouTube and Reddit; X (Twitter) slightly male-leaning.
  • Facebook and Instagram are broadly balanced in total reach.

Behavioral trends in Sevier County

• Facebook is the local hub:
  • Facebook Groups for schools, churches, civic notices, youth sports, and buy/sell (Marketplace) see the highest engagement.
  • Local businesses rely on Facebook Events and boosted posts for reach.
• Video-first consumption:
  • YouTube for how‑to, outdoors, farming/ranching, hunting/fishing, DIY, and product research.
  • Short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives discovery; cross‑posting the same creative across reels/shorts performs well.
• Messaging ecosystems:
  • Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; group chats organize family, work shifts, and teams.
  • WhatsApp usage is meaningful within bilingual/immigrant households for family networks and community updates.
• Language and community:
  • A sizable Hispanic/Latino community increases demand for bilingual (English/Spanish) content; posts with Spanish captions or subtitles achieve higher shares in community groups.
• Commerce and recommendations:
  • Marketplace and local swap groups influence purchase decisions for vehicles, equipment, furniture, and services.
  • Reviews and neighbor recommendations in groups often outweigh brand advertising.
• Timing and cadence:
  • Engagement peaks before work/school (early morning), at lunch, and in evening prime time; weekends see strong activity for events and Marketplace.
• Connectivity-aware content:
  • Short, captioned videos and lightweight images perform better where bandwidth is limited; live video works best when pre-announced and saved for replay.

Actionable implications

• Lead with Facebook (Pages, Groups, Events, Messenger) and YouTube; amplify via Instagram and TikTok for under‑40 reach.
• Use short, captioned videos; post bilingually where relevant; lean on community groups and Marketplace for local conversion.
• Schedule posts around morning and evening peaks; repurpose short‑form video across Reels/TikTok/Shorts for efficient reach.

Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use (Adults, 2023) and Teens, Social Media and Technology (2023); usage tendencies are applied to Sevier County’s demographic context using U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 patterns.