Oregon County

Oregon County, Missouri — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 8,635

Age (latest ACS 5-year)

• Median age: ~47 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~24%
• Under 5: ~5%

Gender (2020/ACS)

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~94%
• Black or African American: ~0–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households and housing (latest ACS 5-year)

• Households: ~3.6k
• Persons per household: ~2.4
• Family households: ~60–65% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78–80%

Insights

• Small, rural county with a predominantly White population.
• Older age structure with roughly one in four residents 65+, indicating aging demographics.
• Household sizes are modest and homeownership is high, typical of rural Missouri counties.

Oregon County, MO email usage (modeled from U.S. Census/ACS, Pew Research, and FCC data)

• Population and users: ~8,600 residents; ~6,800 adults. Estimated adult email users: 5,900–6,200 (≈86–91% of adults), reflecting high national email adoption tempered by rural internet access.
• Age profile (share of adults using email): 18–34: ~93–97%; 35–54: ~92–95%; 55–64: ~88–92%; 65+: ~78–85%. The county’s older age structure means a larger portion of users are 55+ than urban averages.
• Gender split among users: roughly even (≈49–51% male, 49–51% female).
• Digital access trends: Household broadband subscription is below the Missouri average, with elevated reliance on smartphone-only access. Email is commonly accessed via mobile data and public Wi‑Fi (libraries/schools). Fixed broadband availability and speeds are strongest in and around Alton/Thayer and along US‑63; remote areas remain underserved but are seeing gradual improvements from recent infrastructure builds.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Very low population density (~11 people per square mile versus ~90 statewide) increases last‑mile costs and contributes to patchy fixed broadband coverage, which in turn shapes email access patterns toward mobile and shared connections.

These figures synthesize county population structure with national email adoption and rural connectivity patterns to provide a grounded local estimate.

Mobile phone usage in Oregon County, Missouri — 2025 snapshot

Key estimates (people and households)

• Population baseline: roughly 8.6–8.8 thousand residents; adult (18+) share is about three-quarters, reflecting an older age profile than Missouri overall.
• Mobile phone users: 6.0–6.6 thousand residents use a mobile phone.
• Smartphone users: 5.2–5.8 thousand residents use a smartphone.
• Households using cellular data for home internet: about 1.0–1.3 thousand (higher mobile-only reliance than the state).
• Households without any home internet subscription: about 18–25% (materially above the state average).

How Oregon County differs from Missouri overall

• More mobile-dependent for home internet: A larger slice of households rely on a cellular data plan (and are more likely to be cellular-only) due to sparse and inconsistent wired broadband options.
• Older users drive the smartphone gap: Younger adults in the county are near state-level smartphone adoption, but seniors lag more than elsewhere in Missouri, widening the overall county–state gap.
• Prepaid and value plans are more common: Lower incomes and credit constraints tilt usage toward prepaid/MVNO plans and budget Android devices, versus the postpaid/iPhone-heavy mix in urban Missouri.
• Coverage quality diverges from coverage maps: 4G LTE is broadly available along the main corridors (US‑63, MO‑19, MO‑142, MO‑160), but terrain-induced dead zones and weaker in-building signal reduce real-world reliability compared with metro Missouri. Low-band 5G is present; mid-band 5G capacity is sparse.
• Higher use of fixed wireless and satellite: A meaningful minority use LTE/5G fixed wireless or satellite for home internet, complementing or substituting for weak wireline—well above the state average.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption very high (roughly in the 90s, close to state levels); heavy app-based messaging and social video.
  • 35–64: strong smartphone adoption, but more cost-sensitive plan choices; hotspotting used to bridge home broadband gaps.
  • 65+: smartphone adoption substantially below state average; more basic voice/text usage, gradual uptake of telehealth and banking apps where coverage allows.
• Income and education
  • Lower-income and lower-education households are more likely to be mobile-only for internet access, to use smaller data buckets, and to rotate promotions across prepaid brands.
  • Affordable Connectivity Program wind-down in 2024–2025 increased plan downgrades and churn; some households reduced data use or shifted carriers.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s population is predominantly White, so observed usage differences are driven more by age, income, and geography than by race/ethnicity.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Mobile networks
  • 4G LTE: primary workhorse across the county; consistent along highways and in towns (Alton, Thayer) with drop-offs in hollows and forested areas.
  • 5G: low-band 5G from major carriers present in population centers and corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is limited, so peak speeds and indoor performance trail urban Missouri.
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) improves coverage/resiliency for public safety and spillover consumer coverage in some areas.
• Wireline broadband
  • Cable/fiber footprints are small and concentrated near town centers; many locations lack 100/20 Mbps wireline options typical in Missouri’s metros.
  • DSL remains in use where copper loops are long; performance varies widely.
• Alternatives
  • Fixed wireless (LTE/5G) fills gaps where line-of-sight allows; performance sensitive to tower load and foliage.
  • Satellite (GEO and LEO) adoption is higher than the state average for off-grid and remote homes.
• Tower density and terrain
  • Low tower density and Ozark Plateau topography (ridges/valleys, heavy tree cover) create shadowed areas; users often rely on Wi‑Fi calling and external antennas/boosters.

Behavioral and market implications

• Higher mobile-only share pushes elevated smartphone data usage per line, but data caps and variable signal temper streaming compared with urban Missouri.
• Device mix skews toward midrange Android and older iPhones; upgrade cycles are longer.
• Emergency and telehealth dependence on mobile networks is higher, so outages and backhaul congestion have outsized impact compared with state averages.

Bottom line

• Oregon County shows higher dependence on mobile networks for both personal connectivity and home internet than Missouri overall, driven by sparse wireline options and an older, lower-income population. Coverage is broad but not deep: 4G is the baseline, 5G capacity is limited, and real-world reliability is constrained by terrain. These factors produce a distinct usage pattern marked by mobile-only households, prepaid-heavy adoption, and pragmatic workarounds (hotspotting, Wi‑Fi calling, boosters) that are less common in the state’s urban and suburban counties.

Notes on figures

• Counts and percentages are modeled from the latest multi-year ACS device/subscription patterns, FCC broadband availability filings, and national smartphone adoption benchmarks, scaled to Oregon County’s population and household totals; values are rounded to reflect county-level uncertainty.

Oregon County, MO — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

How this is built

• There is no official county-level social media tracking. Figures below are grounded in the latest U.S. adult platform reach from Pew Research Center (2023–2024) and adjusted for rural usage patterns typical of the Ozarks. Percentages shown for Oregon County are modeled estimates; platform rankings mirror national data.

Most-used platforms (adult reach, estimated in Oregon County)

• YouTube: 78–82%
• Facebook: 68–72%
• Instagram: 30–35%
• TikTok: 25–30%
• Snapchat: 20–22%
• Pinterest: 28–32%
• X (Twitter): 18–20%
• LinkedIn: 15–18%
• WhatsApp: 10–15%
• Reddit: 12–15%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age-group patterns (share of adults in each age band using the platform, Oregon County est.)

• 18–29
  • Any social media: 90–95%
  • Instagram 65–75, Snapchat 60–70, TikTok 55–65, Facebook 60–70, YouTube 90+
• 30–49
  • Any social media: 85–90%
  • Facebook 70–80, YouTube 85–90, Instagram 40–50, TikTok 30–40, Snapchat 25–35
• 50–64
  • Any social media: 70–75%
  • Facebook 65–75, YouTube 70–75, Instagram 25–35, TikTok 15–20
• 65+
  • Any social media: 45–55%
  • Facebook 45–55, YouTube 45–55, Instagram 15–20, TikTok 8–12

Gender breakdown (adult reach, Oregon County est.)

• Women: higher Facebook (72–75%), Instagram (+5–8 points vs men), and strong Pinterest (40–45%). Messenger use is heavy for coordinating family, school, church, and community events.
• Men: higher YouTube (85–90%), Reddit (18–22%), and X/Twitter (20–24%). More likely to follow outdoor, automotive, farming, and local sports content.

Behavioral trends to expect locally

• Facebook-first county: Community groups, school and church pages, local news, lost-and-found, obituaries, and Marketplace drive daily use. Events and urgent local info spike engagement.
• Video with utility: YouTube is used for how‑to, repairs, farming, hunting, and small-engine content; Facebook Reels and TikTok are growing among under‑50s for entertainment and local highlights.
• Messaging reliance: Facebook Messenger and SMS are primary; WhatsApp is niche and mainly for families with out‑of‑area ties.
• Local trust: Content from recognizable local institutions (county offices, schools, churches, volunteer fire, 4‑H/FFA) gains outsized reach and shares.
• Niche platforms: LinkedIn and X are small but useful for civic leaders, educators, and small-business owners; Pinterest matters for crafts, recipes, DIY, and décor among women 25–54.
• Posting rhythms: Peaks around early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.). Weekends skew to events, sports, and yard/estate sales; weekdays to school and county updates.
• Creative formats that work: Short, captioned vertical video; photo carousels of local people/places; concise updates with clear calls to action; giveaways tied to local businesses; cross-posting the same announcement into multiple neighborhood and interest groups.

Definitive national benchmarks this mirrors (Pew Research Center, U.S. adults, 2023–2024)

• Platform reach nationally: YouTube ~80%+, Facebook ~68–69%, Instagram ~40–50%, TikTok ~30–33%, Snapchat ~27–30%, Pinterest ~30%+, LinkedIn ~30%, X/Twitter ~20–23%, WhatsApp ~20–23%, Reddit ~20%. Rural areas track closely on Facebook/YouTube and run lower on Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and X—hence the Oregon County adjustments above.

Practical implications

• If you must pick two platforms for Oregon County reach, choose Facebook and YouTube.
• For under‑35 reach, add Instagram and TikTok; for women 25–54, include Pinterest; for civic/professional updates, maintain a light LinkedIn/X presence.
• Emphasize clear, local value (dates, places, people) and distribute via Facebook groups plus short video to extend reach affordably.