De Baca County

Here are key demographics for De Baca County, New Mexico from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census and 2018–2022 ACS 5-year; small-county MOEs apply):

Population size

• Total population (2020 Census): 1,698

Age

• Median age: ~53 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~30%

Sex

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~57%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~40%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• Asian: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%

Households

• Number of households: ~800
• Average household size: ~2.1 persons
• Family households: ~58% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–50% of households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

De Baca County, NM snapshot (seat: Fort Sumner; ~1.7K residents; ~0.7–0.8 people per sq. mile)

Estimated email users

• About 1,200–1,400 residents use email at least monthly (lower overall adoption than U.S. average due to age and rural connectivity).

Age distribution and email adoption

• 18–34: ~15–20% of residents; email use near-universal among those online.
• 35–64: ~45–50%; high email adoption.
• 65+: ~30–35%; email adoption moderate (many use it, but at lower rates than younger groups).

Gender split

• Population roughly even by gender; email usage is similarly balanced once connected.

Digital access and trends

• Households with any internet subscription: roughly 60–70%.
• 15–25% of adults are likely smartphone‑reliant at home (mobile data instead of fixed broadband).
• Connectivity is strongest in and around Fort Sumner; large ranchland areas depend on fixed wireless or satellite.
• Regional co‑ops (e.g., ENMR/Plateau) have been expanding fiber near town; public Wi‑Fi available via schools/library.
• Mobile LTE coverage follows main corridors (US‑60/84), with weaker service in remote areas.

Overall: Email is widely used among connected residents, with adoption constrained primarily by age mix and sparse, rural broadband.

Mobile phone usage in De Baca County, NM — snapshot and contrasts with statewide patterns

County context

• Population: roughly 1,700 residents centered on Fort Sumner, with large, sparsely populated ranchland. Median age is notably higher than the New Mexico average, and the share of Native residents is lower; Hispanic and non-Hispanic White residents make up the large majority.
• Household count: about 700–800 households (small base means small absolute changes can shift percentages).

User estimates (order‑of‑magnitude, rounded)

• Total mobile phone users: 1,300–1,500 residents use a mobile phone.
  • Method: adult population in a rural, older county (~1,350–1,400) with high but not universal adoption, plus most teens.
• Smartphone users: 1,050–1,250 (about 75–85% of mobile users).
• Basic/feature phone users: 200–350 (about 15–25%).
• Mobile-only internet households (cell plan but no wired broadband at home): 20–30% locally, vs roughly mid‑teens statewide. Older residents and long distances to wireline plant make mobile-only or satellite-plus-mobile more common.
• Typical plans: more reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans and shared family plans; signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling are used to work around coverage gaps.

Demographic patterns of use

• Age
  • 65+: lower smartphone adoption (roughly 60–70% of phone users), higher basic-phone use, heavier voice/SMS reliance; telehealth by phone is common.
  • 25–64: high smartphone adoption (≈90%+), but data use tempered by patchy coverage and plan constraints; hotspotting for home use is common among those lacking wired broadband.
  • Teens: near‑universal smartphones; heavy school Wi‑Fi reliance; inconsistent service on ranch routes and buses outside Fort Sumner.
• Ethnicity and income
  • Hispanic households’ mobile adoption is high, and mobile‑only internet is more prevalent where wireline options are limited or costly.
  • Lower‑income households skew to prepaid plans and MVNOs; ACP sunset has increased plan churn and data‑cap sensitivity.
• Work patterns
  • Agriculture and ranching users still combine mobile with two‑way radios; external antennas/boosters used in trucks and at homesteads.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage geography
  • Strongest around Fort Sumner and along US‑60/84; significant dead zones on ranch roads and in draws/canyons.
  • 4G LTE is the workhorse; low‑band 5G appears along main corridors but behaves like LTE for throughput and range. Mid‑band 5G is rare; mmWave is absent.
• Carriers and performance
  • Verizon and AT&T tend to be the most reliable in open range; T‑Mobile coverage is improving with low‑band spectrum but remains patchy off‑corridor.
  • Typical speeds: 10–50 Mbps in town and along highways; single‑digit Mbps or no service in outlying areas; uplink can be the bottleneck for video calls.
• Sites/backhaul
  • A small number of macro sites cover the town and corridors; outlying areas depend on distant towers and terrain. Backhaul mixes microwave with limited fiber; congestion can spike during events and peak evening hours.
• Workarounds and public access
  • Widespread use of Wi‑Fi calling, boosters (e.g., high‑gain directional antennas), and device‑based GPS offline.
  • Public Wi‑Fi at the library, school, county offices, and a few businesses fills gaps for updates and large downloads.
• First responders
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is present along primary routes; off‑route reliability varies, so agencies retain radio as primary.

How De Baca County differs from New Mexico overall

• Lower smartphone share and higher basic‑phone retention, driven by older age structure and patchier coverage.
• More mobile‑only internet households than the state average due to sparse, costly, or unavailable wired broadband outside Fort Sumner.
• Fewer carrier choices are practical outside town; residents often select a single network that works at home/work rather than price or 5G features.
• Heavier reliance on Wi‑Fi calling, external antennas/boosters, and offline app use; lower average mobile data consumption per user than metro NM.
• 5G availability is more nominal: low‑band coverage with LTE‑like performance; mid‑band capacity that’s common in Albuquerque/Las Cruces/Santa Fe is largely absent.
• Greater incidence of dead zones and call drops on secondary roads; emergency communications depend more on radio and planned coverage corridors.

Notes on uncertainty and method

• Figures are estimates synthesized from county population, rural adoption patterns, and national/rural device‑ownership benchmarks. Small population means year‑to‑year shifts or a new tower can move these ranges. For planning, validate with current FCC coverage maps, the ASR tower database, carrier business reps, and local anchor institutions (school district, clinic, county IT).

Below is a concise, county-specific estimate built from Pew Research Center’s U.S. social media benchmarks (2023–2024), rural vs. urban usage gaps, New Mexico demographics, and De Baca County’s small, older, rural profile. True county-level platform stats aren’t published; treat figures as best-fit ranges.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~1,700; adults ~1,350.
• Adult social media penetration: 65–72% → roughly 875–975 adult users.
• Access: Mobile-first; patchy broadband means short-form video and Facebook-native content outperform links to external sites.

Age groups (share using at least one platform)

• 18–29: 85–90%
• 30–49: 80–85%
• 50–64: 65–70%
• 65+: 40–50%
• Teens (13–17, directional): 90%+ on at least one; heavy on YouTube/TikTok/Snapchat, light on Facebook.

Gender breakdown (among adult users)

• Women: ~50–55% of users; heavier on Facebook Groups, Messenger, Pinterest.
• Men: ~45–50% of users; heavier on YouTube, Reddit, X.

Most-used platforms by adults in De Baca (est. reach of adults)

• Facebook: 65–75%
• YouTube: 60–70%
• Facebook Messenger: 55–65%
• Instagram: 20–30%
• TikTok: 18–25% (skews under 40)
• Pinterest: 20–30% (skews female)
• Snapchat: 10–15% (mostly under 30)
• X/Twitter: 8–12%
• WhatsApp: 8–12% (higher in bilingual/Hispanic households)
• Reddit: 5–8%
• Nextdoor: <5% (very limited in sparsely populated areas)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups dominate (buy/sell/swap, school and sports, church and civic events, ranching and ag-market info, wildfire/weather/road alerts).
• Trust and sources: Local institutions (sheriff’s office, school district, county emergency management) drive outsized engagement; rumor-control posts perform well.
• Posting cadence: Many users post infrequently (weekly or less) but engage heavily around storms, elections, school sports, hunting seasons, fairs, and road closures.
• Video habits: YouTube for how‑to, equipment repair, weather, and local sports highlights; shorter clips favored due to data caps/coverage.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for event coordination and classifieds follow‑ups; WhatsApp used within some family networks.
• Timing: Engagement peaks early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend spikes for Marketplace.
• Business use: Local services (cafés, contractors, lodging/hunting guides) lean on Facebook Pages and Marketplace; a minority cross-post to Instagram; LinkedIn presence is minimal.
• Language/culture: Mix of English/Spanish content in some households; local history and community nostalgia posts perform strongly.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled from national and rural-specific usage patterns adjusted to De Baca’s small, older, rural population profile; precise county-level platform shares are not directly reported.