Quay County

Quay County, New Mexico — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; DP05, S1101)

Population

• Total population: ~8,100
• Population trend: continued gradual decline since 2010

Age

• Median age: ~46 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~49%
• Male: ~51%

Race and ethnicity

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~45%
• Not Hispanic or Latino: ~55%
  • White alone (non-Hispanic): ~47–49%
  • Black or African American alone (non-Hispanic): ~2%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone (non-Hispanic): ~2%
  • Asian alone (non-Hispanic): <1%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,700
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~55% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~20–22%
• Homeownership rate: ~70–75% owner-occupied; ~25–30% renter-occupied

Key insights

• Older age structure with about one in five residents 65+
• Small household sizes and a relatively high share of nonfamily/individual households
• Large Hispanic/Latino community and majority owner-occupied housing

• Population and density: 8,746 residents (2020 Census) across ~2,882 sq mi; ~3.0 people per sq mi.
• Digital access (ACS 2018–2022, Quay County): ~86% of households have a computer; ~70–75% have a broadband subscription. Access is strongest in and around Tucumcari; coverage thins in ranching areas.
• Estimated email users: 6,200 residents use email regularly. Method: adult population (6,900) × high email adoption typical in the U.S. (≈85–90% of adults), plus limited teen use.
• Age distribution of email users (estimate reflecting Quay’s older age profile and rural connectivity):
  • 18–34: 24% (1,500 users)
  • 35–64: 49% (3,000 users)
  • 65+: 27% (1,700 users)
• Gender split of email users: roughly even, ~49% male / ~51% female, mirroring county demographics and near-equal adoption by gender.
• Connectivity facts and trends:
  • Fixed broadband (cable/fiber/DSL) is concentrated in Tucumcari; fixed wireless and satellite fill rural gaps; satellite is available countywide.
  • Mobile data is strongest along I‑40/US‑54 corridors; service degrades in sparsely populated areas.
  • Low density and long loop lengths raise last‑mile costs, keeping broadband adoption below state urban levels; gradual gains are coming from fiber buildouts and expanded fixed‑wireless coverage.

Mobile phone usage in Quay County, New Mexico — snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~8,400 residents and ~3,700 households (2023 Census estimate).
• Smartphone presence: ~86% of households have a smartphone (ACS 2018–2022 5-year), equating to roughly 3,200–3,300 smartphone households.
• Individual user estimate: applying county age structure and rural adoption patterns to ACS uptake suggests ~6,800–7,100 residents actively use a smartphone, and ~7,400–7,700 use any mobile phone.

How Quay County differs from New Mexico overall

• Lower adoption: Household smartphone presence runs several points below the New Mexico average (92%). Households with any internet subscription are also lower in Quay (79%) than statewide (~86%).
• Plan type mix: Households with a cellular data plan are lower in Quay (73%) versus New Mexico (82%), but cellular-only internet households are notably higher (~11% in Quay vs ~6% statewide). This reflects greater reliance on mobile connections where fixed broadband choices are limited.
• Older population profile: Residents 65+ comprise a larger share in Quay (27%) than statewide (18%), which pulls down individual smartphone adoption. Estimated smartphone adoption among 65+ in Quay is around 70% (vs mid-to-high 70s statewide).
• Rural density and coverage: Quay’s population density is far below the state average (roughly 3 per sq. mile vs ~17 statewide), translating to sparser tower spacing and more pronounced coverage and capacity variability outside towns.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–64: Very high mobile ownership; smartphone adoption broadly in the 90%+ range, similar to statewide.
  • 65+: Lower but rising adoption; estimate ~70% use smartphones (below statewide).
  • Under 18: High device access, but more device-sharing and prepaid lines than in urban NM.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Quay has a smaller Hispanic share than New Mexico overall and a larger non-Hispanic White share. Adoption differentials by race/ethnicity are narrower than the urban–rural and age-driven gaps; plan type (prepaid vs postpaid) and cellular-only home internet are the bigger differentiators locally.
• Income and housing:
  • Lower-income and rental households in Quay are more likely to rely on cellular-only internet and prepaid plans than similar households in metro NM. Fixed broadband substitution by mobile data is materially higher than the state average.

Digital infrastructure and market notes

• Coverage geography:
  • Strongest along the I-40/US-54 corridors and in/around Tucumcari; coverage thins in ranchland and canyon areas, with dead zones in low-lying terrain. This corridor-driven pattern is more pronounced than the statewide norm because Quay lacks nearby metro spillover.
• Technology mix:
  • Low-band 5G is present in and near Tucumcari; mid-band 5G capacity is limited and largely concentrated near highways and town centers. Away from corridors, service falls back to LTE, with speed/latency variability typical of sparse-site rural networks.
• Backhaul and fixed alternatives:
  • Fiber backhaul tracks highway and utility routes; many outlying areas depend on microwave backhaul, which constrains peak mobile capacity. Fixed broadband choices remain uneven—cable/fiber in town, DSL/Fixed Wireless/Satellite outside—driving higher-than-average cellular-only households.
• Emergency and resilience:
  • Single-corridor dependency means weather or power events can create wider service impacts than in urban NM; carriers maintain backup power at key sites, but prolonged rural outages have outsized effects on mobile availability.

Key takeaways

• Quay County’s mobile landscape is defined by high reliance on mobile connectivity in place of fixed broadband, older age structure, and sparse infrastructure outside highway corridors.
• Compared with New Mexico overall, Quay posts lower household smartphone and data-plan adoption, a higher share of cellular-only households, and more pronounced coverage variability—differences driven by demographics, income mix, and rural network economics.

Quay County, NM — social media usage snapshot (modeled 2024 local estimates)

Topline user stats

• Population: ~8,700; adults (18+): ~6,700
• Broadband/online access: ~72% of households; ~80% of adults use the internet
• Adult social media users: ~4,300 (≈64% of adults; ≈79% of adult internet users)

Most-used platforms among local social media users

• YouTube: 74% (~3,200 users)
• Facebook: 69% (~3,000)
• Instagram: 26% (~1,100)
• TikTok: 24% (~1,000)
• Pinterest: 20% (~850)
• Snapchat: 13% (~560)
• X (Twitter): 10% (~430)
• LinkedIn: 8% (~340)
• Reddit: 7% (~300)
• Nextdoor: 6% (~260)

Age composition of users (18+)

• 18–29: 17%
• 30–49: 31%
• 50–64: 29%
• 65+: 23%

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: strong participation in local Groups (buy/sell, yard sales, school athletics, events, lost-and-found) and Marketplace; high engagement on weather, road conditions, high school sports, and county fair content.
• YouTube is utility-first: heavy consumption of how-to, home/auto repair, ranching/ag, hunting/outdoors, local/regional news, and weather. Growing smart-TV viewing in the evening.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger dominates for adults; Snapchat concentrated among high school/college-age users; WhatsApp present in bilingual households but niche.
• Platform momentum: TikTok is the fastest-growing among 18–34; Instagram steady but secondary to Facebook; X (Twitter) stagnant and niche; Pinterest reliable among women 30–64 for recipes, crafts, home projects.
• Content style that performs: practical, local, and time-sensitive posts; photo/video from community events; bilingual (English/Spanish) posts expand reach; user-generated photos from sports and school activities drive shares.
• Timing: engagement peaks before work (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekends see higher video completion on YouTube and TikTok.
• Advertising response: strongest CTR/response for local services (auto, trades, healthcare, real estate), seasonal ag/outdoor, and events; value/price messaging outperforms brand-only creative; short captions + clear calls-to-action perform best on Facebook/TikTok.

Notes

• Figures are localized estimates derived from New Mexico rural internet adoption, Pew Research platform usage by age, and Quay County’s age structure; expect ±5–10 percentage-point uncertainty by platform and ±10–15% on user counts.