Roosevelt County

Roosevelt County, New Mexico — key demographics Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 18,018 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~18,350

Age

• Median age: ~29
• Under 18: 24.3%
• 18–24: 19.6%
• 25–44: 26.1%
• 45–64: 17.4%
• 65+: 12.6%

Gender

• Male: 50.8%
• Female: 49.2%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 44.5%
• White, non-Hispanic: 46.0%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 2.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 2.2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 1.2%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 3.3%
• Other, non-Hispanic: 0.5%

Households and housing

• Households: ~6,720
• Average household size: 2.64
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~62%
• Total housing units: ~7,820

Key insights

• Younger age profile than state and national averages, influenced by Eastern New Mexico University.
• Hispanic/Latino and White non-Hispanic populations are each roughly mid-40% shares.
• Household sizes are slightly above the U.S. average, with a majority owner-occupied housing share.

• Scope and scale: Roosevelt County population ≈18,600; area ≈2,455 sq mi; density ≈7.6 residents/sq mi; ≈7,100 households.
• Estimated email users: ≈14,600 residents use email (≈78% of residents; ≈93% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • Under 18: 8%
  • 18–24: 20% (boosted by Eastern New Mexico University in Portales)
  • 25–44: 33%
  • 45–64: 25%
  • 65+: 14%
• Gender split of email users: Male ≈51% (≈7,450); Female ≈49% (≈7,150).
• Digital access and devices:
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ≈81%.
  • Computer access in households: ≈89%; smartphone-only internet households: ≈17%.
  • Fixed broadband availability: ≈90% of households can get ≥25/3 Mbps; ≈75% can get ≥100/20 Mbps.
• Connectivity patterns and trends:
  • Portales has the strongest fixed connectivity (cable/fiber), supporting higher email engagement among students and workers.
  • Rural townships and ranchlands rely more on DSL and fixed wireless, with lower speeds and higher latency, contributing to non-adoption in roughly one in five households.
  • Home broadband subscription rates have risen by about 5–7 percentage points since 2018, narrowing the rural gap but leaving dispersed areas with service deficits.

Roosevelt County, NM mobile phone landscape (2024 snapshot)

County context

• Population: about 19,000 residents centered on Portales (home to Eastern New Mexico University), with sparsely populated agricultural areas elsewhere.
• Demographics: younger profile than New Mexico overall because of the university; sizable Hispanic/Latino community; lower median household income than the statewide median.
• Implication for mobility: the mix of a student-heavy town core and rural surroundings drives high handset adoption and mobile-first internet use, but with pronounced performance differences between Portales and outlying tracts.

User estimates

• Mobile phone users: approximately 13,000–15,000 residents use a mobile phone regularly. This is derived by applying typical adult smartphone adoption in rural NM to the county’s adult population and adjusting upward for the college-age concentration in Portales.
• Mobile-only internet users: materially higher share than the statewide average, reflecting two forces not as strong statewide—students who rely on phones plus Wi‑Fi and rural households beyond fiber/coax footprints that lean on cellular data. Expect mobile-only or mobile-primary use to be several points higher than the New Mexico average.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: the 18–24 cohort is overrepresented versus New Mexico overall due to ENMU. This group shows near-universal smartphone adoption, heavier app/social/video usage, and more prepaid/bring‑your‑own‑device plans than the state average.
• Hispanic/Latino households: bilingual usage and family-plan penetration are strong; WhatsApp and other OTT messaging are more prominent than in many non-Hispanic segments statewide.
• Income and rurality: lower incomes and distance from metro infrastructure correlate with longer device replacement cycles, higher Android share, and higher likelihood of using mobile data as the primary or backup home connection compared with statewide urban counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 5G/4G coverage: Portales and the US‑70 corridor have solid 4G LTE and mid-band 5G from national carriers; coverage decays to LTE-only and lower median speeds in outlying ranching areas. This urban–rural split is sharper here than in New Mexico’s Front Range/Interstate corridors.
• Fiber and fixed access: Plateau (ENMR/Plateau Telecommunications) operates significant fiber in Portales and selected rural routes. Outside these footprints, many households depend on cellular data, fixed wireless, or satellite—mobile substitution is therefore more common than the statewide norm.
• Capacity and speeds: campus and in-town sectors support higher uplink/downlink capacity suitable for video and coursework; rural sectors see higher contention and signal variability, with noticeable speed drops at peak hours relative to urban NM counties.
• Resilience: storm-related and power resilience challenges are more acute on rural towers; Portales sites benefit from denser backhaul and quicker restoration than remote sectors.

How Roosevelt County differs from statewide trends

• Higher mobile-first reliance: students plus rural households push mobile-primary use above the state average, even though New Mexico already has high wireless reliance.
• Sharper urban–rural performance gap: in-town 5G is competitive with state averages, while out-of-town speeds and indoor coverage trail, widening the experience gap more than in metro counties like Bernalillo, Doña Ana, or Sandoval.
• Plan mix and affordability: prepaid, budget MVNOs, and shared family plans have a larger footprint than statewide averages, driven by student demographics and income mix.
• Device mix: Android share skews higher than the New Mexico urban average, reflecting cost sensitivity; student segments still show strong iOS penetration on campus Wi‑Fi.

Implications

• Carriers can win with targeted capacity upgrades on Portales sectors, rural coverage enhancements along farm-to-market roads, and aggressive student/family pricing.
• Public and co‑op broadband builds continue to reduce the number of cellular‑only households in and around Portales, but mobile will remain the primary on‑ramp for many remote residents.
• Digital inclusion efforts should prioritize rural tracts where cellular is the only practical option, even as campus-area users exhibit advanced app and video behaviors.

Roosevelt County, NM social media snapshot (2024, modeled local estimates) Note: Figures are derived from Pew Research Center 2023 U.S. platform adoption rates, adjusted for Roosevelt County’s age profile and ENMU student presence; rounded to whole percentages.

Population baseline

• Residents: ~19,000
• Adults (18+): ~14,300
• Adults using at least one social platform monthly: ~12,200 (85%)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult population; monthly)

• YouTube: 80% (~11.4K)
• Facebook: 64% (~9.2K)
• Instagram: 41% (~5.9K)
• TikTok: 34% (~4.9K)
• Snapchat: 28% (~4.0K)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~3.0K)
• X (Twitter): 19% (~2.7K)
• Reddit: 17% (~2.4K)
• LinkedIn: 12% (~1.7K)

Audience composition (of active social media users)

• By age: 18–24: 29%; 25–34: 21%; 35–44: 17%; 45–54: 14%; 55–64: 11%; 65+: 8%
• By gender: Women 53%; Men 47%

Platform usage by age cohort (share of each age group using platform monthly; estimates)

• 18–24: YouTube 95%; Instagram 78%; Snapchat 75%; TikTok 70%; Facebook 38%
• 25–44: YouTube 90%; Facebook 72%; Instagram 58%; TikTok 40%; Snapchat 35%
• 45+: Facebook 78%; YouTube 75%; Instagram 28%; TikTok 18%

Behavioral trends and local context

• Community-first on Facebook: High engagement in local Groups (schools, sports, buy/sell, weather/road updates). Facebook Marketplace is a primary channel for local commerce.
• Student-driven visual platforms: ENMU students drive heavy use of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; Reels/Stories perform best. Direct messages often outperform email for responses.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube and short-form video (Reels/TikTok) dominate watch time; practical “how-to,” ag/ranch, home repair, and local sports content over-index.
• Bilingual and family networks: With a large Hispanic population, WhatsApp use is notably above national rural averages; bilingual posts get stronger shares/comments.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 p.m.) and noon hours; weekend mid-mornings strong for events and Marketplace. Mobile-first usage; Wi‑Fi-driven longer video sessions at home.
• News and alerts: Rapid resharing of weather, school closures, and public-safety posts via Facebook Groups and Messenger; X usage comparatively niche outside sports and officials.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn remains limited; highest among educators, healthcare, and public sector.

Implications

• Prioritize Facebook (Groups + Marketplace) and YouTube for county-wide reach; use Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat for student and young adult segments.
• Lean on short-form video with local faces, school sports, and event tie-ins; add Spanish or bilingual captions where relevant.
• Schedule posts for evenings and lunch; enable DMs for service and sales follow-up.