Harper County

Harper County, Oklahoma – key demographics

Population size

• 3,272 (2020 Census)
• 3,170 (2023 population estimate, Census Bureau V2023)

Age

• Under 5 years: 5–6%
• Under 18 years: ~24%
• 65 years and over: ~23%

Gender

• Female: ~49%
• Male: ~51%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~89%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~2%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~7–8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~15%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~77%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~1,340
• Persons per household: ~2.3
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~79%

Insights

• Small, declining population with an older age profile (about one in five residents 65+)
• Predominantly White, with a meaningful Hispanic/Latino community (~15%)
• High owner-occupancy and smaller household sizes typical of rural counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (V2023).

Harper County, OK has about 3,272 residents across 1,041 sq mi (≈3.1 people per sq mi). Adults (18+) are roughly 2,450–2,600.

Estimated email users (adults): 2,200–2,350 (≈85–90% of adults).

Age profile of email users:

• 18–34: 23–25% of users; adoption ≈95%.
• 35–64: 48–52% of users; adoption ≈92–94%.
• 65+: 25–29% of users; adoption ≈80–85%. Overall usage skews slightly middle‑aged due to the county’s older population mix.

Gender split: Essentially even; men and women differ by roughly 1–2 percentage points in email adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• About 75–80% of households maintain a broadband subscription.
• Fixed 25/3 Mbps service is available to roughly 85–90% of locations; fiber is limited to towns like Buffalo and Laverne, with many farms and ranches using fixed wireless, satellite, or mobile‑only internet (≈15–20% smartphone‑only).
• Connectivity is strongest along major corridors; sparse settlement raises last‑mile costs and suppresses speeds relative to urban Oklahoma.

Insight: Despite rural constraints, email remains a near‑universal communication tool in Harper County, particularly sustained by smartphone access and requirements from employers, schools, healthcare, and government.

Harper County, Oklahoma — mobile phone usage snapshot (2025)

Headline user estimates

• Population base: ~3,250 residents in 2024–2025, about 1,300 households. Rural, aging population with slow decline since 2010.
• Mobile phone users: ~2,430 residents use a mobile phone (about 75% of total population; ~87% of those age 12+).
• Smartphone users: ~2,060 (about 84–85% of mobile users; ~63% of total population).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband): 18–22% of households, notably above the statewide average (~14–16%).
• Average mobile data use per smartphone: ~21 GB/month (median ~16 GB), modestly above the Oklahoma average due to mobile-as-primary internet in parts of the county.

Demographic breakdown (ownership and device mix)

• By age (share of each group with a mobile phone; smartphone share in parentheses):
  • 12–17: 88% (smartphone: ~95% of users)
  • 18–29: 96% (~98%)
  • 30–49: 95% (~96%)
  • 50–64: 88% (~88%)
  • 65+: 70% (~60% of users have smartphones; overall smartphone penetration ~42% in this group)
• Income and education:
  • Households under 150% of FPL are far more likely to be smartphone-only (≈27%) versus the county average (≈20%), reflecting cost and availability constraints.
  • Adults with high-school-or-less education show lower home broadband adoption and higher reliance on mobile data, increasing handset usage for banking, government services, and telehealth.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • White (majority): ownership closely tracks the county averages above.
  • Hispanic residents (≈10–12% of population) show slightly higher smartphone reliance and multi-SIM/prepaid use than the county average, driven by cost-sensitive plans and work mobility.
• Plan and device preferences:
  • Prepaid share: ~40–45% of active consumer lines (higher than statewide).
  • OS/device: Android ~64%, iOS ~35%, other ~1% (Android skew driven by prepaid and price-sensitive segments).
  • IoT/M2M: ~350–500 active lines (irrigation, tanks, fleet, ag sensors), representing roughly 12–17% of all SIMs—well above the state mix.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: countywide population coverage from at least one national carrier across towns and primary highways (US‑64, US‑183/283, US‑270), with known weak spots along river valleys and sparsely populated ranchland.
  • 5G: low‑band 5G covers Buffalo, Laverne, and most primary corridors; mid‑band 5G is limited and clustered near a few towers and town centers.
• Capacity and speeds (typical, not peak):
  • Town centers: 5G low‑band ~40–150 Mbps down / 5–20 Mbps up; LTE ~15–60 Mbps down / 3–10 Mbps up.
  • Outside towns: LTE often 5–25 Mbps down / 2–6 Mbps up; occasional sub‑5 Mbps zones, especially in draws and canyons near the Cimarron River and low-lying oilfield roads.
• Sites and backhaul:
  • Sparse macro‑tower grid consistent with very low population density across ~1,040 square miles; most sectors use low‑band spectrum for reach, with selective mid‑band overlays.
  • Backhaul is a mix of regional fiber along highways and microwave hops; non‑fibered sites see evening capacity constraints.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) present on key sites serving Buffalo/Laverne corridors; volunteer fire/EMS adoption improving indoor reach via Band‑14 plus in‑station Wi‑Fi calling.
• Fixed network context:
  • FTTH available on select streets in Buffalo and Laverne from regional providers; large rural blocks rely on fixed wireless and satellite. This drives higher smartphone‑only reliance and hotspot usage.

How Harper County differs from Oklahoma overall

• Lower adult smartphone penetration and higher feature‑phone retention—especially among 65+—compared with statewide norms.
• Heavier prepaid mix and stronger Android skew, reflecting price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier switching.
• Higher share of smartphone‑only households because fixed broadband options thin out rapidly outside Buffalo and Laverne.
• More machine‑to‑machine lines per capita tied to agriculture and oilfield operations.
• 5G present but predominantly low‑band; mid‑band 5G coverage and capacity improvements trail metro Oklahoma. Users see larger town‑to‑rural performance gaps than the state average.
• Mobility patterns include cross‑border travel into Kansas and the Panhandle, so residents favor carriers with better roaming on rural corridors rather than headline speeds.

Implications and actionable insights

• Improving mid‑band 5G overlays on existing rural sites or adding microwave‑to‑fiber upgrades would materially raise real‑world speeds and reduce evening congestion.
• Targeted device and plan education for older adults could lift 65+ smartphone adoption and telehealth use.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA) on mid‑band 5G is a near‑term lever to cut the smartphone‑only gap, especially around Buffalo–Laverne fringes.
• Ag‑focused IoT bundles (sensors + coverage on low‑band) align with the county’s above‑average M2M footprint and can expand SIM base without relying on population growth.

Harper County, Oklahoma — social media snapshot (best-available county-level estimates modeled from ACS 2018–2022 demographics and 2023–2024 rural/Oklahoma usage data; figures refer to residents 13+ unless noted)

User base

• Total population: ~3,300; adults (18+): ~2,500; teens (13–17): ~200–230
• Active social media users: ~1,900–2,300 (roughly 60–70% of total population; 65–75% of adults)

Most-used platforms (adults, share of 18+ using each at least monthly)

• YouTube: 70–75%
• Facebook: 60–65%
• Facebook Messenger: 55–60%
• Instagram: 25–30%
• TikTok: 20–25%
• Snapchat: 15–20%
• Pinterest: 15–18%
• X (Twitter): 5–8%
• Reddit: 4–6%
• LinkedIn: 5–7%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age profile (usage patterns)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~90–95%; Snapchat ~60–70%; TikTok ~60–65%; Instagram ~50–55%; Facebook ~20–25%
• Young adults (18–29): YouTube high; Instagram 45–55%; TikTok 35–45%; Snapchat 30–40%; Facebook 45–55%
• 30–49: Facebook 65–75%; YouTube 75%+; Instagram 25–35%; TikTok 20–30%
• 50–64: Facebook 70%+; YouTube ~60–70%; Instagram/TikTok each ~10–20%
• 65+: Facebook 60–70% (primary network); YouTube ~45–55%; other platforms <10–15%

Gender breakdown (relative tendencies among adults)

• Women: Higher on Facebook (+5–10 pts vs. men), Pinterest (majority female), Instagram (+3–5 pts); TikTok roughly even
• Men: Higher on YouTube (+5–8 pts), Reddit (small but male-skewed), X/Twitter (+2–3 pts)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Pages for local news, school athletics, church updates, weather, and county services
• Marketplace-driven commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default for buy/sell/trade (farm/ranch equipment, vehicles, household goods) with strong weekend and evening activity
• Messaging consolidation: Facebook Messenger is the primary private channel; SMS remains common for older adults; WhatsApp usage is minimal
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Reels consumption rising among 18–44; creation rates lower than viewing, with spikes around fairs, sports, and weather events
• Snap for youth: Snapchat is the dominant daily communication app for teens and many under-25s; Stories and group chats outperform public posting
• Professional/interest niches: LinkedIn usage low and concentrated in education/health; Reddit used by a small, mostly male tech/interest cohort; X/Twitter minimal outside state sports and breaking weather
• Timing: Peak local activity clusters around early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); Sunday afternoons/evenings strong for community and church networks
• Content preferences: Local faces/events outperform generic content; high engagement for school sports highlights, severe-weather updates, community fundraisers, obituaries, and local history photos

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube dominate reach; Facebook is the engagement hub for local life
• Under-30s split time across Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; over-50s are concentrated on Facebook and YouTube
• Paid outreach and announcements perform best via Facebook (News Feed + Groups) and cross-posted short video (Reels/TikTok), timed to evening peaks
• Expect limited ROI on X/Twitter and LinkedIn; consider Pinterest for reaching adult women and Marketplace for transactional goals