Jefferson County

Key demographics for Jefferson County, Oklahoma (latest available Census/ACS data)

Population size

• Total population: 5,337 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41–42 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~63%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~24%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~5%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~5%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~2,100
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~65% of all households
• Married-couple households: ~50% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–27%
• Nonfamily households: ~35%; living alone: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~70–75%; renter-occupied: ~25–30%

Insights

• Small, rural population with a modestly older age profile.
• Majority White with a sizable Hispanic/Latino community.
• Household sizes are typical for rural Oklahoma, with high owner-occupancy and a large share of married-couple family households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Jefferson County, OK snapshot

• Population ≈5,600; density ≈7 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ≈3,600 residents (about 64% of the total population, ~80% of adults).

Email user age distribution (share; count)

• 13–17: 9% (≈324)
• 18–34: 22% (≈792)
• 35–54: 33% (≈1,188)
• 55–64: 16% (≈576)
• 65+: 20% (≈720)

Gender split among email users

• Male: 49% (≈1,764)
• Female: 51% (≈1,836)

Digital access and trends

• Households ≈2,300; home broadband subscription ≈70%; cellular‑only internet ≈12%; no home internet ≈18%.
• Broadband is concentrated in Waurika, Ringling, and along US‑70/US‑81 corridors; fixed‑wireless and satellite coverage have expanded since 2021, improving access to outlying ranchlands along the Red River.
• Adoption drivers include smartphone reliance and telehealth/remote‑schooling gains; constraints include limited fiber backhaul and affordability after the wind‑down of federal subsidies.

Implication: Email remains a near‑universal touchpoint for connected adults, but outreach should pair email with SMS for the 12% cellular‑only segment and provide offline alternatives for the 18% without home internet.

Mobile phone usage in Jefferson County, Oklahoma — 2025 snapshot (modeled from Census, Pew Research, FCC broadband data)

Executive summary

• Jefferson County is a sparsely populated, rural county with an older age profile and below‑state median incomes. Those factors translate into slightly lower smartphone adoption, higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO service, and greater use of mobile data as a primary home internet substitute compared with the Oklahoma average. 5G population coverage exists in and around towns and along highways, but large parts of the county still depend on LTE, with noticeable dead zones in low-lying and ranchland areas.

User estimates

• Total adult mobile users: approximately 3,800–4,300 adults with an active mobile phone line.
• Smartphone users: 3,300–3,800 adults (about 80–85% of adults), below the Oklahoma average (roughly mid‑ to high‑80s).
• Basic/feature‑phone users: 8–12% of adults (roughly 350–500 people), higher share than the state average.
• No personal mobile phone: 5–8% of adults, driven by the county’s higher share of seniors and very low‑income residents.
• 5G‑capable devices: about 65–75% of smartphone users (device mix skews older than the state).
• Platform split among smartphones: Android roughly 70–75%, iOS roughly 25–30% (more Android than the state average due to price sensitivity).
• Prepaid/MVNO lines: estimated 35–45% of active lines (state average closer to 25–30%).
• Mobile‑only internet reliance (households primarily using a smartphone or hotspot for home internet): about 25–35% of households, higher than the state average, reflecting patchy wired broadband and affordability constraints.
• Average monthly mobile data use (smartphone): modestly below state levels for on‑device use, but hotspot use per subscribing household is higher than the state average.

Demographic drivers of usage (county profile vs. Oklahoma)

• Age: Larger share of residents 65+ than the state, contributing to lower smartphone adoption, more basic phones, and slower 5G device turnover; however, senior smartphone use is increasing year over year.
• Income and affordability: Lower median household income and higher cost sensitivity push users toward prepaid plans, MVNOs, shared family plans, and longer device replacement cycles.
• Education and digital skills: Lower bachelor’s attainment than state average correlates with more limited app diversity and lower adoption of advanced device features; SMS/voice remain relatively more important.
• Race/ethnicity: Predominantly non‑Hispanic White with a notable Hispanic minority; bilingual households often favor Android and WhatsApp‑centric communication to manage costs.
• Housing and geography: Dispersed housing and agricultural work patterns increase the utility of wide‑area coverage and external antennas; multi‑line family plans centered on a single carrier are more common.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: AT&T and Verizon provide the broadest rural coverage footprints; T‑Mobile has meaningful low‑band 5G along primary corridors and in town centers but can trail off in fringe areas.
• 5G availability: Present in Waurika and other town centers and along major routes; large rural tracts are still LTE‑only. Practical user experience varies block‑by‑block due to terrain and tower spacing.
• Capacity and speeds: Median mobile download speeds in population centers are adequate for streaming and telehealth but fall below the state median; speeds can drop sharply in fringe areas or indoors without external antennas.
• Fixed broadband alternatives: Fiber and cable are limited to select streets and town cores; legacy DSL is common but slow. Multiple fixed‑wireless ISPs cover parts of the county, and satellite (LEO) is widely available. The limited wired footprint drives above‑average hotspot use and mobile‑only home internet.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet (AT&T) presence around civic facilities and along major corridors improves reliability for first responders; commercial networks still see dead zones in low‑lying river and ranchland areas.

How Jefferson County differs from the Oklahoma state pattern

• Adoption: Lower overall smartphone adoption and a higher share of basic phones than the state average, primarily due to age and income mix.
• Plan mix: Significantly higher prepaid/MVNO share and family‑plan consolidation; device upgrade cycles are slower.
• 5G readiness: Lower 5G device penetration and more time spent on LTE due to coverage gaps outside towns; Oklahoma’s metro counties see broader mid‑band 5G with higher median speeds.
• Internet substitution: Greater reliance on mobile hotspots or phone tethering as a primary home internet, while metro Oklahomans more often have cable or fiber.
• App and usage profile: Heavier reliance on SMS/voice, Facebook, and WhatsApp; comparatively lower uptake of data‑intensive cloud gaming and UHD streaming than state urban areas.
• Infrastructure: Fewer macro sites per square mile and wider inter‑site distances than the state average; performance and reliability are more sensitive to terrain and indoor penetration.

Implications for stakeholders

• Carriers: Network investments that prioritize rural mid‑band 5G fills, additional macro/small cells near ranchland clusters, and in‑building solutions in civic hubs will yield outsized quality gains.
• Public sector: Targeted subsidies for device upgrades and affordable plans, plus support for fixed‑wireless and fiber buildouts, can reduce reliance on mobile‑only internet and improve telehealth/education access.
• Businesses and services: SMS‑first outreach, low‑data web experiences, and offline‑capable apps will reach more residents than data‑heavy offerings designed for metro Oklahoma.

Notes on method

• Figures are derived from Jefferson County’s recent population and age structure (American Community Survey), national/state smartphone adoption benchmarks (Pew Research and similar studies), and FCC broadband/coverage filings, adjusted for rurality and income. Because no agency publishes county‑level mobile adoption by device type, all user counts are modeled estimates designed to be decision‑useful at local scale.

Jefferson County, OK — social media snapshot (2025, modeled from best-available U.S. rural and Oklahoma data)

Overall usage and access

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~80% of adults
• Smartphone ownership: ~85% of adults; home broadband: ~73% of households; ~17% are smartphone‑only internet users
• Device reality: overwhelmingly mobile-first; data caps and patchy service still influence when and how people post

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of all adults)

• YouTube ~80%
• Facebook ~68%
• Instagram ~37%
• Pinterest ~32% (notably female‑skewed)
• TikTok ~26%
• Snapchat ~22%
• WhatsApp ~22%
• X (Twitter) ~16%
• Reddit ~14%
• Nextdoor ≤10% (Facebook Groups fill this role locally)

Age groups (estimated adoption within each cohort)

• Teens (13–17): 95% use social; YouTube ~95, TikTok ~63, Snapchat ~60, Instagram ~60, Facebook ~30
• 18–29: 95% use social; YouTube ~95, Instagram ~78, Snapchat ~65, TikTok ~62, Facebook ~67
• 30–49: 88% use social; Facebook ~77, YouTube ~92, Instagram ~55, TikTok ~39, Snapchat ~31
• 50–64: 80% use social; Facebook ~73, YouTube ~83, Instagram ~29, TikTok ~21
• 65+: 60% use social; Facebook ~50, YouTube ~49, Instagram ~15, TikTok ~10

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Female ~52%: higher propensity for Facebook and Pinterest; stronger activity in community and school/sports groups
• Male ~48%: higher propensity for YouTube, Reddit, and X; heavier consumption of how‑to and news/sports video

Behavioral trends

• Community‑first: Facebook Groups and Pages are the hub for local news, school sports, weather, roads, and buy‑sell‑trade; Marketplace is heavily used for vehicles, equipment, and rentals
• Event‑centric: Facebook Events drive discovery and attendance for fundraisers, athletics, fairs; comments and RSVPs fuel reach more than paid impressions
• Messaging‑driven: Facebook Messenger dominates private sharing; SMS group chats are common; Snapchat is a staple for teens/20‑somethings; WhatsApp is used by some service and ag crews
• Mobile and timing: Engagement peaks before work/school (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.); Sunday afternoons are strong for community posts
• Video preference: Short, captioned clips perform best; YouTube used for how‑to, repairs, equipment, sermons; vertical video reposts on Facebook capture outsized local reach
• Trust and voice: Posts from recognizable local figures and institutions outperform brand‑only content; plainspoken, practical updates beat polished creative
• Weather‑driven spikes: Severe weather/outage updates produce rapid, high sharing; simple maps/graphics outperform text‑only posts
• Ads and ROI: Tight radius Facebook/Instagram targeting with clear, local CTAs yields better CPMs than statewide buys; message‑to‑book and coupon codes improve conversions

Notes on methodology

• Figures are localized estimates derived from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption (with rural adjustments), NTIA/FCC rural connectivity data, and the county’s age/sex profile from recent ACS releases. Use as planning baselines in the absence of county‑level survey data.