Love County

Love County, Oklahoma — key demographics

Population

• 11,146 (2020 Census)
• Approx. +18% vs. 2010, indicating solid growth for a rural county

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census)

• White: ~72–73%
• Black or African American: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~6%
• Asian/Pacific Islander: <1%
• Some other race: ~8%
• Two or more races: ~10%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~14–15%

Households and housing

• Households: ~4,200–4,300
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~2/3 of all households
• Owner-occupied housing: ~70–75%; renter-occupied: ~25–30%

Insights

• Small but growing population anchored by cross-border services and hospitality
• Demographic profile skews slightly male with a typical rural age structure (larger 65+ share)
• Notable Native American and Hispanic/Latino presence relative to many rural counties in the region

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (most recent 5-year estimates).

• Population and density: Love County had 10,146 residents in 2020 (≈20 people per square mile), reflecting very low rural density that shapes last‑mile connectivity.
• Estimated email users: ≈7,700 residents use email regularly. Method: county age mix (Census 2020) combined with national email adoption (Pew) yields ≈95% among ages 18–64, ≈88% among 65+, and ≈90% among teens 13–17.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–64 ≈68% of users; 65+ ≈24%; teens 13–17 ≈8%.
• Gender split among users: roughly even (≈50% female, 50% male), mirroring negligible gender gaps in email adoption and the county’s near‑balanced sex ratio.
• Digital access trends:
  • Broadband subscription: ≈75–78% of households have a home broadband subscription (ACS 2018–2022 range for comparable rural counties), with ≈15–16% reporting no home internet.
  • Mobile dependence: about 1 in 10 households primarily rely on cellular data plans; smartphone access continues to narrow gaps for lower‑income and remote households.
  • Fixed options are strongest along the I‑35 corridor (Marietta/Thackerville), with more reliance on fixed wireless/satellite in outlying areas; this urban‑rural gradient drives slightly lower email intensity among the oldest and most remote residents.
• Insight: Despite sparse settlement, email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; gaps persist where home broadband is absent, making mobile connectivity crucial.

Mobile phone usage in Love County, Oklahoma — 2024 snapshot

Important note on sources and approach

• County-specific mobile phone usage is not directly measured by a single official dataset. Figures below are modeled from the latest available public sources, primarily: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census population and 2018–2022 ACS “Computer and Internet Use” S2801 for household device/subscription types), Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 smartphone adoption by age, and FCC mobile coverage filings through 2024. Where precise county values are not published, estimates are provided with ranges and a brief method.

Topline user estimates (Love County)

• Population base: 11,146 (2020 Decennial Census).
• Households with a smartphone (household-level): estimated 85–90% of households, versus roughly 91–93% statewide (ACS 2018–2022 indicates rural counties in Oklahoma trail urban counties by several points).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 7,400–8,200 residents, based on county age structure typical of rural Oklahoma and Pew age-specific adoption rates.
• Total active handsets/subscriptions: approximately 9,500–10,500 lines (includes minors, second lines, and work devices; derived from smartphone-user estimate, multi-line incidence in rural markets, and child/teen device penetration).
• Smartphone-dependent for home internet (smartphone with data plan but no fixed broadband at home): estimated 10–15% of households in Love County vs 8–11% statewide (rural gap evident in ACS S2801 “cellular data plan” vs fixed broadband subscription).

Demographic breakdown (modeled from Pew age adoption rates applied to a rural-leaning age mix)

• By age:
  • 18–29: very high adoption (≈95–98%); small share of county population, so roughly 1,300–1,500 users.
  • 30–49: very high adoption (≈95–98%); roughly 2,300–2,600 users.
  • 50–64: high adoption (≈85–92%); roughly 2,100–2,400 users.
  • 65+: moderate-to-high adoption (≈70–78% in 2023–2024 Pew); roughly 1,700–2,000 users.
  • Trend vs Oklahoma: Love County’s older age mix pulls overall adoption 1–3 percentage points lower than the state average despite similar within-age-group adoption.
• By income/education (directional, based on ACS/Pew relationships):
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be smartphone-only for internet and to use prepaid plans; this cohort is slightly larger share in Love County than statewide, raising smartphone-dependence rates.
  • Households without a desktop/laptop are more common than statewide averages; in these homes, smartphones are the primary device for banking, commerce, and government services.
• By race/ethnicity (directional):
  • Patterns generally mirror state and national trends: high smartphone adoption across groups, with smartphone-only internet somewhat higher among Hispanic and Native households where fixed broadband availability/affordability is comparatively constrained in rural blocks.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint:
  • 4G LTE from major national carriers covers the I-35 corridor and populated places (Marietta, Thackerville, Burneyville) with fewer dead zones than in the county’s fringes.
  • 5G coverage is present along I-35 and around high-demand nodes (e.g., near WinStar/Thackerville and Marietta); 5G away from the corridor is more limited, often low-band.
• Capacity and speeds:
  • Along I-35 and near large venues, capacity enhancements support strong peak speeds and better indoor performance.
  • Outside the corridor, especially in sparsely populated western and southeastern census blocks, users more often fall back to LTE or low-band 5G with materially lower throughput and higher latency.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Fiber runs along interstate and state highways; off-corridor fiber and microwave backhaul are spottier, limiting mid-band 5G build-out depth compared with metro Oklahoma counties.
• Fixed wireless and satellite interplay:
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) and satellite options are meaningful supplements where DSL/cable are limited; this raises smartphone-plus-FWA substitution and contributes to higher smartphone-dependence for home connectivity than the state average.

How Love County differs from Oklahoma statewide trends

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption at the household level than the state average due to older age mix and rural infrastructure constraints.
• Higher share of smartphone-only or smartphone-dependent households than the state average, reflecting patchier fixed broadband and lower median household income.
• Larger urban–rural performance gap: strong 5G capacity along I-35 and near WinStar contrasts with modest speeds and coverage variability in outlying blocks; the intra-county variability is greater than in urban counties.
• Heavier cross-border mobility influence: proximity to Texas and the interstate corridor shapes network investment and traffic patterns more than in interior Oklahoma counties, concentrating capacity along travel and tourism nodes rather than uniformly across the county.

Method notes (for interpretability)

• Household smartphone adoption: anchored to ACS S2801 county-level patterns for rural Oklahoma; Love County is modeled a few points below the statewide ACS rate.
• User counts: derived by applying Pew 2023–2024 smartphone adoption rates by age to a rural Oklahoma age profile and scaling to the 2020 Census population, then reconciling with household smartphone adoption and multi-line incidence typical of rural counties.
• Smartphone-dependent share: inferred from the gap between “cellular data plan” and fixed broadband subscription rates in ACS S2801 for rural counties, adjusted for Love County’s rural profile.

These figures provide a decision-ready picture of mobile usage and infrastructure in Love County and highlight where the county’s trends diverge from Oklahoma as a whole, especially in smartphone dependence and corridor-centric 5G capacity.

Social media usage in Love County, Oklahoma — concise snapshot (2024)

What “user stats” look like locally (best-available benchmarks)

• Population base: 10,146 (2020 Census). Adults 18+ ≈ 7,500–7,700.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈ 70–72% of adults (Pew Research Center, 2024/2021 any‑platform usage). That implies roughly 5,200–5,500 adult social media users in the county.
• Platforms most used by U.S. adults (Pew, 2024) — solid benchmarks for rural counties like Love:
  • YouTube: 83%
  • Facebook: 68%
  • Instagram: 47%
  • TikTok: 33%
  • Snapchat: 30%
  • Pinterest: 35%
  • LinkedIn: 30%
  • X (Twitter): ~22%
  • WhatsApp: low 20s%
• Applying those rates to Love County’s adult base yields ballpark user counts:
  • YouTube ≈ 6.2k
  • Facebook ≈ 5.1k
  • Instagram ≈ 3.5k
  • TikTok ≈ 2.5k
  • Snapchat ≈ 2.3k
  • Pinterest ≈ 2.6k
  • LinkedIn ≈ 2.3k
  • X ≈ 1.6k
  • Note: Rural usage typically skews a bit higher for Facebook and a bit lower for Instagram/TikTok than the national average. The figures above are estimates, not county‑reported counts.

Age‑group patterns (usage tendencies you can count on)

• Teens (13–17): Near‑universal YouTube use; Snapchat and TikTok are daily drivers; Instagram strong; Facebook is mostly for family groups/marketplace, not daily posting.
• 18–29: YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok dominate; Facebook for events/groups/marketplace rather than primary posting.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram growing; TikTok use present but uneven; Messenger and WhatsApp for group chats; Marketplace heavily used.
• 50–64: Facebook is the hub (groups, events, local news, Marketplace); YouTube for DIY, hunting/fishing, home/auto; some Pinterest.
• 65+: Facebook for community updates, church/school info, and family photos; YouTube for sermons, news clips, how‑tos.

Gender breakdown (platform skews, based on national patterns)

• Facebook: slight female lean.
• Instagram and Snapchat: slight female lean.
• Pinterest: heavily female‑skewed.
• YouTube: widely used by both; slight male lean in many surveys.
• TikTok: mild female lean overall.
• Reddit and X (Twitter): male‑skewed. These skews are consistent in rural counties; expect similar patterns in Love County.

Most‑used platforms locally (insight + % benchmarks)

• Facebook (68% of U.S. adults): Most embedded locally due to groups, school/booster pages, churches, civic orgs, and Marketplace. In rural Oklahoma counties, Facebook often outperforms the U.S. average by a few points.
• YouTube (83%): Ubiquitous across all ages; go‑to for DIY, equipment repair, outdoor sports, sermons, and local sports highlights.
• Instagram (47%): Strong among under‑40s; used by local boutiques, eateries, salons; Stories/Reels matter.
• TikTok (33%): Rising; entertainment‑first; local posting is growing but consumption > creation; short, authentic clips perform best.
• Snapchat (30%): Core peer‑messaging for high school/college‑age; limited older adoption.
• Pinterest (35%): Concentrated among women for recipes, crafts, home projects; drives off‑platform traffic.
• LinkedIn (30%): Niche; useful for regional employers (logistics, health care, education) and commuting professionals.
• X/Twitter (~22%): Niche; news, weather, sports, emergency alerts.

Behavioral trends that consistently show up in Love County–type markets

• Community‑first Facebook: High engagement in local groups (events, fundraisers, school sports, lost & found, local alerts). Marketplace is a daily habit.
• Video over text: Short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts for reach; YouTube remains the most trusted for “how‑to.”
• Nights and weekends: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekend mornings; school‑year calendars drive spikes around games and events.
• Messaging matters: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are default DMs; many sales/leads finalize in private messages.
• Trust via local faces: Posts featuring recognizable local people, teams, churches, and small businesses earn more shares and comments than brand‑only posts.
• Practical content wins: Weather updates, road conditions, local jobs, buy/sell/trade, and time‑sensitive community info outperform generalized content.
• Cross‑posting is normal: Businesses post to Instagram first and auto‑share to Facebook; short video repurposed across Reels/TikTok/Shorts.
• Mobile‑first: Nearly all interaction is on phones; vertical video and large captions improve completion rates.

How to read these numbers

• Percentages shown are from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult social media study (and prior Pew trend series). Love County–specific platform counts are derived by applying those rates to the county’s adult population; they should be treated as practical planning estimates in the absence of published county‑level platform data.