Marshall County

Marshall County, Oklahoma — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 16,931
• 2023 population estimate (Census Bureau): ~17.7K

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census unless noted)

• White alone: ~73%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~12–14%
• Two or more races: ~11–13%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~10%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Household and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~6,600–6,700
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~4,400–4,500 (about two-thirds of households)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~70–75%
• Housing units: ~9,500–10,000
• Vacancy (notably high due to seasonal/recreational units near Lake Texoma): ~25–35%

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

• Context: Marshall County, OK population ≈16,900; land density ≈45 residents/sq mi; ≈6,700 households.
• Estimated email users: ≈12,900 residents (≈76% of total population; ≈92% of residents age 13+).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: 7% (adoption ≈75%)
  • 18–34: 27% (adoption ≈96%)
  • 35–64: 47% (adoption ≈93%)
  • 65+: 19% (adoption ≈85%)
• Gender split among email users: near-even (≈50% female, 50% male).
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Households with fixed broadband: ≈75%; with a computer: ≈90%.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ≈16%; no home internet: ≈9%.
  • Fixed 100/20 Mbps service available to ≈88% of addresses; fiber availability ≈30%, concentrated in/around Madill, Kingston, and Lake Texoma corridors.
  • Mobile: 5G along US‑70/OK‑99 and town centers; LTE elsewhere with rural dead zones.
  • Typical served-area speeds: 100–300 Mbps down (fixed); 25–100+ Mbps down (mobile), with higher variability in low-density tracts.
• Insight: High email penetration is sustained by widespread smartphone access and moderate fixed-broadband reach; remaining gaps cluster in the county’s sparsest areas, where smartphone‑only access substitutes for home broadband.

Mobile phone usage in Marshall County, Oklahoma: summary, estimates, and how it differs from statewide patterns

Scope and baseline

• Population baseline: 16,931 (2020 Census). Household estimate: about 6,500–6,700 (based on average household size ~2.5–2.6).
• Methods: County-level estimates are derived by applying recent NTIA/Pew/Oklahoma benchmarks to Marshall County’s older age structure, lower median income, and rural settlement pattern, then cross-checked against FCC fixed and mobile availability patterns typical for south-central rural Oklahoma.

User and device estimates (2024)

• Total residents who personally use a mobile phone (any type): approximately 14,000–14,500 (about 83–86% of residents).
• Smartphone users: approximately 12,000–12,700 (about 71–75% of residents; roughly 88–91% of adult mobile users).
• Adults (18+) with any mobile phone: 95–97% of adults; adults with a smartphone: 83–87% of adults.
• Teen smartphone use (13–17): 93–96%; children under 13 with phones remain a minority but rising where fixed broadband is limited.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home internet): about 1,800–2,100 households, or 28–32% of households. This is materially higher than the Oklahoma average (roughly 20–24%).
• Prepaid/MVNO usage: 40–45% of adult mobile users, above the statewide share (about 32–36%), reflecting price sensitivity and seasonal/secondary lines in lake communities.

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–29: near-saturation smartphone use (≈92–96%); heavy data and social/video usage.
  • 30–49: high smartphone use (≈90–94%); growing reliance on hotspotting for work commutes to Ardmore/Durant.
  • 50–64: moderate-high smartphone adoption (≈80–88%); more mixed plan types (postpaid for families, prepaid for single lines).
  • 65+: smartphone adoption ≈68–75% (below state average), with 10–15% still on basic/feature phones and a small no-phone segment. Health, banking, and government-benefits apps are key adoption drivers in this group when service is adequate.
• Income and plan type
  • Households under ~$40k disproportionately use prepaid/MVNO and smartphone-only internet. Bundling with fixed broadband is less common than statewide due to limited availability outside Madill/Kingston.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Native American and Hispanic households are somewhat more likely than the county average to be smartphone-only for home internet, driven by patchy fixed coverage and cost constraints; device sharing within households is more common.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE coverage: broadly available along US‑70, OK‑199, Madill, Kingston, and populated lakeshore areas; notable dead or weak zones persist on rural roads and low-density tracts away from main corridors and the lake.
  • 5G low-band: countywide presence from the national carriers, but with rural cell spacing that limits capacity; reliable for voice/IoT and basic data.
  • 5G mid-band (capacity 100–400 Mbps typical): concentrated in and near Madill/Kingston and along the US‑70 corridor; population coverage is materially lower than Oklahoma’s statewide mid-band footprint. County mid-band 5G population coverage is best characterized as partial (roughly half the county’s population), versus strong statewide coverage in metro corridors.
• Capacity and backhaul
  • Several rural sites use microwave backhaul, constraining peak capacity. Seasonal spikes from Lake Texoma tourism produce weekend/holiday slowdowns, particularly on upload and during evening hours.
• Carriers and spectrum posture
  • AT&T and Verizon have the broadest rural footprint and better road coverage; FirstNet (AT&T) presence supports public-safety reliability.
  • T‑Mobile’s coverage is strong in towns and along highways with improving mid-band capacity, but drops faster off-corridor than the two incumbents in some tracts.
• Fixed-broadband interplay (key to smartphone-only reliance)
  • Fiber and cable are available in core town blocks and select subdivisions; much of the county relies on legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. As a result, residents frequently hotspot for home connectivity.
  • Starlink and licensed fixed wireless providers have begun backfilling unserved pockets; early adopters reduce smartphone-only reliance where cost allows.

How Marshall County differs from Oklahoma overall

• Higher smartphone-only internet dependence: 28–32% of households vs ~20–24% statewide, reflecting limited fixed broadband outside town centers and price sensitivity.
• Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption rate, driven by a larger 65+ share and rural coverage/performance constraints; any-phone ownership is still high but skews more toward basic phones among seniors.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO penetration (≈40–45% vs ~32–36% statewide), tied to income mix, secondary/seasonal lines, and weaker fixed broadband bundles.
• More time-on-network variability: larger weekend/holiday congestion swings due to Lake Texoma tourism and microwave-backhauled rural sites.
• Lower mid-band 5G population coverage than the state average; greater reliance on low-band 5G and LTE for day-to-day connectivity.
• Device sharing and multi-line households are more common, and average per-line data consumption is tempered by coverage/capacity outside town centers.

Actionable implications

• Network improvements with the highest impact: additional mid-band 5G sectors/backhaul upgrades on rural macros west and south of Kingston/Madill; infill along county roads that connect to marinas and campgrounds; expanded C-band/2.5 GHz where feasible.
• Demand indicators: smartphone-only households will continue to drive hotspot and unlimited-plan demand; seasonal capacity augments near Lake Texoma yield outsized customer-experience gains.
• Digital inclusion: senior-focused device training and subsidized fixed-wireless/fiber sign-ups would materially lower smartphone-only reliance among older and low-income residents.

Notes on sources and dating

• Population baseline from the 2020 Census; adoption and usage shares reflect 2023–2024 NTIA/Pew mobile adoption benchmarks, FCC mobile/fixed availability data patterns for rural Oklahoma, and carrier build-out disclosures through 2024. Estimates are adjusted to Marshall County’s demographics and settlement pattern to produce county-level figures.

Marshall County, OK social media snapshot (2025)

Topline user stats

• Total population: 16,931 (2020 Census). Residents age 13+ ≈ 14,000.
• Active social media users (13+): 11,000–12,000 (≈78–85% of 13+; ≈65–71% of total population).

Age mix of local social media users

• 13–17: 7–8%
• 18–24: 10–12%
• 25–34: 17–19%
• 35–44: 18–20%
• 45–54: 15–17%
• 55–64: 14–16%
• 65+: 13–15%

Gender breakdown among users

• Female: 52–55%
• Male: 45–48%

Most-used platforms among local social media users

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 68–73%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 30–40%
• Snapchat: 28–35% (very high among teens and early 20s)
• Pinterest: 18–22% overall (30–35% of women)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 10–12%
• Nextdoor: 5–8%

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Facebook is the community hub: buy–sell–trade groups, school and church updates, local events, lake-related classifieds. Engagement peaks evenings and weekends; older skew.
• YouTube is utility-driven: how-to, home/auto repair, outdoor/boating/fishing content tied to Lake Texoma; strong connected-TV viewing in households.
• Short-form video growth: 18–34s drive TikTok and Instagram Reels; local small businesses and venues use short clips for promotions and hiring.
• Messaging as a service channel: Facebook Messenger is the default for contacting local businesses; rapid response times influence purchase decisions.
• Teens and families: Snapchat dominates peer communication; high photo/video sharing around school athletics and community events.
• Seasonal spikes: Late spring–summer tourism increases posts, check-ins, and local search around marinas, rentals, dining; event-driven bursts (e.g., festivals, tournaments).
• Ad performance patterns: Best results from tight geo-targeting around Madill, Kingston, and Lake Texoma corridors; creatives featuring local landmarks and practical offers outperform generic brand ads.
• Content that travels: Fishing reports, weather/lake level updates, road and school notices, and “what’s open now” posts consistently over-index in shares.

Notes on methodology

• Population is from the 2020 U.S. Census. Platform penetration and demographic splits are modeled for Marshall County using current U.S. and Oklahoma rural adoption benchmarks (Pew Research Center, major platform ad-reach tools) adjusted to the county’s age and gender profile. Figures are presented as best-available estimates for 2025.