Okmulgee County

Okmulgee County, Oklahoma – key demographics

Population size

• 36,706 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~39–40 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~19–20%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022; race alone unless noted; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• White: ~65%
• Black or African American: ~8%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~15%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7%
• White, non-Hispanic: ~61%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~14.5k
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.46–2.50
• Family households: ~65% of households
• Average family size: ~3.0

Notes

• Figures combine 2020 Census counts (population) and ACS 2018–2022 estimates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, households). Percentages are rounded for clarity.

Okmulgee County, OK (pop. ~36,700; density ~52 residents/sq mi) shows broad email adoption with a rural access gap.

• Estimated email users: ~26,000 residents (≈89% of adults plus most teens).
• Age mix of email users: 13–17: ~5%; 18–34: ~27%; 35–64: ~48%; 65+: ~20%. Adoption is ~95% for ages 18–34, ~92% for 35–64, and ~75% for 65+.
• Gender split among users: 51% female, ~49% male (13.3k women, ~12.7k men).

Digital access and connectivity:

• ~74% of households have home broadband; ~21% lack home internet; ~17% are smartphone‑only.
• Fixed broadband availability reaches ~90% at 25/3 Mbps and ~70% at 100/20 Mbps; service quality declines outside Okmulgee and Henryetta.
• East Central Electric Cooperative’s ecoLINK fiber build is expanding rural gigabit access; AT&T and T‑Mobile 5G is strongest along the US‑75 corridor, with patchier coverage on county roads.
• Libraries and tribal/community centers provide vital public Wi‑Fi and device access.

Insight: Email reach is strong across working‑age adults, but lower senior adoption and a sizable smartphone‑only segment favor mobile‑optimized, low‑bandwidth email and complementary offline support.

Mobile phone usage in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma — 2022–2024 snapshot

Core user estimates

• Adult population (18+): approximately 27,900 out of a total population near 36,700.
• Smartphone users: about 23,300 adults (roughly 84% of adults), translating to about 63% of the total population.
• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): about 26,400 adults (approximately 95% of adults).

Age-based adoption (Pew Research age adoption rates applied to Okmulgee County’s age mix)

• 18–29: ~5,300 smartphone users (≈96% in this group).
• 30–49: ~8,000 smartphone users (≈95%).
• 50–64: ~5,800 smartphone users (≈83%).
• 65+: ~4,250 smartphone users (≈61%). Trend difference vs state: Okmulgee County’s older age share is slightly higher than the state average, which pulls overall smartphone penetration down a couple of points versus Oklahoma’s metro-heavy average.

Household connectivity and mobile reliance (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: roughly 14,000–15,000.
• Broadband of any type at home: about 76% (state ≈80%).
• Cellular data plan in the household (any): about 74–78% (state ≈73–75%).
• Cellular-data-only (no wired/fixed broadband): about 24–28% of households (state ≈17%).
• No Internet subscription of any kind: about 15–16% (state ≈11–12%). Trend differences vs state: Mobile-only Internet reliance is materially higher in Okmulgee County than statewide, and fixed home broadband adoption is a few points lower. This indicates a heavier dependence on smartphones as the primary on-ramp to the Internet compared with Oklahoma’s average.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Age: A larger 65+ share than the state depresses overall smartphone penetration, but seniors who are online skew more heavily to mobile than to wired-only connections.
• Income: Lower median household income than the state average correlates with higher prepaid and mobile-only reliance; budget-friendly smartphone plans substitute for home broadband more frequently than in metro counties.
• Race/ethnicity: A higher American Indian/Alaska Native presence than the state average (Muscogee [Creek] Nation jurisdiction) coexists with below-average wired-broadband availability in some rural tribal areas, further lifting mobile-only rates relative to the state.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carriers present: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide service. US-75 (Okmulgee–Tulsa corridor) and I-40 at Henryetta see the strongest 5G coverage and capacity; interior rural zones show more LTE reliance.
• 5G footprint: Low-band 5G is broadly available; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated along highways and near population centers (Okmulgee and Henryetta). This yields a larger LTE share of traffic than in Tulsa/OKC metros.
• Performance envelope observed locally: mid-band 5G commonly supports 100–300 Mbps where present; LTE in rural sections often ranges 5–50 Mbps with greater variability indoors.
• Backhaul and builds: Ongoing fiber expansion via state and federal programs (including Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program investments by the Muscogee [Creek] Nation) is improving middle-mile backhaul. Expect incremental mobile capacity gains as fiber reaches more towers through 2026–2028.
• Public access: Libraries and schools in Okmulgee and Henryetta provide free Wi‑Fi that helps offset gaps in fixed broadband, but evening/weekend demand surges continue to push more users to mobile data.

What’s different from Oklahoma overall

• Higher share of cellular-only households and lower fixed-broadband take-up than the state average, indicating a clear mobile-first usage pattern.
• A somewhat older age profile dampens overall smartphone penetration but also concentrates Internet use onto phones among connected seniors.
• Coverage and capacity are more corridor-centric: strong along US‑75 and I‑40 but patchier away from these routes, unlike the more uniformly dense 5G seen in metropolitan counties.
• Tribal-area fiber projects are a proportionally larger catalyst for future improvements in both mobile backhaul and last-mile choices than in many non-tribal counties.

Bottom line Okmulgee County is a mobile-first county by necessity and preference: roughly 84% of adults use smartphones, and about a quarter of households rely on cellular data as their only home Internet. Compared with statewide patterns, fixed broadband adoption is lower and 5G capacity is more localized to transport corridors, reinforcing the central role of mobile networks in daily connectivity until fiber builds progress further.

Social media snapshot: Okmulgee County, Oklahoma (2025)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~36,600 (2023 est.)
• Social media users (age 13+): ~24,500 people ≈ 67% of total population (≈80% of adults)
• Gender among users: ~52% women, ~48% men
• Internet access: ~90% of adults online; household broadband roughly mid-70s% (mobile-only access is common)

Age makeup of the social media audience (share of local users)

• 13–17: 10% (2.3k)
• 18–29: 18% (4.3k)
• 30–44: 24% (5.8k)
• 45–64: 28% (6.9k)
• 65+: 12% (2.8k)

Most-used platforms locally (share of social media users, age 13+)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~29%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~16%
• Reddit: ~12%
• Nextdoor: ~9%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first Facebook: Strong reliance on Facebook Groups for local news, high school sports, church and civic updates, yard/estate sales, and Facebook Marketplace for buy/sell/trade. Engagement spikes around school calendars and local events.
• Weather and public safety: Noticeable surges during severe weather and road/school-closure updates; official and media pages are primary alert channels.
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (TikTok and Instagram Reels) is rising for local events, sports highlights, and small-business promos; YouTube is the go-to for how-to, auto/DIY, outdoors (fishing/hunting) content.
• Tribal and civic engagement: Muscogee (Creek) Nation and local government pages see high reach for program announcements, cultural events, and public meetings.
• Messaging and private groups: Facebook Messenger and private Groups are heavily used for coordinating services (contractors, yard work, childcare), reflecting a trust-and-referral dynamic.
• Youth patterns: Teens gravitate to Snapchat for daily messaging and TikTok for entertainment; cross-posting to Instagram Stories is common.
• Timing and device: Peaks in the evening (7–10 p.m.) and midday (lunch hours). Usage is predominantly mobile; short captioning, vertical video, and clear calls-to-action perform best.
• Gender skews by platform: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest skew female; X and Reddit skew male. Facebook remains the broadest cross‑age reach; TikTok/Snapchat index younger; Pinterest performs with women 25–54.
• Advertising implications: Best local ROI comes from Facebook/Instagram for reach + Marketplace for conversion, and short YouTube/TikTok video for awareness. Geo-targeting around Okmulgee/Henryetta, event-timed boosts, and creative featuring local people/landmarks consistently lift engagement.

Method note: Figures are county‑level estimates derived from U.S. Census Bureau population and age structure, Oklahoma/rural internet adoption, and Pew Research Center 2024–2025 platform usage norms, calibrated to rural Oklahoma patterns.