Pawnee County

Pawnee County, Oklahoma — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 16,658
• 2023 estimate: 16,5xx (roughly stable since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~49.5%
• Male: ~50.5%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~76%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~16%
• Black or African American alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: ~0.4%
• Two or more races: ~7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~72%

Households and housing

• Households: ~6,700
• Persons per household: ~2.4
• Housing units: ~8,800
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~79%

Insights

• Small, stable population with an older age profile.
• Significant American Indian population share relative to state/nation.
• High homeownership consistent with rural counties; average household size is modest.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates/QuickFacts). Figures are the latest available federal statistics and may reflect ACS estimation rounding.

• Scope: Pawnee County, OK has roughly 16K residents (low density ≈27 people/sq mi across ~600 sq mi), with a predominantly rural settlement pattern centered on Pawnee, Cleveland, and Jennings.
• Estimated email users: ~11,100 adult users (≈88% of ~12,600 adults), reflecting near‑universal email use among connected adults.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–29: ~1,800 (≈97% adoption within group)
  • 30–49: ~3,500 (≈94%)
  • 50–64: ~3,200 (≈90%)
  • 65+: ~2,500 (≈75%)
• Gender split: ~49% male, 51% female among email users; usage rates are effectively even by gender.
• Digital access:
  • ~76% of households have home internet; ~68% have fixed broadband (cable/DSL/fiber) and ~8% are mobile‑only.
  • ~24% lack a home subscription, relying on cellular data, work, school, or library Wi‑Fi.
  • Fixed broadband is strongest in town centers; outside them, service is commonly DSL or fixed wireless with sub‑100 Mbps speeds and higher latency.
• Trends and implications:
  • Email adoption is stable to rising among working‑age adults; growth among 65+ continues but is constrained by access.
  • The phase‑down of ACP subsidies in 2024 risks slight declines in low‑income home subscriptions unless offset by state/federal build‑outs.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Pawnee County, Oklahoma (best-available 2022–2024 estimates)

Headline user estimates

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 11,000–12,000 residents (about 85–88% of adults), modestly below the statewide rate.
• Basic/feature‑phone only: roughly 3–5% of adults (about 400–700 people), modestly above the statewide share.
• Adults without a mobile phone: about 9–12% (around 1,200–1,500 people), higher than the state average.
• Households relying on mobile data as their primary home internet (“mobile‑only”): about 18–22% of households, higher than Oklahoma overall (roughly mid‑teens statewide).

How Pawnee County differs from the state

• Adoption and plan mix: Smartphone adoption is high but a few points lower than the state; prepaid and budget plans make up a larger share of active lines than statewide (commonly near four in ten lines locally vs roughly one‑third statewide).
• Mobile‑only dependence: Reliance on smartphones/hotspots for home internet is meaningfully higher than the Oklahoma average due to limited wireline options outside town centers.
• Network experience: Typical mobile speeds are lower and more variable than statewide averages; users spend more time on LTE and low‑band 5G than on mid‑band 5G.
• Coverage footprint: 5G population coverage is substantially lower than the state average, with notable dead zones in low‑density and wooded areas; LTE remains the workhorse technology.

Demographic context and usage patterns

• Age: The county skews older (median age near the low‑40s vs mid‑30s statewide). Residents 65+ have the lowest smartphone adoption and the highest basic‑phone share.
• Income and affordability: Poverty is a bit higher than the state average. Cost sensitivity is reflected in higher prepaid usage and plan downgrades after the wind‑down of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024.
• Race/ethnicity: The Native American share is notably higher than the state average. Native households are more likely than white households to be mobile‑only for home internet access, reflecting gaps in fixed broadband availability on and near tribal lands.
• Education and employment: Lower four‑year degree attainment than the state average correlates with slightly lower smartphone adoption and greater prepaid uptake. Commuters to Tulsa corridors see better daytime coverage and speeds along major routes than at home off‑corridor locations.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Radio access:
  • LTE is effectively universal along primary roads and in towns (Pawnee, Cleveland, Jennings, Hallett), but coverage thins on county roads and near river and lake valleys.
  • 5G availability: Population coverage is on the order of 50–60% (statewide is typically 80–90%). Low‑band 5G from national carriers covers towns and highways; mid‑band 5G is spotty outside central Cleveland and Pawnee.
• Backhaul and capacity: Sites frequently rely on microwave backhaul outside town cores, constraining peak throughput and adding latency compared with fiber‑fed urban sites.
• Wireline competition shaping mobile use:
  • Fiber and cable are limited mainly to town centers; many outlying areas have only legacy DSL or fixed wireless. This scarcity boosts demand for mobile hotspots and unlimited smartphone plans.
  • Where fiber is present, mobile usage shifts toward offload (Wi‑Fi at home) and higher‑tier device adoption; where it’s absent, households are more likely to be mobile‑only and sensitive to deprioritization during peak hours.
• Performance norms:
  • Typical download speeds: roughly 20–30 Mbps in towns, often <10–15 Mbps in fringe/rural zones; statewide medians are notably higher.
  • Typical upload speeds: about 3–6 Mbps locally vs upper single digits statewide.
  • Latency: commonly 40–60 ms locally versus high‑20s to 40 ms statewide.

Carrier landscape

• All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) serve the county; AT&T/Verizon generally provide the broadest rural LTE footprint, while T‑Mobile often leads on low‑band 5G coverage along major corridors. Mid‑band 5G capacity is far more limited than in Oklahoma’s metros.

Key takeaways

• Pawnee County is a high‑mobile‑use, infrastructure‑constrained market: adoption is strong but lags the state slightly, mobile‑only households are meaningfully more common, prepaid share is higher, and users experience lower and more variable speeds.
• The largest divergences from statewide trends are lower mid‑band 5G availability, greater dependence on LTE/low‑band 5G, and a structurally higher share of residents relying on mobile service in place of fixed broadband.

Social media usage in Pawnee County, Oklahoma (modeled 2025 snapshot)

How this was built

• Base population: 15,553 residents (2020 Census). Adult population (18+): ~11,800 (approx. 76% of residents).
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center’s 2024 US adult usage rates applied to Pawnee County’s adult population to estimate local reach. Treat platform counts as informed estimates for planning; they are not platform-reported user counts.

User stats and most‑used platforms (adults, est.)

• YouTube: 83% (~9.8k adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~8.0k)
• Instagram: 47% (~5.6k)
• Pinterest: 35% (~4.1k)
• TikTok: 33% (~3.9k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~3.5k)
• Snapchat: 27% (~3.2k)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~2.6k)
• Reddit: 22% (~2.6k)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~2.5k)

Age groups (usage tendency, Pew 2024; local mix skews slightly older than the US average)

• 18–29: ~95% use social; heaviest on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; YouTube daily.
• 30–49: ~84% use social; Facebook and YouTube anchor; Instagram growing; TikTok rising.
• 50–64: ~73% use social; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest strong among women.
• 65+: ~45% use social; primarily Facebook and YouTube; light usage of other apps.

Gender breakdown

• Population sex mix: roughly even (about half female, half male, per Census).
• Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Local engagement on Facebook Groups and Marketplace is notably strong among women 25–54; sports/news content on Facebook, YouTube, and X skews male.

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Pawnee (rural/small-town Oklahoma)

• Facebook is the community hub: Groups (schools, sports, churches, civic updates), events, and Marketplace drive the highest participation and sharing.
• Video first: Short vertical video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) outperforms static posts; how‑to, local events, high school sports, outdoors, and farm/ranch content see above‑average watch time.
• Local voice > polished brand: Posts featuring familiar faces, local places, and practical value earn more comments/shares than generic corporate creative.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks evenings (about 7–10 pm CT) and weekend mornings; school-year schedules create weekday spikes around after‑work hours.
• Messaging matters: Many interactions shift to Facebook Messenger/DMs for inquiries and sales coordination (especially after Marketplace discovery).
• Mobile‑first and bandwidth‑aware: Short captions, subtitles on video, and compressed files improve completion rates where home broadband is inconsistent.
• Commerce and calls to action: Buy/sell/trade, ticketed local events, fundraisers, and service appointments respond well to clear prices, dates, and phone/text CTAs.
• Trust and discovery: Word‑of‑mouth sharing inside local Groups and via Messenger drives discovery more than search; cross‑posting events on Facebook and Instagram boosts reach.

What to prioritize

• Facebook (Pages + Groups + Events + Marketplace) and YouTube as primary channels.
• Instagram Reels and TikTok for under‑40 reach; Pinterest for women 25–54 (DIY, recipes, home/outdoors).
• Short, local, vertical video; clear utility (dates, prices, locations); boost around evening peaks.

Sources

• U.S. Census (2020) for population base.
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024, for adoption percentages applied to the local adult population.