Pittsburg County

Pittsburg County, Oklahoma — key demographics

Population

• Total: 43,773 (2020 Census); 2023 estimate: ~43,300 (slight decline since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~40.5 years
• 0–17: ~22%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65+: ~18%

Sex

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47% Note: Male share is elevated relative to the U.S., influenced by correctional facilities.

Race and ethnicity (ACS; race alone unless noted; Hispanic can be any race)

• White: ~68%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~13%
• Black/African American: ~4%
• Asian: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0–0.5%
• Some other race: ~2%
• Two or more races: ~12%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~7–8%

Households and housing

• Households: ~17,500
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~66% of households; married-couple households ~45–47%
• Owner-occupied: ~70–73%; renter-occupied: ~27–30%
• Housing units: ~20,000; vacancy rate: ~12–14%
• Median household income: ~$50–53k; per capita income: ~$27k
• Poverty rate: ~18–20%

Insights

• Population is flat to slightly declining and older than the U.S. median.
• Notable American Indian presence (Choctaw Nation area) and higher share reporting multiracial identity.
• Elevated male share reflects group-quarters population.
• Homeownership is high, but incomes are below the U.S. median and poverty is higher than the national rate.

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

Email usage in Pittsburg County, OK (est. 2024)

• Estimated users: ~28,200 adult email users out of ~34,000 adults (≈83% of adults), based on rural internet adoption near 90% and email use by online adults >90%.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–34: 27% (7,600); 35–54: 32% (9,000); 55–64: 14% (4,000); 65+: 27% (7,600).
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male (tracks county demographics).
• Digital access trends: About 4 in 5 households subscribe to broadband; roughly 1 in 5 relies primarily on smartphone data. Adoption is strongest in and around McAlester, with fiber/cable present; fixed‑wireless and satellite are common in rural tracts. Public Wi‑Fi (libraries/schools) and mobile hotspots materially supplement access for lower‑income and remote users.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population ~43,600 spread over ~1,370 sq mi (≈32 people per sq mi). Around 40% of residents live in or near McAlester along the US‑69 corridor, where high‑speed fixed service is most available; coverage and speeds drop in lake‑adjacent and wooded areas (north and east of town), increasing reliance on mobile and fixed‑wireless for email.

These figures synthesize recent ACS population and internet‑subscription patterns with national email usage benchmarks to localize Pittsburg County conditions.

Mobile phone usage in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma — 2024 snapshot

Headline takeaways focused on county-vs-state differences

• Higher reliance on mobile data for home connectivity than the Oklahoma average, with a larger share of “mobile-only” households and prepaid users.
• Older age structure and lower median income than the state contribute to slightly lower smartphone adoption among seniors and higher Android and prepaid usage.
• 5G is present but uneven: strong along the US‑69/US‑270 corridors and in McAlester; more low-band 5G/LTE and occasional coverage gaps in outlying and lake/wooded areas, unlike the more continuous 5G midband coverage in many Oklahoma metros.

User estimates (adults and households)

• Population base: about 44,000 residents; roughly 33,000–34,000 adults (18+).
• Adult mobile phone users: approximately 31,000–33,000 (about 90–94% of adults; in line with national norms, slightly below large metro Oklahoma rates).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 28,000–30,000 (about 85–89% of adults). This is a few points below Oklahoma’s statewide adult smartphone rate, which typically runs near the upper 80s to around 90%.
• Households with any smartphone present: high, roughly 90%+ (household smartphone presence is usually a few points higher than individual adult ownership).
• Mobile-only internet households: estimated 12–15% in Pittsburg County versus ~8–10% statewide. This gap widened in 2024 after the ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) wind‑down, as lower-income households shifted back to cellular data plans and hotspotting.

Demographic patterns tied to usage

• Age: Pittsburg County skews older than the state. Smartphone ownership among adults 65+ is estimated around the high 60s to low 70s percent, below the Oklahoma senior average (mid‑ to high‑70s). Feature phones and basic plans remain more common among the oldest cohorts.
• Income: Median household income is below the Oklahoma median. That correlates with:
  • Higher prepaid penetration (e.g., Cricket, Metro, Boost) and BYOD plans.
  • Greater reliance on mobile data for primary home access and hotspot use for homework and telework.
• Education: A smaller share of adults hold a bachelor’s degree than the state average, which aligns with lower fixed broadband subscription rates and slightly lower smartphone adoption in older/low-income segments.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s Native American share is above the state average, and historically had higher participation in Lifeline and ACP programs. The ACP sunset disproportionately affected these households, contributing to the uptick in mobile-only reliance.

Digital infrastructure and coverage landscape

• Macro coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide widespread LTE across the county. Population coverage is high, but geographic coverage has weak spots in sparsely populated, hilly, and lakeside areas.
• 5G availability:
  • Midband 5G capacity is concentrated in and around McAlester and along major travel corridors (US‑69, US‑270, Indian Nation Turnpike). This yields strong speeds and capacity where most residents live and commute.
  • Outside these corridors, low‑band 5G and LTE predominate, with lower capacity and more variable performance than Oklahoma’s larger metro counties.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber and cable are primarily available in McAlester and immediate surroundings; many rural households still face limited fixed options (DSL, fixed wireless). This drives higher mobile substitution than the state average.
  • 5G Home Internet (where offered) has begun to offload some home traffic in and near McAlester, but availability is patchy outside the core.
• Public safety: FirstNet service is present through AT&T, improving resilience for first responders; practical benefits include prioritized LTE/5G access during events, though Band 14 availability is strongest near population centers and along highways.

How Pittsburg County differs from the Oklahoma average

• Adoption: Adult smartphone adoption is a few percentage points lower, driven by an older population and lower incomes.
• Access mode: Mobile-only home internet is meaningfully more common (+4 to +7 percentage points), with increased hotspot use for schoolwork and remote tasks.
• Plan mix: Higher prepaid share and budget Android device usage relative to metro Oklahoma counties.
• Performance: More pronounced urban–rural performance gap; residents near McAlester enjoy midband 5G capacity, while outlying areas rely on low-band 5G/LTE with inconsistent speeds and indoor coverage.
• Resilience/affordability: The ACP wind‑down had a larger effect locally, increasing cost sensitivity and reinforcing mobile substitution more than in higher‑income parts of the state.

Bottom-line numbers to use

• Adults: ~33–34k
• Adult mobile users: ~31–33k
• Adult smartphone users: ~28–30k
• Household smartphone presence: ~90%+
• Mobile-only home internet households: ~12–15% (county) vs ~8–10% (state)
• 5G: Midband concentrated in McAlester and along US‑69/US‑270; low-band and LTE elsewhere, with more variability than state metro areas

These estimates synthesize recent ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns, Pew Research smartphone adoption benchmarks, FCC mobile coverage disclosures, and typical rural–urban differentials observed in Oklahoma in 2023–2024. They reflect Pittsburg County’s older age structure, income profile, and infrastructure footprint, emphasizing where it diverges from statewide norms.

Pittsburg County, OK social media snapshot (2025)

Baseline

• Population: ~44,000 residents (largely rural; county seat: McAlester)
• Device context: Mobile-first usage dominates; home broadband is spottier outside town centers, so short video and image posts outperform long, high‑bitrate content

Overall usage (estimated local reach)

• Residents 13+: 75–80% use social media at least monthly
• Adults (18+): ~83% use at least one platform; ~70% use social daily
• Active user base: roughly 30,000–33,000 residents (13+) engage monthly

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults using each, at least monthly)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Instagram: ~45%
• Pinterest: ~34%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~22%
• X (Twitter): ~20%
• Reddit: ~18%
• WhatsApp: ~22% Note: In rural Oklahoma counties, Facebook and YouTube slightly over-index vs. national averages; Instagram/TikTok trend a touch lower outside the 18–29 cohort.

Age patterns (share of each age group using the platform)

• Ages 13–17: YouTube ~95%; Snapchat ~60–65%; Instagram ~60–65%; TikTok ~60%+; Facebook ~30–35%
• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram ~75–80%; Snapchat ~60–65%; TikTok ~60%+; Facebook ~70%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~90%; Facebook ~75%; Instagram ~50%; TikTok ~40%; Snapchat ~25%
• Ages 50–64: Facebook ~70–75%; YouTube ~65–70%; Instagram ~25–30%; TikTok ~20%
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~60%+; YouTube ~55–60%; Instagram ~15%; TikTok ~10–15%

Gender breakdown (tendencies among adult users)

• Overall user mix: slightly more women than men
• Women over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest (Pinterest usage among women is roughly 2–3x men)
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X
• Instagram and TikTok are relatively balanced overall, with stronger female skew in 18–34

Behavioral trends locally

• Community-first use: Facebook Groups and Pages drive news, school and high‑school sports, civic updates, local services, church and tribal announcements, and Buy/Sell/Trade via Marketplace
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) leads engagement; YouTube long-form used for tutorials, DIY, hunting/fishing, equipment reviews, and local government or school streams
• Commerce: Marketplace and local deals outperform traditional e‑commerce links; coupon codes, giveaways, and “shop local” storytelling convert better than generic brand ads
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat DMs are primary for teens/young adults; WhatsApp pockets exist in specific communities but remain secondary
• Influence dynamics: Word-of-mouth via local micro-influencers (coaches, pastors, small business owners, first responders) outweighs large creator clout; user-generated photos/video from community events gets high organic reach
• Timing: Peak activity evenings (7–10 pm CT) and lunch hours; weather events and school sports nights create sharp engagement spikes
• Content fit: Plain-language posts with place names, faces, and clear calls to action perform best; accessibility (captions, on-screen text) matters due to mobile and variable connectivity

How these figures were derived

• Percentages reflect 2024–2025 U.S. adult platform usage benchmarks (Pew Research Center) adjusted for rural county patterns in Oklahoma and applied to Pittsburg County’s demographic profile; teen rates reflect national teen surveys. Treat as localized, planning-grade estimates rather than a platform’s first-party count of county users.