Pontotoc County

Pontotoc County, Oklahoma — key demographics

Population

• 38,065 (2020 Census)
• ~38.9k (2023 Census Bureau estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~36.8 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Sex

• Female: ~50.8%
• Male: ~49.2%

Race and ethnicity (percent of total population; ACS 2019–2023 unless noted)

• White alone: ~70%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~19%
• Black or African American alone: ~2–3%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~8–9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7–8%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~63–65%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~15,100–15,200
• Persons per household (avg.): ~2.47
• Family households: ~62%
• Households with children under 18: ~29%
• Average family size: ~3.0
• Homeownership rate: ~67–69%
• Housing units: ~17,000

Insights

• The county has a notably high American Indian/Alaska Native share relative to state and national averages (reflecting the area’s strong tribal presence).
• Age structure is balanced with a modestly higher 65+ share than the U.S. overall but influenced by a university presence in Ada.
• Household size is close to state and national norms, with a majority of households being families and homeownership typical for Oklahoma.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (July 1, 2023). Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Pontotoc County, OK overview

• Population and email users: Pop ≈39,500 (2023). Estimated active email users ≈30,000 (≈76% of residents), derived from the adult population and nationally observed email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate share and count): 18–29: 20% (≈6,000); 30–49: 34% (≈10,200); 50–64: 23% (≈6,900); 65+: 23% (≈6,900).
• Gender split: ≈51% female, 49% male, tracking county demographics, with near-parity in email adoption by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with an internet subscription: ≈82–84%; with a computer device: ≈90%.
  • Smartphone‑only home internet: ≈14% of households.
  • Household internet subscription rates have risen roughly 5–7 percentage points since 2018, reflecting improved access and affordability.
  • Connectivity: Fixed broadband ≥25/3 Mbps is available to most addresses; 4G/5G mobile coverage reaches nearly all populated areas. Service quality is highest around Ada; rural tracts have fewer high‑speed (≥100/20) options.
• Local density/connectivity context: Area ≈724 sq mi; population density ≈53 people/sq mi, with concentration in and around Ada, which supports higher network investment compared with sparsely populated eastern and southern areas.

Mobile phone usage in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma — 2025 snapshot

User estimates

• Adult mobile phone users: 28,000–29,000 adults use a mobile phone for voice/text (estimate). Basis: 2020 Census population 38,065; adults ≈ 77% ≈ 29,300. Pew U.S. adult mobile-phone ownership is ≈ 97% in 2023–2024; applying that to the county’s adult population yields ≈ 28.4k–28.9k users.
• Adult smartphone users: 25,000–26,500 (estimate). Basis: Pew smartphone adoption ≈ 90% nationally, ≈ 84% in rural areas. Pontotoc is a mixed micropolitan-rural county centered on Ada; applying 86–90% to ≈ 29.3k adults yields ≈ 25.2k–26.4k adult smartphone users.
• Cellular-as-primary internet: 3,200–4,000 households rely mainly on mobile data for at-home connectivity (estimate). Basis: ACS “cellular-only” home internet use trends are higher in lower-income/rural Oklahoma counties than state average; applying a 10–13% cellular-primary share to ≈ 31k occupied housing units (ACS 5-year scale for a county this size) yields roughly 3.2k–4.0k households.

Demographic breakdown and its impact on usage

• Age structure: Above-average share of older adults (65+) relative to Oklahoma overall, and a visible 18–24 cohort centered on East Central University in Ada. This barbell shape dampens overall smartphone penetration slightly versus the state (older adults adopt at lower rates) but raises heavy mobile-data use among students and younger workers.
• Income and affordability: Median household income trails the Oklahoma median, and poverty rates run a few points higher than statewide. Consequences:
  • Higher prepaid and value MVNO usage than the state average
  • Greater incidence of smartphone-only internet access (no home broadband) and hotspotting for school/work
• Race/ethnicity: A markedly higher share of American Indian/Alaska Native residents than the state average, reflecting the Chickasaw Nation’s presence. Tribal programs and carriers’ targeted buildouts in and around Ada support adoption, but rural settlement patterns still create coverage and affordability gaps.
• Urban-rural mix: Most residents cluster in and around Ada (micropolitan core) with the remainder dispersed across low-density tracts (Roff, Stonewall, Fittstown, Latta). This yields a two-speed mobile experience: urban users on mid-band 5G with higher throughput, rural users on low-band LTE/5G with lower but more consistent signal.

Digital infrastructure points

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all market 5G service in Ada and along primary corridors (US-377/OK-3/OK-1). Rural sectors lean on low-band spectrum for reach; mid-band is concentrated near Ada and along highways.
• 5G profile:
  • Low-band 5G (600–850 MHz): Broadest county coverage; modest speed uplift over LTE; key for voice reliability indoors and in rural areas
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz, C-band): Clustered in Ada and select corridors; delivers the county’s best median mobile speeds when available
• Towering and backhaul: Dozens of macro sites serve the county, densest in Ada; rural sectors use fewer, taller sites with larger cells. Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed nodes in town and microwave-fed rural sectors. East Central University, healthcare facilities, and tribal/government sites act as local bandwidth anchors.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable and fiber are available in central Ada; outside town, options tilt toward DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite. Mobile networks often supplement or substitute for home broadband in these areas, raising mobile data consumption per line.

How Pontotoc County differs from Oklahoma’s statewide pattern

• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration than the state average, but higher reliance on mobile-only internet at home. The county’s income and rural exposure push more households to depend on smartphones and hotspots for connectivity.
• More pronounced urban-rural split in user experience. Ada residents benefit from mid-band 5G capacities more consistently than similar-sized Oklahoma towns; conversely, outer tracts see larger coverage gaps and lower median speeds than typical state suburban locales.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and device turnover pressures. Affordability dynamics increase prepaid usage and the use of refurbished/older devices, which interact differently with newer 5G bands, keeping average speeds below state urban benchmarks even where 5G is available.
• Tribal presence shapes infrastructure and adoption. Tribal institutions in and near Ada help anchor fiber and improve localized coverage, a pattern less visible in many Oklahoma counties, but rural settlement still limits uniform service quality.

Key takeaways

• Around 28–29 thousand adults in Pontotoc use a mobile phone, and roughly 25–26.5 thousand use smartphones.
• Mobile-only internet households are materially higher than the statewide norm, with roughly one in ten to one in eight households relying primarily on cellular.
• Ada enjoys competitive 5G capacity; rural Pontotoc depends on low-band coverage with notable dead zones between communities, producing a two-tier experience not as sharp in more suburban Oklahoma counties.

Sources and methods: 2020 Decennial Census for population base; 2019–2023 ACS patterns for device and subscription behavior; Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone/mobile adoption rates; FCC mobile technology footprints for rural vs. urban 5G deployment patterns; synthesis calibrated to Pontotoc County’s micropolitan-rural mix.

Pontotoc County, OK social media snapshot (modeled to the county from the latest U.S. Census and Pew Research Center data)

Population baseline

• Total population: ~38,000 (U.S. Census, 2020)
• Adults (18+): ~29,300
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male

Estimated social media users

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~24,300 (≈83% of adults)
• Teens (13–17) using social media: ~2,300–2,400 (≈95% of teens)
• Total 13+ social media users: ~26,600–26,700
• Gender split among users: roughly mirrors the county population (≈51% women, 49% men). Pinterest skews more female; Reddit and X/Twitter skew more male.

Most-used platforms (adult reach; percentages are U.S. averages from Pew 2024 applied to Pontotoc County; counts are estimates)

• YouTube: 83% → ~24,300 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~19,900 adults
• Instagram: 47% → ~13,800 adults
• Pinterest: 35% → ~10,300 adults
• TikTok: 33% → ~9,700 adults
• Snapchat: 30% → ~8,800 adults
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~8,800 adults
• WhatsApp: 29% → ~8,500 adults
• X/Twitter: 22% → ~6,400 adults
• Reddit: 22% → ~6,400 adults

Age-group usage patterns (share who use any social platform; U.S. benchmarks applied locally)

• 13–17: ~95% use social media; heavy on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram; YouTube is near-universal
• 18–29: ~90–96%; Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube dominate; Facebook used but not primary
• 30–49: ~85–90%; Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram rising; TikTok adoption steady
• 50–64: ~70–80%; Facebook and YouTube primary; Pinterest meaningful among women
• 65+: ~50–60%; Facebook is the default; YouTube growing for how-to and church content

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Oklahoma counties and expected in Pontotoc

• Facebook as community hub: local news, school/athletics, churches, buy–sell–trade groups, event promotion, fundraisers
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive discovery; many local businesses cross-post to Facebook Reels
• YouTube as utility media: DIY, home/auto repair, local sports highlights, sermons and civic videos
• Messaging ecosystems: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; Snapchat is the default for teens/college-age day-to-day communication
• Commerce and recommendations: Facebook Groups and Marketplace are key for local shopping; Pinterest influences home, crafts, and recipes among women
• Professional networking is niche: LinkedIn usage is modest and concentrated in education, healthcare, tribal, and public-sector roles
• News habits: Local and state news primarily via Facebook feeds/groups; X/Twitter is used more by sports fans, journalists, and civically engaged users
• Neighborhood apps: Nextdoor-style behavior occurs in Facebook Groups more than standalone neighborhood apps

Notes on methodology

• County population and gender from U.S. Census (2020). Platform percentages and age-group usage from Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use fact sheet and Pew’s 2022 teen study. Counts are estimates created by applying those rates to Pontotoc County’s population structure.