Seminole County

Key demographics: Seminole County, Oklahoma

Population size

• 23,556 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: 39.1 years
• Under 18: 24.8%
• 18 to 64: 56.0%
• 65 and over: 19.2%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: 51.0%
• Male: 49.0%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; Hispanic is an ethnicity)

• White alone: 63.5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 18.9%
• Black or African American alone: 3.5%
• Asian alone: 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%
• Two or more races: 13.7%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 7.0%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 59.6%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: 9,027
• Average household size: 2.49

Notes/insights

• The county has a notably large American Indian population (about 1 in 5 residents).
• Age profile is slightly older than the U.S. overall, with nearly one in five residents age 65+. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; ACS 2018–2022 5-year; QuickFacts).

• Scope: Seminole County, Oklahoma (2020 Census population 23,556; land area ≈633 sq mi; density ≈37 people/sq mi).
• Estimated adult email users: ≈16,100. Basis: ~17,850 adults (18+) with high email adoption typical of U.S. adults, adjusted for rural access.
• Age distribution of email users (share; count):
  • 18–29: 23% ≈3,700
  • 30–49: 34% ≈5,500
  • 50–64: 21% ≈3,400
  • 65+: 22% ≈3,500
• Gender split among email users:
  • Female: ~51% ≈8,200
  • Male: ~49% ≈7,900
• Digital access trends:
  • Rural density and dispersed settlement patterns depress fixed-broadband adoption versus urban Oklahoma, pushing a noticeable smartphone-only cohort for email.
  • Connectivity clusters around population centers (City of Seminole, Wewoka) and primary corridors (e.g., OK-3/US-377), with weaker service and lower subscription rates in sparsely populated tracts.
  • Household internet subscription is materially below metro averages; adoption improves where cable/fiber is present, while outlying blocks rely more on cellular data.
• Insight: Despite rural infrastructure constraints, email penetration among adults is high, with strongest usage in working-age cohorts (30–49). Seniors (65+) participate substantially but remain under-represented among email users relative to their share of the adult population.

Seminole County, Oklahoma: Mobile phone usage summary (2024–2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: ~23,500 (2023 Census estimate), with a higher-than-state share of older adults and a largely rural settlement pattern (low population density).

User estimates

• Adults (18+): ~17,800
• Adults with any mobile phone: ~16,800 (≈94% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users: ~14,500 (≈81% of adults; ≈62% of total population)
• Teen smartphone users (13–17): ~1,300–1,400
• Total resident smartphone users (adults + teens): ≈15,800–16,000
• Smartphone-only (mobile-only) internet reliance: ~24% of adults (≈4,200–4,400 adults) and roughly 2,000–2,300 households, notably above the state share

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns inside the county)

• By age
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption ≈93–96%; heavy app-centric use, high 5G uptake in towns
  • 35–64: ≈82–86% adoption; mixed prepaid/postpaid, growing hotspot use for home connectivity
  • 65+: ≈58–62% adoption; highest basic/feature-phone retention and voice/SMS-first usage
• By income
  • Under $35k household income: smartphone adoption ≈72–78%; mobile-only internet reliance ≈28–32%
  • $35k–$75k: adoption ≈82–88%; mobile-only reliance ≈20–24%
  • Over $75k: adoption ≈90–94%; mobile-only reliance ≈10–14%
• By place (towns vs rural)
  • Town centers (Seminole, Wewoka, Konawa): higher 5G availability, faster median speeds, more postpaid plans and bundled device financing
  • Outlying rural/tribal areas: more LTE-only coverage, lower indoor signal quality, higher mobile-only internet reliance and prepaid share

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon operate countywide. Public carrier maps and FCC filings indicate:
  • 4G LTE: effectively universal across populated and road corridors, with indoor gaps in low-lying/wooded tracts
  • 5G low-band: covers the main population centers and primary highways; estimated population coverage ~70–80%
  • 5G mid-band (higher-capacity): highly localized to town cores and select corridors; estimated population coverage ~20–35%
• Performance (typical, not peak)
  • Town cores on 5G: ~60–120 Mbps down, with good daytime consistency
  • Rural LTE: ~5–20 Mbps down; can drop sub‑5 Mbps at cell edges or during peak evening hours
• Backhaul and fiber context
  • Fiber backhaul has expanded along main corridors and into town centers via regional telcos and electric co-op builds; rural last-mile fiber remains patchy
  • Where fiber-to-the-home is absent, residents disproportionately depend on mobile hotspots/home LTE gateways for primary internet
• Plan mix
  • Prepaid share among smartphone users is materially higher than the state average (county ≈45–55% vs state ≈35–40%), reflecting income and credit factors

How Seminole County differs from Oklahoma overall

• Adoption
  • Adult smartphone adoption runs ~4–6 percentage points lower than the statewide rate (county ≈81% vs state ≈86–87%)
• Connectivity reliance
  • Mobile-only internet reliance is meaningfully higher (county ≈24% vs state ≈16–18%), driven by patchy wired broadband in rural and tribal areas
• Network capability
  • 5G mid-band availability is substantially lower than the state average (county ≈20–35% pop coverage vs state ≈55–60%), yielding lower median speeds and more frequent LTE fallbacks
• Plan economics
  • Higher prepaid penetration and lower device-financing uptake than metro Oklahoma, reflecting lower median incomes and credit access
• User experience
  • Greater indoor coverage variability outside towns; more pronounced evening congestion on LTE sectors compared with metro counties

Key insights

• Mobile phones are nearly universal among adults, but smartphone adoption lags the state, largely due to the county’s older age profile and income distribution.
• A quarter of adults rely on smartphones as their primary internet connection—well above the statewide share—because wired broadband options thin out quickly outside town limits.
• 5G is present and useful in town cores but mid-band capacity is limited; many residents still experience LTE speeds typical of earlier rural deployments.
• Closing the gap with state-level performance hinges on continued fiber backhaul buildout, added mid-band 5G sectors on existing towers, and targeted in-building coverage solutions in rural community anchors.

Seminole County, OK social media snapshot (2024–2025)

Topline user stats

• Population: ≈23,500 (2023 Census estimate)
• Residents age 13+: ≈19,400
• Social media users (13+): ≈14,400 (≈74% of 13+; ≈61% of all residents)
• Daily active social media users: ≈10,200–10,600 (about 70–74% of users)

Age profile of local social media users (share of county’s social media users; counts rounded)

• 13–17: ≈10% (≈1,500 users)
• 18–24: ≈12% (≈1,750)
• 25–34: ≈17% (≈2,480)
• 35–44: ≈16% (≈2,370)
• 45–54: ≈15% (≈2,200)
• 55–64: ≈14% (≈2,080)
• 65+: ≈14% (≈2,050)

Gender breakdown (share of county’s social media users)

• Female: ≈54% (≈7,800 users)
• Male: ≈46% (≈6,600 users)

Most-used platforms in the county (Percentages are share of local social media users; people use multiple platforms, so totals exceed 100%.)

• YouTube: ≈85% (≈12,200 users)
• Facebook: ≈78% (≈11,200)
• Instagram: ≈45% (≈6,500)
• TikTok: ≈35% (≈5,000)
• Snapchat: ≈32% (≈4,600)
• Pinterest: ≈40% (≈5,800)
• X (Twitter): ≈20% (≈2,900)
• LinkedIn: ≈13% (≈1,900)
• WhatsApp: ≈15% (≈2,200)
• Nextdoor: ≈7% (≈1,000)

Behavioral trends and channel nuances

• Facebook is the community hub: Local news, school sports, church and civic updates, buy/sell/trade, and Marketplace drive the highest engagement. Women 25–54 are the most active posters and group moderators.
• YouTube is universal utility: Heavy use for DIY, home and auto repair, hunting/outdoors, weather tracking, and high school sports highlights; longer watch sessions than other platforms.
• Short‑form video keeps 13–34 engaged: TikTok and Instagram Reels dominate entertainment and creator discovery; Snapchat is the default for teen messaging and quick story updates.
• Shopping patterns: Facebook Marketplace is the primary local commerce channel; Pinterest influences home/crafts projects and seasonal buying; Instagram/TikTok Shops are growing but still secondary.
• Information and alerts: Severe weather and school/emergency updates produce sharp, fast engagement spikes, with Facebook posts and YouTube live/weather channels leading.
• Messaging stack: Facebook Messenger is the default for adults; Snapchat for teens/young adults; WhatsApp usage is present but modest and concentrated in families with out‑of‑area ties.
• Timing: Peak local engagement typically evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; midday (12–2 pm) sees secondary scroll peaks.

Notes on method and reliability

• Figures are 2024–2025 modeled estimates for Seminole County derived from: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population and age structure; Pew Research Center 2024 social media adoption by age and rural/urban cohorts; Pew teen adoption benchmarks; and U.S.-level platform usage patterns. Platform percentages reflect share of local social media users; counts are rounded for clarity. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Pew Research Center (2024 Social Media Use, Teens & Tech); DataReportal Digital 2024: USA.