Sequoyah County

Key demographics — Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

Population

• Total population: 39,281 (2020 Census); about 39,700 (2023 Census Population Estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~39–40 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Sex

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Non-Hispanic unless noted; Hispanic is any race)

• White: ~62%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~20%
• Two or more races: ~10%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~6%
• Black: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander and Other: ~0.2%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~14,900
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: 71% of households (10,600)
  • Married-couple families: ~7,200
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• One-person households: ~25% (about 11% age 65+ living alone)
• Homeownership rate: ~73% (owner-occupied); renters: ~27%

Insights

• Population is stable to slightly declining relative to 2010.
• Older age structure than the U.S. overall, with a sizable senior share.
• Substantially higher American Indian/Alaska Native share than state/nation, reflecting Cherokee Nation presence.
• High homeownership and predominance of family households typical of rural counties.

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

Sequoyah County, OK snapshot (pop. ~39.5k; ~55 people/sq. mi., county seat: Sallisaw):

• Estimated email users: ~30,000 residents. Method: applying near‑universal adult email adoption to the adult population and accounting for uneven home internet access and mobile‑only users.
• Age distribution of email use (adoption among adults):
  • 18–34: ~95%
  • 35–64: ~96%
  • 65+: ~85% Seniors participate slightly less but still majority.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring the county’s population structure; email usage shows no meaningful gender gap.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with a broadband subscription: roughly three‑quarters (mid‑70% range), consistent with ACS patterns for rural eastern Oklahoma.
  • No home internet: about 10–15% of households, with higher gaps outside towns.
  • Smartphone‑only access: roughly one‑fifth of households, indicating many residents use email primarily via mobile data.
• Local connectivity context:
  • Coverage is strongest along the I‑40 corridor and in/around Sallisaw, Roland, and Muldrow; outlying rural areas exhibit more limited fixed broadband options.
  • Population is dispersed and predominantly rural, which raises last‑mile costs and contributes to lower fixed‑line adoption despite high individual email use.

Mobile phone usage in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma — summary and county-vs-state contrasts

Scope and sources

• Figures reflect the latest publicly available datasets through 2023–2024 (ACS 2018–2022 5‑year and 2023 1‑year where applicable; FCC mobile/broadband maps 2024; Pew Research smartphone adoption benchmarks). Values are rounded and presented as defensible estimates at county scale.

Headline takeaways

• Heavy mobile dependence: A larger share of households rely on cellular data as their only internet connection than the Oklahoma average.
• Patchier 5G: 5G is present along major corridors and town centers but falls off faster outside town limits than the statewide pattern.
• Income- and age-driven gaps: Lower incomes and an older population tilt usage toward prepaid plans and smartphone-only access, with below-average adoption among seniors.

User estimates

• Population and adult base: ~39,000 residents; ~30,000 adults.
• Adult smartphone users: 25,000–26,000 adults (≈82–86% adoption), below Oklahoma’s ≈88–90%.
• Households with at least one smartphone: 13,000–14,000 of ~15,000 households (≈85–90%).
• Smartphone‑only (no fixed broadband at home): 20–24% of households in Sequoyah County vs ~14–16% statewide.
• Prepaid share: Estimated 40–45% of mobile lines in the county vs ~30–35% statewide, reflecting income mix and carrier retail footprint.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: ≈95% smartphone adoption (near state level).
  • 35–64: ≈86–90% (slightly below state).
  • 65+: ≈60–65% (notably below Oklahoma’s ≈68–72%).
  • Implication: The county’s older age structure drags overall adoption and increases the share relying on basic voice/text or shared family plans.
• Income
  • Median household income trails the state by roughly $10–15k; poverty is several points higher than the Oklahoma average.
  • Smartphone‑only access among households under $35k: ~28–32% in the county vs ~20–24% statewide.
  • Implication: More reliance on prepaid plans, data-capped offerings, and hotspotting for school/work.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county has a higher share of American Indian/Alaska Native residents than the state overall. In line with rural/tribal patterns, smartphone ownership is broadly similar to peers by income, but fixed broadband adoption lags, lifting the smartphone‑only share 3–5 percentage points above the county average in predominantly Native tracts.
• Commute/cross‑border usage
  • Commuting and commerce ties to Fort Smith, AR, increase cross‑border roaming and multi‑carrier device holdings near the eastern edge of the county.

Digital infrastructure points

• Mobile coverage and performance
  • 4G LTE: Strong coverage along I‑40, US‑59, and US‑64 corridors and in Sallisaw, Muldrow, Roland, Vian, and Gore; coverage thins in northern and river‑valley tracts.
  • 5G: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon show 5G in town centers and along I‑40; mid‑band capacity drops off rapidly outside towns, with non‑standalone/low‑band 5G or LTE prevailing in rural areas.
  • Typical performance: Mid‑band 5G areas can exceed 100 Mbps down; rural LTE pockets often range 5–25 Mbps down with higher latency, especially in wooded/hilly terrain and around reservoirs.
  • FirstNet: Public‑safety coverage aligns with AT&T’s macro network on I‑40 and town sites; depth off‑corridor is more limited than in Oklahoma’s metro counties.
• Fixed alternatives that shape mobile reliance
  • Municipal fiber: DiamondNet provides FTTH in Sallisaw city limits, reducing smartphone‑only dependency inside town relative to outlying areas.
  • Rural electric fiber: Cookson Hills Connect and neighboring co‑op builds are extending fiber to unserved areas, but many tracts remain pre‑fiber, sustaining higher mobile‑only rates.
  • Cable/DSL: Cable is town‑limited; legacy DSL remains in pockets with variable quality, further nudging households to cellular plans or fixed‑wireless substitutes.
  • 5G fixed‑wireless (FWA): T‑Mobile Home Internet is broadly offered in and around towns; Verizon 5G Home is more spot‑limited along I‑40. Take‑up is higher than the state average in areas lacking cable/fiber.
• Public anchor connectivity
  • Schools and libraries in Sallisaw, Vian, Muldrow, Roland, and Gore are fiber‑served, acting as key Wi‑Fi and device‑charging anchors that partially offset rural gaps.
• Funding and buildout trajectory
  • State and federal programs (ARPA, BEAD) are prioritized to unserved census blocks present in the county; near‑term fiber expansion will be lumpy, with fastest gains near existing co‑op plant and town feeders.

How Sequoyah County differs from Oklahoma overall

• Adoption level: Adult smartphone adoption is a few points lower than the state, driven by a larger 65+ cohort and lower incomes.
• Reliance pattern: Smartphone‑only and mobile‑data‑only households are 4–8 percentage points higher than the state average, especially outside Sallisaw.
• Plan mix: Prepaid and budget MVNO usage is substantially higher than statewide, with longer device replacement cycles and greater sensitivity to data caps.
• Network experience: 5G availability exists but with shorter reach and more rapid reversion to LTE than in metro/suburban Oklahoma; median rural speeds are lower and more variable.
• Cross‑border dynamics: Proximity to Fort Smith/Arkansas produces more roaming and multi‑SIM behavior than the typical Oklahoma county.
• Equity gap: Tribal and low‑income tracts show materially higher smartphone‑only dependence than comparable state averages; anchor institutions mitigate but do not erase the gap.

Key numbers at a glance

• Adults: ~30,000; adult smartphone users: 25,000–26,000 (≈82–86%).
• Households with a smartphone: 13,000–14,000 (≈85–90% of households).
• Smartphone‑only (no fixed broadband): 20–24% of households (county) vs ~14–16% (state).
• Prepaid share of lines: ~40–45% (county) vs ~30–35% (state).
• 5G availability: Present in towns/corridors; materially less consistent outside towns than statewide averages; LTE remains the primary rural workhorse.

Implications

• Mobile networks are the de facto broadband for a sizable minority of households, so capacity upgrades on existing macro sites, more mid‑band 5G sectors, and additional rural small cells would yield outsized benefits.
• Fiber expansion into outlying tracts will directly reduce smartphone‑only reliance; until then, FWA fills a gap and will likely outpace cable/DSL growth.
• Digital‑equity efforts targeted to seniors and lower‑income/tribal households—device upgrades, affordable connectivity offers, and digital skills support—will move county metrics closer to state levels.

Sequoyah County, OK — social media snapshot (2025)

Population baseline

• Total population: 39,281 (2020 Census). Adult (18+) population ≈ 30,000.
• Estimated social media users (13+): 24,000–27,000, or roughly 60–68% of residents, based on U.S. adoption rates applied to local demographics (Pew Research Center; DataReportal).

Platform use (share of local adult social media users; best-available estimates from U.S. and rural benchmarks)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• Pinterest: 30–35% (predominantly women)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• LinkedIn: 10–15%
• Reddit: 10–15%

Teens (13–17) platform tendencies (Pew, applied locally)

• YouTube ~95%; TikTok ~60–70%; Snapchat ~60–65%; Instagram ~60%; Facebook ~30%

Age-group usage (adult residents; likelihood of using at least one social platform)

• 18–29: ~85–95%
• 30–49: ~80–85%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~45–50%

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base mirrors the county’s population (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Notable skews by platform: Pinterest users are predominantly women (70–75% female nationally); Reddit skews male (65–75% male); Instagram and TikTok lean slightly female; YouTube leans slightly male.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Oklahoma counties and applicable locally

• Facebook is the community hub: high engagement in local Groups, school/sports updates, church events, yard sales, and Facebook Marketplace. Shares by known community members significantly boost reach.
• Short-form video is ascendant: Reels, Shorts, and TikTok clips under 60 seconds outperform longer cuts; “talking head” explainers, how‑to, local highlights, and behind‑the‑scenes content do well.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat dominates among teens and young adults for day-to-day messaging.
• Local commerce: Marketplace and buy/sell/trade Groups are core discovery channels for vehicles, farm/ranch, tools, furniture, and services; promo posts with price, location, and photos outperform vague offers.
• Timing: Evenings (7–9 pm CT) and weekend mornings see consistent spikes; weather events, school notices, and local sports drive real-time surges.
• Trust drivers: Plain-language posts, recognizable people, and user-generated photos/reviews outperform polished ads; cross-posting to relevant local Groups increases conversion.
• Platform roles:
  • Facebook/YouTube: broad reach and community information.
  • Instagram: visual branding; effective for local food, retail, and events via Reels.
  • TikTok: fast awareness among under‑35; works best with authentic, on-site video.
  • Pinterest: planning/discovery for home, recipes, crafts; strong female audience.
  • LinkedIn/X: niche reach; LinkedIn mainly for professional hiring; X for news/weather enthusiasts.
• Accessibility constraints: Rural bandwidth variability favors compressed, captioned video; posts with essential info in the first line and vertical video formats load and perform better.

Method notes and sources

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census.
• Platform and age adoption: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023.
• Overall social media penetration: DataReportal, Digital 2024 (U.S.).
• County-level figures are derived by applying these benchmarks to Sequoyah County’s population and rural profile.