Stephens County

Key demographics — Stephens County, Oklahoma

Population size

• 42,848 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~84%
• Black or African American alone: ~2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~6–7%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0–0.1%
• Two or more races: ~7%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~8%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~76%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~17.5k
• Persons per household: ~2.45
• Family households: ~67% (married-couple ~49%)
• One-person households: ~29%
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~73%

Insights

• Stable-to-declining population since 2010 with an older age profile than the nation overall
• Predominantly White with notable American Indian presence and a modest Hispanic share
• Smaller household size and higher homeownership than national averages

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (including QuickFacts).

• Population baseline: ≈44,000 residents (ACS 2023 est.). Adults ≈34,000.
• Estimated email users: ≈33,000 (≈92–94% of adults per Pew + most teens). Household-level email access is constrained more by connectivity than interest.

Age distribution of email users (est. share → count):

• 13–17: 6% → ~2,000
• 18–29: 16% → ~5,300
• 30–49: 33% → ~10,900
• 50–64: 24% → ~7,900
• 65+: 21% → ~6,900

Gender split:

• Roughly even; ≈50% female, 50% male among users (email adoption shows minimal gender gap nationally).

Digital access and trends:

• Broadband subscription: about three-quarters of households subscribe; smartphone-only access ~10–15%; 15–20% have no home internet subscription (ACS S2801 patterns for similar OK counties).
• Availability generally exceeds adoption: FCC mapping indicates >90% of locations can get 100/20 Mbps, but take-up lags in rural tracts.
• Mobile access narrows the gap; email via smartphones is common among lower-income and older users, lifting practical email reach above fixed-broadband adoption.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density ≈50 people per square mile; users cluster along the Duncan–Marlow corridor, where service options are densest.
• Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, municipal hotspots) supplements access for non-subscribing households, supporting email use despite subscription gaps.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Stephens County, Oklahoma (2023–2024)

Overall usage and user estimates

• Households with smartphones: Approximately 88–90% of households in Stephens County have a smartphone data plan (American Community Survey S2801, 2019–2023 5-year), slightly below the Oklahoma statewide rate of roughly 90–92%.
• Household count and smartphone households: With roughly 17,000 households in the county, that equates to about 15,000–15,500 smartphone-using households.
• Individual users: Applying Pew’s rural smartphone ownership benchmarks to local age structure yields an estimated 28,000–31,000 smartphone users countywide, reflecting modestly lower adult ownership than the state average but high penetration overall.
• Smartphone-only reliance (no wireline broadband at home): Higher than the state average. Derived from ACS subscription patterns, about 17–20% of Stephens County households are smartphone-only versus roughly 12–15% statewide, indicating heavier dependence on mobile networks for home internet.

Demographic breakdown (how usage differs from the Oklahoma average)

• Age profile:
  • Stephens County has a larger 65+ share than the state. Senior smartphone ownership rates are lower than for younger adults, which pulls down overall penetration relative to Oklahoma as a whole.
  • Youth/teens exhibit very high smartphone access (in line with statewide norms), so the age gap in usage is wider than the Oklahoma average.
• Income and affordability:
  • Median household income in Stephens County trails the state median, which correlates with:
    • Higher prepaid usage and budget Android devices.
    • Above-average smartphone-only households among those under $35,000 annual income.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • The county’s majority White, with notable Native American and Hispanic populations. These groups locally show above-average smartphone-only reliance compared with county averages, driven by affordability and wireline availability patterns.
• Urban/rural split within the county:
  • Duncan and Marlow show near-state-level smartphone penetration and 5G use.
  • Outlying areas have more LTE-only usage and higher smartphone-only reliance for home connectivity than the state’s urban corridors.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Mobile coverage:
  • 4G LTE: Effectively countywide from all three national carriers.
  • 5G low-band: Broad population coverage from at least one carrier, with the strongest, most consistent 5G in and around Duncan and along US‑81/OK‑7 corridors. 5G availability thins in the far western and southern rural tracts, where LTE remains primary.
• Speeds and reliability (typical user experience):
  • LTE: Common real-world speeds in rural tracts are roughly 10–30 Mbps down, with higher variability than state urban areas.
  • 5G: In Duncan/Marlow, day-to-day median speeds commonly range 50–150 Mbps; extended-range 5G outside towns often delivers 30–80 Mbps, with uplink constrained during peak hours.
  • Performance variance across short distances is greater than the state average because of terrain and tower spacing.
• Towers and density:
  • Based on FCC ASR registrations and carrier footprints, Stephens County’s macro-site density is lower than Oklahoma’s metro counties, on the order of several dozen registered structures countywide, translating to fewer macro sites per square mile than the state average. This contributes to broader LTE cells and more variable indoor coverage in exurban areas.
• Wireline and fixed wireless context (drives mobile reliance):
  • Cable and DSL are available in core towns (e.g., Sparklight/Cable One in Duncan; AT&T IPBB/limited fiber), with selective fiber overbuilds and business-class builds (e.g., Dobson Fiber in parts of the Lawton–Duncan area).
  • Fixed wireless ISPs serve many rural segments. Where wireline options are limited to legacy DSL or fixed wireless, households substitute toward smartphone plans and hotspots, elevating mobile data dependence relative to statewide norms.

Key trends versus state-level

• Smartphone penetration is slightly lower than Oklahoma’s average, but smartphone-only dependence is meaningfully higher.
• Age structure skews older than the state, widening the age-based adoption gap; teens and working-age adults are highly mobile-centric, while seniors lag.
• Network experience shows greater variability than the state average due to lower tower density and mixed 5G depth outside towns.
• Affordability factors (lower median income, higher prepaid propensity) push device and plan choices toward cost-conscious options, reinforcing mobile-first behavior.
• Because wireline broadband adoption trails the state, mobile networks carry a larger share of home connectivity traffic than typical across Oklahoma.

Practical implications

• Assume a sizable mobile-only audience for services in Stephens County; optimize for mobile bandwidth constraints, offline-friendly app behavior, and SMS-based communication.
• 5G can deliver strong performance in town centers, but solutions should degrade gracefully to LTE for rural users.
• Public and private investment that expands fiber or high-capacity fixed wireless in rural tracts would likely reduce smartphone-only dependence and improve overall digital equity more than in already well-served Oklahoma metros.

Social media usage in Stephens County, Oklahoma (2025 snapshot)

How these figures are derived:

• County base: ~43,000 residents (ACS 2023). Estimates are modeled by applying 2023–2024 Pew Research platform penetration and age/gender splits to Stephens County’s older-leaning, rural demographic profile. Figures below refer to residents age 13+ unless noted.

User stats

• Residents age 13+: ~37,000
• Social media users (any platform, monthly): ~30,000–31,000 (≈82% of 13+; ≈70% of total population)
• Average platforms used per person: 3–4 (multi-platform usage is common)

Most-used platforms (share of 13+ using monthly; rounded)

• YouTube: 78% (~28.9k)
• Facebook: 66% (~24.4k)
• Instagram: 38% (~14.1k)
• TikTok: 30% (~11.1k)
• Snapchat: 27% (~10.0k)
• Pinterest: 26% (~9.6k)
• X (Twitter): 15% (~5.6k)
• LinkedIn: 14% (~5.2k)
• Reddit: 11% (~4.1k)

Age breakdown of active users (share of all social users; adoption within group)

• 13–17: 8% of users; ~90–95% adoption; heavy on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok; light on Facebook
• 18–29: 18%; ~90% adoption; high Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat, strong YouTube
• 30–44: 27%; ~85% adoption; mixed use with strong Facebook/Instagram/YouTube; growing TikTok
• 45–64: 29%; ~75% adoption; Facebook and YouTube dominate; moderate Instagram
• 65+: 18%; ~50% adoption; primarily Facebook and YouTube; minimal TikTok/Snapchat

Gender breakdown

• Overall social users: ~53% women, ~47% men
• Platform skews:
  • Facebook: ≈55% women
  • Instagram: ≈57% women
  • TikTok: ≈60% women
  • Snapchat: ≈60% women
  • Pinterest: ≈75% women
  • YouTube: ≈52% men
  • X (Twitter): ≈60% men
  • Reddit: ≈65% men
  • LinkedIn: slight male tilt (~54% men)

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school/booster clubs, churches, civic groups, buy-sell-trade, and event promotion. Facebook Groups and Marketplace see the deepest engagement.
• Video leads time spent: YouTube for tutorials, DIY, agriculture/oilfield maintenance, local sports recaps; short-form (Reels/TikTok) rising for entertainment and local highlights.
• Private-by-default sharing: Messenger, Instagram DMs, and Snapchat are primary channels for day-to-day communication, recommendations, and customer service with local businesses.
• Youth behavior: Daily Snapchat streaks and TikTok consumption dominate; Instagram used for milestones and team highlights. Minimal posting on Facebook but they monitor school/sports pages.
• Older adults: Primarily Facebook for community and family updates; YouTube for how-to and news; consistent but lower multi-platform usage.
• Commerce: Marketplace is the default for local buying/selling; service providers and boutiques rely on Facebook/Instagram posts + Stories/Reels. Geo-targeted ads around Duncan, Marlow, and Comanche see the strongest response.
• Engagement timing: Evenings (7–10 pm CT) and weekend mornings show the highest interaction rates; weekday mid-day bumps correspond to work breaks and school pickups.
• Content that performs: High school sports, church and civic events, local weather alerts, lost-and-found, local business promos, and practical how-to videos. Short, captioned video outperforms static posts.

Notes

• Figures are best-available county-level estimates synthesized from Pew Research Center (2023–2024) platform usage and ACS demographics, adjusted for an older, rural Oklahoma profile. Absolute platform counts reflect overlapping users across services.