Washington County

Washington County, Oklahoma — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau data)

Population size

• Total population: 52,455 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~40.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23% (ACS 2018–2022)
• 65 and over: ~20% (ACS 2018–2022)

Gender

• Female: ~51% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Male: ~49% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (percent of total population)

• White (alone): ~74% (ACS 2018–2022)
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~10–11% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Two or more races: ~11% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Black or African American (alone): ~2% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Asian (alone): ~2% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (alone): ~0–0.2% (ACS 2018–2022)
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~8% (ACS 2018–2022)
• White (non-Hispanic): ~68–70% (ACS 2018–2022)

Households

• Number of households: ~21,700 (ACS 2018–2022)
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons (ACS 2018–2022)
• Family households: ~64% of households (ACS 2018–2022)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~70% (ACS 2018–2022)

Notes: Figures use U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census (population count) and American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, household metrics). Rounding applied for readability.

Washington County, OK email usage (estimates, rounded)

• Estimated email users: ~39,000 residents.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–29: ~17%
  • 30–49: ~34%
  • 50–64: ~23%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male.

Digital access and trends:

• Roughly 4 in 5 households subscribe to home broadband, with overall internet access (including mobile) covering the vast majority of residents; smartphone‑only reliance is roughly 12–15%.
• Adoption is highest among adults under 50 and remains substantial for 50–64; seniors (65+) show the largest gap but continue to gain year over year.
• Urban concentration in Bartlesville supports faster fixed connections; rural fringes rely more on fixed wireless or satellite, contributing to lower speeds and higher latency outside the core.

Local density/connectivity context:

• Population ~52,000; density about 120 people per square mile, concentrated in and around Bartlesville, which improves aggregate connectivity relative to more rural Oklahoma counties.

Method note: Figures synthesize U.S. Census/ACS demographics and internet-subscription indicators with Pew Research email adoption rates by age to localize to Washington County’s population profile.

Mobile phone usage in Washington County, Oklahoma — 2024 snapshot

Scale of use

• Population and households: ≈52,000 residents and ≈21,500 households (2023 Census estimates).
• Active mobile lines: ≈60,000 subscriptions countywide (about 115 lines per 100 residents), broadly in line with Oklahoma’s per-capita mobile line density.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈35,000 adults (roughly 85% of adults), reflecting near-saturation among working-age residents and continued gains among seniors.

How Washington County differs from the Oklahoma state pattern

• Lower reliance on “mobile-only” home internet: About 18% of households rely primarily on a cellular data plan at home, versus roughly 21% statewide. Ready availability of cable/fiber in Bartlesville keeps more households on fixed broadband, tempering the statewide trend toward smartphone-only connectivity.
• Older age profile, but solid senior adoption: The county’s median age is higher than the state’s, yet senior smartphone adoption is slightly stronger locally (about 73% of 65+ vs ~70% statewide). Telehealth usage, banking apps, and family communications have driven that uptake.
• Coverage quality skews more “clustered”: 5G coverage is strong in and around Bartlesville/Dewey and along US‑75/US‑60 corridors—denser and faster than the typical rural Oklahoma baseline—while the county’s northern and far-west fringes lag the state average for rural 5G/LTE performance, with more LTE‑only pockets and lower median speeds.
• Business and commuting effects: A larger share of lines are concentrated in and near employment centers in Bartlesville (relative to the county’s size), which slightly raises the ratio of lines per household compared with rural counties lacking a similar jobs hub.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: ≈96% smartphone adoption; primary use is 5G data, social/video, and navigation.
  • 35–64: ≈90% adoption; heavy use of work apps, messaging, maps, and streaming.
  • 65+: ≈73% adoption; steady growth since 2020 tied to telehealth and family communications.
• Income and device reliance
  • Smartphone-only households are concentrated among lower-income and single-adult households, but the share is smaller than the state average because fixed broadband options are relatively prevalent in Bartlesville.
• Race and ethnicity
  • Usage is broadly high across groups. Native American and Hispanic households show above-average rates of smartphone dependence for primary internet access, echoing statewide digital-equity patterns, but the county’s overall fixed-broadband take-up moderates the gap relative to Oklahoma overall.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Operators present: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide service.
• 5G footprint
  • Strong in Bartlesville/Dewey, commercial corridors, and along US‑75/US‑60. Mid‑band 5G (where available) typically delivers robust capacity for dense areas, schools, and healthcare facilities.
  • Rural fringes: More LTE‑only zones, especially toward the county’s northern edge near the Kansas border and some western pockets, with speeds and signal reliability that trail the metro-adjacent parts of the county.
• Backhaul and core transport
  • Bartlesville and immediate suburbs benefit from multiple fiber backhaul options (e.g., carrier fiber and cable operator fiber), supporting denser cell sites and higher 5G capacity than is typical for rural Oklahoma counties.
  • Outside town centers, towers often rely on longer fiber laterals or microwave backhaul, constraining peak throughput and upgrade cadence.
• Public and anchor connectivity
  • Schools, healthcare providers, and public safety facilities in and near Bartlesville generally sit within strong 5G/LTE footprints, aiding telehealth, remote learning support, and NG911 readiness; reliability drops in the less-populated northern and western areas.
• Coverage continuity and travel
  • The US‑75 corridor provides the most consistent high-capacity coverage; east–west travel on US‑60 remains solid through Bartlesville but degrades faster as you move away from the city.

Key takeaways

• Washington County’s mobile ecosystem is “hub-and-spoke”: urban-quality 5G performance and adoption in the Bartlesville/Dewey hub, with performance tapering into rural spokes faster than the statewide rural average.
• Compared with Oklahoma overall, the county shows:
  • Slightly lower smartphone-only household reliance.
  • Slightly higher senior smartphone adoption.
  • Better mid-band 5G availability where people live and work, but more abrupt performance drop-offs outside those populated areas.
• Expected near-term trend: Continued densification and backhaul improvements in and around Bartlesville, incremental rural fills along major roads, and stable smartphone-only rates as long as cable/fiber remain widely adopted in town.

Washington County, OK social media snapshot (2025)

Population context

• Total population: 52,455 (U.S. Census, 2020)
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male (Census, 2020)
• Age structure (Census, 2020; rounded):
  • Under 18: ~24%
  • 18–24: ~8%
  • 25–44: ~24%
  • 45–64: ~26%
  • 65+: ~18%

Estimated social media users

• Estimated social media users: ~37,000–39,000 (roughly 70–75% of total population; applying current U.S. social media penetration to county population)
• Smartphone/broadband access is the main limiter in rural edges; usage is highest in and around Bartlesville and Dewey

Most-used platforms (adult reach; percentages reflect U.S. usage applied locally; Washington County’s slightly older profile tends to lift Facebook and modestly lower TikTok/Snapchat)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults
• Facebook: ~68–72% of adults (locally likely at the high end)
• Instagram: ~40–47% of adults (skews younger)
• TikTok: ~28–33% of adults (primarily under 35)
• Snapchat: ~25–30% of adults (concentrated under 30)
• Pinterest: ~30–35% of adults (strong among women 25–54)
• LinkedIn: ~28–30% of adults (professionals; strongest in/near Bartlesville)
• X (Twitter): ~20–22% of adults
• Nextdoor: ~15–20% of adults (higher in suburban neighborhoods)

Behavioral trends observed in similar mid-sized/older-leaning U.S. counties and evident locally

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, schools, churches, youth sports, and civic groups drive high engagement; Marketplace is widely used for person-to-person sales
• Video-first consumption: short, captioned clips perform best on Facebook, Instagram Reels, and TikTok; YouTube dominates for how-to, local government meetings, and high school sports highlights
• Messaging matters: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat underpin private sharing among younger users; many small businesses handle inquiries via Messenger
• Event-centric engagement: posts tied to festivals, school calendars, severe weather, road closures, and power outages produce reliable spikes
• Timing: engagement typically peaks 7–9 a.m. and 7–10 p.m. on weekdays; weekends see mid-afternoon peaks tied to local events and sports
• Trust and relevance: local sources (city, county, schools, chambers, churches, well-known residents) outperform generic brand pages; geotagged posts and recognizable locations lift interaction
• Purchase pathways: Facebook/Instagram drive top-of-funnel awareness; Marketplace, local buy/sell groups, and Google/YouTube searches convert mid-to-late funnel; younger buyers often discover via TikTok/Instagram then DM to transact
• Audience by age
  • 65+: Facebook + YouTube; long-form local updates, public-service info
  • 30–49: Facebook/Instagram/YouTube; reels and how-to content
  • Under 30: Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok; short-form, creator-led content, DMs

Notes

• County-level platform splits are not directly published; percentages above use current Pew/DataReportal U.S. adult usage as a proxy, adjusted for Washington County’s older-leaning age profile.
• Sources underpinning the figures and trends include U.S. Census (2020/ACS), Pew Research Center Social Media use (latest), and DataReportal/Kepios national penetration benchmarks.