Grant County

Grant County, Oregon — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 7,233 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~53 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18 to 64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS combined race/Hispanic origin)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~90%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: <1%
• Black, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,250
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~59%
• Households with children under 18: ~22%
• One-person households: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%
• Median household income: ~$50,000 (in 2022 dollars)
• Persons below poverty level: ~14%

Insights

• Older age structure (median age ~53; about one-quarter 65+) relative to state and U.S.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with small but present Hispanic community
• Small household sizes and high homeownership typical of rural counties
• Median household income below statewide median, with modest poverty rate

• Population and density: Grant County, OR has about 7,300 residents across 4,529 sq mi (1.6 people/sq mi), among the sparsest in Oregon. Most wired connectivity clusters in John Day–Canyon City–Prairie City; outlying ranch/forest areas rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.

• Estimated email users: 5,700 residents (78% of population).

  • By age (share of users): 13–17 7% (400 users); 18–64 68% (3,900 users); 65+ 25% (1,400 users).
  • Assumptions reflect typical rural Oregon adoption: ~85% (13–17), ~95% (18–64), ~75% (65+).

• Gender split among email users: roughly male 51% (2,900) and female 49% (2,800); usage rates are effectively equal by gender.

• Digital access and trends:

  • Home broadband subscription: ~77–80% of households; ~20–23% lack a home subscription.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ~13%, consistent with rural Oregon patterns.
  • Reliance on public/library Wi‑Fi and school networks remains important for students and low‑income residents.
  • Terrain and low density make last‑mile builds costly; fixed wireless and satellite meaningfully supplement service.
  • State/federal rural broadband programs are targeting unserved pockets; incremental improvements are expected, but adoption among seniors remains the main limiter for email uptake.

These figures synthesize recent Census/ACS and national usage rates applied to local demographics.

Grant County, Oregon: Mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈7,300 (Census Bureau 2023 estimate). Area: 4,529 sq mi; density ≈1.6/sq mi.
• Age profile skews older: ≈29% age 65+, ≈54% 18–64, ≈17% under 18 (ACS).
• Median household income ≈$50–55k vs Oregon ≈$75–80k; bachelor’s+ attainment ≈19% vs Oregon ≈35% (ACS). These factors correlate with slightly lower smartphone adoption and slower upgrade cycles.

Mobile user estimates

• Adults (18+): ≈6,050.
• Adult smartphone owners: ≈4,850 (≈80% of adults). Method: county age mix (ACS) weighted by Pew age-specific smartphone ownership (96% ages 18–29, 95% 30–49, 83% 50–64, 61% 65+).
• Adult mobile phone of any kind (smartphone or basic/flip): ≈5,500 (≈91% of adults), reflecting notably higher basic-phone retention among seniors than the state average.
• Teens (12–17): ≈600; with smartphones ≈500 (based on national teen access ~85%).
• Total residents using a smartphone (adults + teens): ≈5,300.

How Grant County differs from Oregon overall

• Adoption level: Adult smartphone ownership ≈80% locally vs ≈88–90% statewide (Oregon tracks close to national urbanized averages). The gap is driven by an older age structure and lower incomes.
• Device mix: Basic/flip-phone use remains roughly double the statewide share (≈10–12% of adults locally vs ≈5–7% statewide), concentrated among 65+.
• Internet access pattern: Higher reliance on mobile data where fixed broadband is limited. Estimated 12–18% of households are “cellular-only” for home internet vs ≈8–10% statewide (derived from ACS computer/internet-use patterns and rural Oregon comparisons).
• 5G experience: Predominantly low-band 5G (or LTE) with limited mid-band 5G; median real-world speeds trail metro Oregon by a wide margin. In cities, mid-band 5G routinely delivers 100–400 Mbps; in Grant County, typical mobile downlink is tens of Mbps in towns and single-digit to low-tens along long stretches of highway.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• 18–29: ≈96% smartphone ownership; heavy app, video, and social use. Small base size in-county.
• 30–49: ≈95% smartphone ownership; highest mobile-payment and navigation dependence among permanent residents.
• 50–64: ≈83% smartphone ownership; practical, work-centric use (ag/forestry, trades, healthcare), strong reliance on voice/SMS when data is poor.
• 65+: ≈61% smartphone ownership; higher prevalence of basic phones, larger displays, hearing-aid-compatible devices, and Wi‑Fi calling usage at home due to marginal indoor coverage.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carrier presence: Verizon and UScellular offer the broadest rural footprint; AT&T covers towns and highways and provides FirstNet (Band 14) for public safety; T‑Mobile service is strongest in population centers and along primary corridors, with sparse coverage off-corridor.
• Radio layers: 4G LTE (700 MHz/850 MHz) is the baseline. Low-band 5G (e.g., 600/700/850 MHz) is present in and around John Day–Canyon City–Mount Vernon and along US‑26/OR‑395/OR‑19. Mid-band 5G (C‑band/n41) is limited or absent in most of the county, keeping capacity constrained relative to Oregon’s metros.
• Topography effects: Mountainous terrain (Blue Mountains, Malheur National Forest) and river canyons create extended dead zones away from highways and towns. Coverage clusters around:
  • US‑26 corridor: Dayville → John Day/Prairie City
  • OR‑395: Seneca → Canyon City → Mount Vernon → Long Creek
  • OR‑19: Spray/Service gaps toward Wheeler County
• Backhaul: Many rural sites rely on microwave backhaul, which caps peak capacity and can degrade under load or during weather events; fiber backhaul follows primary highways and is sparse off-corridor.
• Site density: On the order of several dozen macro sites countywide, equating to roughly one tower per 75–115 square miles (orders of magnitude sparser than urban Oregon). This drives lower spectral reuse, higher contention, and greater variability in user experience.
• Resilience: Wildfire seasons and power outages cause localized mobile disruptions; carriers periodically deploy Cells on Wheels (COWs) to restore service. FirstNet adds priority access for responders but depends on the same backhaul and power constraints.

Household mobile internet footprint

• Households: ≈3,200–3,300.
• With a cellular data plan: ≈2,300–2,600 (≈70–78%). Lower than urban Oregon but substantial given fixed-broadband gaps.
• Cellular-only home internet: ≈400–550 households (≈12–18%), materially above the state average, reflecting limited cable/FTTP availability beyond town centers.

Practical implications for users and providers

• Users: Expect reliable voice/SMS and workable LTE/low-band 5G in towns and along primary highways; plan for dead zones off-pavement. Wi‑Fi calling at home meaningfully improves indoors coverage.
• Providers: Greatest return comes from mid-band 5G overlays on existing highway/town sites, added microwave capacity or fiber backhaul to congested sectors, and new low-band infill nodes to cut canyon/shadow dead zones.
• Public sector: Fiber middle-mile and power-backup investments materially improve mobile reliability; BEAD and state broadband projects will indirectly raise mobile performance by enabling fiber backhaul to towers.

Sources and methods

• Population, age, income, education: U.S. Census Bureau/ACS (latest available through 2023).
• Smartphone ownership rates by age: Pew Research Center (2023).
• Infrastructure patterns, spectrum layers, and rural coverage behavior: FCC filings, carrier rural deployment norms in Oregon, and observed buildouts since 2020.
• Household cellular-plan and cellular-only internet shares are derived estimates blending ACS S2801 patterns for rural Oregon counties with Grant County’s demographics.

Key takeaways

• ≈5,300 residents in Grant County use smartphones, with adult adoption around 80%—well below Oregon’s near-90%.
• Coverage is broad but thin: dependable along US‑26/OR‑395 corridors and in towns; limited or none in forests and canyons.
• The county under-indexes on mid-band 5G and over-indexes on cellular-only home internet relative to Oregon, keeping speeds modest and experiences variable compared with the state’s urban counties.

Grant County, OR — social media usage snapshot (2024)

What this is: Platform percentages are modeled 2024 estimates for Grant County adults, using Pew Research Center platform adoption by age and the county’s older-leaning, rural profile from U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022. Figures are for residents 18+.

Population and makeup

• Population: ~7,300 residents; adults (18+): ~5,900
• Median age: ~54 (older-leaning)
• Age mix (approx.): 0–17 ~20%, 18–34 ~16%, 35–64 ~34%, 65+ ~30%
• Gender: roughly even (about 50/50)

Overall social media penetration

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~74%

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• YouTube: 66%
• Facebook: 64%
• Facebook Messenger: 53%
• Instagram: 28%
• TikTok: 23%
• Pinterest: 21%
• Snapchat: 17%
• X (Twitter): 11%
• LinkedIn: 9%
• Reddit: 7%
• Nextdoor: 3%

Age-group patterns

• 18–34
  • Any social media: ~90%
  • Platform mix: YouTube ~80%, Instagram ~60%, TikTok ~55%, Snapchat ~50%, Facebook ~50%
• 35–54
  • Any social media: ~82%
  • Platform mix: Facebook ~75%, YouTube ~70%, Instagram ~35%, TikTok ~25%, Pinterest ~20%
• 55+
  • Any social media: ~58%
  • Platform mix: Facebook ~58%, YouTube ~50%, Pinterest ~22%, Instagram ~18%, TikTok ~10%

Gender differences (adults)

• Women: higher on Facebook (68% vs men ~60%), Instagram (31% vs 25%), Pinterest (35% vs 7%), TikTok (24% vs ~22%)
• Men: higher on YouTube (70% vs ~62%), X/Twitter (13% vs 9%), Reddit (11% vs ~3%)

Behavioral trends and usage habits

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local Groups for county updates, wildfire/road conditions, school sports, church and civic events, and buy–sell–trade. County and public safety pages are key reach drivers.
• YouTube is practical and entertainment-focused: DIY and equipment repair, ranching/outdoors, hunting/fishing, wildfire information; often streamed on TVs at home.
• Visual short-form is rising but cohort-specific: Instagram and TikTok skew to under-40s; most TikTok content that travels locally is cross-posted to Facebook.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for coordinating with local businesses, clubs, and neighbors; WhatsApp use is minimal.
• Time-of-day peaks: evening 7–10 pm (strongest), secondary midday check-in around lunch; weekend mornings see community/event browsing.
• Content that performs: local faces and names; photo albums of community life; short sub-30s videos; event flyers; lost-and-found animals; timely public-safety updates; school and youth activities.
• Ad receptivity: highly local creative, clear value (deals, openings, event sponsorships). Calls to phone/DM often outperform links due to patchy coverage. Political or generic national messaging underperforms unless tied to specific local impact.
• Platform gaps: LinkedIn and Nextdoor have limited traction; X/Twitter is niche (news/policy followers). Pinterest is notable among women for projects, recipes, crafts.

Notes on reliability

• Demographic figures reflect ACS for Grant County (older-leaning, small rural population).
• Platform percentages are county-specific estimates derived from rural/age-weighted adoption rates; they should be directionally accurate for planning and channel prioritization.