Sherman County

Sherman County, Oregon — Key demographics

Population size

• 1,870 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 49.8 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: 20%
• 18 to 64: 51%
• 65 and over: 29%

Gender

• Male: 51%
• Female: 49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White, non-Hispanic: 87.7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 7.6%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 2.9%
• American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 1.2%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 0.3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 0.2%
• Other/remaining: ~0.1%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~840
• Average household size: 2.17
• Family households: ~57% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• Nonfamily households: ~43%
• Living alone: ~34% of households (about 17% are 65+ living alone)

Insights

• One of Oregon’s least populous counties with an older age profile
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a small but notable Hispanic community
• Small household sizes; majority of households are families, largely married couples

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S0101, S1101).

• Scope: Sherman County, Oregon (population ≈1,870; ~2.3 residents per square mile; entirely rural)
• Estimated email users: ~1,400 residents use email regularly. Method: apply age-specific U.S. adoption rates (Pew/industry norms) to local age mix typical for Sherman County’s older, rural profile.
• Age distribution of email users (approx. share of users):
  • 13–17: 5%
  • 18–34: 20%
  • 35–54: 30%
  • 55–64: 21%
  • 65+: 24%
• Gender split:
  • Population: ~52% male / 48% female
  • Email users: ~49% male / 51% female (slightly higher adoption among women balances male-skewed population)
• Digital access and usage trends:
  • ~80% of households have a broadband subscription; ~15–20% lack home internet and rely on mobile hotspots, satellite, or public Wi‑Fi.
  • Smartphone access is widespread; a meaningful minority are smartphone‑only users, driving mobile-first email.
  • Fixed wireless and satellite fill gaps outside towns (Moro, Wasco, Rufus, Grass Valley, Biggs Junction); fiber/backhaul follows the I‑84/US‑97 corridor, but last‑mile coverage thins across interior wheat country.
  • Library, school, and county facilities act as anchor Wi‑Fi hubs; highway corridors have better cellular data than interior valleys. Insight: Despite very low density, practical email reach is high; constraints are last‑mile broadband and interior cellular dead zones, not user willingness.

Sherman County, OR: mobile usage snapshot and how it differs from the state

Population baseline

• Population: 1,840–1,870 residents (2020 Census; 2023 estimate ~1,840)
• Households: ~800

User estimates (phones and connectivity)

• Mobile phone users (any mobile): ~1,440 residents (≈78% of the population)
• Smartphone users: ~1,320 residents (≈72% of the population)
• Feature-phone-only users: ~120 residents (≈6% of the population)
• Households relying on mobile service as their only internet (smartphone plan or mobile hotspot, no wired subscription): ~105 households (≈13% of households)
• Households with no internet subscription of any kind: ~125 households (≈16% of households)

How Sherman County differs from Oregon overall

• Smartphone adoption is lower: Sherman ~82% of adults vs Oregon ~89%
• Feature-phone retention is higher: Sherman ~6% of adults vs Oregon ~3%
• Mobile-only internet reliance is higher: Sherman ~13% of households vs Oregon ~8%
• No-internet households are more common: Sherman ~16% vs Oregon ~10%
• Coverage and performance are more corridor-dependent: robust service along I-84/US‑97 and sparser service in interior farm and canyon areas, whereas statewide service is more uniformly dense in populated areas

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (~96%), similar to statewide
  • 35–64: high adoption (~86%), slightly below statewide
  • 65+: materially lower smartphone adoption (63%) and higher landline retention than statewide (77% smartphone in Oregon seniors)
• Income
  • Lower-income households show higher smartphone-only reliance (≈28% among <$35k households vs ≈16% statewide), reflecting affordability and limited wired options
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic residents have high smartphone adoption with elevated mobile-only internet use compared with county average, consistent with statewide and national patterns
• Geography within the county
  • Town centers (Moro, Wasco, Rufus, Grass Valley) and the I‑84/US‑97 corridors show stronger LTE/5G availability; remote wheat country and canyons experience signal gaps and more LTE-only coverage

Digital infrastructure and market context

• Networks and carriers
  • AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon provide county service; LTE coverage is continuous along I‑84 and US‑97 with patchier interior coverage
  • 5G is concentrated along the Columbia River/I‑84 corridor and around town centers; much of the interior remains LTE-only
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) coverage is present on key highway sites, improving emergency reach compared with commercial-only coverage
• Backhaul and middle-mile
  • The Columbia River corridor hosts multiple long‑haul fiber routes; regional middle‑mile providers connect public facilities and anchor institutions
  • Interior sites often depend on microwave backhaul, which can constrain capacity relative to fiber-fed corridor sites
• Fixed wireless and satellite
  • Fixed‑wireless ISPs, carrier 4G/5G FWA offerings near towns, and growing satellite use (e.g., LEO constellations) fill gaps where DSL/coax/fiber are limited
• Reliability patterns
  • Seasonal traffic and agricultural operations drive demand spikes during harvest and wildfire seasons; weather and terrain can exacerbate dead zones away from corridors

Key insights

• Adoption in Sherman County is shaped more by geography and middle‑mile proximity than by device preference alone: where wired broadband is scarce, households lean on smartphones and mobile hotspots despite lower overall smartphone penetration than the state
• The county’s older age structure and dispersed settlement pattern suppress smartphone penetration and sustain feature‑phone and landline use at rates above the Oregon average
• Incremental 5G and fixed‑wireless buildouts are improving service along highways and in towns, but meaningful parity with statewide urban/suburban coverage requires additional interior macro sites, fiber backhaul extensions, and continued investments in rural-focused radio bands

Data basis

• 2020 Census and 2023 population estimates for counts; ACS 2018–2022 for device and subscription tendencies; FCC Broadband Data Collection and carrier coverage disclosures (2023–2024) for infrastructure and coverage patterns. Figures shown for Sherman County are county-appropriate estimates derived from these sources and rounded for clarity.

Sherman County, OR — social media usage snapshot (modeled, 2025)

Topline user stats (13+ population)

• Any social media: 75–82% of residents use at least one platform monthly
• By age (share using any platform):
  • 13–17: 85–92%
  • 18–29: 88–94%
  • 30–49: 82–88%
  • 50–64: 68–75%
  • 65+: 45–55%
• Gender among social media users: women 51–55%; men 45–49% (women over‑indexed on Facebook/Pinterest; men over‑indexed on YouTube/Reddit/X)

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+, monthly; estimates)

• YouTube: 74–80%
• Facebook: 70–76%
• Facebook Messenger: 55–62%
• Instagram: 28–36%
• TikTok: 22–28%
• Snapchat: 20–26%
• Pinterest: 30–38% (notably higher among women 25–54)
• X (Twitter): 10–16%
• Reddit: 10–15%
• LinkedIn: 10–14%
• Nextdoor: 6–10% (limited neighborhood coverage; Facebook groups fill the hyperlocal gap)

Age-group nuances

• Teens (13–17): Snapchat 60–70%, TikTok 55–65%, Instagram 50–60%, YouTube ~90%; Facebook minimal
• 18–29: Instagram 60–70%, TikTok 45–55%, Snapchat 35–45%, YouTube 85–90%, Facebook 45–55%
• 30–49: Facebook 70–78%, YouTube 80–85%, Instagram 35–45%, TikTok 25–35%
• 50–64: Facebook 75–82%, YouTube 70–80%, Pinterest 35–45%
• 65+: Facebook 55–65%, YouTube 45–55%

Behavioral trends specific to Sherman County

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Pages dominate for local news, school athletics, county updates, buy/sell/trade, event coordination, and wildfire/road conditions. Nextdoor presence is sparse.
• Mobile‑first consumption: Most usage is on smartphones; short vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) performs best. Captions matter due to sound-off viewing.
• Utility content over entertainment: High engagement with weather, agriculture, equipment maintenance/how‑to, hunting/fishing/outdoor recreation, and seasonal information (seeding/harvest, wildfire season, winter roads).
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (noon–1 p.m.), and evening (7–10 p.m.). Weekends see strong engagement around community events and sports.
• Cross-posting behavior: Short videos often created for TikTok/Instagram and mirrored to Facebook; YouTube used for longer how‑to and replay content (e.g., sports, workshops).
• Messaging reliance: Facebook Messenger is the default for local one‑to‑one and small group coordination; Snapchat dominates teen/young‑adult messaging.

Notes on method

• Figures are best-available county-level estimates derived by applying 2024–2025 Pew Research national platform adoption rates and rural-cohort adjustments to Sherman County’s older‑skewed age profile; platform shares are expressed as a percent of residents aged 13+. Ranges reflect small-population uncertainty and rural variance.