Hutchinson County

Hutchinson County, Texas — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 20,617 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~25%
• 18 to 64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and Hispanic origin (shares; ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~64%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~27–28%
• Black or African American alone: ~2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1–2%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~8,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~68% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~33%
• Owner-occupied housing share: roughly mid-to-upper 70% range

Insights

• Small, stable population centered on Borger and nearby towns.
• Age structure is close to the national profile, with a modestly higher working-age share.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with a sizable Hispanic community (just over one-quarter).
• Household structure is family-leaning, with average household size slightly above the U.S. average.

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

• Population and density: Hutchinson County, TX has about 20,400 residents across 900 sq mi (23 people/sq mi). Borger holds roughly 60% of the population, concentrating connectivity there.
• Estimated email users: ~15,300–15,800 residents use email (midpoint ≈15,500), combining adult and teen adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: ~8%; 18–34: ~24%; 35–54: ~33%; 55–64: ~17%; 65+: ~18%. Adoption is near-universal among 18–54, solid among 55–64, and high but slightly lower among 65+.
• Gender split among users: roughly mirrors population (≈51% male, 49% female), with negligible usage gap by gender.
• Digital access and devices:
  • Households with any broadband subscription: ~82–85%.
  • Home computer access: ~88–91%; smartphone access: ~93–95%.
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ~10–14%.
  • No home internet: ~15–18% (heavier in rural areas).
• Connectivity facts and trends:
  • Fixed broadband ≥25/3 Mbps reaches most homes; ≥100/20 Mbps is common in Borger/Stinnett and patchier in outlying areas.
  • Fiber and cable coverage are expanding in town centers; rural tracts rely more on fixed wireless and satellite.
  • Since 2018, broadband subscription has risen ~5–7 percentage points, narrowing but not eliminating the rural gap.

Hutchinson County, TX — Mobile Phone Usage Snapshot (2024)

Baseline population and households

• Population: 20,617 (2020 Census). Households: 7,992 (2020 Census). Adults (18+): approximately 16,100.
• County profile differs from Texas overall by being older, less dense, and lower income, all of which measurably affect device adoption and network reliance.

User estimates

• Mobile phone users (all cellphones): about 15,300 adults (95% of adults), slightly below the Texas norm (~97%) due to the county’s older age profile.
• Smartphone users: about 13,700 adults (≈85% of adults). This is 3–5 percentage points lower than Texas statewide (~88–90%).
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan as the household’s only internet): approximately 1,440 households (18% of ~8,000), notably higher than the Texas rate (≈12–13%). This indicates greater reliance on mobile networks for home connectivity than the state average.
• Wireless-only voice (no landline) households: about 70% versus Texas ~75%+, reflecting somewhat slower landline abandonment in an older, more rural population.

Demographic breakdown of adoption/use

• Age
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption ≈95% (near state levels).
  • 35–64: ≈90%.
  • 65+: ≈60–70%, creating the county’s overall adoption gap with Texas.
• Income and education
  • Median household income is materially below the Texas median (roughly 15–20% lower), and the county has a lower bachelor’s-degree attainment rate than the state. In practice this correlates with:
    • Higher prepaid and budget-plan penetration than metro Texas.
    • Higher likelihood of mobile-only internet among < $50k households.
• Household composition and geography
  • Scattered settlement patterns (Borger, Fritch, Stinnett, rural ranchland) increase the share of households for whom fixed broadband is limited or costly, pushing up mobile-only reliance relative to the state.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: near-universal across populated corridors and towns.
  • 5G: available from national carriers in town centers and along main highways; estimated countywide population coverage ~75–85%, well below Texas’ >95% 5G population coverage.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical median mobile download speeds in the county: ~30–60 Mbps, versus Texas statewide medians often >100 Mbps. Evening slowdowns are more pronounced than in urban Texas, reflecting lower site density and more microwave backhaul.
• Site density and topology
  • Rural macro-site density typical of the Panhandle (low sites per 100 square miles) limits mid-band 5G reach outside town cores.
  • Terrain around Lake Meredith/Canadian River breaks creates dead zones and fringe coverage pockets not seen in most Texas metros.
• Public-safety and enterprise
  • FirstNet (Band 14) coverage is present around population centers and major routes, improving resilience for first responders.
  • Industrial users (energy, refining) commonly employ rugged LTE devices and push-to-talk over cellular, adding load to specific sectors near facilities.

How Hutchinson County trends differ from Texas overall

• Higher dependence on mobile as primary home internet (≈18% vs ≈12–13% for Texas), driven by fixed-broadband gaps and income mix.
• Lower smartphone penetration (≈85% vs ≈88–90%) due to a larger 65+ share and lower educational attainment.
• Lower and more variable 5G availability and speeds; a greater share of usage remains on LTE compared with Texas metros.
• More prepaid/budget plan use and longer device replacement cycles than the state average.
• Coverage and performance are highly localized: strong in town cores and along highways, with notable weak spots around lake and canyon areas uncommon in most of the state.

Sources and methods

• Population and households: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (baseline).
• Adoption rates modeled using Pew Research Center (smartphone ownership), CDC National Health Interview Survey (wireless-only households), and ACS patterns by age/income for rural Texas counties.
• Coverage and performance synthesized from FCC carrier filings/maps and statewide speed-test medians; county-level performance ranges reflect rural Panhandle network characteristics.

Hutchinson County, TX — social media snapshot

Population and user base

• Residents: ~20.8K
• Adults (18+): ~16.2K
• Active social media users (13+): ~14.1K (≈80% of adults; ~70% of total population)

Most-used platforms ( Adults 18+, percent using each; multiple platforms per person, so sums exceed 100%)

• YouTube: 82% (~13.3K adults)
• Facebook: 72% (~11.7K)
• Instagram: 36% (~5.8K)
• TikTok: 33% (~5.3K)
• Snapchat: 30% (~4.9K)
• Pinterest: 27% (~4.4K)
• X/Twitter: 20% (~3.2K)
• Reddit: 14% (~2.3K)
• Nextdoor: 6% (~1.0K)

Age-group usage patterns

• Teens 13–17 (1.25K teens): 90%+ on social; dominant platforms Snapchat (75%), TikTok (72%), YouTube (95%); light Facebook (~35%).
• 18–29: 95% on social; Instagram (72%), TikTok (70%), Snapchat (68%), YouTube (95%), Facebook (60%).
• 30–49: 88% on social; Facebook (78%), YouTube (90%), Instagram (45%), TikTok (35%), Snapchat (25%).
• 50–64: 76% on social; Facebook (70%), YouTube (80%), Pinterest (30%), Instagram (22%), TikTok (18%).
• 65+: 54% on social; Facebook (50%), YouTube (55%), Pinterest (20%), Instagram (13%), TikTok (9%).

Gender breakdown (Adults)

• Overall social media penetration: Women ~82%, Men ~78%.
• Platform skews:
  • Pinterest: Women ~45% vs Men ~11%
  • Facebook: Women ~75% vs Men ~68%
  • Instagram: Women ~39% vs Men ~33%
  • TikTok: Women ~36% vs Men ~30%
  • Reddit: Men ~20% vs Women ~9%
  • X/Twitter: Men ~24% vs Women ~17%
  • YouTube: Men ~85% vs Women ~80%

Behavioral trends in the county

• Community-first on Facebook: Local news, school sports, emergency/wildfire and weather updates, buy–sell–trade groups, and city/county notices drive the most engagement; Facebook Marketplace is a major habit.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels used for local food finds, events, and outdoor recreation around Lake Meredith; sub-30-second vertical clips with captions perform best.
• Event and sports culture: Friday evening spikes tied to high school sports and community events; photo albums and quick highlight videos outperform long posts.
• Work-shift rhythm: With refinery/oil-and-gas shift work, engagement peaks around 6–8 am, 12–1 pm, and 7–10 pm; late-night scrolling is common after evening shifts.
• Mobile-dominant consumption: 90%+ of views on smartphones; on-screen text and subtitles materially improve completion rates.
• Trust runs local: Recommendations in local Facebook Groups strongly influence service, trades, and dining choices; posts from known community pages and people outperform national brand content.
• Advertising implications: Facebook/Instagram geo-targeting within 15–20 miles of Borger delivers efficient reach; posts with clear directions, phone numbers, and same-day availability outperform link-outs; YouTube preroll is effective for awareness among 30–64.

Notes on method

• Figures combine the county’s latest population estimates with recent rural-Texas and U.S. usage benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research and Edison Research). Platform percentages are applied to the local adult base to produce counts and reflect typical rural Panhandle usage patterns.