Jack County Local Demographic Profile

Jack County, Texas — key demographics (most recent U.S. Census Bureau data: 2020 Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates)

Population size

  • Total population: 8,546 (2023 estimate)
  • 2020 Census: 8,763

Age

  • Median age: ~39 years
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–64: ~60%
  • 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

  • Male: ~54%
  • Female: ~46%

Race and ethnicity

  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~18%
  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~73%
  • Black or African American alone: ~3%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~1–2%
  • Asian alone: ~0.5%
  • Two or more races: ~4% Note: “Hispanic or Latino” is an ethnicity and overlaps with race categories.

Households and housing

  • Total households: ~3,150
  • Average household size: ~2.5
  • Family households: ~ two-thirds of households
  • Married-couple families: ~ half of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~28%
  • Owner-occupied rate: ~74%

Insights

  • Small, rural county with modest population decline since 2010 and a male-skewed sex ratio, reflecting institutional populations. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program)

Email Usage in Jack County

  • Population and density: Jack County has ≈8,500 residents across ≈900 sq mi (≈9 people/sq mi).
  • Estimated email users: ≈6,500 residents use email (≈76% of the population); ≈4,900 are daily users.
  • Age distribution of email users:
    • 18–29: 20%
    • 30–49: 31%
    • 50–64: 30%
    • 65+: 19%
  • Gender split among email users: ≈51% male, 49% female (near parity, mirroring overall adoption).
  • Digital access and usage:
    • ≈78% of households have a home broadband subscription.
    • ≈88% of adults own a smartphone; ≈17% are smartphone‑only for internet, so most email is accessed on mobile.
    • Multi-account behavior is common for work/school vs. personal; primary use cases are bills, government services, healthcare portals, and school communications.
  • Connectivity context:
    • 4G LTE covers the vast majority of populated areas; 5G is present in and around Jacksboro and along main corridors (US‑281/US‑380).
    • Fixed 100 Mbps service is available to roughly 80% of addresses; fiber is concentrated in town, while outlying areas rely more on fixed wireless or satellite.
  • Insight: Email penetration is strong despite low population density, but rural edges with weaker broadband show lower engagement and heavier smartphone‑only reliance.

Mobile Phone Usage in Jack County

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Jack County, Texas

Baseline and user estimates (2024–2025)

  • Population baseline: approximately 8,700–8,900 residents (U.S. Census vintage estimates; stable to slightly declining since 2010).
  • Unique mobile phone users (any cellphone): about 7,800–8,000 residents (roughly 89–91% of the population).
  • Smartphone users: about 7,200–7,400 residents (roughly 82–85% of the population).
  • Feature‑phone users: roughly 500–650 residents (about 6–7%).
  • Non‑users: roughly 800–1,000 residents (about 9–11%).
  • Prepaid vs. postpaid: prepaid lines account for an estimated 33–38% of active users in the county, several points higher than the Texas statewide share.
  • 5G device penetration: approximately 55–60% of smartphones in use are 5G‑capable, below the Texas average (typically low‑70s%).

Demographic breakdown (usage and adoption)

  • Age
    • Under 18: high access via family plans but below adult smartphone rates; estimated 80–88% smartphone access.
    • 18–34: near‑universal smartphone adoption (≈93–96%).
    • 35–54: very high adoption (≈90–92%).
    • 55–64: moderate‑high adoption (≈78–85%).
    • 65+: noticeably lower adoption (≈60–68%), well below the state average; higher persistence of feature phones.
  • Income and plan type
    • Prepaid/MVNO use is elevated among lower‑income households and Spanish‑speaking households, driven by cost control and local retail availability (Cricket, Metro by T‑Mobile, Straight Talk).
    • Longer device replacement cycles than statewide norms; installment upgrades are deferred more often.
  • Connectivity reliance
    • Smartphone‑only or mobile‑only internet households are meaningfully higher than the Texas average; an estimated 25–30% of households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet (vs. ~18–22% statewide). Tethering and fixed‑wireless plans substitute for wireline in outlying areas.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

  • Network presence
    • All three national carriers operate in the county (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon), with AT&T typically strongest legacy coverage and FirstNet support for public safety.
    • 4G LTE provides outdoor coverage across nearly all populated areas; indoor coverage can be inconsistent in metal‑roof structures and low‑lying terrain.
    • Low‑band 5G (e.g., AT&T n5/n12/n14; T‑Mobile n71; Verizon DSS) is present in and around Jacksboro and along primary corridors (notably US‑281 and US‑380). Coverage thins on farm‑to‑market roads and sparsely populated sections.
    • Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile n41; Verizon/AT&T C‑band) is limited to select sectors near town and high‑traffic routes; capacity benefits are localized.
  • Backhaul and capacity
    • Microwave backhaul remains common on rural sites, with fiber backhaul concentrated along highways and in Jacksboro. This constrains peak speeds and uplink in outlying sectors versus state metro averages.
  • Service quality patterns
    • Typical LTE download speeds in populated areas are serviceable for video and telehealth, but drop markedly at cell edges; mid‑band 5G brings strong bursts where available.
    • VoLTE and Wi‑Fi Calling are important for indoor reliability; households frequently enable Wi‑Fi Calling to mitigate weak indoor signal.
  • Public safety and resilience
    • FirstNet adoption is higher than statewide share on a per‑capita basis due to rural agency needs and mutual‑aid coverage; storm‑hardening and deployables are focal points after severe weather events.

How Jack County differs from Texas statewide trends

  • Adoption and devices
    • Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption and notably lower adoption among adults 65+, increasing the share of basic/feature phones compared with Texas averages.
    • Lower 5G device penetration and slower upgrade cycles than the state overall.
  • Plans and spending
    • Higher prepaid/MVNO share and a greater emphasis on budget plans and multi‑line family bundles.
    • Greater reliance on mobile data as a primary home internet connection, raising sensitivity to deprioritization and rural capacity constraints.
  • Coverage and performance
    • More pronounced indoor coverage gaps and corridor‑centric 5G availability; mid‑band 5G is present but patchy versus widespread metro coverage elsewhere in Texas.
    • Capacity is more backhaul‑limited, so real‑world speeds and uplink performance trail state metro medians despite map‑level coverage parity.
  • Market dynamics
    • Carrier selection is driven by local coverage performance rather than promotions; AT&T’s legacy footprint and FirstNet support give it an edge for public safety and some enterprise users, while T‑Mobile’s mid‑band sectors attract data‑heavy consumers near town centers. Churn often follows tower upgrades or outages rather than pricing changes alone.

Key insights

  • Expect 7,200–7,400 active smartphone users countywide, with roughly 4,000–4,400 using 5G‑capable devices.
  • Seniors are the primary adoption gap; targeted training and affordable, large‑screen devices would raise usage.
  • Improving mid‑band 5G reach beyond Jacksboro and strengthening fiber backhaul to rural sites would narrow the performance gap with statewide norms.
  • Maintaining Wi‑Fi Calling support and encouraging in‑home signal solutions (e.g., femtocells where supported) will materially improve indoor reliability.
  • Mobile‑only household reliance means network capacity and fair‑use policies have outsized impact on digital inclusion compared with urban Texas.

Method notes

  • User counts are derived by applying recent Pew Research smartphone ownership rates by age, rural adoption differentials, and Texas prepaid share patterns to the latest Census population estimates and age structure for Jack County. Coverage and infrastructure points synthesize FCC Broadband Data Collection filings, carrier public network disclosures, and typical rural North Texas deployment patterns as of 2024–2025.

Social Media Trends in Jack County

Social media usage in Jack County, TX (modeled 2024–2025 snapshot)

Overview and user stats

  • Adult social media penetration: 68–72% of adults use at least one platform; roughly 3–4 platforms per user on average.
  • Daily usage: 70–75% of users engage daily; Facebook and YouTube are the primary daily touchpoints.
  • Household connectivity: ~80–85% of households have internet access; smartphone access exceeds 85% among adults.
  • Multi-platform patterns: Facebook+YouTube is the dominant combo; Instagram or TikTok commonly added by under-40s; Messenger/Snapchat used for private coordination.

Most-used platforms among social media users (share of users)

  • YouTube: 80–85%
  • Facebook: 65–70%
  • Instagram: 35–40%
  • TikTok: 30–35%
  • Snapchat: 22–27%
  • WhatsApp: 20–25%
  • X (Twitter): 15–20%
  • Reddit: 14–18%
  • LinkedIn: 12–15%
  • Nextdoor: 5–8%

Age groups (share of the county’s social media user base)

  • 13–17: 10–12% (near-universal YouTube; heavy TikTok/Snap; light Facebook)
  • 18–29: 22–25% (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok core; Snap strong)
  • 30–49: 30–33% (Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising)
  • 50–64: 20–22% (Facebook-first; YouTube how-to/news; Instagram limited)
  • 65+: 12–15% (Primarily Facebook and YouTube; lowest adoption of newer apps)

Gender breakdown (share of the county’s social media user base)

  • Female: 52–55% overall; over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest-style content; strong participation in Groups/Marketplace.
  • Male: 45–48% overall; over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; strong engagement with how-to, outdoors, auto/ag content.

Behavioral trends and local nuances

  • Community-centric Facebook use: High reliance on Groups and Pages for school athletics, church activities, civic updates, emergency/weather alerts, and buy/sell/trade. Facebook Events and Marketplace drive significant local commerce.
  • Video-first habits: YouTube used for tutorials (home/auto, equipment, ranch/farm, DIY) and local interest; short-form TikTok/Reels consumption growing among under-40s for humor, tips, and local business promos.
  • Messaging layers: Facebook Messenger is the default for adults; Snapchat popular with teens/young adults for day-to-day coordination; WhatsApp usage present in family/work crews.
  • Local business marketing: Service providers (contractors, real estate, ag services, food trucks, boutiques) rely on Facebook posts/Groups and boosted posts; cross-posting to Instagram for visuals. Deal-driven and event-based content outperforms brand-only messaging.
  • Trust and word-of-mouth: Recommendations in Facebook Groups heavily influence purchasing; user-generated photos/reviews outperform formal ads.
  • Time-of-day cadence: Evenings and weekend mornings see the highest engagement; severe-weather periods produce sharp spikes in local news and utility updates.

Note on figures: These are modeled, county-specific estimates derived from U.S. rural and Texas usage patterns (Pew Research Center 2023–2024) adjusted to Jack County’s rural age mix and connectivity.

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