Kimble County

Kimble County, Texas — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 4,286 residents

Age

• Median age: about 50 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~27%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (shares of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~66%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~31%
• Black or African American: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• Two or more races/other: ~2–3%

Household data

• Total households: ~1,900
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple households: ~52–55% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~20–22%
• Households with someone age 65+: ~30–35%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%

Insights

• Small, sparsely populated county with an older age profile (high 65+ share and median age around 50).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White and Hispanic/Latino population.
• Household sizes are modest and most homes are owner-occupied, characteristic of rural communities.

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

Kimble County, TX email usage snapshot (2024):

• Population: ~4,400; land area ~1,250 sq mi; density ~3.5 residents/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~3,600 residents (≈82% of population).

Age distribution (users and share of users):

• Under 18: ~620 (17%)
• 18–34: ~750 (21%)
• 35–64: ~1,580 (44%)
• 65+: ~650 (18%)

Gender split among email users:

• ~51% male, ~49% female (reflecting the county’s slight male majority).

Digital access and connectivity:

• Households with an internet subscription: ~72–75%; broadband is most robust in and around Junction, with outlying ranchlands relying more on fixed wireless and satellite.
• Adult smartphone adoption: ~85%; smartphone‑only internet users: ~18%, supporting mobile‑first email habits.
• Home computer access: ~80%; public Wi‑Fi hubs in Junction bolster access for students and service workers.
• Connectivity constraints stem from very low population density and long loop lengths; last‑mile upgrades cluster along main corridors (e.g., I‑10 and state highways), with patchier coverage on rural roads.
• Trend: gradual gains in fiber and licensed fixed‑wireless capacity near town centers; stable satellite usage in remote areas. Overall email engagement is high and consistent across working‑age adults, with the 65+ cohort showing continued year‑over‑year growth.

Kimble County, TX mobile phone usage: 2025 snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

User base and adoption (estimates grounded in Census, ACS, FCC mapping, and rural-Texas benchmarks)

• Population baseline: about 4,300 residents. Roughly 3,700–3,900 are age 12+ (the group that typically has phones).
• Mobile phone users (any mobile device): approximately 3,500–3,800 residents (90–95% of age 12+), below dense-metro Texas but solid for a rural county.
• Smartphone users: approximately 3,000–3,300 residents (about 80–85% of age 12+), 5–8 percentage points lower than the Texas average.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data is the only home subscription): roughly 20–28% of households in the county, versus about 17–19% statewide. This is one of the largest county–state gaps and reflects limited wireline options outside Junction.
• Lines per user: fewer secondary lines than urban Texas (wearables/tablets less common); overall connections-per-capita lower than state, though ranch/IoT telemetry pushes M2M lines above what the population alone would imply.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 65+: smartphone adoption around the mid-60s percent, materially below the statewide senior adoption rate (mid-to-high 70s). Feature phones and basic LTE handsets remain in use.
  • 18–64: high adoption (mid-to-high 80s), but still a few points below metro Texas. BYOD and cost-conscious plans are common.
  • Teens (12–17): very high adoption (>90%), in line with state norms.
• Income/plan type
  • Prepaid share is notably higher than Texas overall (roughly 10 percentage points higher). Multi-line postpaid family plans exist but are less dominant than in cities.
  • Data usage skews conservative due to metered plans and signal variability; hotspot use is common for home internet where fiber/DSL is unavailable.
• Device mix
  • Android share is higher than the Texas urban average; iOS remains strong but trails the state’s big-city split.
  • External antennas/boosters and hotspot devices see outsized use on ranches and in metal-roof homes to overcome weak indoor signal.
• Language and apps
  • Messaging over-data (iMessage/WhatsApp/FB Messenger) is prevalent where signal allows, but SMS remains a fallback in fringe areas because of intermittent data.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage footprint
  • Strongest service clusters in Junction and along I‑10/US‑83/US‑377 corridors; coverage thins on ranchlands and in canyons. Dead zones persist off the highway grid.
  • 5G low-band from all three national carriers is present primarily in and around Junction and along I‑10. Mid-band 5G (capacity 2.5 GHz/C-band) is limited to the town core, if at all; most rural areas operate on low-band 5G or LTE.
• Speeds and reliability (typical user experience)
  • LTE: roughly 5–25 Mbps down and 2–10 Mbps up outside town centers; can drop below 5 Mbps at range or under load.
  • Low-band 5G: roughly 30–100 Mbps down near Junction/highways, with better consistency than LTE but far below big-city mid-band performance.
  • Latency generally 40–80 ms on LTE/low-band 5G; jitter rises on fringe cells and during peak travel periods.
• Backhaul and core transport
  • Fiber backhaul is concentrated along I‑10 and in Junction; many outlying sites still rely on microwave backhaul, which constrains capacity compared with urban Texas.
  • The local telephone/co-op footprint offers fiber in parts of Junction; outside town, residents more often face legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular-only options.
• Public safety and resiliency
  • FirstNet (AT&T) is present and prioritized for first responders; it improves corridor coverage and outage resilience but does not eliminate rural dead zones.
  • 3G networks are fully retired; legacy devices require VoLTE for voice.
• Seasonal and load dynamics
  • Traffic surges on I‑10 and hunting season bring short, heavy loads that degrade throughput on corridor cells more than is typical in urban Texas.

How Kimble County trends differ from Texas overall

• Adoption and dependence
  • Slightly lower smartphone adoption and a notably higher reliance on cellular as the only home internet, driven by sparse wireline options.
  • Higher prepaid and cost-sensitive plan usage; device upgrade cycles are longer than urban Texas.
• Network and experience
  • Coverage is more geography-dependent, with long distances between towers; indoor coverage challenges are more common, and users employ boosters/hotspots at higher rates.
  • 5G is predominantly low-band; mid-band 5G capacity that is common in Texas metros is limited or absent outside Junction, so average speeds and capacity trail the state.
• Market structure
  • AT&T and Verizon offer the most consistent rural coverage; T‑Mobile’s low-band 5G covers corridors but mid-band depth is thinner than in cities.
  • Less small-cell densification and fewer fiber-fed sites than statewide norms; performance is driven by macro sites and backhaul constraints rather than spectrum alone.

Actionable implications

• Carriers: capacity upgrades should prioritize corridor sites and Junction with mid-band 5G and additional backhaul; targeted new macros or repeaters on the ranch periphery would yield outsized benefits.
• Public sector: continued BEAD/CPF-funded fiber builds beyond Junction would directly reduce the county’s high cellular-only household share.
• Users: Wi‑Fi calling, directional antennas/boosters, and multi-carrier hotspots materially improve reliability in off-grid areas.

Key numbers to retain

• Mobile phone users: ~3,500–3,800 residents
• Smartphone users: ~3,000–3,300 residents
• Cellular-only internet households: ~20–28% of households (vs ~17–19% Texas)
• Typical speeds: LTE 5–25 Mbps; low-band 5G 30–100 Mbps, with notable corridor/fringe variance

These figures and differences reflect the county’s rural geography, lower network density, and partial fiber availability, which together produce a more coverage- and capacity-constrained mobile experience than the Texas state average.

Kimble County, TX — social media snapshot (small-area estimates, 2024)

Population context

• Residents: ≈4,300; adults (18+): ≈3,450
• Broadband subscriptions: 72–75% of households
• Adult smartphone ownership: ≈80%

User stats

• People using at least one social platform monthly: ≈2,900 (≈78% of adults; ≈85% of teens 13–17)
• Daily social users: ≈2,000 (≈55–60% of adults)

Most‑used platforms (adult monthly reach; share of adults)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 72%
• Instagram: 38%
• TikTok: 29%
• Snapchat: 24%
• X (Twitter): 20%
• WhatsApp: 18%
• LinkedIn: 15%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 5%

Age groups among local social users (share of all users)

• 13–17: 9%
• 18–29: 17%
• 30–49: 31%
• 50–64: 23%
• 65+: 20%

Gender breakdown

• Overall social users: 51% female, 49% male
• Platform skews: Facebook ≈55% female; Instagram ≈54% female; TikTok ≈58% female; YouTube ≈55% male; Reddit ≈70% male; X ≈60% male

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: school sports, church/community updates, hunting/fishing and buy–sell–trade groups; Marketplace is heavily used for vehicles, ranch equipment, and household goods.
• YouTube dominates “how‑to” and hobby content: equipment repair, ranching, hunting, fishing, home projects; music streaming is common during commutes and work.
• Short‑form video is rising among under‑35s: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive entertainment, local lifestyle, food, and outdoor content; cross‑posting to Facebook Reels extends reach to older audiences.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp usage is meaningful within bilingual/extended families and for coordinating shift/seasonal work.
• Snapchat remains teen‑centric for daily communication; Instagram is the primary branding channel for local boutiques, guides, and eateries targeting 18–34.
• X is niche (sports, markets, news) and Reddit is hobby/tech‑oriented; Nextdoor presence is minimal due to low neighborhood density.
• Peak activity times: early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.); Friday nights see spikes tied to school sports; seasonal spikes during hunting seasons and community events.
• Ad/organic performance: boosted Facebook posts outperform static ads for local businesses; photo/video with a phone number and clear call‑to‑action drives inquiries; tight geo‑targeting (20–40 miles) and interest layering (hunting, ranching, youth sports) improves efficiency.
• Connectivity constraints shape behavior: more downloading/viewing at home Wi‑Fi, lighter video during daytime fieldwork; text‑first posts still perform with older users and in low‑signal areas.

Method notes

• Figures are modeled small‑area estimates combining the county’s age/gender mix (Census/ACS) with 2023–2024 U.S. platform‑usage rates (Pew Research and similar studies), adjusted for rural Texas broadband and smartphone adoption. They provide a practical, decision‑ready view where direct platform-by-county reporting is unavailable.