Nolan County

Key demographics — Nolan County, Texas (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• Total population: 14,738 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (Hispanic is of any race)

• Hispanic/Latino: ~41%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~49%
• Black/African American: ~4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: <1%
• Two or more races/Other: ~5%

Households and housing

• Households: ~5,700
• Average household size: ~2.5 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~68–69%
• Median household income: ~$52–53K
• Persons in poverty: ~18%

Insights

• Stable, small population centered around Sweetwater with a balanced gender split.
• Aging profile with nearly one in five residents 65+, which has service and healthcare implications.
• Large Hispanic community (~2 in 5 residents) and majority of households are owner-occupied, indicating relatively stable residential patterns amid modest incomes.

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

Nolan County, TX — email usage snapshot

• Population and density: 14,738 residents (2020 Census) across ~912 sq mi ≈ 16 people/sq mi; most connectivity clusters in Sweetwater along I‑20.
• Estimated email users: ~10,400 adults use email regularly (≈90% of ~11,500 adults), consistent with U.S. adult email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (share of email users):
  • 18–29: 18%
  • 30–49: 34%
  • 50–64: 28%
  • 65+: 20%
• Gender split among email users: ≈50% female, 50% male (mirrors county sex ratio).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~89% of households have a computer or smartphone; ~77% have a broadband subscription (ACS-style rural Texas rates).
  • Smartphone-only internet users: ~12% of households, indicating mobile-first access for part of the population.
  • Access is strongest in Sweetwater (cable/fiber presence); outside town limits many addresses rely on fixed wireless or satellite, which shapes lighter, email-centric usage.
  • Ongoing statewide rural broadband investments are improving last‑mile options, but gaps remain on ranchland and low‑density tracts.

Insights: Email reach in Nolan County is broad and reliable for adults across ages, with slightly lower engagement in 65+. Coverage concentration in Sweetwater supports higher-frequency use there; peripheral areas skew to mobile-driven, asynchronous email use.

Nolan County, Texas — mobile phone usage snapshot (2024–2025)

Baseline population and user estimates

• Population: approximately 14,000–14,500 residents; roughly 5,400–5,800 households.
• Total mobile phone users (any mobile handset): 12,000–13,300 residents (about 83–92% of the population).
• Smartphone users: 11,500–12,500 residents (about 80–88% of the population).
• 5G-capable handset users: 8,500–9,500 residents (about 60–68% of the population), reflecting slower upgrade cycles than statewide averages.

How Nolan County differs from Texas overall

• Higher mobile-only internet reliance: an estimated 22–28% of households rely primarily or exclusively on cellular data for home internet, versus roughly 12–15% statewide. This is driven by sparser fixed-broadband options outside Sweetwater and price sensitivity.
• Coverage mix: near-universal 4G LTE along I‑20/US‑84/US‑70 corridors, but more dead zones off the highway network than the statewide norm. Mid-band 5G (capacity layers) is concentrated in Sweetwater and along I‑20; outside those areas, users more often fall back to low-band 5G or LTE.
• Device and plan mix: prepaid and MVNO lines comprise a larger share than the Texas average, and Android share is higher; upgrade cycles are longer, which dampens 5G device penetration compared with urban Texas.
• Usage patterns: a larger slice of residents use smartphones as their primary internet device and hotspot for home connectivity; data traffic is bursty around school, shift, and event times due to fewer parallel broadband paths than in metros.

Demographic breakdown (mobile adoption and behaviors)

• Age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+); heavy app, video, and hotspot use.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈88–92%); pragmatic plan selection with a tilt to family and prepaid bundles.
  • 65+: lower adoption (≈68–75% with smartphones, additional basic-phone users beyond that); more voice/SMS dependence and larger share on LTE-only devices.
• Income and education
  • Below-median-income households are more likely to be mobile-only for internet and to use prepaid/MVNO plans to manage costs.
  • Students and working families show higher hotspot and tablet line attachment rates relative to neighbors with fixed fiber/cable.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Hispanic households (a large share of the county) show above-average smartphone reliance and higher probability of mobile-primary internet, aligning with statewide patterns for income-adjusted device dependence.
• Geography within the county
  • Sweetwater and the I‑20 corridor: strongest 5G availability and fastest median speeds.
  • Outlying ranch and farm areas: more frequent handoffs to low-band 5G/LTE and greater use of signal boosters for indoor coverage, particularly in metal-roof structures.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Networks and coverage
  • All three national MNOs operate in the county. Low-band 5G covers primary corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is most consistent in and around Sweetwater/I‑20. FirstNet (public-safety LTE/5G) is present via AT&T.
  • Typical performance ranges:
    • Mid-band 5G (where present): roughly 200–400 Mbps down, strong uplink for video calling and telehealth.
    • Low-band 5G: roughly 40–150 Mbps down, good range, variable capacity at peak hours.
    • LTE fallback: roughly 10–30 Mbps down in fringe areas; uplink can constrain video upstream outside town centers.
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Fiber backhaul is aligned with I‑20 and municipal anchors; many highway-adjacent sites are fiber-fed. Off-corridor sites may depend on microwave, which can limit peak capacity.
  • Power and weather resilience is average for rural West Texas; extended outages push more users to vehicle charging and public charging/Wi‑Fi in Sweetwater.
• Public and anchor connectivity
  • Schools, the hospital, public safety, and libraries in Sweetwater anchor much of the county’s reliable indoor coverage and Wi‑Fi offload.
  • Event traffic (sports, fairs, travel peaks on I‑20) creates short-lived capacity hotspots that are more noticeable than in urban Texas due to fewer overlapping sectors.

Key takeaways for planners and providers

• Expect a larger market for mobile-primary home internet and hotspot plans than the Texas average, particularly outside Sweetwater.
• Capacity investments in mid-band 5G around Sweetwater and along I‑20 yield outsized user benefits; targeted coverage fills north/south of the highway can materially reduce dead zones.
• Affordability remains pivotal: prepaid, ACP-style discounts (or their successors), and MVNO offerings have higher traction than in metro Texas.
• Device subsidies that accelerate 5G handset upgrades would meaningfully raise effective 5G utilization, given today’s lower 5G-capable share versus the state.

Nolan County, TX social media snapshot (2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈14,400
• Estimated social media users (age 13+): ≈8,900
  • ≈62% of total population
  • ≈73% of residents aged 13+

User demographics

• Gender split (of social media users): ~53% women, ~47% men
• Users by age group (share of total users)
  • 13–17: 11%
  • 18–24: 12%
  • 25–34: 17%
  • 35–49: 27%
  • 50–64: 21%
  • 65+: 12%

Most-used platforms in Nolan County (share of local social media users; overlaps expected)

• YouTube: ~81%
• Facebook: ~69%
• Instagram: ~35%
• TikTok: ~31%
• Snapchat: ~24%
• WhatsApp: ~19%
• X (Twitter): ~17%
• LinkedIn: ~12%
• Reddit: ~11%
• Nextdoor: ~8%

Behavioral trends

• Mobile-first: 90%+ of usage is on smartphones; vertical video and Stories/Reels/Shorts perform best.
• Peak activity windows (local time): early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.); weekend mid‑day is strong for community content.
• Community-centric content: High engagement with local news, weather alerts, high school sports, churches, civic updates, hunting/fishing/outdoors, and buy/sell/trade groups.
• Facebook as the hub: Most community groups, local classifieds, and small-business updates run through Facebook; Messenger is a primary contact channel for local services.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels see rapid uptake among under‑35s; YouTube remains dominant for how‑to content and longer local event coverage.
• Commerce and recommendations: Local purchase decisions are heavily influenced by Facebook Groups and word‑of‑mouth posts; marketplace listings and limited‑time offers get above-average click-through.
• Language and inclusivity: Bilingual (English/Spanish) posts broaden reach meaningfully given the county’s sizable Hispanic community.
• Platform roles by cohort:
  • Teens/young adults: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram for daily socializing; YouTube for entertainment/learning.
  • 25–49: Facebook for groups/marketplace, Instagram for lifestyle; growing TikTok consumption.
  • 50+: Facebook (news, groups), YouTube (how‑to, local events).

Notes on figures

• Statistics are 2025 modeled estimates for Nolan County derived from U.S. Census/ACS population structure and national platform adoption benchmarks (Pew Research Center and platform planning tools), adjusted for rural Texas usage patterns. Percentages denote the share of local social media users who use each platform at least monthly.