Pecos County

Key demographics for Pecos County, Texas (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates):

• Population: 15,385
• Age:
  • Median age: 33.1
  • Under 18: 27.4%
  • 18–64: 60.9%
  • 65 and over: 11.7%
• Sex:
  • Male: 52.1%
  • Female: 47.9%
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): 74.0%
  • White alone, non-Hispanic: 21.6%
  • Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: 2.4%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone, non-Hispanic: 1.0%
  • Asian alone, non-Hispanic: 0.5%
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 0.6%
• Households and housing:
  • Total households: 5,320
  • Average household size: 2.86
  • Family households: 72% (nonfamily: 28%)
  • Households with children under 18: 37%
  • Married-couple households: 49%
  • Housing tenure: 68% owner-occupied, 32% renter-occupied

Insights: The county is predominantly Hispanic, relatively young, and slightly male-skewed, consistent with energy-sector labor dynamics and majority owner-occupied housing.

Pecos County, TX email usage (concise snapshot):

• Estimated email users: ~11,000 residents (≈72% of the 15,193 population; ≈88% of adults plus most older teens).
• Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 6%; 18–34: 28%; 35–49: 25%; 50–64: 27%; 65+: 14%.
• Gender split among users: ~54% male, 46% female, reflecting the county’s male-leaning workforce.
• Digital access: ~85% of households have a computer; ~73% have a broadband subscription; an estimated 20–25% are smartphone‑only for home internet. Mobile coverage is strong along major corridors (I‑10/US‑285) with gaps in remote areas; outside Fort Stockton, many rely on fixed wireless or satellite.
• Trends and insights: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults and increasingly mobile-first. Older‑adult adoption lags but continues to rise as healthcare, government, and employer services require email. Broadband subscriptions are growing gradually; affordability pressures increased after the 2024 wind‑down of the ACP subsidy, which may slow gains among low‑income households.
• Local density/connectivity context: Very low population density (~3.2 people/sq mi across ~4,765 sq mi) concentrates robust wired options in Fort Stockton while sparse ranchlands and oilfield sites face longer last‑mile distances, elevating reliance on wireless solutions.

Mobile phone usage in Pecos County, Texas — 2025 snapshot

Baseline

• Population: 15,193 (2020 Census). Very low-density rural county in the Permian Basin with population concentrated in and around Fort Stockton.
• Rural profile and distance between communities make mobile networks the primary connectivity option for many residents outside town centers.

User estimates

• Total mobile phone users: approximately 11,500–12,500 people (about 75–82% of the total population), including adults and teens, based on rural mobile adoption norms.
• Smartphone users: approximately 9,800–10,800 (about 65–71% of the total population), reflecting rural adult smartphone ownership in the low- to mid‑80% range plus very high teen adoption.
• Smartphone‑only internet users: approximately 1,300–1,800 households rely on a smartphone as their primary/only internet connection, notably higher than the Texas statewide share. This corresponds to roughly 25–32% of Pecos County households versus about 15–20% statewide.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • Teens (13–17): very high smartphone adoption (≈90–95%); heavy use of social, messaging, and video apps; hot‑spots used for homework in areas lacking fixed broadband.
  • Working‑age adults (18–64): highest multi‑device ownership; many oilfield and service workers use employer or secondary devices and mobile hotspots for field connectivity.
  • Older adults (65+): lower but growing smartphone adoption (≈60–70%); stronger reliance on voice/SMS and telehealth apps where coverage allows.
• Ethnicity and language
  • Majority Hispanic population drives above‑average use of cross‑platform messaging (e.g., WhatsApp) and Spanish‑language content; smartphone‑only home internet reliance is meaningfully higher among Hispanic and lower‑income households than the county average.
• Device and plan mix
  • Android devices outnumber iPhones, roughly 60–65% Android vs 35–40% iOS in the county, diverging from Texas’s more balanced split.
  • Prepaid and value MVNO plans have higher share than statewide (roughly one‑third of lines), driven by price sensitivity and variable employment in energy sectors.
  • Mobile hotspots and fixed‑wireless CPE are common substitutes for home broadband outside Fort Stockton.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T (including FirstNet), Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide 4G LTE countywide population coverage, with 5G concentrated in Fort Stockton and along major corridors (I‑10, US‑67/285/385, SH‑18).
• 5G availability: population coverage is moderate (roughly 70–80% of residents), but area coverage is sparse outside highways and town due to vast land area; low‑band 5G dominates, with mid‑band available near Fort Stockton.
• Performance: typical 4G downloads 10–60 Mbps countywide; 5G low‑band 20–80 Mbps in broad areas and 100–300 Mbps on mid‑band sectors near town. Speeds degrade quickly off‑corridor; uplink often constrained in remote sites.
• Backhaul: long fiber runs plus microwave backhaul are common; weather and power events can impact site stability in remote sectors more than in Texas metros.
• Private/industrial networks: extensive oil‑and‑gas activity supports private LTE/CBRS deployments and enterprise small cells on leases; these improve field connectivity but do not directly enhance public consumer coverage.
• Emergency communications: FirstNet coverage prioritized on main corridors and in Fort Stockton; off‑grid ranchland remains patchy, prompting continued use of boosters, satellite messengers, and dual‑carrier strategies.

How Pecos County differs from Texas overall

• Higher mobile dependence: a substantially larger share of households are smartphone‑only or mobile‑first for home internet than the Texas average.
• Lower and more variable 5G experience: 5G area coverage and mid‑band capacity are meaningfully behind urban Texas; service quality drops sharply away from highways and the county seat.
• More prepaid and Android: prepaid penetration and Android share are both higher than the statewide profile.
• Greater off‑grid gaps: dead zones persist on ranch roads and in oil leases, unlike most of suburban and metro Texas.
• Work‑driven mobility: weekday demand peaks track oilfield shifts and corridor traffic rather than the commuter patterns seen in metros, leading to localized congestion near staging yards and highway nodes.

Key takeaways

• Expect around 10–11 thousand active smartphone users in Pecos County, with a sizeable minority of households relying on mobile service as their primary home internet.
• Coverage and speeds are solid in Fort Stockton and along intercity routes but fall off quickly in the backcountry; redundancy (dual‑SIM/carrier, hotspot plus booster) is common practice.
• Compared with Texas overall, Pecos County is more mobile‑dependent, more prepaid‑leaning, and faces larger geographic coverage challenges, especially for mid‑band 5G capacity.

Social media usage in Pecos County, TX (2025 snapshot)

Population and connectivity

• Resident base: ≈15,000
• Internet access (households with a subscription): ≈78–82%
• Active social media users: ≈10,000–10,800 (≈66–72% of residents; ≈80–88% of internet users)

Age mix of social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: 6–8%
• 18–24: 11–14%
• 25–34: 20–23%
• 35–44: 18–21%
• 45–54: 15–17%
• 55–64: 11–13%
• 65+: 9–11%

Gender breakdown (share of users)

• Female: 50–53%
• Male: 47–50%

Most-used platforms in Pecos County (share of social media users)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 35–40%
• Snapchat: 28–32%
• WhatsApp: 30–35% (elevated due to large Hispanic/Latino population)
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 8–12% (primarily around Fort Stockton)

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Community-first engagement: Facebook Groups and Marketplace drive the most interaction (local buy/sell/trade, school athletics, churches, county updates, road/weather alerts).
• Video dominates: YouTube is near-universal; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is rapidly growing for news, local events, and how‑to content.
• Messaging is critical: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are default channels for family coordination, shift work, and Spanish/English bilingual communication.
• Peak times: Engagement clusters around early morning (6–8 AM) and evenings (7–10 PM), reflecting oilfield and service-shift schedules; weekends see higher Marketplace and event activity.
• Younger users (13–29): Heavier on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat; prefer DMs over public posting; respond to short, authentic video and creator-style content.
• Adults 30–54: Facebook remains the hub for community info, school sports, jobs, and local commerce; Instagram is secondary for visual updates.
• 55+: Primarily Facebook and YouTube; higher engagement with local government, health, church, and utility updates; strong response to clear, text-forward posts and livestreams.
• Commerce and jobs: High interaction with boosted posts for local services, oilfield and CDL roles, and seasonal retail; Marketplace is a primary discovery path.
• Language and cultural cues: Bilingual posts (English/Spanish) and Spanish captions significantly improve reach and shares; family-oriented and community-benefit framing performs best.
• Trust dynamics: Local institutions (schools, county offices, churches, booster clubs) and recognizable community members outperform generic brand pages in reach and credibility.

Methodology notes

• Figures are 2025 modeled estimates for Pecos County derived from the county’s population base (U.S. Census/ACS), rural Texas internet subscription rates, and recent U.S. platform adoption patterns (Pew Research and platform-reported audience data), adjusted for rural West Texas usage and local demographics. Percentages indicate share of social media users unless otherwise noted.