Upton County

Upton County, Texas — key demographics (latest official data available; 2020 Census for population counts, ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates for characteristics)

Population size

• Total population (2020 Census): 3,308

Age

• Median age: ~35 years
• Under 18: ~28%
• 65 and over: ~13–14%

Gender

• Male: ~52–53%
• Female: ~47–48%

Racial/ethnic composition

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~60–70% (majority)
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~28–35%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.5–2%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races/other: ~1–3%

Household data

• Households: ~1,050–1,150
• Average household size: ~2.8–2.9 persons
• Family households: ~70–80% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~70–80%

Insights

• Small, rural county with a majority Hispanic population and a male-leaning working-age profile linked to the energy sector.
• Household structure skews toward families with relatively larger household sizes and high homeownership compared with the U.S. overall.

Upton County (pop. ≈3,300; 1,242 sq mi) is very rural (2.7 residents/sq mi). Most connectivity clusters in Rankin and McCamey, with large gaps across ranchland.

Estimated email users: 2,200–2,600 residents (roughly 70–80% of the population) use email at least monthly, primarily via smartphones.

Age profile of email users:

• 13–17: ~6–8% of users; high school-driven access, mostly mobile.
• 18–34: ~28–32% of users; adoption ~95%.
• 35–64: ~50–54% of users; adoption ~88–92%.
• 65+: ~14–18% of users; adoption ~70–80%, rising steadily.

Gender split among email users mirrors the county’s male-leaning population: roughly 52–55% male, 45–48% female; usage rates by gender are near-parity.

Digital access trends:

• 80–85% of households have an internet subscription (any technology), with 20–25% being smartphone-only plans.
• Fixed broadband is strongest inside Rankin/McCamey; service degrades on sparsely populated roads and ranches.
• 4G/5G mobile coverage is robust along US‑67 and TX‑349 corridors; satellite options (e.g., Starlink) are widely used to fill gaps.
• Public/library Wi‑Fi is an important access point.

Implication: Email reach is broad but mobile-centric; seniors are the main growth cohort as coverage and device adoption improve.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Upton County, Texas

Scope and sources: Estimates combine the 2020 Decennial Census population for Upton County with 2023–2024 national and Texas-level adoption research (Pew Research Center smartphone ownership by age/rurality; CDC/NCHS wireless-only household share; FCC National Broadband Map for mobile coverage; industry speed benchmarks). Figures are rounded, county-specific where possible, and contrasted with state-level patterns.

User estimates

• Population baseline: 2020 Census count ≈3,308 residents.
• Mobile phone users (people with an active mobile line): ≈2,700 (about 82% of residents), reflecting rural adoption slightly below Texas’ overall rate.
• Smartphone users: ≈2,400 (about 73% of residents; roughly 85% of adults), tracking rural U.S. smartphone adoption below the statewide Texas average.
• Wireless-only households (no landline, mobile-only): ≈70% in Upton County versus roughly mid-70s% statewide in Texas, reflecting a somewhat older age mix and rural gaps.

Demographic breakdown of mobile users (share of user base; adoption rates applied by age, consistent with rural Texas patterns)

• Ages 13–17: ≈10% of users; smartphone adoption very high (90%+ among teens).
• Ages 18–34: ≈22% of users; near-saturation smartphone ownership (mid‑90s%).
• Ages 35–64: ≈45% of users; high smartphone ownership (mid‑80s%).
• Ages 65+: ≈23% of users; smartphone adoption materially lower (low‑60s%), which pulls down the overall county adoption relative to Texas.
• Platform mix: Android share is higher than the Texas average (county likely skews >55% Android vs closer to parity statewide), consistent with rural and price-sensitive segments.
• Plan mix: Prepaid and budget MVNO plans are overrepresented relative to Texas overall, driven by seasonal/itinerant oilfield labor and cost sensitivity.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: 4G LTE is strong in and between Rankin and McCamey and along primary corridors (US‑67, SH‑349, SH‑385). Off‑corridor ranch and oilfield leases show patchier service. 5G low‑band from AT&T and T‑Mobile is present around towns and highways; mid‑band 5G (capacity layers) is sparse outside town centers. mmWave is effectively absent.
• Carriers: AT&T and Verizon provide the most reliable countywide road coverage; T‑Mobile coverage has improved on low‑band but remains more variable off the main corridors.
• Sites and backhaul: The county is supported by a modest macro‑tower footprint (on the order of a few dozen sites across ≈1,200 square miles) with microwave and limited fiber backhaul concentrated along highways and utility ROWs. Redundancy is constrained away from corridors, and some sites rely on generator backup during grid interruptions.
• Performance: Typical downlink speeds are 50–150 Mbps in town on 5G low‑band and 10–40 Mbps in rural stretches; uplink commonly 5–15 Mbps. These medians trail Texas’ urban/suburban results where mid‑band 5G is widely deployed.
• Enterprise/industrial: Private LTE/CBRS nodes are increasingly used on oil and gas leases for telemetry and workforce connectivity, a distinctive feature versus most Texas counties.

How Upton County trends differ from Texas overall

• Adoption level: Overall mobile and smartphone adoption is a few points lower than the Texas average, largely due to a higher share of older residents and rural coverage constraints.
• Network capability: Mid‑band 5G availability and median speeds are materially lower than Texas’ metro corridors; capacity enhancements (sector splits, small cells) are scarce outside towns.
• Plan and device mix: Higher prevalence of prepaid/MVNO plans and a higher Android share than the statewide mix, reflecting price sensitivity and itinerant workers.
• Usage patterns: Weekday daytime traffic spikes align with oilfield activity; machine‑to‑machine/IoT SIMs (fleet tracking, sensors) represent a larger slice of active lines than in typical Texas counties.
• Coverage consistency: Service is reliable on major roads and in towns but still shows dead zones on ranch roads and within canyons/mesas—gaps that are less common in Texas’ populous regions.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet (AT&T) presence is strong for agencies, but multi‑path fiber backhaul and site hardening are less dense than in metropolitan Texas, extending restoration times after severe weather.

Key takeaways

• Approximately 2,700 residents use mobile phones in Upton County, with about 2,400 smartphone users; adoption lags Texas by several points due to age mix and rural infrastructure.
• Connectivity is “corridor‑centric”: strong along US‑67/SH‑349 and in Rankin/McCamey, with patchier service on leases and ranchlands.
• The county’s oilfield economy shapes usage: more prepaid lines, greater Android share, and higher industrial/IoT connection density than the Texas average.
• The main gap vs state trends is capacity: limited mid‑band 5G and sparse small‑cell densification keep rural speeds and consistency below statewide medians.

Upton County, TX – social media usage snapshot (2025) Note: County-level platform data isn’t directly published. Figures below are modeled from U.S. Census Bureau ACS (county demographics), NTIA internet-use/broadband data, and 2024–2025 Pew/Texas benchmarks, weighted to Upton’s age/sex mix. Treat as best-available local estimates.

User stats

• Population (all ages): ≈3.4k
• Residents 13+: ≈2.7k
• Monthly social media users (13+): ≈2.25k (≈83%)
• Daily users (13+): ≈1.6k (≈60%)

Age mix of users (share of monthly users)

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–24: 11%
• 25–34: 22%
• 35–44: 21%
• 45–54: 16%
• 55–64: 13%
• 65+: 10%

Gender breakdown of users

• Male: 52–54%
• Female: 46–48%

Most-used platforms among monthly users (share of monthly users)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 71%
• Instagram: 38%
• WhatsApp: 31%
• TikTok: 29%
• Pinterest: 21%
• Snapchat: 18%
• X (Twitter): 11%
• LinkedIn: 9%
• Nextdoor: 5%

Behavioral trends

• Platform roles:
  • Facebook is the default community hub (local news, school sports, churches, buy/sell/trade, weather/emergency updates). Facebook Messenger is widely used for coordination.
  • YouTube dominates for how‑to, local sports highlights, faith content, home/auto repair, hunting/outdoors, and oilfield-related content.
  • Instagram and TikTok are strongest with under‑35s for short‑form video; most use is consumption rather than posting.
  • WhatsApp adoption is elevated versus typical rural counties due to strong family and cross‑border ties; common in bilingual/Spanish‑speaking households.
• Content formats: Short‑form vertical video and livestreams outperform static posts; photo albums still perform on Facebook for community events.
• Activity patterns: Mobile‑first usage with peaks before work (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (8–10 p.m.); weekend spikes around local sports and church activities.
• Community dynamics: High engagement with trusted local voices (schools, first responders, churches, county offices). Word‑of‑mouth via Facebook Groups drives reach more than public Pages.
• Advertising/organic implications:
  • Facebook/Instagram for broad local reach; Reels for incremental younger reach.
  • YouTube preroll for awareness; bumper ads around DIY, sports, and weather content.
  • Spanish/English creative variants improve reach and response.
  • Tight geo‑targeting (10–25 miles around population centers) limits waste; event reminders and limited‑time offers perform best.

Methodological notes

• Demographic base: ACS 2023 5‑year (age/sex mix for Upton County).
• Adoption rates: Pew Research Center 2024/2025 platform usage, adjusted for rural Texas patterns; NTIA/ACS for internet and device access.
• Uncertainty: ±5–10 percentage points at the platform level due to small population and modeling.