Uvalde County

Uvalde County, Texas — key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• 24,900 (2023 population estimate)
• 24,564 (2020 Census count)

Age

• Median age: ~34 years
• Under 18: ~27%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (mutually exclusive)

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~73%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~24%
• Non-Hispanic Black: ~1%
• Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: ~1%
• Non-Hispanic multiracial/other: ~1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~8.4k
• Average household size: ~3.0 persons
• Family households: ~73% of households; married-couple families: ~50%
• Homeownership rate: ~69%
• Housing units: ~10.4k

Notes and sources: U.S. Census Bureau—2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171), Population Estimates Program (2023), and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year. Figures rounded for readability.

Uvalde County, TX — email usage snapshot (2025)

• Population and density: ~24,700 residents; ~15.6 people per sq. mile. Roughly 60% live in/around Uvalde city; the rest are in rural areas with sparser fixed-broadband options.
• Digital access: ~89% of households have a computer; ~82% have a home broadband subscription (up from ~74% in 2017). About 11% of households rely mainly on smartphone/mobile data. Access is strongest along the US‑90/US‑83 corridors (Uvalde–Sabinal–Knippa), weaker in outlying ranchlands.
• Estimated email users: ~19,600 residents (≈79% of total population), derived from local internet adoption paired with near‑universal email use among internet users.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: 5%
  • 18–34: 28%
  • 35–54: 32%
  • 55–64: 15%
  • 65+: 20%
• Gender split among email users: ~50% female, ~50% male, mirroring county demographics.
• Trends and insights:
  • Email adoption has risen with broadband growth, especially among adults 55+.
  • Mobile email is prevalent; smartphone‑only homes sustain high email engagement despite weaker fixed broadband.
  • Urban–rural gaps persist: city residents show higher multi‑device use and faster connections, while rural users exhibit more mobile‑first behavior.

Figures reflect 2023–2024 ACS computer/internet access and established national email‑use rates applied to Uvalde County’s demographics.

Mobile phone usage in Uvalde County, Texas — 2024 snapshot

Scale and user estimates

• Population: ~24,600 residents; ~18,700 adults (18+).
• Active smartphone users: 17,000–19,000 residents (roughly 84–87% of adults, plus most teens).
• Mobile lines in service: 23,000–26,000 total SIMs (consumer phones plus hotspots/IoT), equating to roughly 95–105 lines per 100 residents; lower than Texas’ statewide connection intensity because Uvalde has fewer enterprise/IoT lines per capita.
• Smartphone-only internet users (no fixed home broadband): 6,500–7,600 adults (about 28–31% of adults), materially higher than the Texas average (~19–22%).
• Feature-phone only or no personal mobile: about 2,000–3,000 residents, concentrated among 65+ and very low-income households.

Demographic patterns in usage

• Age
  • 18–29: 94–97% smartphone adoption; heavy app-centric use, mobile-only internet is common.
  • 30–64: 86–90% adoption; mixed prepaid/postpaid; hotspot tethering used where fixed broadband is limited.
  • 65+: 65–72% adoption; higher incidence of basic/flip phones and shared family plans.
• Income and subscription type
  • Prepaid share: 38–42% of consumer mobile lines (well above the Texas average ~25–30%), driven by price sensitivity and credit constraints.
  • Mobile hotspot dependence for home connectivity: 9–12% of households use a phone or dedicated hotspot as their primary home internet connection.
• Device ecosystem
  • Android: 55–60% of smartphones; iOS: 40–45% (Android skew is stronger than the Texas average due to income mix and prepaid prevalence).
• Language and apps
  • In Spanish-dominant and bilingual households, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger see heavier use than state average; MMS/iMessage usage is relatively lower in mixed-ecosystem families.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide service; a wide range of MVNOs ride on these networks.
• 5G availability
  • Low-band 5G (wide-area): broadly available along US‑90, US‑83, TX‑55 and in population centers (Uvalde, Sabinal, La Pryor, Knippa, Utopia).
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layers such as n41 or C-band): concentrated in and around the City of Uvalde and along the US‑90 corridor; coverage thins quickly outside towns.
• 4G/LTE: near-universal population coverage along primary corridors; land-area coverage remains patchy in northern canyons and western ranchlands.
• Performance
  • Typical median mobile download speeds: 35–55 Mbps countywide; 5G mid-band pockets in Uvalde frequently exceed 100 Mbps. This is below Texas’ statewide mobile median, which is generally higher due to dense mid-band 5G in metros.
  • Peak-time congestion appears seasonally along the Frio and Nueces river recreation areas and during school events; speeds degrade more sharply than the state average in these periods because many rural sectors are backhauled by microwave rather than fiber.
• Reliability and public safety
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 covers the county seat and main corridors; rural dead zones persist in low-lying Hill Country terrain and on large ranches.
• Numbering and markets
  • Area code 830; Uvalde trades locally with nearby rural exchanges, fostering MVNO and prepaid competition at small retailers.

How Uvalde County differs from Texas overall

• Higher reliance on mobile as the primary internet: smartphone‑only and hotspot-dependent households are 6–10 percentage points above the state average.
• Larger prepaid footprint and Android skew: prepaid share ~40% and Android majority notably exceed statewide norms, reflecting the county’s income distribution and bilingual market.
• Slower median speeds and less uniform 5G capacity: low-band 5G is common, but mid-band (high-capacity) 5G is confined mostly to Uvalde city and immediate corridors; the state’s metros have far denser mid-band overlays.
• Wider land-area coverage gaps: population coverage is strong, but terrain and sparse backhaul leave more “no signal” or limited-service zones than the state average.
• Older and more rural population segments dampen senior smartphone adoption relative to Texas metros, while a majority Hispanic community drives heavier use of cross-platform OTT messaging (WhatsApp) and prepaid plans.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Population and age/income mix reflect U.S. Census Bureau ACS/QuickFacts; adoption baselines draw on Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone and broadband trends.
• Coverage and performance patterns synthesize FCC mobile coverage filings, state broadband maps, carrier public 5G disclosures, and rural Texas testing norms; specific county estimates are derived by applying these to Uvalde’s settlement pattern and terrain.
• Ranges are provided where county-specific measured data are limited; directionally, all deltas versus Texas reflect consistent rural–urban and income effects observed statewide.

Uvalde County, TX — Social Media Usage Snapshot (2025)

Overall user stats (modeled local estimate)

• Population: ~24,500 residents
• Residents age 13+: ~19,600
• Social media users (13+): ~15,800 (≈80% penetration)
• Device mix: ≈95% mobile-first access; limited fixed-broadband pockets lead to heavy reliance on smartphones and Wi‑Fi hotspots

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+ using monthly)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 64%
• Instagram: 42%
• TikTok: 35%
• WhatsApp: 30% (notably high among bilingual/Hispanic households)
• Pinterest: 28% (strong among women 25–54)
• Snapchat: 26% (concentrated in teens/college-age)
• X (Twitter): 15% (news/sports/politics niche)

Age groups (share of total social media users; top behaviors)

• 13–17: ~8% of users
  • Platforms: TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram
  • Behaviors: short-form video, school sports/clubs, local challenges; messaging over posting
• 18–29: ~19%
  • Platforms: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat
  • Behaviors: Reels/Shorts, music and creator content, gig/job search via IG Stories; DMs > public posts
• 30–49: ~35%
  • Platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp
  • Behaviors: Facebook Groups for schools, youth sports, yard sales; Marketplace; bilingual updates; how‑to and product research on YouTube
• 50–64: ~22%
  • Platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, WhatsApp
  • Behaviors: local news/alerts, church/community pages, DIY/recipes; lower TikTok use but growing via shared Reels
• 65+: ~16%
  • Platforms: Facebook, YouTube
  • Behaviors: community updates, health/city/utility information; prefers shares over original posts

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media user base: ~53% female, ~47% male
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram lean female; YouTube leans slightly male; X and Reddit (smaller base) lean male; Facebook near even with slight female tilt

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Facebook is the community hub: High engagement with city/county offices, school district, church groups, youth sports, and buy/sell/trade groups. Marketplace is a primary local commerce channel.
• Bilingual engagement: Spanish/English content notably boosts reach; WhatsApp groups and Facebook Messenger are key for family, church, and event coordination.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, repairs, ranching/outdoors, and local livestreams; TikTok/IG Reels drive entertainment and music discovery among under‑35s.
• Trust in local admins: Residents rely on moderated Facebook Groups for timely info, event updates, and rumor control; official pages earn high share-of-voice during alerts.
• Time-of-day peaks: Morning (6–9 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evening (7–10 p.m.); weekends see spikes tied to sports and community events.
• Creator landscape: Micro‑local creators (small follower counts) outperform larger pages on engagement when focusing on school sports, local food spots, and community events.
• Advertising implications: Best results from Facebook/Instagram with radius or ZIP targeting; bilingual creative and short vertical video assets outperform static posts; link-outs underperform versus native posts with clear calls to action.

Method and sources

• Figures are 2025 modeled estimates for Uvalde County derived from: U.S. Census Bureau ACS age/sex distribution; national/rural social platform usage benchmarks (Pew Research Center and industry reporting, 2024–2025); and adjustments for rural broadband and Hispanic/Spanish-language adoption patterns. Percentages are rounded to whole numbers for clarity.