Zapata County

Key demographics for Zapata County, Texas (U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Decennial Census and 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimates):

• Population
  • Total population: 13,889 (2020 Census)
• Age
  • Median age: ~35 years
  • Under 18: ~29%
  • 18–24: ~8%
  • 25–44: ~25%
  • 45–64: ~24%
  • 65 and over: ~14%
• Gender
  • Male: ~50%
  • Female: ~50%
• Racial/ethnic composition
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~95%
  • Non-Hispanic White: ~3–4%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): <1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, multiracial (non-Hispanic combined): ~1–2%
• Households and housing
  • Households: ~4,600
  • Average household size: ~3.2 persons
  • Family households: ~75–80% of households
  • Owner-occupied housing: ~70–75%; renter-occupied: ~25–30%

Insights:

• Zapata County is overwhelmingly Hispanic/Latino with a relatively young age profile and larger-than-average household sizes.
• High share of family and owner-occupied households compared with many U.S. counties.

Zapata County, TX overview

• Population and density: ≈14,000 residents across ~1,058 sq mi (≈13 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈10,200 residents actively use email (≈73% of all residents; ≈91% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: 23%; 30–49: 37%; 50–64: 26%; 65+: 14%.
• Gender split among email users: ≈49% male, 51% female.

Digital access and connectivity

• Households with a broadband subscription: ≈70% (below Texas ≈89%), indicating adoption gaps tied to rural/low-density geography.
• Households with a computer (desktop/laptop/tablet): ≈87%.
• Smartphone-only internet access (no fixed home broadband): ≈20% of households, pointing to mobile-first communication habits.
• Households with no home internet subscription: ≈25%, implying reliance on public Wi‑Fi, shared connections, or mobile data.

Insights

• Email is broadly adopted among adults, with strongest usage in working-age groups (18–49 ≈60% of users).
• Near gender parity means no need for gender-specific channel planning.
• Sparse settlement and long last‑mile runs suppress fixed-broadband adoption; mobile coverage mitigates access and drives email checks on phones.
• Effective outreach should assume mobile reading, intermittent connectivity, and complement email with SMS/push for reach among smartphone-only households.

Mobile phone usage in Zapata County, Texas — 2025 snapshot

Headline numbers

• Population: approximately 13,700 residents (2023 Census estimate)
• Households: roughly 4,100–4,300
• Estimated unique mobile phone users: 9,000–10,000 residents (about 65–72% of all residents; roughly 88–92% of adults)
• Estimated smartphone users: about 9,200 residents
• Households with a cellular data plan: about 70–78% (≈2,900–3,300 households)
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data but no fixed home broadband): about 22–28% of households (≈900–1,200), markedly higher than the Texas average of roughly 10–15%

Demographic context shaping usage

• Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino about 94–96% (vs Texas ~40%), a strong predictor of higher mobile-first internet reliance and messaging app use
• Age: relatively young county, median age near low 30s; under-18 share close to 30% (supports high teen smartphone penetration), 65+ around 10% (slightly lower smartphone adoption but high basic mobile phone adoption)
• Income and rurality: below-state median household income and a fully non-metropolitan profile contribute to lower fixed-broadband adoption and higher dependence on mobile data

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint: LTE is effectively countywide along US‑83 and population centers (Zapata CDP, San Ygnacio), with patchier service in ranchlands and along Falcon Lake/North County backroads
• 5G availability: low-band 5G from major carriers covers the main US‑83 corridor and the town of Zapata; large rural tracts remain LTE-only. Mid-band 5G capacity sites are limited; no practical mmWave
• Backhaul: fiber is present along the US‑83 spine to schools and government sites; many macro sites rely on microwave backhaul outside the corridor, which caps peak capacity
• Public safety: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 is present along the corridor, improving coverage and capacity for first responders and incident surge
• Cross-border RF environment: proximity to the Rio Grande can constrain tower siting/power and introduce occasional interference, contributing to uneven edge-of-cell performance near the river and Falcon Lake
• Performance pattern: typical user speeds on LTE/low-band 5G in-town are moderate (often a few tens of Mbps) with noticeable slowdowns at peak times; performance drops in outlying areas with higher latency and lower uplink

How Zapata County differs from Texas overall

• Higher mobile dependence
  • Smartphone-only household internet reliance is roughly double the statewide rate (about a quarter of households vs ~10–15% in Texas)
  • Fixed broadband subscription rates are substantially lower than the state average, pushing more day-to-day connectivity to mobile plans
• Coverage vs capacity
  • Basic coverage along primary corridors is comparable to rural Texas generally, but capacity upgrades (mid-band 5G) lag urban and suburban Texas, keeping median speeds well below state medians
• Plan mix and affordability
  • Greater use of prepaid and budget plans than the Texas average, reflecting income levels and the end of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024, which increases the risk of churn from fixed broadband back to mobile-only data
• Device lifecycle
  • Slower device upgrade cycles than the Texas average, resulting in a higher share of LTE and low-band 5G devices and less benefit from newer mid-band 5G capacity where it exists
• Mobility patterns
  • Weekend and seasonal congestion spikes tied to recreation around Falcon Lake and school/work traffic on US‑83 have outsized effects due to fewer alternate capacity sites than in urban Texas

User estimates by segment

• Adults 18+: about 9,700; mobile phone adoption ~88–92% => 8,500–8,900 adult mobile users
• Teens 13–17: roughly 900–1,000; smartphone adoption ~90–95% => about 800–900 teen smartphone users
• Seniors 65+: about 1,300–1,500; mobile phone adoption high for basic phones, lower for smartphones; roughly 60–70% smartphone use, 80–90% any mobile-phone use
• By ethnicity: Hispanic residents account for the vast majority of mobile users and are more likely to be mobile-first for internet access than non-Hispanic residents locally and statewide
• By income: lower-income households are disproportionately represented among smartphone-only households and prepaid plan users

Implications for service and planning

• The county’s connectivity is mobile-first by necessity, not just preference; ensuring consistent LTE and low-band 5G coverage beyond US‑83 will materially improve day-to-day access
• Added mid-band 5G sites or sector/capacity upgrades in and around Zapata CDP would yield outsized benefits versus statewide returns, given low fixed-broadband substitution
• Maintaining and expanding fiber backhaul along the corridor and to key macro sites is the gating factor for higher, more consistent speeds
• Outreach around affordable plans and post-ACP alternatives matters more here than in the average Texas county, due to the higher share of mobile-dependent households

Notes on figures

• Population and household counts are from recent Census/ACS estimates; mobile-user and smartphone-only figures are derived from ACS internet-subscription data for similar rural Texas border counties and current adoption benchmarks, adjusted to local age structure. Where ranges are given, midpoints reflect the most probable 2025 conditions in Zapata County.

Social media usage in Zapata County, Texas (2025 snapshot)

Context

• Population: ~14,000 residents (Census 2023 est. level), ~81% are age 13+; >90% Hispanic/Latino; median age low-30s.
• Connectivity: 70–75% of households have an internet subscription; mobile-only access is common (18–20%). Smartphone use is pervasive.

User stats

• Estimated social media users (age 13+): ~8,500 (about 76% of residents 13+, ~61% of total residents).
• Daily users: ~70–75% of social users are on social daily.
• Average platforms per user: ~3.

Age groups (share of each group using social media; and share of all county users)

• 13–17: 95% use; ~11% of all users.
• 18–24: 93% use; ~15% of all users.
• 25–34: 88% use; ~23% of all users.
• 35–49: 78% use; ~27% of all users.
• 50–64: 65% use; ~16% of all users.
• 65+: 45% use; ~8% of all users.

Gender breakdown (of social media users)

• Female ~52%, Male ~48%.
• Platform tendencies: women skew higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men skew higher on YouTube, X (Twitter), Reddit. WhatsApp is broadly used across genders.

Most-used platforms in Zapata County (percent of residents age 13+ using monthly; rounded)

• YouTube: 74% (~8.3k users)
• Facebook: 58% (~6.5k)
• WhatsApp: 50% (~5.6k)
• Instagram: 42% (~4.7k)
• Facebook Messenger: 40% (~4.5k)
• TikTok: 30% (~3.4k)
• Snapchat: 24% (~2.7k)
• Pinterest: 22% (~2.5k)
• X (Twitter): 13% (~1.5k)
• Reddit: 10% (~1.1k)
• LinkedIn: 8% (~0.9k)

Behavioral trends

• Language and messaging: Heavy bilingual (Spanish/English) usage; WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are default channels for family, school, church, and micro-business communication.
• Community hubs: Facebook Groups and Pages function as the county’s bulletin board for local news, school updates, events, public safety, and buy/sell (Marketplace is widely used).
• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the top reach vehicle; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) is growing quickly among under-35s for entertainment, music, and local business promotion.
• Younger cohorts: Teens and 18–24s are highly active on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram; they engage with creators and trends rather than official pages, and respond to short, vertical video.
• Midlife cohorts (25–49): Still heavy on Facebook for news and commerce; high WhatsApp usage for coordination across extended families and cross-border ties; Instagram used for shopping discovery.
• Older adults (50+): Facebook is the anchor; WhatsApp groups used for family and church; lower but steady YouTube use for how-to and news.
• Usage patterns: Predominantly mobile; peak activity evenings (7–10 pm) and midday; private group chats rival public posting for reach and action.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2025 estimates derived from U.S. Census Bureau county population structure and national/state-level platform adoption (Pew Research Center, 2024–2025) adjusted for a rural, Hispanic-majority border county with lower fixed-broadband but high smartphone penetration. Percentages reflect residents age 13+ unless stated otherwise.