Clarke County

Here are current, high-level demographics for Clarke County, Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; figures rounded):

• Population: ~23,000
• Age:
  • Median age: ~42
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–64: ~59%
  • 65 and over: ~20%
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Race/ethnicity:
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~55%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~42%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%
  • Other/Two or more races (incl. Asian, AIAN, etc.): ~1–2%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~9,000
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~66% of households
  • Owner-occupied housing: ~77–79% of occupied units

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (MOEs apply).

Clarke County, AL snapshot (estimates)

• Population: ~23k; adults (18+): ~17–18k.
• Email users (13+): 15–18k. Method: apply national email adoption (85–92% of adults; lower for 65+) to local population.
• Age pattern:
  • 13–24: ~90–95% use email (school/work accounts common).
  • 25–49: ~90–95%.
  • 50–64: ~85–92%.
  • 65+: ~70–85% (growing via healthcare, banking).
• Gender split: near parity (≈49–51% either way).
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband subscription: roughly 70–75% of households; ~20–25% have no home internet.
  • Smartphone‑only internet: about 1 in 5 households, typical of rural Alabama.
  • Adoption and speeds improving with recent fiber builds and state/federal investments; affordability remains a limiter for some households.
• Local density/connectivity:
  • Low population density (~20 people per square mile) raises last‑mile costs.
  • Strongest fixed broadband in and around Jackson, Thomasville, and Grove Hill; coverage becomes patchier in rural/unincorporated areas.
  • Mobile data coverage is widespread along major corridors (e.g., US‑43), but gaps persist off‑corridor.

These figures are best‑effort estimates blending county population with national email/internet adoption benchmarks.

Clarke County, Alabama: mobile phone usage snapshot (focus on how it differs from statewide patterns)

Quick context

• Rural, sparsely populated county of roughly 23,000 residents, older age structure, and lower household incomes than the Alabama average. Town centers include Jackson, Thomasville, and Grove Hill; large areas are forested with river bottoms and low tower density.

User estimates (order-of-magnitude, 2024–2025)

• Adults with a smartphone: about 13,000–14,500 (roughly 78–85% of ~17,000 adults).
• Teens (12–17) with a smartphone: roughly 1,100–1,300.
• Total smartphone users (all ages): about 14,500–16,000.
• “Mobile-only” internet users (smartphone is primary/only connection): likely 4,000–6,000 adults (roughly 25–35% of adults), notably higher than the statewide share.
• Hotspot use for home connectivity is visibly higher than the state average, especially in outlying areas without reliable cable/fiber.

What’s different from Alabama overall

• Greater dependence on phones for internet: Higher share of mobile-only households and routine hotspotting due to patchier fixed broadband and lower incomes.
• More 4G/LTE reliance and uneven 5G: Low-band 5G exists along main corridors, but mid-band 5G (and the speeds people associate with “true 5G”) is sparser than in metros like Birmingham, Huntsville, or Mobile.
• Carrier mix and plan types: AT&T and Verizon tend to be the default choices for coverage; prepaid and budget plans are more common than statewide. T-Mobile works in towns and along US corridors but is less consistent off-road.
• Device mix and replacement cycles: Midrange Android devices and refurbished phones are more prevalent; upgrade cycles run longer than in urban parts of the state.
• Usage patterns: Text/voice and low-bandwidth apps see heavier use; video calling/streaming quality is more constrained at peak times than in urban Alabama.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of usage)

• Age: The county skews older than the state. Seniors’ smartphone ownership is lower than younger adults, but seniors who are online here are more likely to rely on a phone rather than a computer at home, compared with seniors in cities.
• Race/ethnicity: Clarke has a higher share of Black residents than Alabama overall. Consistent with national patterns, smartphone ownership is high, but home broadband adoption is lower—so smartphone-as-primary-internet is more common than the state average.
• Income: Median household income trails the state. That correlates with higher prepaid usage, smaller data buckets, sharing hotspots within households, and delayed device upgrades.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Coverage patterns:
  • Strongest along US‑43 and US‑84 near Jackson, Thomasville, and Grove Hill.
  • Dead zones and weak indoor signals persist in river bottoms, pine forests, and low-density roads; many users rely on Wi‑Fi calling or signal boosters.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from major carriers is present on main routes; mid-band 5G (C‑band, 2.5 GHz) is limited outside towns, so real-world 5G speeds often resemble good LTE.
• Capacity and backhaul:
  • Fewer towers per square mile than urban Alabama; more towers still use microwave backhaul. Congestion is common after school/work and during events.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Cable/fiber options exist in town centers; legacy DSL and long copper loops remain in rural stretches.
  • Fixed wireless access (LTE/5G home internet) and satellite (e.g., Starlink, Viasat) fill gaps and drive higher phone/hotspot reliance than the state average.
  • Public Wi‑Fi is largely concentrated at schools, libraries, and civic buildings; fewer commercial hotspots than in urban counties.

Implications

• Marketing and service strategy: Emphasize reliable LTE coverage, Wi‑Fi calling, and competitively priced prepaid plans; offer signal boosters and multi-line hotspot bundles.
• Public services and telehealth: Keep phone-first, low-bandwidth options prominent; asynchronous telehealth and SMS-based outreach work better than video-heavy solutions.
• Infrastructure investment: The biggest gains vs. statewide parity would come from adding mid-band 5G sectors on existing towers, upgrading backhaul to fiber where feasible, and expanding fixed wireless/fiber to reduce peak-load pressure on mobile.

Clarke County, AL social media snapshot (estimates) Note: County-level samples are sparse. Figures below are modeled from Pew Research 2023–2024 platform usage, rural-South patterns, and local demographics; treat as directional (±5–10 pts).

User stats

• Population: ~23,000; adults (18+): ~17,500–18,500
• Active social media users (18+): ~12,000–13,500 (≈68–74% of adults)
• Teen usage (13–17): very high adoption (≈90%+), concentrated on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram

Age mix of the adult user base

• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~35%
• 50–64: ~28%
• 65+: ~17%

Gender breakdown among users

• Female: ~53–55%
• Male: ~45–47%
• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men on YouTube and X (Twitter)

Most-used platforms (share of local social-media users using monthly; multiple platforms per person)

• YouTube: 75–85% (weekly viewers ~65–70%)
• Facebook: 70–80% (daily users ~55–60%; Groups/Marketplace-heavy)
• Instagram: 30–40% (daily ~20–25%)
• TikTok: 25–35% (daily ~18–22%; skew <35)
• Snapchat: 20–30% (primarily <30)
• Pinterest: 25–35% (skews female 25–64)
• X/Twitter: 12–18% (news/sports, statewide topics)
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (professionals; lighter overall)
• WhatsApp: 5–10% (niche)
• Nextdoor: <5% (low rural penetration)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the local hub: school and church updates, high-school sports, civic info, buy/sell/trade, obituaries; Facebook Groups outperform Pages for reach.
• Short-form video is climbing: Facebook Reels and TikTok drive discovery; repurposed vertical video performs well.
• Marketplace and local classifieds behavior is strong: price-sensitive, immediate responses; evenings and weekends see spikes.
• News and weather are “musts”: storm updates and road conditions get high engagement; trusted local voices outperform polished brand content.
• YouTube is how-to central: hunting/fishing, small engine repair, home fixes, and product reviews.
• Timing: mobile-first usage peaks 6–8 AM, noon, and 7–10 PM; Sunday afternoons also strong.
• Younger users (teens/20s): Snapchat for messaging, TikTok/IG for entertainment; they often cross-post to Facebook when tied to family, school, or community events.
• Older users (50+): Facebook-only or Facebook+YouTube; prefer text/photo posts, local faces, and practical info.
• Ad/organic norms: boosted Facebook posts with community angles outperform generic ads; authenticity and local endorsement matter more than high production value.