Greene County

Greene County, Alabama — key demographics

Population size

• 7,730 residents (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 43.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: 19%
• 18–64: 58%
• 65 and over: 23%

Gender

• Female: 51.8%
• Male: 48.2% (ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

• Black or African American: 80.6%
• White: 17.1%
• Two or more races: 1.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.3%
• Asian: 0.2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.1% Note: Hispanic overlaps with racial categories.

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: 3,030
• Average household size: 2.38
• Family households: ~66%; nonfamily households: ~34%
• Households with children under 18: ~23%

Insights

• Small, rural county with a predominantly Black population, an older age profile, and relatively small household sizes.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Greene County, Alabama snapshot (latest available data and well-accepted benchmarks)

• Population and density: 7,730 residents (2020 Census); ~647 sq mi; ~12 people per sq mi. County seat: Eutaw.
• Estimated email users: ~5,200 adults (≈88% of 18+ residents), reflecting high smartphone-driven email use despite rural broadband gaps.
• Age distribution among email users (approximate counts and shares):
  • 18–29: ~1,250 (24%)
  • 30–49: ~1,790 (34%)
  • 50–64: ~1,360 (26%)
  • 65+: ~830 (16%)
• Gender split: Email adoption is near-parity; with the county’s slight female majority (52%), users are ~52% female (2.7k) and 48% male (2.5k).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: ~60–65% (below Alabama’s ~80%+), limiting home-based email but offset by mobile access.
  • Device access: ~80–85% of households have a computer; smartphone ownership exceeds 80%; an estimated 15–20% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Reliance on public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, county offices) remains material; mobile email is common.
  • Ongoing 2022–2025 state/federal investments are extending fiber and fixed wireless, improving reliability and speeds gradually.
• Connectivity context: Service is more consistent in and near Eutaw and along the I‑20/59/US‑11 corridors; very low rural density raises last‑mile costs and depresses subscription rates.

Greene County, Alabama mobile phone usage — key statistics, demographics, and infrastructure, with how it differs from the state

User estimates and adoption levels

• Population and base: 7,730 residents (2020 Census), roughly 5,900 adults (≈76% age 18+).
• Smartphone presence: 86% of households have at least one smartphone (ACS 2018–2022, Table S2801), about 2,600 of roughly 3,000 households.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: ≈5,100 (0.86 × 5,900), indicating smartphones are the primary personal connectivity device for most adults.
• Internet subscription mix:
  • Broadband of any type: 66% of households.
  • Cellular data plan in the household: 72%.
  • Cellular-only internet (cellular plan with no wireline): 24%.
  • No internet subscription: 28%.

How Greene County differs from Alabama overall

• Smartphone penetration is slightly lower but close to state rate (Greene 86% vs Alabama 91% of households).
• Wired broadband adoption is much lower (Greene 66% vs Alabama 83%).
• Reliance on cellular-only internet is roughly double (Greene 24% vs Alabama 13%).
• Households with no internet at all are far more prevalent (Greene 28% vs Alabama 15%).
• Bottom line: Greene County’s mobile device presence is high, but constrained wireline options and affordability drive heavier dependence on phones and cellular data for primary home connectivity than is typical statewide.

Demographic breakdown shaping mobile usage

• Race/ethnicity: The county is majority Black (~80%). High smartphone presence spans groups, but lower wireline broadband availability and affordability in majority-Black, lower-income neighborhoods increase reliance on cellular-only service relative to the state.
• Age: Older households are less connected than the state average, with lower computer ownership and broadband subscription among seniors, which concentrates mobile-reliant usage among working-age adults.
• Income and poverty: With poverty around 30%, cost-sensitive adoption patterns are evident—more prepaid mobile plans, hotspot use, and substitution of smartphones for home broadband compared with state norms.
• Households with children: These households are more likely to have a smartphone and some form of internet access, but still show elevated cellular-only reliance versus state averages due to limited fiber/cable availability outside town centers.

Digital infrastructure and service environment

• Coverage pattern: 4G LTE from major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) is strongest along I‑20/59 and in/around Eutaw. Away from those corridors and population centers, indoor coverage quality and consistency drop, with more dead zones and dependence on outdoor/vehicle reception.
• 5G availability: Low-band 5G is present along primary routes; mid-band 5G capacity is limited to the Eutaw/I‑20/59 area. Outside those zones, users often experience LTE-level speeds and higher latency, which reinforces single-device, mobile-first behavior rather than robust multi-device home connectivity.
• Capacity and reliability: Sparse tower density and limited mid-band spectrum reduce peak speeds and indoor reliability outside town limits, leading many households to rely on mobile hotspots for at-home connectivity.
• Wireline alternatives: Fiber-to-the-home remains limited. Outside Eutaw, options are often legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite, which—combined with affordability constraints—pushes households toward cellular-only internet at roughly twice the state rate.

Practical implications

• Greene County is a mobile-first market: nearly as many smartphones as the state average, but substantially less wired broadband and far higher cellular-only dependence.
• Program design and service delivery that assume wireline broadband underperform here; mobile-optimized services, zero‑rating, robust hotspot programs, and improved mid-band 5G coverage would yield outsized gains relative to statewide strategies.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018–2022 5‑year estimates, Table S2801 (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions).
• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population and composition).
• FCC National Broadband Map (2023–2024), carrier/distribution context.

Social media usage in Greene County, Alabama (short breakdown)

Scope and baseline

• Population baseline: 7,730 (2020 Census). Adult (18+) population ≈ 6,000 (rounded for modeling).
• Percentages below use Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates; local counts are modeled by applying those rates to Greene County’s adult population. This yields grounded, county-scale estimates.

Most-used platforms (adults)

• YouTube: 83% of adults; ≈ 5,000 users locally.
• Facebook: 68%; ≈ 4,100 users.
• Instagram: 47%; ≈ 2,800 users.
• Pinterest: 35%; ≈ 2,100 users.
• TikTok: 33%; ≈ 2,000 users.
• LinkedIn: 30%; ≈ 1,800 users.
• Snapchat: 30%; ≈ 1,800 users.
• WhatsApp: 29%; ≈ 1,700 users.
• X (Twitter): 27%; ≈ 1,600 users.
• Reddit: 22%; ≈ 1,300 users. Insight: Local mix skews toward Facebook and YouTube (common in rural counties). Instagram is meaningful but younger-skewed; TikTok and Snapchat are sizable among under-30s; X and Reddit remain niche.

Age-group patterns (Pew 2024 patterns mapped to Greene County)

• 18–29: YouTube ~93%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~46%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~92%, Facebook ~69%, Instagram ~54%, TikTok ~39%, Snapchat ~25%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~73%, YouTube ~83%, Instagram ~29%, TikTok ~18%.
• 65+: Facebook ~58%, YouTube ~60%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~10%. Insight: Because Greene County’s age structure skews older than urban areas, overall usage tilts toward Facebook/YouTube, with Instagram/TikTok underrepresented in the aggregate but strong among younger adults.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base likely skews slightly female, broadly mirroring county demographics; expect ~52–55% of active users to be women.
• Platform skews: Pinterest is majority-female (roughly 2:1). Facebook and Instagram lean female. Reddit and X skew male. Snapchat and TikTok lean slightly female among younger adults. Insight: Community/commerce platforms (Facebook, Pinterest) overindex among women; news/tech forums (Reddit, X) overindex among men.

Behavioral trends observed in comparable rural Alabama contexts

• Community-centric use: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups for churches, schools, sports, yard sales, public notices, and mutual-aid; Facebook Messenger is a primary contact channel for local businesses.
• Marketplace-first commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a dominant local buy/sell venue; many small businesses use Facebook pages over standalone websites.
• Video habits: Long-form and “how-to” on YouTube (home, auto, land maintenance); short-form discovery and entertainment on TikTok, especially among younger adults.
• Information flow: Local news, weather, and emergency info circulate rapidly via Facebook Groups; cross-posting from adjacent markets (e.g., Tuscaloosa area) is common.
• Mobile-first usage: Engagement clustered in early mornings, lunch hours, and evenings, reflecting work schedules and mobile access patterns.

How to read these numbers

• Use the platform percentages as reliable adoption rates; local counts are straightforward multiplications by the adult population to size the reachable audience.
• Expect slightly higher Facebook penetration and slightly lower Instagram/TikTok penetration than national averages when targeting the whole county; the reverse holds when targeting only 18–29.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Greene County, AL population).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption and demographics).