Henry County

Henry County, Alabama — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• Total population: 17,146 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (race alone unless noted; 2020 Census)

• White: ~66%
• Black or African American: ~30%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~63%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~6,900
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~69% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Nonfamily households: ~31%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Demographic Profile) and 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

• Estimated email users: ≈12.4K residents in Henry County (of ~17K total), reflecting ~85% of adults and ~73% of the total population.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: 16% (≈2.0K); 30–49: 34% (≈4.2K); 50–64: 27% (≈3.3K); 65+: 23% (≈2.9K).
• Gender split among users: Female ≈52% (≈6.5K); Male ≈48% (≈5.9K).

Digital access and trends:

• Fixed-broadband subscription is roughly three-quarters of households (≈75–77%); computer access ≈85–90%; smartphone‑only internet households ≈12–18%. Email is widely accessed via smartphones and home broadband; mobile‑only users skew younger and lower‑income. Adoption has inched up since 2019, with cellular reliance rising in rural tracts.

Local density/connectivity context:

• Low population density (~30–31 people per square mile across ~560 sq mi) raises last‑mile costs and contributes to patchy fixed broadband. Denser areas around Headland and Abbeville tend to have stronger cable/fiber options; outlying areas more often depend on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite, which can limit large‑attachment email use and reliability.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (population, density), ACS 2018–2022 (devices/subscriptions), and Pew Research on internet/email adoption applied to local demographics.

Henry County, AL mobile phone usage summary (modeled 2023–2024 view)

Scope and method

• Point estimates are derived from the 2020 Census population for Henry County, Pew Research Center 2023 smartphone adoption by age cohort, CDC/NCHS 2022 “wireless‑only” household telephony rates, and ACS S2801 patterns for cellular-only internet subscription in rural Alabama counties. Figures are rounded and intended to be decision-grade estimates.

Population baseline

• Total population: ~17,300 (2020 Census)
• Adults (18+): ~13,800
• Households: ~6,900

User estimates

• Smartphone users (18+): ~11,300 (roughly 82–85% of adults), slightly below Alabama’s urban-weighted average due to an older local age structure
• Basic/feature‑phone users (18+): ~1,300–1,700
• Wireless‑only voice households (mobile phone as sole telephone): ~4,800–5,500 (about 70–80% of households), in line with or a bit above Alabama overall
• Cellular‑data‑only home internet households: ~1,700–2,400 (about 25–35% of households), measurably above Alabama statewide (typically ~20–25%)

Demographic breakdown of smartphone adoption (Henry County adults, modeled)

• By age
  • 18–29: ~2,000 users (≈96% adoption in this cohort; small cohort size locally)
  • 30–49: ~3,900 users (≈95% adoption; strong working‑age uptake)
  • 50–64: ~3,100 users (≈80–85% adoption)
  • 65+: ~2,300 users (≈60–65% adoption; share of seniors locally is higher than the state, pulling down the countywide average)
• By income and plan type (patterns consistent with rural AL)
  • Lower‑income and prepaid plans are overrepresented vs the state; mobile‑only internet reliance is higher outside the towns of Headland and Abbeville
• By race/ethnicity
  • Adoption rates across White, Black, and Hispanic residents are broadly similar (mid‑80% range) with small gaps; differences in Henry County are driven more by age, income, and fixed‑broadband availability than by race

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network operators: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile all serve the county; regional MVNOs are widely used
• 5G/4G mix
  • 5G low‑band coverage is present along primary corridors and in population centers; mid‑band 5G is patchier, with 4G LTE remaining the performance floor in many outlying areas
  • Indoor coverage is generally solid in town centers; signal attenuation and capacity constraints are more common along wooded, lake‑adjacent, and farm areas
• Backhaul and sites
  • Macro sites are concentrated along U.S. 431 and near Headland/Abbeville; rural sectors carry larger footprints and see more load‑driven variability
• Fixed broadband context (drives mobile dependence)
  • Cable/fiber availability is good in town centers and limited in rural tracts; DSL and fixed wireless are common alternatives. This supply mix elevates cellular‑only home internet uptake compared with Alabama overall

How Henry County differs from Alabama statewide

• Higher mobile dependence for home internet: Cellular‑only subscription rates run several points above the state average, reflecting sparser cable/fiber outside towns
• Slightly lower overall adult smartphone penetration than the state’s urbanized counties, driven by a larger 65+ share locally
• Heavier reliance on prepaid and budget plans, and greater sensitivity to data caps and throttling, compared with metro Alabama
• Coverage quality is more corridor‑centric: capacity and indoor performance vary more by location than in Alabama’s urban counties

Implications

• Mobile networks in Henry County carry a larger share of primary‑home internet use than the statewide norm, so capacity upgrades on rural sectors yield outsized benefits
• Digital inclusion efforts aimed at seniors and rural tracts (device literacy, Wi‑Fi offload, and signal enhancement) will close most of the remaining adoption and performance gaps without requiring dramatic behavioral change

Social media usage in Henry County, Alabama (2024)

Snapshot

• Population context: ≈17K residents; older-than-average age profile for Alabama and largely rural. This skews platform mix toward Facebook and YouTube, with steady growth in short-form video among under-35s.
• Overall penetration (modeled from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 national platform adoption, adjusted for Henry County’s older age mix per ACS): 76–82% of residents age 13+ use at least one social platform monthly.

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

• YouTube: 63–69% (No. 1)
• Facebook: 58–65% (No. 2)
• Instagram: 24–30%
• TikTok: 23–28%
• Pinterest: 19–24%
• Snapchat: 13–17%
• X (Twitter): 10–14%
• WhatsApp: 10–14%
• LinkedIn: 8–12%
• Nextdoor: 6–9% (varies by neighborhood availability)

Age-group usage profile (share using any social monthly; top platforms)

• Teens 13–17: 90–95%; YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat dominant; Instagram strong; Facebook minimal outside school/teams.
• 18–29: 85–90%; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok lead; Snapchat common; Facebook used for groups/events and Marketplace.
• 30–49: 80–85%; Facebook and YouTube core; Instagram growing; TikTok usage rising via Reels/shorts cross-posts.
• 50–64: 70–75%; Facebook and YouTube primary; Pinterest notable among women; limited TikTok/Instagram adoption.
• 65+: 45–55%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; low adoption of other platforms.

Gender breakdown (share of local social users; platform skews)

• Female: 53–56% of social users; higher propensity for Facebook and Pinterest; strong engagement with local groups, schools, churches, and Marketplace.
• Male: 44–47% of social users; higher propensity for YouTube and X; sports, automotive, outdoors content over-indexes.

Behavioral trends (what people actually do)

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups and Pages for city updates, churches, schools, youth sports, and civic alerts have outsized reach; Marketplace is a daily habit.
• Short-form video growth: Reels (Facebook/Instagram) and TikTok are the attention drivers for under-35; cross-posted short video performs well with 30–60 via Facebook Reels.
• Messaging as a service channel: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are standard for inquiries, quotes, appointment setting, and order holds; prompt responses materially improve conversion.
• Local news and weather: High engagement with storm updates, school closures, road work, and public safety posts; share/reshare behavior is common among 35+.
• Shopping path-to-purchase: Discovery on Facebook/Instagram → DM or comment → in-person or phone completion; Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups influence consideration.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm CT) and weekends; midday weekday bump around lunch; early mornings strong for weather/news.
• Ads and content that work: Local faces and places, event tie-ins, limited-time offers, giveaways, and community sponsorships; pragmatic creative with clear next steps (call, message, visit) outperforms brand-only posts.
• Targeting realities: Small audience sizes mean broad geo radius with lookalikes and retargeting beats narrow interest targeting; group placements and short-form video inventory deliver efficient reach.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for Henry County using Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates and age-by-platform patterns, adjusted for the county’s older age distribution from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS). Ranges reflect rounding and rural adoption variance. These provide decision-grade local estimates where direct, county-level platform reporting is not published.