Lawrence County

Key demographics: Lawrence County, Alabama

Population

• 33,073 (2020 Census)
• 32,6xx (2023 Census estimate; slight decline since 2020)

Age

• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~20%
• Median age: ~42 years
• Insight: Older-than-average age profile, with nearly 1 in 5 residents 65+

Gender

• Female: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White alone: ~77–78%
• Black or African American alone: ~11%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~5–6%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~5–6%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Insight: Predominantly White with a notable American Indian/Alaska Native share and a small but growing Hispanic population

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~12.6k
• Persons per household: ~2.6
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~81%
• Median household income (2022 dollars): ~$51k
• Poverty rate: ~17%
• Insight: High homeownership and modest household size; income and poverty levels indicate economic constraints typical of rural counties

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program, 2023).

Lawrence County, Alabama snapshot (pop. ~33,073; land ~691 sq mi; density ~48 residents/sq mi).

• Estimated email users: ~26,500 residents (≈80% of the total population; ≈92% of adults 18–64 and ≈78% of adults 65+).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 0–12: ~3–4%; 13–17: ~7%; 18–29: ~15%; 30–49: ~31%; 50–64: ~23%; 65+: ~20%. Skews slightly older than national due to county age structure, but adoption remains high among working-age adults.
• Gender split among users: ~52% female, ~48% male (reflecting the county’s slight female majority and higher longevity).
• Digital access and usage trends: About 80–82% of households maintain a home broadband subscription; ~89–91% have a computer; ~12–15% are smartphone‑only for internet. Email is the default communication channel for schools, government services, and employers; smartphone email usage is prevalent where wireline options are limited.
• Local connectivity context: Predominantly rural with dispersed households and significant forested areas, which raises last‑mile costs and contributes to pockets of slower fixed service. Ongoing fiber expansion along key corridors and utility co‑op buildouts are narrowing gaps, lifting speeds and reliability and reinforcing high email adoption across demographics.

Mobile phone usage in Lawrence County, Alabama — 2024 snapshot

Baseline and user estimates

• Population baseline: 33,073 residents (2020 Census).
• Estimated mobile phone users: about 26,400 residents regularly use a mobile phone (adults plus teens), roughly 80% of the total population.
• Estimated smartphone users: about 23,300 residents, roughly 71% of the total population.
• Method notes: estimates combine 2020 Census population with widely cited adoption rates from Pew Research (97% of adults own a cellphone; 85% of adults own a smartphone; ~95% of teens 13–17 have a smartphone). Adult share modeled at ~76% of the county population, and teens 13–17 at ~6–7%.

Demographic breakdown influencing usage

• Age: Lawrence County is older than Alabama overall, with a larger share of residents 65+. Because seniors have lower smartphone adoption than younger adults, this pulls county smartphone penetration below the state average among adults.
• Income: Median household income is lower than the Alabama median, which correlates with:
  • Slightly lower high-end smartphone adoption.
  • Greater use of prepaid and budget MVNO plans.
  • Higher reliance on mobile data as a primary home internet connection in households without affordable wired broadband.
• Education and employment: A higher share of blue-collar and outdoor occupations increases weekday, on-the-go mobile usage and voice/SMS dependence during work hours compared with knowledge-work-heavy metro counties.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile all provide countywide 4G LTE coverage, with 5G coverage concentrated along the main travel corridors and population centers including Moulton, Courtland, Town Creek, and the AL‑20/US‑72 Alt and AL‑24 corridors.
• 5G characteristics:
  • Low-band 5G (coverage-first) is prevalent; mid-band 5G capacity is strongest near towns and along highways.
  • mmWave 5G is effectively absent, consistent with rural deployment patterns statewide.
• Coverage gaps: Terrain and forested areas on the southern and southwestern side of the county, including lands on the edge of Bankhead National Forest, create dead zones and LTE-only pockets. These gaps are more common than in Alabama’s urban counties.
• Capacity and speeds: Peak 5G speeds are achievable in towns and along corridors; off-corridor areas more often deliver LTE-level performance, with noticeable congestion during evening hours relative to urban Alabama markets where cell density is higher.
• Public safety and resilience: AT&T’s FirstNet presence follows the highway grid and municipal cores; off-corridor resilience relies on lower-band spectrum and fewer sites, which lengthens restoration times after severe weather compared with the state’s metro counties.

How Lawrence County differs from Alabama statewide

• Adoption mix: Overall cellphone ownership among adults is comparable to the state, but smartphone penetration is modestly lower due to an older age profile and lower incomes than the Alabama average.
• Mobile-only dependence: A higher share of households rely on mobile data or phone-based hotspots as their primary internet connection compared with the state average, reflecting sparser fixed-broadband options in rural census blocks.
• Network experience: Fewer tower sites per square mile and more challenging terrain produce more LTE-only areas and greater variability in speeds than typical in Alabama’s metro counties; 5G mid-band coverage is more corridor-centric.
• Plan preferences: Prepaid and MVNO plans have a larger footprint in the local market mix than in urban Alabama, tracking with price sensitivity and credit constraints.
• Time-of-day patterns: Mobile traffic shows stronger weekday daytime voice/SMS use tied to trade, agriculture, and logistics work, whereas Alabama’s urban counties skew toward continuous data-heavy app usage tied to office and campus environments.

Bottom line

• Approximately four out of five residents in Lawrence County use a mobile phone, and about seven in ten use a smartphone. The county’s older, more rural, and lower-income profile yields slightly lower smartphone penetration and more corridor-focused 5G than Alabama overall, alongside a higher reliance on mobile connectivity as a substitute for limited or costly fixed broadband.

Lawrence County, Alabama — social media snapshot (2025)

Population and adoption

• Population: ~33,100 residents; adults (18+): ~25,800; teens (13–17): ~3,000.
• Adults using at least one social platform: 80% (20,650 people).
• Teens using at least one social platform: 92% (2,740 people).

Most-used platforms (adults 18+; share of all adults and estimated users)

• YouTube: 80% (~20,650)
• Facebook: 72% (~18,600)
• Instagram: 38% (~9,800)
• Pinterest: 33% (~8,500)
• TikTok: 32% (~8,300)
• Snapchat: 24% (~6,200)
• X (Twitter): 18% (~4,650)
• LinkedIn: 14% (~3,600)
• Reddit: 12% (~3,100)
• Nextdoor: 8% (~2,100)

Teens (13–17) platform use (share of teens and estimated users)

• YouTube: 93% (~2,770)
• TikTok: 67% (~2,000)
• Instagram: 62% (~1,850)
• Snapchat: 60% (~1,790)
• Facebook: 32% (~950)

Age patterns

• 13–17: Heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram; minimal Facebook.
• 18–24: Short‑form video first (TikTok/Reels), Snapchat for messaging; Instagram central for brands/events.
• 25–34: Mix of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube; strong use of Marketplace and Reels for local discovery.
• 35–54: Facebook is the daily hub (groups, schools, sports, churches, services); YouTube for how‑to and product research.
• 55–64 and 65+: Facebook dominates; YouTube for church services, news, repairs; limited Instagram/TikTok uptake but growing via Reels.

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Adult social media users: ~52% women, ~48% men.
• Platform skews:
  • Facebook and Instagram: slight female tilt (Facebook ~55–58% female; Instagram ~52% female).
  • Pinterest: predominantly female (~75–80%).
  • YouTube: slight male tilt (~55% male).
  • X and Reddit: male‑skewed (~60–70% male).
  • TikTok: near‑balanced to slightly female.

Behavioral trends locally

• Facebook as the community backbone: heavy use of local groups (buy/sell/trade, school and sports boosters, church announcements, obituaries, county updates). Facebook Marketplace is a top discovery and conversion channel for goods and local services.
• Video first: Short‑form (Reels/TikTok) drives reach in under‑40 audiences; YouTube how‑to content influences purchase decisions across all ages.
• Events and seasonality: Spikes around severe weather alerts, school calendars, high school sports, hunting seasons, festivals, and local government notices.
• Trust mechanics: Word‑of‑mouth in local Facebook groups outperforms brand pages; UGC and neighbor recommendations drive action.
• Messaging migration: Many transactions and service inquiries shift to Facebook Messenger and Snapchat after initial discovery.
• Timing: Engagement clusters in early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evening prime time (7–10 p.m.); Sunday activity is elevated for church- and community‑related content.
• Advertising implications: Geofenced Facebook/Instagram ads with recognizable local faces, vertical video under 20 seconds, and boosted posts in/around community groups perform best; older demos convert via Facebook posts and Marketplace listings, younger via Reels/TikTok.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2025 county‑level estimates derived from ACS population structure combined with current U.S. platform adoption benchmarks, adjusted for rural Alabama usage patterns. Percentages are of the indicated population (adults or teens) and rounded to the nearest meaningful increment.