Limestone County

Limestone County, Alabama — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates)

Population size and growth

• Total population: ~116,000 (2023 estimate)
• 2020 Census: 103,570; up roughly 40% since 2010, among Alabama’s fastest-growing counties

Age

• Median age: ~39 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~73–74%
• Black or African American alone: ~12–13%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6–7%
• Asian alone: ~2–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~41,000
• Average household size: ~2.7
• Family households: ~73% of households; married-couple households: ~56%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%
• Median household income: roughly mid-$70,000s

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2023 Population Estimates; 2022–2023 American Community Survey).

• Scope: Limestone County, Alabama (Huntsville MSA); population ≈116,000 (2023 est.); density ≈200 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: ≈89,000 residents use email (regular users age 13+).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users; count):
  • 13–17: 8% (≈7.3k)
  • 18–29: 17% (≈15.1k)
  • 30–49: 35% (≈31.2k)
  • 50–64: 22% (≈19.2k)
  • 65+: 18% (≈15.8k)
• Gender split among email users: ≈49% male, 51% female.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ≈89% of households have a broadband subscription; smartphone‑only home internet ≈14%.
  • Telework participation ≈8–9%, reflecting strong professional/tech employment tied to the Huntsville corridor.
  • Fiber and cable DOCSIS are prevalent in Athens/eastern Limestone and along I‑65/I‑565/US‑72, offering multiple 100 Mbps+ options; rural western/northern pockets rely more on fixed wireless/DSL but are improving with ongoing builds.
  • Device access is high: the vast majority of adults have smartphones and at least one email account, with near‑universal adoption among ages 30–49 and strong usage into older cohorts.
• Insight: Email penetration is effectively mainstream across working‑age adults, with growth driven by expanding fiber coverage and telework, while remaining access gaps are concentrated in lower‑density areas.

Limestone County, Alabama — Mobile phone usage summary (2024)

Context and population base

• Fast-growing, Huntsville-adjacent county with above-state income and education, which generally raises smartphone and 5G adoption.
• Population baseline: approximately 120,000 residents (2023 estimate). About 76–77% are adults, yielding roughly 91,000–93,000 adults.

User estimates

• Adults using any mobile phone: ~94% of adults → about 86,000–87,000 users.
• Adults using smartphones: ~90% of adults → about 82,000–84,000 users.
• 5G-capable device users: 70–75% of smartphone users → roughly 58,000–63,000 users.
• Active mobile lines: about 1.15 mobile subscriptions per resident → approximately 135,000–140,000 active lines countywide.
• Households relying on smartphones as their primary home internet (smartphone-only): estimated 14–16% in Limestone vs ~20–22% statewide, reflecting stronger fixed-broadband availability locally than Alabama overall.

Demographic breakdown (modeled from county profile and national usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–49: near-saturation smartphone ownership (≈94–96%).
  • 50–64: high adoption (≈88–90%).
  • 65+: notably higher than the Alabama average (≈75–80% in Limestone vs ≈65–70% statewide), aided by better device affordability and family-plan uptake.
• Income:
  • Households ≥$75k: ≈97–99% smartphone ownership; high 5G device penetration.
  • Households <$35k: ≈85–88% smartphone ownership; more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet, yet still lower than the statewide smartphone-only rate due to wider local fiber/cable coverage.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Smartphone ownership is high across groups (generally ≈88–92%). Hispanic and Asian residents show slightly higher smartphone-only internet reliance than White residents, but at lower levels than the Alabama average thanks to better fixed broadband in the Athens–Madison corridor.
• Urban/rural:
  • East and south (Athens, Madison-annex areas, I‑65/I‑565/US‑72 corridors): very high 5G device adoption and heavier app/data usage.
  • Northwestern and river-adjacent rural areas: lower 5G device uptake and more LTE-only usage due to patchier coverage.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G coverage: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon offer 5G across Athens, east Limestone (including Madison city areas within the county), and along I‑65, US‑31, and US‑72. Most remaining areas have LTE; fringe zones in the northwest and some low-lying areas see weaker signals or fallbacks to LTE-only.
• Speeds (typical, not peak): Huntsville–Athens corridor commonly sees >100 Mbps median on 5G; LTE-only rural pockets often test in the 10–30 Mbps range at busy hours.
• Backhaul and fixed broadband: AT&T Fiber, cable operators, and Huntsville-area fiber backbones feed dense neighborhoods and commercial corridors in east/south Limestone, reducing pressure to use smartphones as primary home internet compared with much of the state.
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home are broadly available east of Athens and in newer subdivisions; they fill gaps where fiber/cable is still building out.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is present on interstate/US routes and critical locations, improving resilience for emergency services.
• Buildout trend: Capacity upgrades (additional sectors, small cells) concentrate along US‑72/Athens retail corridors, fast-growing subdivisions south/east of Athens, and industrial sites tied to the Huntsville economy.

How Limestone differs from Alabama overall

• Higher adoption: Smartphone ownership among adults is roughly 5–8 percentage points higher than the state average; 5G device penetration is also higher, driven by a younger, tech-oriented workforce and better device financing access.
• Lower smartphone-only households: About 14–16% in Limestone vs ~20–22% statewide, reflecting stronger fiber/cable reach and faster BEAD-era buildouts in the metro-adjacent east.
• Better coverage and speeds where people live and work: 5G broadly covers population centers; remaining gaps are more localized than in many rural Alabama counties (e.g., Black Belt/Wiregrass), though some northwest Limestone pockets still underperform.
• Usage profile: Higher share of postpaid family plans and multi-line households, more 5G handset upgrades, and heavier work-related mobile data usage and tethering; prepaid reliance is lower than the state norm.
• Network load: Commute-hour congestion is more pronounced along US‑72/I‑65 and growth corridors, raising demand for continued small-cell/macro infill and mid-band 5G capacity.

Key insights

• Limestone’s proximity to Huntsville and ongoing population growth produce above-state smartphone and 5G adoption, with strong carrier competition and speeds in the east and along major corridors.
• The county’s digital divide is narrower than Alabama’s overall, but rural northwest pockets still need targeted macro infill and fiber/microwave backhaul to close remaining LTE-only and weak-signal areas.
• Expect continued 5G capacity densification around Athens, Madison-annexed neighborhoods, and industrial sites, alongside rising FWA take-up in suburbs awaiting fiber—further reducing the share of smartphone-only households over the next 12–24 months.

Limestone County, AL social media snapshot (2024)

How this was built

• County-level surveys aren’t published, so figures use Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult social media adoption rates, aligned to Limestone County’s age/gender mix from recent ACS demographics. Treat platform percentages as solid, county-level estimates.

Overall usage (adults)

• Adults using at least one major social platform: high, broadly in line with U.S. norms (roughly three in four adults or more).
• Gender split of the local adult social audience: approximately 51% female, 49% male (mirrors county population structure).

Most-used platforms (estimated share of Limestone County adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~50%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• WhatsApp: ~29%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%

Age-group usage (share of adults in each group who use social media)

• 18–29: ~95–97% (near-universal)
• 30–49: ~85–90%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~50–60%

Gender breakdown (tendencies among adult users)

• Overall participation: women slightly higher than men.
• Platform skews:
  • More female: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat.
  • More male: YouTube, Reddit, X.
  • Balanced/neutral: TikTok, WhatsApp, LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends seen locally (Huntsville–Athens–Limestone context)

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, local sports, yard sales/Marketplace, public safety, roadwork, and severe-weather updates. Events and petitions circulate quickly.
• Short‑form video is routine: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for local food, boutiques, real estate, festivals, and high‑school/college sports highlights; cross‑posting between Instagram and TikTok is common for small businesses.
• YouTube is utility-first: how‑to, product research, local government streams/recaps, and regional news; used across all ages, especially 30–64.
• Private sharing dominates younger cohorts: Snapchat and Instagram DMs for day‑to‑day chat and ephemeral updates; location features used around games and weekend outings.
• Professional networking is commuter‑driven: LinkedIn engagement is notable among workers tied to Huntsville’s aerospace/defense/tech corridor; job‑seeking and industry news are the primary activities.
• Messaging and family ties: WhatsApp pockets exist among transplants and international households connected to the broader Huntsville tech workforce.
• Timing patterns: evening scroll (7–10 pm) and early‑morning check‑ins are strongest; weekends amplify local events, sports, and dining content; severe weather and school announcements create sharp, short‑term spikes, primarily on Facebook.

What to do with this

• Reach breadth: Facebook + YouTube for county‑wide coverage; add Instagram for under‑45 reach and TikTok for 18–34.
• Community activation: prioritize Facebook Groups and local events; use Reels/TikTok for discovery, then drive to Facebook or websites for details.
• Creative: short, captioned video; hyper‑local hooks (schools, sports, traffic, weather, new openings) outperform generic content.
• Ads: use radius and ZIP targeting around Athens, East Limestone, Harvest/Monrovia, and Madison‑side neighborhoods to capture commuter flows into Huntsville’s job centers.