Macon County

Macon County, Alabama — key demographics

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates)

Population

• 2020 Census: 19,532
• 2023 estimate: ~19,000 (continued gradual decline)

Age

• Median age: ~37–38 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~18–19%

Gender

• Female: ~53–54%
• Male: ~46–47%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; race alone unless noted; Hispanic/Latino can be of any race)

• Black or African American: ~83%
• White: ~13%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~7,200–7,400
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.3
• Family households: ~60–63% of households
• Married-couple families: ~30% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~37–40%
• Households with children under 18: ~20–25%
• Homeownership rate: ~65–70%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• Population is shrinking modestly.
• County is predominantly Black/African American.
• Household sizes are small-to-moderate with a high share of nonfamily and single-householder homes.
• Age structure is balanced but with a sizable 65+ share.

• Scope: Macon County, Alabama (pop. ≈18.6k; density ≈31 people/sq mi)
• Estimated email users: ≈13.0k adults (≈90% of ≈14.5k adults 18+)

Age distribution (county) and estimated email users:

• 18–24: ≈15% of population (≈2.8k); email users ≈2.7k
• 25–44: ≈25% (≈4.7k); email users ≈4.4k
• 45–64: ≈21% (≈3.9k); email users ≈3.5k
• 65+: ≈17% (≈3.2k); email users ≈2.4k Insight: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; usage drops among seniors.

Gender split and email users:

• Female ≈54%, male ≈46%
• Email users ≈7.0k female, ≈6.0k male (usage rates similar by gender)

Digital access and trends:

• Households with a computer/smartphone: ≈88%
• Home broadband subscription: ≈72%
• Smartphone‑only internet: ≈18%
• No home internet: ≈14%
• Trend: Gradual gains in subscriptions and speeds since 2019, with fiber and cable build‑outs clustered around Tuskegee and the I‑85 corridor; rural tracts show weaker fixed options, pushing more smartphone‑only email use.

Local connectivity facts:

• Rural Black Belt county with low density increases last‑mile costs and adoption gaps.
• Tuskegee University and public libraries provide important Wi‑Fi access points that bolster email access for students and lower‑income residents.

Macon County, Alabama mobile phone usage summary (focus: how it differs from statewide patterns)

Top line

• Mobile is the primary on‑ramp to the internet for many residents. Relative to Alabama overall, Macon County has a higher share of smartphone‑only households, lower fixed‑broadband adoption, and more variable 4G/5G performance away from the I‑85 corridor.
• A large student and predominantly Black population, lower median incomes, and a dispersed rural settlement pattern drive heavier mobile reliance and bigger urban–rural gaps than the state average.

User estimates (2024–2025)

• Population baseline: ~19,500 residents (2020 Census), ~15,000 adults (18+).
• Adult smartphone users: 13,000–13,600 (roughly 85–90% adult adoption).
• Total active consumer handsets (including secondary lines): 17,000–21,000.
• Households that rely on mobile data as their only internet connection: 1,900–2,300 (about 25–30% of households), versus 19–22% statewide.
• Households with any fixed broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, fixed wireless): about 70–75%, versus 82–85% statewide.
• Practical implication: a higher share of traffic is mobile-network first, with heavier peak‑hour load on cellular than the Alabama average.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Race/ethnicity: Roughly four in five residents are Black, far above the state average. Smartphone ownership is high across groups, but Black households in the county subscribe to fixed home broadband at materially lower rates than White households, which raises smartphone‑only dependence into the low‑30% range among Black households (vs mid‑20s statewide).
• Age:
  • 18–24 (boosted by Tuskegee University): near‑universal smartphone access (≈95%+), extensive app‑centric use and campus/off‑campus Wi‑Fi offload.
  • 25–64: high adoption (≈90%), but below‑median incomes increase reliance on unlimited or prepaid mobile plans for home connectivity.
  • 65+: smartphone adoption around 70–75% (a few points below Alabama), with a higher share relying solely on mobile data for basic tasks than the state average.
• Income: Below‑$35k households show strong smartphone penetration but weaker home broadband take‑up; an estimated 35–40% are smartphone‑only (vs ~25–28% statewide). The lapse of ACP subsidies in 2024 increased bill pressure and nudged additional low‑income households into smartphone‑only status.
• Education and students: The university presence raises device penetration and app usage among young adults; off‑campus students disproportionately use smartphones and hotspotting when fixed service is unavailable or unaffordable.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all operate LTE and 5G in the county. Coverage is most consistent along I‑85, US‑80, and in Tuskegee/Shorter; service quality drops in sparsely populated southern and western tracts.
• 5G footprint and capacity:
  • T‑Mobile: broad low‑band 5G coverage with mid‑band capacity nodes concentrated around Tuskegee/Shorter and the I‑85 corridor; generally the widest 5G footprint.
  • AT&T: 5G (low‑band/DSS) focused along I‑85 and in Tuskegee; strong legacy LTE footprint; FirstNet coverage aligned with public‑safety needs on major corridors.
  • Verizon: solid LTE and 5G along I‑85 and population centers; mid‑band 5G capacity is present near the corridor but thins rapidly off‑corridor.
• Performance reality: In‑town and highway‑adjacent areas typically see 50–150 Mbps down on 5G with 5–20 Mbps up; rural fringes frequently fall back to LTE in the 5–25 Mbps down range with narrower uplink. This urban–rural spread is wider than Alabama’s average.
• Backhaul and sites: Fiber backhaul tracks I‑85 and key municipal anchors (university campus, schools, county facilities). Off‑corridor cell sites rely more on microwave backhaul, which contributes to congestion during evening peaks. Macro towers cluster near I‑85 interchanges and Tuskegee; water tanks and utility structures host rural sectors.
• Fixed‑broadband context: Cable and fiber are limited outside Tuskegee/Shorter, with legacy DSL and patchy fixed‑wireless in outlying areas. State and federal programs (e.g., BEAD/CPF) are targeting unserved census blocks, but as of 2024–2025, mobile remains the fastest‑to‑deploy option for many households.

How Macon County differs from Alabama overall

• Higher smartphone‑only reliance (≈25–30% vs 19–22%).
• Lower fixed‑broadband adoption (≈70–75% vs 82–85%).
• Larger performance gap between corridor towns and rural tracts.
• More pronounced demographic digital divide: smartphone ownership is high, but home broadband gaps are wider for Black and low‑income households than the state average.
• Greater sensitivity to subsidy changes (post‑ACP), pushing additional households to rely on mobile plans and hotspotting.

Implications and actionable insights

• Network load: Mobile carriers shoulder a disproportionate share of last‑mile connectivity; capacity upgrades (mid‑band 5G sectors and fiberized backhaul) in and around Tuskegee, Shorter, and unincorporated clusters will yield outsized quality gains.
• Affordability: Expanded low‑cost plans and targeted subsidies would directly reduce smartphone‑only reliance and ease peak load on cellular networks.
• Public anchors: Leveraging campus and school fiber for community Wi‑Fi and neutral‑host small cells can stabilize access in neighborhoods where fixed build‑outs lag.

Macon County, Alabama — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

User stats

• Population: ~19,300; adults (18+): ~15,100
• Adult social media users: ~10,800 (≈71% of adults)
• Daily social media users: ~7,700 (≈71% of users)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults)

• YouTube: ~75%
• Facebook: ~60%
• Instagram: ~30%
• TikTok: ~25%
• Snapchat: ~15%
• X (Twitter): ~14%
• LinkedIn: ~10%
• Reddit: ~8%

Age-group patterns (share of each age group using social media; dominant platforms)

• 18–29: ~90% use social; heavy on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook secondary
• 30–49: ~83% use social; Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing
• 50–64: ~68% use social; Facebook and YouTube dominate; lighter Instagram/TikTok
• 65+: ~45% use social; primarily Facebook; YouTube for how‑to/news

Gender breakdown among users

• Women: ~55% of social media users; over-index on Facebook and Instagram
• Men: ~45% of users; over-index on YouTube, X, Reddit

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: High participation in Facebook Groups for churches, neighborhood watch, school/athletics, and county services; strong reliance on Marketplace for local buying/selling
• University influence: Tuskegee University presence drives Instagram/TikTok adoption, short-form video, and sports/campus culture content
• News and alerts: Facebook and YouTube are primary for local news, weather, road conditions, and emergency updates; posts from county/city pages get fast traction
• Small business and events: Restaurants, barbers/beauty, and home services promote via Facebook Pages and Reels; event discovery and RSVP largely on Facebook; cross-posting of TikTok to Reels is common
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp used within international student/staff circles; SMS still prevalent for coordination
• Timing and cadence: Engagement peaks evenings (6–10 pm) and weekends; video outperforms static posts; live streams for sports, church services, and public meetings draw high concurrent viewers
• Civic engagement: Noticeable spikes in follower growth and comments around elections, council meetings, and public-works updates; informational posts with clear calls-to-action outperform commentary

Notes

• Figures are county-level estimates derived from recent U.S. Census ACS population structure and Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 social platform adoption rates, adjusted for rural Alabama and the local university footprint.