Mobile County

Mobile County, Alabama — key demographics

Population size

• 414,809 (2020 Census)
• ~412,000 (2023 Census Bureau estimate), indicating slight net decline since 2020

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Racial/ethnic composition (percent of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~55%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~36%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): <1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic): ~0.1%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~158,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~65% of households; married-couple households: ~43%
• Households with children under 18: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~67%
• Median household income: ~$56,000 (inflation-adjusted)
• Poverty rate: ~18–19%

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

Mobile County, Alabama (2023 pop. ≈413,000)

Estimated email users: ≈330,000 residents (≈80% of total), derived by applying U.S. age-specific email adoption to the county’s age mix.

Age distribution of email users (count; share of users):

• 13–17: ≈25k (8%)
• 18–34: ≈93k (28%)
• 35–64: ≈152k (46%)
• 65+: ≈60k (18%)

Gender split among users: ≈51% female (≈168k), 49% male (≈162k), reflecting the county’s near-parity sex ratio.

Digital access and trends:

• Households with a computer: ≈91%
• Internet subscription (any type): ≈86%
• Fixed broadband (cable/DSL/fiber): ≈72%
• Cellular-only internet: ≈16% of households
• No home internet: ≈14%
• Trends: steady gains in fixed broadband; growing mobile-only reliance among lower-income and younger households; continued catch-up in 65+ email adoption.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Land area ≈1,230 sq mi; population density ≈336 residents/sq mi.
• Urban/suburban corridors around the City of Mobile have multiple fixed and 5G options; western/northern rural tracts show higher no-subscription rates, influencing email dependability for those areas.

Mobile County, Alabama — mobile usage summary (2024–2025)

Headline user estimates

• Population and households: ~412,000 residents and ~158,000 households
• Adult smartphone users: 290,000 adults (≈89% of adults), higher than Alabama statewide (86%)
• Household smartphone access: ~91% of households have at least one smartphone (AL: ~89%)
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed home broadband): ~18% (AL: ~16%)
• Households without any internet subscription: ~11% (AL: ~14%)

Demographic breakdown of mobile use (modeled from ACS device/internet data and Pew smartphone adoption)

• By age (share owning a smartphone; user counts approximate)
  • 18–29: 97% (~57,000 users)
  • 30–49: 95% (~99,000 users)
  • 50–64: 86% (~74,000 users)
  • 65+: 70% (~50,000 users)
  • Insight: The county’s older-adult adoption is a few points higher than the Alabama average, narrowing the age gap relative to the state.
• By race/ethnicity (share owning a smartphone; user counts approximate)
  • White (non-Hispanic): 88% (161,000 users)
  • Black (non-Hispanic): 90% (104,000 users)
  • Hispanic/Latino: 92% (10,000 users)
  • Other/multiracial: 91% (10,000 users)
  • Insight: Higher urban density and mobile-dependence for work/education contribute to slightly higher ownership across groups than the statewide pattern.
• By income and plan type
  • Low-to-moderate income households drive above-average smartphone-only reliance and a larger prepaid footprint (≈34–36% of personal lines vs ≈31–33% statewide).
  • Insight: In Mobile County, mobile is both a complement to robust urban broadband and a primary connection for many cost-sensitive households, producing a dual-peak in usage that is less pronounced statewide.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 5G population coverage: at least one carrier ~98–99% countywide; all three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) offer 5G in the urban core and along I‑10/I‑65.
  • Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz for T‑Mobile; C‑band for AT&T/Verizon) is active across the City of Mobile, port/industrial zones, and major corridors, with low-band filling rural edges (Grand Bay, Wilmer) and coastal/wetland areas.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Median mobile download speed in the county typically ~90–110 Mbps (Alabama statewide ~70–85 Mbps), reflecting denser site grids, mid-band deployments, and higher small-cell utilization in the metro/port areas.
  • Peak capacity concentrations: downtown Mobile, Brookley/Mobile International Airport area, Port of Mobile, I‑10/I‑65 interchanges, university/medical districts.
• Site density and resilience
  • Hundreds of macro sectors and growing small-cell nodes focused on urban neighborhoods and logistics corridors.
  • Gulf Coast hurricane exposure drives above-average hardening (generators, backhaul diversity) and periodic use of COWs/COLTs during storms, practices that are more intensive than many inland Alabama counties.
• Enterprise/industrial mobility
  • Port and logistics operations are significant adopters of private LTE/CBRS and managed IoT, elevating machine-type connections beyond typical county levels in Alabama.

How Mobile County differs from Alabama overall

• Higher adoption: Adult smartphone ownership and household smartphone access run 2–3 percentage points above the state.
• More mobile-only households: Smartphone-only internet households are higher (~18% vs ~16%), tied to urban, cost-sensitive populations and strong 4G/5G coverage that makes mobile a viable primary link.
• Faster typical speeds: Mid-band 5G availability and denser sites produce notably higher median speeds than the statewide median.
• Greater network hardening and logistics use: Coastal risk and the Port of Mobile lead to stronger resiliency investments and above-average enterprise/CBRS activity, patterns not mirrored in many inland counties.
• Smaller “no-internet” gap: Households with no internet subscription are a few points lower than the Alabama average, reflecting better access options and digital inclusion programs concentrated in the metro.

Notes on sources and methods

• Figures are 2024–2025 modeled estimates synthesized from the latest available American Community Survey device/internet tables, Pew Research smartphone adoption by demographic, FCC 5G coverage disclosures and licensing (low/mid-band), and recent independent speed-test aggregates. Where official county-level measures are not published (e.g., prepaid share, median speed), values are inferred from state/metro benchmarks and local infrastructure characteristics.

Mobile County, Alabama — social media usage snapshot (2024)

Key user stats

• Population base: ≈413,000 (ACS 2023 estimate)
• Estimated social media users: ≈295,000 residents
  • ≈72% of total population (≈83% of residents age 13+)
• Access skew: usage is overwhelmingly mobile-first; suburban/urban tracts show higher multi-platform activity than the rural west/north of the county

Age profile of social media users (share of users; rounded)

• 13–17: 8% (≈24k)
• 18–29: 22% (≈65k)
• 30–49: 35% (≈103k)
• 50–64: 23% (≈68k)
• 65+: 12% (≈35k)

Gender breakdown

• Female: ≈53% of users
• Male: ≈47% of users
• Skews by platform: women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X

Most-used platforms (adults; share of adult residents)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 30%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• WhatsApp: 23%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19% Note: Percentages reflect adult adoption; teen usage tilts further toward YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Video-first consumption: YouTube is the default across ages; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) is strongest among 18–34, while 35+ lean on Facebook video.
• Community-first Facebook: Heavy use of Facebook Groups and Marketplace for neighborhood news, faith and school communities, local buying/selling, lost-and-found, and storm/traffic updates.
• Event-driven spikes: Activity jumps around Mardi Gras (Mobile parades/events), high school/college football, and during tropical weather/hurricane season for real-time updates and recovery coordination.
• Messaging over feed for youth: Snapchat is a primary daily channel for high-school/college cohorts; IG DMs and Messenger are widely used for coordination and local commerce inquiries.
• Local news and sports: Facebook and X serve breaking news and sports chatter; YouTube carries highlights and long-form recaps.
• Professional niches: LinkedIn engagement is concentrated among shipbuilding, aviation/aerospace, healthcare, logistics, and port-related roles (Austal, Airbus, Port of Mobile ecosystem).
• Timing patterns: Engagement typically peaks 6–8 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., and 7–10 p.m.; weekends (especially Sun–Mon for sports recaps and Thu–Sat for events) see elevated activity.
• Content that performs: Short, captioned vertical video; community-centered posts; limited-time offers for food/retail; “before/after” service showcases; and hyper-local storytelling tied to schools, churches, and youth sports.

Method and sources

• Population and age/sex structure: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023.
• Platform adoption rates: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (adult platform penetration).
• Overall social media penetration: DataReportal, Digital 2024: USA (used to scale national usage to county population).
• County-level figures are modeled by applying current national age- and platform-specific adoption rates to Mobile County’s demographic profile; figures are rounded to reflect estimation.