Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Alabama — key demographics

Population size

• Total population (2020 Census): 228,954
• 2023 population estimate: ~227,9xx (slight decline since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~36 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47%

Racial/ethnic composition

• Black or African American (alone): ~58–59%
• White (alone): ~35%
• Asian (alone): ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0.4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (alone): ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4–5%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~34%

Household data

• Households: ~92,900
• Average household size: ~2.49
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~57% (renters ~43%)

Insights

• Majority-Black county with a stable-to-slightly declining population
• Younger than the state overall, but with a sizable 65+ share (~17%)
• Household size slightly below the U.S. average; ownership below the Alabama average

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

Montgomery County, Alabama snapshot (2023 est.)

• Population: ~228,000; land area ~784 sq mi; density ~290 people/sq mi. Roughly 90%+ of residents live in the urbanized Montgomery area.
• Estimated email users: ~162,000 adults (assumes ~176,000 adults with ~92% email adoption), reflecting near‑universal use among working‑age residents and strong uptake among seniors.
• Age distribution of email users (est.):
  • 18–34: ~50,000 (31%)
  • 35–64: ~88,000 (54%)
  • 65+: ~24,000 (15%)
• Gender split of email users (est.): ~53% female, ~47% male, mirroring county demographics.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~83% of households have a fixed broadband subscription (cable, fiber, or DSL).
  • ~92–95% of households have a computer and/or smartphone; ~15% are smartphone‑only or lack wired broadband.
  • ~14–17% of households report no home internet subscription, indicating a persistent affordability/availability gap outside the urban core.
  • Urban neighborhoods have widespread cable and growing fiber availability; 5G covers most of the Montgomery city area, improving mobile email access.

Insights: Email usage is effectively mainstream across all ages, with the largest user base in ages 35–64. Connectivity is strong in the city, but a notable minority remains on mobile‑only or unserved plans, shaping when/where residents check email.

Mobile phone usage in Montgomery County, Alabama (2024 snapshot)

User estimates

• Total population (2023 estimate): ~228,000
• Estimated smartphone users (people age 13+): ~173,100
  • Share of 13+ population using smartphones: ~88.8%
  • Share of total population: ~75.9%

Age breakdown of smartphone users (estimated)

• 13–17: ~14,100 (about 8% of users)
• 18–34: ~52,000 (30%)
• 35–64: ~78,000 (45%)
• 65+: ~29,100 (17%)

Race/ethnicity profile and implications for usage

• Population mix (approx.): 60% Black, 31% White, 4% Hispanic/Latino, 2% Asian, 3% multiracial/other
• Estimated smartphone users by race (counts mirror population share given similar ownership rates): Black ~103,900; White ~53,600; Hispanic/Latino ~6,900; Asian ~3,500; multiracial/other ~5,200
• Expect higher “smartphone-only” internet reliance among Black and Hispanic/Latino residents than among White residents, consistent with national patterns, which elevates mobile data dependence in the county’s urban neighborhoods

Mobile dependence and access patterns

• Adult smartphone ownership in the county is high across working ages (roughly mid-90s% for 18–34 and 30–49; around 90% for 50–64; mid-70s% for 65+), yielding strong overall penetration
• Given Montgomery’s income distribution and urban profile, adult “smartphone-only” home internet reliance is materially above the U.S. average and toward the high end for Alabama’s urban counties, concentrated in lower-income tracts where fixed broadband adoption lags

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Networks: AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), Verizon, and T-Mobile operate countywide with 4G LTE and 5G
• 5G coverage: Ubiquitous across the urban core of Montgomery and major corridors (I-65/I-85), with low-band 5G across the county and mid-band 5G (C-band on AT&T/Verizon, 2.5 GHz on T-Mobile) widely available in populated areas; coverage thins at low-density fringes but LTE fallback is generally available
• Performance: Urban Montgomery typically sees substantially higher median mobile download speeds than the Alabama statewide median due to greater 5G mid-band availability and denser site deployment; speeds moderate in outer parts of the county
• Backhaul and capacity: Extensive fiber backhaul in the city supports small-cell densification and mid-band 5G; AT&T Fiber and WOW! cable footprints enable strong Wi‑Fi offload for many households and businesses, even as some neighborhoods remain mobile-first

How Montgomery County differs from the Alabama statewide picture

• More urban and younger: Yields higher smartphone penetration among working-age adults than the Alabama average and a larger absolute base of heavy mobile data users
• Higher mobile-only reliance in city neighborhoods: Despite better infrastructure than many rural counties, a larger share of households in certain tracts rely primarily on smartphones for home internet than in Alabama’s suburban counties, driven by affordability trade-offs
• Better 5G availability and speeds: Denser 5G mid-band coverage and more small cells in Montgomery produce faster typical speeds and more consistent performance than the state’s rural norm
• Demographics amplify mobile dependence: A higher share of Black residents—who nationally report above-average reliance on smartphones for internet access—raises overall mobile-first usage compared with Alabama’s statewide demographic mix

Notes on estimation

• Population from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 county estimates
• Smartphone-user totals derived by applying current U.S. adoption rates by age cohort (Pew Research and similar national benchmarks) to Montgomery County’s age structure; figures rounded to the nearest hundred for readability

Montgomery County, AL social media snapshot (2024–2025)

• User base

  • Population: ≈230,000 residents (U.S. Census 2023 estimate)
  • Active social media users: ≈165,000–170,000 (about 72–74% of total population, consistent with U.S. penetration rates)
  • Adults (18+): ≈179,000; at least 83% of U.S. adults use one or more platforms, implying ≈148,000 adult social media users locally

• Most‑used platforms (U.S. adult usage rates; approximate local adult counts shown for scale)

  • YouTube: 83% of adults → ≈149k adults in Montgomery County
  • Facebook: 68% → ≈122k
  • Instagram: 47% → ≈84k
  • Pinterest: 35% → ≈63k
  • TikTok: 33% → ≈59k
  • Snapchat: 30% → ≈54k
  • LinkedIn: 30% → ≈54k
  • X (Twitter): 22% → ≈39k Notes: Platform percentages are from Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adults and mapped to the county’s adult population for local scale. Users overlap across platforms.

• Age groups and usage patterns

  • Teens (13–17): Heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram is the main photo/video network; Facebook mainly for events/teams/parental groups
  • Young adults (18–34): Highest multi‑platform use; Instagram, TikTok, YouTube dominate; Snapchat strong among college‑age; Facebook used for Groups/Marketplace
  • Mid‑career (35–54): Facebook and YouTube anchor daily use; Instagram and TikTok used for short‑form video and shopping discovery
  • Older adults (55+): Facebook has the broadest reach; YouTube for how‑to and local news; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing but still a minority

• Gender breakdown

  • County population skews slightly female (≈53% female, ≈47% male)
  • Platform skews follow U.S. norms: Facebook and Instagram slightly female‑leaning; Pinterest heavily female; YouTube and X skew male; Snapchat slightly female

• Behavioral trends in the county

  • Community and commerce: Facebook Groups and Marketplace drive neighborhood conversation and buy/sell activity; strong engagement with local news, schools, and sports content
  • Video‑first consumption: YouTube for long‑form; TikTok/Reels/Shorts for quick, trend‑driven content across 18–44
  • Mobile‑first usage: The vast majority of social access is on smartphones; Messenger is ubiquitous for direct communication; WhatsApp usage is smaller than national immigrant‑dense metros
  • Event discovery and civic info: Facebook Events and neighborhood groups are primary; Nextdoor appears for hyperlocal neighborhoods
  • Shopping: Product discovery on Instagram/TikTok; conversions via Facebook Marketplace or retailer sites; paid promotion increasingly needed on Meta platforms for consistent reach

• Practical targeting takeaways

  • Broad county reach: Facebook + YouTube
  • 18–34: Instagram + TikTok (add Snapchat for campuses/college segments)
  • Professionals/government/military/healthcare recruiting: LinkedIn + Facebook
  • Hyperlocal: Facebook Groups/Events, some Nextdoor

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population estimates; Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform reach); DataReportal 2024 for U.S. social media penetration. Figures shown for Montgomery County are scaled estimates using these definitive sources.