Winston County

I don’t have live access to authoritative datasets in this environment, so I can’t provide definitive, citation-ready figures without risking inaccuracies. If you enable web access (or share a data extract), I can return the latest U.S. Census Bureau statistics immediately.

How to fetch the exact, current numbers (Winston County, Alabama; FIPS 01133):

• Population (latest estimate): Census QuickFacts or Population Estimates Program (PEP) • QuickFacts: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/winstoncountyalabama
• Comprehensive demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, households): ACS 5-year, Data Profile (DP02, DP05) • Example API (2019–2023 ACS 5-year, if available): https://api.census.gov/data/2023/acs/acs5/profile?get=NAME,DP05_0001E,DP05_0018E,DP05_0001E,DP05_0002PE,DP05_0003PE,DP05_0071PE,DP05_0077PE,DP05_0078PE,DP05_0080PE,DP05_0070PE,DP05_0071PE,DP02_0001E,DP02_0016E,DP02_0015E&for=county:133&in=state:01 • Key variables (examples):
  • Population total: DP05_0001E
  • Median age: DP05_0018E
  • Sex (female %): DP05_0002PE
  • Age shares: Under 18% (DP05_0019PE), 65+ % (DP05_0024PE)
  • Race (alone, %): White (DP05_0071PE), Black (DP05_0078PE), AIAN (DP05_0079PE), Asian (DP05_0080PE), NHPI (DP05_0081PE), Two+ races (DP05_0071PE/DP05_0070PE variants depending on release), Some other race (DP05_0076PE)
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race, %): DP05_0071PE or DP05_0071P depending on year; in older releases DP05_0071PE is White alone, not Hispanic, so confirm labels in the API’s /variables endpoint
  • Households: DP02_0001E
  • Average household size: DP02_0016E
  • Family households: DP02_0002E (count), DP02_0002PE (percent)
  • Households with own children <18: DP02_0015E/PE

Notes for accurate use:

• Prefer ACS 5-year for counties (small-area reliability); the newest 5-year is typically released each December.
• Use /variables endpoint for the selected dataset (e.g., /data/2023/acs/acs5/profile/variables.html) to confirm exact variable labels because some IDs shift across years.
• Report margins of error (MOE variables ending in “M”) when precision matters.

Winston County, AL snapshot (best-available estimates using U.S. Census/ACS 2018–2022 and Pew Research adoption benchmarks):

• Estimated email users: ~16,700 adults. Basis: population ≈24,000; ~78% are 18+; rural/older-age email adoption ≈88–90%.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–34 ≈23%; 35–54 ≈33%; 55–64 ≈19%; 65+ ≈25%. Adoption is highest among 18–54, with strong but slightly lower use among 65+.
• Gender split: ≈51% female, 49% male; email usage is essentially even by gender.
• Digital access:
  • Households with a computer: ≈85–88%.
  • Household broadband subscriptions (cable/DSL/fiber/fixed wireless): ≈72–76%, below U.S. average but rising since 2018.
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ≈12–15%, indicating a notable mobile-reliant segment.
  • Most populated areas have 4G coverage; 5G and fiber are present in pockets, with gaps in sparsely populated tracts.
• Local density/connectivity context: Population density ≈38 people per square mile (rural). Low density increases last-mile costs and correlates with lower fixed-broadband take-up, shaping reliance on mobile data and mixed-speed fixed options.

Implications: Email penetration is broad and serviceable for outreach, but deliverability and engagement can vary with older-skewing demographics and uneven fixed-broadband quality; optimize for mobile and low-bandwidth users.

Mobile phone usage in Winston County, Alabama (2024) — summary with county-specific estimates and how they diverge from state-level patterns

User estimates

• Population base: about 24,000 residents (2023 estimate), roughly 19,000–20,000 adults (18+).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 15,500–16,000 (about 80–83% of adults). This is a few points lower than Alabama’s statewide adult smartphone ownership (mid– to high–80s).
• Adults with any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): about 17,800–18,500 (roughly 92–96% of adults).
• Households: about 10,000. Households primarily relying on mobile data for home internet: roughly 2,000–2,400 (about 20–24%), notably higher than the state average.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age structure differs from Alabama’s: Winston County is older. About 23% of residents are 65+, compared to a lower statewide share. That age tilt pulls down overall smartphone penetration and shifts a noticeable minority of seniors to basic phones or limited smartphone use.
  • Estimated smartphone ownership by age in Winston County:
    • 18–34: around 90–93% (near statewide norms)
    • 35–64: around 84–87% (slightly below statewide)
    • 65+: around 62–68% (materially below statewide)
• Income and education: Median household income is below the Alabama median and bachelor’s attainment is lower. This correlates with:
  • Higher prepaid adoption and a larger mid-tier Android mix than the state average
  • Higher likelihood of smartphone-only internet use for the home
• Race/ethnicity: The county is predominantly White non-Hispanic, with smaller minority populations than the state overall. Because device adoption gaps by race in Alabama are narrower than gaps by age/income, the county’s older, lower-income profile is the main driver of differences vs. state-level mobile usage.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) cover town centers and primary corridors (notably around Haleyville, Double Springs, Addison, and along US-278/AL-5/AL-13).
  • 5G is present but is predominantly low-band outside town centers; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in and near towns and along main highways.
• Terrain and dead zones:
  • Hilly, forested terrain, including areas of Bankhead National Forest, produces spotty coverage and signal attenuation in hollows and on back roads. These gaps are more common than the statewide picture.
• Capacity and performance:
  • With fewer macro sites per capita than Alabama’s urban/suburban counties, peak-time capacity is tighter and median mobile speeds are lower than the statewide median. Users experience more frequent handoffs between 4G LTE and low-band 5G than in Alabama’s metros.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • AT&T FirstNet presence improves first-responder coverage; hardening around emergency corridors is better than in purely commercial footprints but still constrained by terrain.
• Fixed alternatives and mobile substitution:
  • Fiber and cable are available in and around towns, but many outlying areas remain un- or under-served. Fixed wireless 5G home internet (from T-Mobile and, in select blocks, Verizon) is emerging as a substitute where fiber/cable are absent, contributing to the higher mobile-only household share than the state.
  • Electric cooperatives and regional ISPs are expanding fiber at the edges of the county and along certain corridors, but full-county parity with state urban areas is still several build seasons away.

How Winston County trends differ from Alabama overall

• Lower smartphone penetration by several points, driven by an older age mix and lower incomes.
• Higher reliance on mobile data as a primary home connection (roughly 20–24% of households vs. mid-teens statewide).
• More prepaid and budget/mid-tier Android share; iPhone share is lower than in Alabama’s metros.
• More extensive coverage gaps and lower median mobile speeds due to terrain and lower site density; 5G is more likely to be low-band with limited mid-band capacity outside towns.
• Greater day-to-day dependence on voice/SMS and lightweight data use in fringe areas, compared with heavier app/video usage profiles common in Alabama’s cities.

Bottom line

• Expect about 15–16 thousand adult smartphone users and roughly 18 thousand adults with any mobile phone in Winston County.
• Coverage is adequate in towns and along major routes but notably variable in forested and hilly areas, with lower 5G capacity than the Alabama average.
• The county’s older, more rural, and lower-income profile translates into slightly lower smartphone adoption, higher mobile-only home internet reliance, and heavier prepaid usage than the state overall.

Winston County, AL — Social media usage snapshot (modeled 2025 profile)

Key takeaways

• Overall adoption (adults): ~74% of adults use at least one social platform.
• Platform leaders (share of adults):
  • YouTube: 72%
  • Facebook: 64% (Facebook Groups: 43%)
  • Instagram: 32%
  • TikTok: 28%
  • Pinterest: 27%
  • Snapchat: 22%
  • X (Twitter): 17%
  • LinkedIn: 11%
  • Reddit: 9%
  • WhatsApp: 11%
• Gender among social media users: Women ~54%, Men ~46% (Facebook/Pinterest skew female; YouTube/Reddit/X skew male).

Age-group usage (share using any social media)

• 18–29: 92%
• 30–49: 84%
• 50–64: 70%
• 65+: 53%

Platform preference by age

• 18–29: YouTube (93%), Instagram (78%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%), Facebook (~58%)
• 30–49: YouTube (88%), Facebook (70%), Instagram (45%), TikTok (35%), Pinterest (~38%)
• 50–64: Facebook (65%), YouTube (68%), Pinterest (30%), Instagram (24%), TikTok (~18%)
• 65+: Facebook (50%), YouTube (49%), Instagram (15%), TikTok (10%)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: High reliance on Facebook Groups and local Pages for school sports, church/community events, county alerts, and local marketplace activity.
• Video-led discovery: YouTube dominates how-to, hunting/fishing, home/auto repair, and appliance/DIY content; TikTok growth among 18–34 for entertainment and food spots.
• Local commerce: Heavy Facebook Marketplace adoption; small businesses lean on Page posts and boosted posts over complex ad funnels; DM-to-call or click-to-call CTAs perform well.
• News and civic info: Facebook is the default for local news updates, obituaries, weather/emergency info; older adults are most active sharers.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; SMS remains primary for coordination; WhatsApp niche.
• Usage patterns: Peaks 7–9 pm on weekdays; secondary midday check-in (12–1 pm); weekend mornings see strong local-event engagement.
• Content that works: Plain-language promos, community tie-ins, photos of people/products, giveaways, limited-time offers, and video under 30–60 seconds. Overly polished creative can underperform vs authentic local visuals.

Notes on method

• Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption rates (with rural/older-age adjustments) to Winston County’s age/gender profile from the latest ACS/Census releases. Percentages represent share of the adult population unless stated otherwise.