Carroll County

Carroll County, Arkansas — key demographics

Population size

• 2023 estimate: about 29,000
• 2020 Census: about 28,300

Age

• Median age: ~43
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~57%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive; ACS)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~73–74%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~20–21%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3–4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1–2%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Households (ACS)

• Total households: ~11,300–11,500
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~52–54%
• With children under 18: ~27%
• Nonfamily households: ~34%; living alone: ~28% (about 12% age 65+)
• Occupied housing tenure: ~75% owner-occupied, ~25% renter-occupied

Notes: Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates). Rounded for clarity.

Carroll County, AR email usage (estimates)

• Population/context: ~28–30k residents over ~630 sq mi (≈45 people/sq mi). Rural Ozark terrain; towns: Berryville, Eureka Springs.
• Estimated email users: 20k–23k residents. Method: adult share ~75–80% of population; most internet users use email; household broadband subscriptions likely ~75–80%, plus smartphone-only users.
• Age distribution of email users (share with an email account):
  • 18–29: ~95–99%
  • 30–49: ~95–99%
  • 50–64: ~90–95%
  • 65+: ~80–90% (county’s older tilt slightly lowers overall penetration)
• Gender split: Roughly even (near 50/50), with minimal usage differences by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • Broadband: Majority have some fixed broadband, but speeds and reliability vary outside town centers; fiber availability growing along main corridors via recent state/federal buildouts.
  • Mobile: 4G/LTE covers primary highways; pockets of weak service in hollows/valleys lead some residents to be smartphone-only for internet and email.
  • Device mix: Notable share of smartphone-only households; email commonly accessed via mobile.
• Connectivity notes: Lower population density and hilly terrain raise per-mile build costs and contribute to service gaps, so email access is widespread but can be bandwidth- and device-limited in outlying areas.

Carroll County, Arkansas: Mobile phone usage summary

At-a-glance estimates (2025)

• Population baseline: roughly 28,000–29,000 residents; about 21,000–22,000 adults (ACS 2022/2023).
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile phone): about 19,000–21,000 (roughly 90–95% of adults; rural ownership is high even among basic-phone users).
• Adult smartphone users: about 16,500–18,500 (roughly 75–85% of adults; slightly below state average due to an older age mix).
• 5G-capable users: about 11,000–13,000 (roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of smartphone users; device turnover is slower than urban Arkansas).
• Households relying mainly or only on cellular data for home internet: materially higher than the Arkansas average (likely mid-to-high teens percentage versus low-teens statewide), driven by patchy wired broadband.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Older population share: Carroll County skews older than Arkansas overall. Seniors (65+) are a larger slice than the state average, pushing up basic/feature-phone use and lowering overall smartphone penetration and 5G device uptake.
• Hispanic/Latino community: The county’s Hispanic/Latino share is notably higher than the state average. Expect above-average use of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Spanish-language apps/content, and stronger demand for prepaid and family plans.
• Income and work mix: Household incomes trail the state average; tourism, agriculture, food processing, and services dominate. This correlates with higher prepaid/MVNO penetration, more refurbished/older devices, and heavier reliance on mobile data when fixed broadband is scarce or costly.
• Tourism effect (Eureka Springs/Berryville): Festivals and peak tourism periods drive short-term spikes in mobile traffic, roaming, and CPaaS/SMS for bookings—creating congestion patterns that differ from the statewide norm.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Terrain-driven gaps: Ozark hills and valleys create coverage shadows and inconsistent indoor service outside town centers. LTE is broadly available along US-62 and state routes, but hollows and low-density roads see drop-offs and dead zones.
• 5G availability: Present in/near Berryville, Green Forest, and Eureka Springs, but the footprint is fragmented and mostly low-band. Mid-band 5G is less common than in Arkansas’ urban corridors; many users effectively live on LTE.
• Carrier balance: AT&T and Verizon generally provide the most consistent rural coverage; T‑Mobile has improved along highways but can be inconsistent off-corridor. Public safety/FirstNet support improves AT&T’s presence around county facilities.
• Backhaul constraints: Limited fiber backhaul outside towns means more microwave-fed towers, which caps peak and congestion-time throughput compared with Arkansas’ metro areas.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable/fiber exists in pockets of the towns; outside them, many locations fall back to DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. Where wired options are weak, households lean on mobile hotspots and unlimited phone plans.
• Public access: Libraries, schools, and tourist venues provide important Wi‑Fi offload nodes; usage spikes during events.

How Carroll County differs from Arkansas statewide

• Lower smartphone and 5G device penetration: The older age profile and lower incomes translate to slightly fewer smartphones and slower device refresh cycles than the state average.
• Greater reliance on mobile for home internet: Because wired broadband is spottier than in many Arkansas counties, a higher share of households use cellular as their primary connection.
• More pronounced coverage variability: The county’s topography produces larger dead-zone pockets and greater indoor-service variability than is typical statewide.
• Tourism-driven demand spikes: Seasonal surges in Eureka Springs create atypical congestion patterns relative to most Arkansas counties.
• Higher bilingual/prepaid usage: A larger Hispanic/Latino community and cost sensitivity push above-average adoption of prepaid, family, and cross-border/OTT messaging services.

Data notes and sources

• Baselines derived from U.S. Census/ACS (2022–2023) for population and age; Pew Research (2023–2024) for national/rural smartphone ownership patterns, adjusted for local age mix; CDC NHIS for wireless-only household trends; FCC coverage/Broadband Data Collection and NTIA indicators for infrastructure context; carrier public coverage maps for corridor-level 4G/5G availability.
• Figures are estimates intended for planning; local drive testing or crowdsourced app data (e.g., Ookla/Opensignal) will refine block-level coverage and capacity hot spots.

Social media usage in Carroll County, AR (short, estimated snapshot)

Context and user stats

• Population: ~28.5k residents; adults ~22k.
• Adults using at least one social platform: 65–75% (≈14–17k people).
• Access: Predominantly mobile; 15–25% likely smartphone‑only internet users (rural pattern).

Age profile of social users (share of local social-media users)

• 13–17: 6–8% (heavy on Snapchat/TikTok; school/teams/groups).
• 18–24: 8–10% (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube; some Snapchat).
• 25–34: 17–20% (Instagram/TikTok rising; Facebook still core; Marketplace).
• 35–54: 35–40% (Facebook dominant; YouTube; Pinterest for projects/recipes).
• 55+: 25–30% (Facebook and YouTube; lower adoption of newer apps).

Gender breakdown

• Overall social users: roughly even with slight female skew (women 52–55%, men 45–48%).
• Platform skews: Facebook and Pinterest skew female; YouTube, Reddit, and X skew male; TikTok and Instagram near-balanced, slightly female.

Most-used platforms (monthly reach among local adult social users; estimates)

• Facebook: 75–80% (Groups, Events, Pages, Marketplace).
• YouTube: 70–80% (how‑tos, local content, streaming snippets).
• Instagram: 30–40% (Stories/Reels; events, tourism visuals).
• TikTok: 25–35% (short local video; growing among 25–44).
• Pinterest: 20–30% (DIY, recipes; strong female use).
• Snapchat: 15–25% (teens/20s, messaging).
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (news/politics/sports niche).
• Reddit: 10–15% (hobby/tech/hunting subreddits; not locally focused).
• LinkedIn: 8–12% (professionals; smaller base).
• Nextdoor: 5–10% (neighborhood utility where available).

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell/swap and yard-sale groups, school/church/youth-sports updates, public safety, local gov threads. Marketplace is a major local-commerce channel.
• Local events drive engagement: Eureka Springs festivals, parades, school sports. Facebook Events + Instagram Stories/Reels perform best; Live video boosts reach day‑of.
• Tourism + locals: Visual, shareable content (food, lodging, trails, arts) performs well; seasonality peaks spring–fall.
• Messaging over comments: Many prefer private groups and DMs (Messenger, sometimes WhatsApp for Spanish‑speaking residents) for questions and service.
• Content that works: Short vertical video; practical how‑tos; photo albums from community happenings; bilingual (English/Spanish) assets where relevant; posts that invite recommendations or questions.
• Timing: Evenings (6–9 pm) and weekends; school-year calendars shape engagement; bad-weather and breaking-news posts spike reach.
• Trust signals: Local faces, user-generated testimonials, and recognizable venues outperform polished generic creative.
• Ads/playbook: Tight geo-targeting around Berryville, Green Forest, and Eureka Springs (10–25 miles); drive-to-store, events, and Marketplace placements; interest clusters include outdoors/hunting, trucks, crafts, faith, and school sports.

Note on data: County-level social metrics aren’t publicly published; figures above are reasoned estimates using Pew US adoption patterns, rural Arkansas usage, and local demographics. For precise audience counts, use platform ad tools (e.g., Meta Audience, Snapchat Ads, TikTok Ads) filtered to Carroll County ZIPs.