Greene County

Greene County, Arkansas — key demographics

Population size

• 45,736 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 2023 estimate: approximately 47–48k (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates indicate continued growth since 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 18–64: ~58–59%
• 65 and over: ~17–18%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~89%
• Black or African American alone: ~2–3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5–0.7%
• Asian: ~0.5–0.7%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4–5%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~86%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~18,000–18,500
• Average household size: ~2.5–2.6 persons
• Family households: ~69–70% of households; married-couple families ~49–50%
• Nonfamily households: ~30–31%; living alone (65+): ~11–12%
• Housing units: ~20,000
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~69–70%

Insights

• The county is growing modestly since 2020, led by family households and high homeownership.
• Population is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but growing Hispanic/Latino and multiracial shares.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the U.S. overall, with nearly one in five residents 65+.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Vintage 2023 Population Estimates).

Greene County, AR — email usage snapshot

• Population and density: 45,736 residents (2020) across ~580 sq mi ≈ 79 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈33,000 adults (about 92% of adults), derived from county demographics and national email adoption rates; including teens adds ~2,000 more users.
• Age distribution of email users (adults): 18–29: 20% (6.6k); 30–49: 36% (11.9k); 50–64: 26% (8.6k); 65+: 18% (6.0k).
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female (16.8k), 49% male (16.2k); usage rates are effectively parity by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband subscription ≈85% of households (ACS-style measure), up several points since 2018.
  • Smartphone-only internet households ≈16%; no home internet ≈11%.
  • Email remains the default digital ID for services; mobile-first access has grown, but older adults still favor desktop/laptop for email.
• Local connectivity facts:
  • ≈65% of residents live in Paragould, concentrating access where multiple fixed broadband options are available; outer rural areas face fewer provider choices and lower speeds.
  • County density (79/sq mi) is above the Arkansas average (~58/sq mi), supporting relatively stronger broadband availability in populated tracts.

Mobile phone usage in Greene County, Arkansas — 2024 snapshot

Topline user estimates

• Population baseline: approximately 47,000 residents (2023 Census estimate).
• Mobile phone users (age 13+): about 40,000 users (roughly 86–88% of total population).
• Smartphone users: about 35,000 (roughly 74–77% of total population).
• Households relying primarily on mobile data for home internet (“mobile-only”): about 4,000 households (roughly 21–23% of ~18,000–19,000 households).

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone ownership (~95%); heavy app and video usage; highest mobile-only reliance among renters and students/early-career workers.
  • 35–64: high smartphone ownership (~90%); mixed prepaid/postpaid; more tethering and hotspot use among trades and shift workers.
  • 65+: smartphone ownership ~65–70%; basic/feature phone usage still present; messaging/voice primary, growing telehealth adoption.
• Income and plan type
  • Under $35k: above-average prepaid adoption and mobile-only home internet (≈30%+ of low-income households); budget MVNOs (e.g., Cricket, Metro, Straight Talk) prominent.
  • $35k–$75k: mixed prepaid/postpaid; multi-line family plans common; early adoption of fixed wireless home internet where available.
  • $75k+: postpaid dominance; higher 5G handset penetration and multi-device plans.
• Geography within county
  • Paragould (micropolitan core): highest 5G availability and fastest median speeds; dense in-building coverage; widespread app-based services.
  • Outlying townships/rural areas: reliable LTE with patchy 5G; greater reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and external antennas for fringe indoor coverage.

Digital infrastructure points

• Carrier presence and coverage: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile report countywide LTE coverage, with 5G widely available in Paragould and along primary corridors (notably US‑412 and US‑49); 5G coverage becomes spottier in agricultural and timbered fringes.
• 5G layers: low-band 5G is the coverage layer; mid-band (e.g., 2.5 GHz, C‑band) capacity is concentrated in and around Paragould and major roadways, driving a noticeable urban–rural performance gap within the county.
• Fixed wireless crossover: 5G home internet offers (where available in Paragould and nearby suburbs) are raising monthly data ceilings for some households, indirectly increasing mobile usage and hotspotting behavior.
• Backhaul and fiber: municipal/cable and regional fiber routes through Paragould support denser cell capacity there than in outlying areas, contributing to the intra-county speed and reliability gap.

How Greene County differs from Arkansas overall

• Younger skew in the micropolitan core: Paragould’s larger share of working-age adults lifts overall smartphone penetration and daily mobile data consumption above the state average for similar-sized rural counties.
• Higher mobile-only reliance than the statewide average: mobile-only home internet use is a few points higher than Arkansas overall, driven by affordability and availability trade-offs outside fiber/cable footprints.
• Sharper urban–rural divide inside the county: Greene shows a pronounced split between Paragould’s mid-band 5G capacity and LTE-dominated rural zones, creating bigger within-county performance dispersion than seen in larger Arkansas metros.
• Less racial/ethnic diversity than the state: usage gaps commonly observed statewide by race/ethnicity are less pronounced in Greene because of its demographic makeup; income and geography are the primary drivers of variation.
• Commuter patterns: day-time network load is concentrated along US‑49/US‑412 to and from Jonesboro, shaping tower siting and capacity upgrades in ways that differ from more self-contained rural counties.

Method and sources

• Estimates are derived from U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2022 device and subscription indicators, county population/households through 2023), Pew Research Center mobile adoption by age (latest available), and FCC mobile deployment maps and carrier coverage disclosures as of 2024. These inputs were reconciled to Greene County’s demographics to produce county-level usage estimates and county-vs-state contrasts.

Social media snapshot: Greene County, Arkansas (2024)

Population base

• Residents: 47,000 (2023 estimate)
• Age 13+: 40,700
• Active social media users (13+): 34,000 (72% of total population; 84% of 13+)

User composition

• Gender: 53% women, 47% men among social users
• Age mix of social users:
  • 13–17: 7%
  • 18–24: 12%
  • 25–34: 20%
  • 35–44: 19%
  • 45–54: 16%
  • 55–64: 14%
  • 65+: 12%

Most-used platforms among social users (multi-platform use; shares sum >100%)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 80%
• Instagram: 46%
• TikTok: 38%
• Snapchat: 31%
• Pinterest: 29%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• LinkedIn: 14%
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger 63%, WhatsApp 18%

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook as the community hub: Heavy usage of Groups (neighborhood, school, church, sports) and Marketplace for buy/sell/trade and local services.
• Video-first consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) is the fastest-growing format, particularly among 18–34; simple, authentic local clips outperform polished ads.
• Locality drives engagement: Posts tied to local news, weather alerts, school and youth sports, community events, and new openings get the strongest reactions and shares.
• Timing: Peak engagement in evenings (7–9 pm) and weekends; secondary spikes around lunch (11 am–1 pm). Severe weather and live local events create sharp, short-term surges.
• Mobile-first behavior: Most usage is on smartphones; vertical video and concise captions perform best.
• Shopping and recommendations: Strong reliance on Facebook recommendations, Marketplace, and local group referrals for home, auto, outdoor, and family services; coupon/offer posts convert well.
• Youth vs. older split: Teens/young adults cluster on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram; 45+ cohorts concentrate on Facebook and Pinterest. YouTube usage is broad across all ages.
• Trust and voice: Content from local people, schools, churches, and small businesses is perceived as more credible than national pages; comments and shares matter more than raw views.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled from 2023–2024 U.S. Census county population and nationally representative platform-adoption data (e.g., Pew Research, DataReportal) adjusted for Arkansas/rural age structure. Platform percentages reflect the share of Greene County social media users using each platform.