Lawrence County

Lawrence County, Arkansas — key demographics

Population size

• 16,216 (2020 Census)
• 16,2xx (2023 Census estimate ~16.2k; essentially stable since 2020)

Age

• Median age: about 43 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Sex

• Female: ~50.4%
• Male: ~49.6%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~93%
• Black or African American alone: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~91%

Households

• Average household size: ~2.43 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73%
• Median household income: ~$44k
• Poverty rate (persons): ~20%

Notes: Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census and 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates). Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding and the way race/ethnicity are tabulated.

• Scope: Lawrence County, Arkansas (pop ≈16,200; land area ≈592 sq mi; density ≈27 residents/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈11,600 residents (≈71% of total; ≈88% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: 18% (~2,100)
  • 30–49: 33% (~3,800)
  • 50–64: 28% (~3,200)
  • 65+: 21% (~2,400)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (5,900) and 49% male (5,700); usage rates are effectively parity by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 73% of households have a broadband subscription; roughly 18–20% have no internet at home.
  • ~85% of households have a desktop/laptop or tablet; an estimated 14–16% are smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • Rural pattern persists: strongest fixed broadband adoption in and around Walnut Ridge–Hoxie and along the US‑67 corridor; outlying areas lean more on fixed wireless/cellular and satellite.
  • Email remains near‑universal among working‑age adults (≈90%+), with solid but lower adoption among seniors (≈80%+), mirroring national rural trends.
• Connectivity insight: Lower household broadband adoption than state/national averages constrains home email access, but high smartphone penetration and carrier coverage along primary corridors sustain daily email use.

Lawrence County, Arkansas is a predominantly rural market with high basic mobile adoption but heavier-than-average reliance on cellular data as the primary way to get online. Smartphone access is widespread, yet fixed broadband gaps and an older age profile shape how residents use mobile devices day to day.

User estimates (latest available public data; rounded)

• Population and households: ~16–17k residents; ~6.7–6.9k households
• Households with a smartphone: ~88% (American Community Survey [ACS] 2019–2023 5-year)
  • ≈5,900–6,100 households with at least one smartphone
• Broadband subscriptions (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)
  • Any broadband (includes cable/fiber/DSL, cellular data plan, or satellite): ~80%
  • Cellular data plan in household: ~69%
  • Cable/fiber/DSL specifically: ~60–65%
  • No internet subscription: ~18–20%
• Mobile-only internet reliance (households with a cellular data plan and no fixed broadband): ~20–22%
• Adult smartphone users (modeled from ACS adoption patterns in similar rural Arkansas counties and age mix): ≈10.5–11.5k adults

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: The county skews older than Arkansas overall (share of residents 65+ is several points higher than the state), which pulls down smartphone adoption and app intensity among seniors compared with the statewide norm. Younger and working-age adults are near statewide smartphone adoption levels, but seniors are less likely to own smartphones and more likely to use basic voice/text and Facebook/Messenger over app-diverse usage.
• Income: Median household income is below the Arkansas median, and poverty is higher than the state average. This correlates with more prepaid plans, tighter data budgets, longer device replacement cycles, and greater dependence on a single handset per household.
• Device access and dependence: A noticeably larger slice of households access the internet primarily via smartphone and a cellular plan (rather than fixed home broadband) than the Arkansas average. That increases the importance of reliable 4G/5G coverage and makes data caps and signal quality more consequential for daily tasks like homework and work scheduling.
• Rurality: Outside Walnut Ridge and Hoxie, lower population density means fewer overlapping carrier sectors; residents report more variable signal indoors and at field edges, influencing usage toward asynchronous communications (text/messaging) over high-resolution video.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Cellular coverage: 4G LTE coverage is effectively countywide in populated areas. Low-band 5G from the national carriers covers the main corridors and towns; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated along the US-67/412 corridor near Walnut Ridge and Hoxie, with sparser mid-band capacity in outlying areas. mmWave is not a factor.
• Mobile speeds: Median mobile download speeds in Lawrence County are typically below Arkansas’s statewide median, reflecting lighter mid-band 5G deployment and fewer sector splits in rural cells. Expect roughly mid-30s to mid-50s Mbps down and 5–10 Mbps up in towns, with lower and more variable speeds in the most rural tracts.
• Fixed broadband context (FCC availability maps, 2024): Fiber and cable are present in Walnut Ridge/Hoxie and select pockets (notably via regional providers), but many rural addresses still rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. Locations with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed service are substantially fewer than the state average; fiber passings remain geographically concentrated.
• Providers and options: Regional fiber (e.g., Ritter Communications and electric-coop builds in parts of NE Arkansas), cable in town, telco DSL in legacy areas, national 5G fixed wireless (where mid-band is strong), and satellite (Starlink) provide a patchwork. The uneven fixed landscape reinforces mobile’s role as the primary or backup connection.

How Lawrence County differs from Arkansas statewide

• Higher share of mobile-only households: About one in five households rely on cellular data without fixed broadband—several points higher than the statewide rate—driven by rural addresses and affordability.
• Slightly lower fixed-broadband adoption: A smaller share of households subscribe to cable/fiber/DSL than the Arkansas average, even as smartphone access is broadly similar.
• Older age structure dampens senior smartphone adoption: Seniors constitute a larger slice of the population than statewide, and their smartphone uptake lags the state’s senior uptake, widening the intra-county digital divide.
• Performance gap: Mobile speeds and mid-band 5G capacity are modestly behind the state median outside the main corridor, influencing app choices (more SD video, downloads over streaming, and off-peak usage).

Implications

• Mobile networks are the de facto broadband for many households; capacity upgrades (mid-band 5G infill, additional sectors) will yield outsized benefits relative to urban Arkansas.
• Affordability and coverage predict usage more than device availability; programs that pair discounted plans with signal-improving hardware (e.g., indoor boosters where permitted) and digital skills support for seniors will move the needle faster than device giveaways alone.
• Continued fiber and fixed-wireless buildout in outlying tracts would reduce mobile-only dependence, but in the near term, optimizing cellular reliability (especially along school bus routes, farm-to-market roads, and fringe census blocks) is the most impactful lever.

Lawrence County, AR social media snapshot (2024)

Population context

• Residents: roughly 16–17K; adults (18+) ≈ 12.5K–13.0K.
• Gender mix (Census): about 51% female, 49% male; age profile skews older than the U.S. average, which lifts Facebook use and moderates TikTok/Instagram/Snapchat.

Most‑used platforms among adults (modeled local share of 18+ and approximate user counts)

• YouTube: 80–85% (≈ 10.0K–11.0K adults)
• Facebook: 65–70% (≈ 8.2K–9.1K)
• Instagram: 35–45% (≈ 4.4K–5.8K)
• TikTok: 25–30% (≈ 3.2K–3.9K)
• Pinterest: 30–35% (≈ 3.8K–4.6K)
• Snapchat: 20–25% (≈ 2.5K–3.3K)
• X (Twitter): 15–20% (≈ 1.9K–2.6K)
• LinkedIn: 15–20% (≈ 1.9K–2.6K)
• Reddit: 10–15% (≈ 1.3K–1.9K)

Notes on the figures

• Percentages are anchored to Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. adoption rates and adjusted to a rural, older-skewing county profile; counts apply those rates to the local adult population. Treat as modeled local estimates rather than platform-reported user totals.

Age-group patterns (what’s strongest locally)

• Teens (13–17): Snapchat and TikTok for daily messaging/short video; YouTube for entertainment/how‑to; Instagram secondary; minimal Facebook posting.
• 18–29: YouTube is near‑universal; Instagram and TikTok are primary; Snapchat for messaging; Facebook present but not primary.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram moderate; TikTok/Reels growing for short‑form video.
• 50–64: Facebook is the hub (Groups, Marketplace); YouTube for news/how‑to; Pinterest notable for projects/recipes.
• 65+: Facebook for community news, churches, obituaries; YouTube for local news/weather and tutorials.

Gender breakdown and platform skew

• Population: ~51% female, 49% male.
• Usage tendencies: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Local Facebook Groups admins/posters skew female; hobby/auto/outdoors communities skew male.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Arkansas counties like Lawrence

• Facebook as the public square: Heavy reliance on Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, city/county updates, and buy/sell/trade. Marketplace is a major commerce channel (farm/auto/household).
• Video first: Short‑form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) consumption is high; creators are fewer, but reposting cross‑platform is common (TikToks shared to Reels).
• Messaging over public posting: Facebook Messenger dominates; Snapchat among teens/young adults; WhatsApp niche (family international ties).
• Event‑driven spikes: Severe weather, power outages, road closures, and high‑school sports drive sharp engagement surges on Facebook and YouTube.
• Time‑of‑day rhythms: Peaks before work (6:30–8:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); Sunday afternoons are strong for community content.
• Local news via social: Residents follow local outlets and county/city pages more on Facebook than on standalone websites.
• Ad/targeting norms: Businesses primarily use Facebook/Instagram with tight geo‑radii around Walnut Ridge/Hoxie and interest targeting; boosted posts outperform complex funnels due to small audience size.
• Device split: Predominantly mobile; vertical video and short captions perform best.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census; ACS 2022–2023) for population and sex mix.
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use (2023–2024) for platform adoption by U.S. adults, with rural/age skews applied to local demographics to produce county‑level modeled estimates.