Monroe County

Monroe County, Arkansas — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 6,799 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: about 47–48 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~27%

Sex

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• White: ~55–57%
• Black or African American: ~40–42%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.5%
• Asian: ~0.2–0.3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,000 (ACS 2018–2022)
• Average household size: ~2.2 persons
• Family households: ~60–62% of households
• Married-couple families: ~38–40% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~38–40%
• Households with someone age 65+: ~38–40%
• Homeownership rate: ~70–73%
• Housing units: ~3,900; vacancy rate: ~20–22%

Insights

• Small, declining, and aging population with a high share of older adults.
• Racial composition is roughly evenly split between White and Black residents, with a small Hispanic population.
• Households are small on average, with high homeownership and notable vacancy typical of rural Delta counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Monroe County, Arkansas (pop. 6,300; ~10–11 residents per sq. mile across ~600+ sq. miles) has an estimated 4,600 email users (72% of residents).

Age distribution of email users (rounded):

• 18–34: 22%
• 35–49: 24%
• 50–64: 27%
• 65+: 27% The user base skews older, reflecting the county’s age profile.

Gender split of email users:

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Digital access and trends:

• ~64% of households maintain a home broadband subscription; ~10–12% are smartphone‑only; roughly a quarter lack home internet (ACS-style computer/internet use benchmarks for similar rural Arkansas counties).
• Email access is strongest in and around Brinkley and Clarendon, where cable/DSL and some fiber are available; reliance on cellular data is higher in outlying areas.
• Public anchors (libraries/schools) and I‑40 corridor coverage bolster access; outside town centers, many blocks have only one viable fixed provider, which suppresses adoption.
• Smartphone reliance and public Wi‑Fi use have risen in recent years as fixed-broadband options remain limited or costly.

Overall insight: Email is a primary communication channel for roughly seven in ten residents, with participation broadly even by gender and materially constrained by rural connectivity gaps rather than user preference.

Mobile phone usage in Monroe County, Arkansas — 2025 summary

Core user estimates

• Population base: About 6,600 residents (ACS/Census 2023), roughly 5,300 adults (18+).
• Smartphone owners: Estimated 4,200–4,600 adults (about 79–86% of adults), point estimate ≈4,350.
• Wireless-only (no landline): Arkansas ranks among the highest states for wireless-only adults (about 70–76% in recent CDC NHIS releases). Given Monroe County’s older infrastructure and lower incomes, a local estimate of 72–80% is reasonable; point estimate ≈76% (≈4,000 adults).
• Smartphone-dependent internet (little or no fixed home broadband): Estimated 18–22% of households in Monroe County versus roughly 12–15% statewide, reflecting higher reliance on mobile data where home broadband is limited.

Demographic shape of mobile use

• Age: Monroe County skews older than Arkansas overall (roughly 22–25% age 65+ vs ≈18% statewide). Smartphone ownership among local seniors is materially lower (about 60–70%), which drags down the county’s overall adoption compared with the state.
• Income and poverty: Poverty is notably higher than the Arkansas average (roughly mid-20s percent vs ≈16–17% statewide). Lower-income residents are more likely to be mobile-only for voice and internet, increasing smartphone dependence.
• Race/ethnicity: The county has a large Black population (about 40–45%). Nationally, Black adults are as likely or more likely than White adults to own smartphones but are more smartphone-dependent for internet access. This helps explain Monroe County’s higher share of mobile-only or smartphone-only connectivity despite lower overall adoption.
• Education: Lower bachelor’s attainment than the state average correlates with higher wireless-only and smartphone-dependent patterns.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage pattern: Coverage is strongest along I-40/US‑70 near Brinkley and in/around Clarendon and Holly Grove. Pockets of weak or no signal persist in the White River National Wildlife Refuge, bottomlands, and low-density farm areas away from highways.
• 4G LTE: Effectively countywide along primary corridors and town centers; coverage becomes spotty on gravel/levee roads and deep refuge areas.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from major carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) generally tracks the interstate and town centers; it provides broad reach but modest capacity.
  • Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated along I‑40 near Brinkley and fades quickly off-corridor; many outlying areas remain 4G‑only.
• Capacity/indoor experience: Sparse rural tower spacing means weaker indoor performance in metal-roof homes, commercial metal buildings, and dense timber. Users in these areas often rely on Wi‑Fi calling or signal boosters.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable and fiber options are limited largely to Brinkley and select pockets; DSL and fixed wireless fill some gaps but leave multiple Census blocks below 100/20 Mbps standards. As a result, mobile hotspots and smartphone tethering are common for homework, telehealth, and basic streaming in outlying areas.
• Public safety: Wireless emergency alerts and E911 are supported countywide, but field reliability can degrade in refuge and levee corridors where coverage is thin.

How Monroe County differs from Arkansas statewide

• Lower overall smartphone adoption: About 5–8 percentage points below Arkansas averages once adjusted for the county’s older age and income mix.
• Higher reliance on wireless-only voice: Several points above the already-high Arkansas rate; many households do not maintain a landline.
• More smartphone-dependent internet use: A meaningfully higher share of households rely on smartphones/hotspots as the primary home connection due to limited fixed broadband choices outside Brinkley and town centers.
• More uneven 5G experience: 5G coverage and capacity are notably more corridor‑centric than the state average; mid‑band 5G is largely an I‑40 phenomenon locally.
• Larger urban–rural performance gap: Day‑to‑day mobile performance diverges more sharply between highway/town nodes and outlying areas than it does in many Arkansas counties with denser tower grids.

Numbers and methods at a glance

• Population and demographics: U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2018–2022 and 2023 estimates for Monroe County and Arkansas.
• Wireless-only baseline: CDC National Health Interview Survey (state-level adult wireless-only telephone status); Monroe County estimate adjusted upward for local income/age profile.
• Smartphone ownership: Pew Research Center’s smartphone adoption by age/income and rurality, applied to Monroe County’s demographic mix to produce the county-level estimates above.
• Coverage/infrastructure: FCC Broadband Data Collection maps (2023–2024 vintages), carrier public coverage layers, and known geography (I‑40/US‑70 corridor; White River NWR) to characterize 4G/5G presence and likely gaps.

Bottom line

• Expect roughly 4,300 adult smartphone users in Monroe County, with three-quarters of adults living wireless-only and close to one-fifth of households relying on smartphones or hotspots for primary internet.
• Compared with Arkansas as a whole, Monroe County shows slightly lower overall adoption but materially higher dependence on mobile for core connectivity, driven by an older population, higher poverty, and more limited fixed broadband outside the I‑40 corridor.

Social media usage in Monroe County, Arkansas (2025 snapshot)

How these figures were derived

• The county is overwhelmingly rural, so local usage patterns closely mirror Pew Research Center’s 2024 findings for rural U.S. adults. Percentages below are modeled local estimates using those rural rates; platform audiences overlap (totals exceed 100%).

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~67%
• Instagram: ~40%
• Pinterest: ~31%
• TikTok: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~22%
• LinkedIn: ~24%
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• Reddit: ~15%
• WhatsApp: ~17%
• Nextdoor: ~12%

Age-group patterns (Pew 2024 benchmarks applied locally; younger cohorts tend to track national levels, while rural areas run a few points lower on Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat)

• Ages 18–29: Very high YouTube (~90%+); Instagram ~75–80%; Snapchat ~60–65%; TikTok ~60%; Facebook ~40–45%.
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~90%+; Facebook ~70–75%; Instagram ~45–50%; TikTok ~35–40%; Snapchat ~25–30%; LinkedIn ~35–40%.
• Ages 50–64: Facebook ~65–70%; YouTube ~80%+; Instagram ~25–30%; Pinterest ~35–40%; TikTok ~15–20%.
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~60%+; YouTube ~60%; Instagram ~10–15%; TikTok ~10% or lower.

Gender breakdown (directional differences consistent in rural areas)

• Women: Higher use of Facebook and Instagram; Pinterest is notably female‑skewed (about half of women vs roughly one‑fifth of men nationally).
• Men: Higher use of Reddit and X (Twitter); slightly higher YouTube use than women.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the dominant cross‑gender messenger locally; WhatsApp penetration is modest in rural Arkansas.

Behavioral trends in Monroe County

• Facebook as the community hub: Heavy reliance on local Groups and Pages (schools, churches, county/city offices, buy‑sell‑trade, events, high‑school sports). Local news and alerts are primarily consumed and shared here.
• Video‑first habits: YouTube is the go‑to for how‑to content, equipment repair, farming/outdoors, church services, and high school sports highlights; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok) is growing for entertainment and small‑business promos.
• Younger cohorts’ split attention: Under‑30 residents favor Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok for daily socializing and local culture; Facebook is used mainly for events or family.
• Business and civic use: Local businesses lean on Facebook for reach and Messenger for customer service; LinkedIn use is moderate and concentrated among educators, healthcare, finance, and government.
• Timing and devices: Engagement peaks evenings and weekends; usage is overwhelmingly mobile‑first; rural connectivity constraints tilt behavior toward lighter, short‑form video and static posts when bandwidth is limited.
• Content that travels: High engagement for community milestones, sports, faith‑based posts, hunting/fishing and outdoors content, agriculture tips, and local deals.

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by age, gender, and community type; rural-specific rates applied to estimate Monroe County shares).
• U.S. Census/USDA classifications used to align Monroe County with rural usage patterns.