Madison County

Madison County, Illinois – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates unless noted)

Population

• Total population: ~263,000 (2023 estimate; slight decline since 2010/2020)

Age

• Median age: ~40.5 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: ~77%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~11%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~6%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Other races (including AIAN, NHPI), non-Hispanic: ~1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~106,000–108,000
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Married-couple households: ~44–46% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72–74% (renter-occupied ~26–28%)

Insights

• Aging profile (median age >40; nearly 1 in 5 residents 65+).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with modest but growing multiracial and Hispanic shares.
• Smaller household size and higher homeownership than the U.S. average, consistent with a largely suburban county.

Madison County, IL email usage snapshot:

• Estimated adult email users: ≈191,600 (≈72.9% of all 262,559 residents).
• Age distribution of users: 18–29 ≈38,600 (20%); 30–49 ≈62,800 (33%); 50–64 ≈47,800 (25%); 65+ ≈42,400 (22%).
• Gender split among users: Female ≈51% (97,700); Male ≈49% (93,900).
• Digital access trends: ~87% of households have a broadband subscription; ~93% have a computer or smartphone; ~13% lack any home internet subscription; ~9% are smartphone‑only. Email adoption is near‑universal among working‑age adults and continues to rise among seniors as device access improves.
• Local density/connectivity: Population density ≈367 people per square mile across ~716 square miles. Urban centers (Edwardsville, Alton, Granite City) show higher broadband adoption than rural townships; countywide provider presence is strong due to proximity to the St. Louis metro and interstate corridors, supporting consistent email access and usage.

Mobile phone usage in Madison County, Illinois — 2024 snapshot

How many mobile users

• Population and base: Madison County has roughly 260,000–270,000 residents and about 105,000–110,000 households. Adults (18+) account for about 80% of residents, or ~205,000–215,000 people.
• Mobile phone users: Applying current U.S. adoption levels (≈95% mobile phone ownership among adults), Madison County has an estimated 195,000–205,000 adult mobile phone users.
• Smartphone users: Using recent national smartphone adoption (≈85–88% of adults), the county has an estimated 175,000–190,000 adult smartphone users.
• Lines in service: With common line densities of 2.3–2.6 mobile lines per household (phones, tablets, watches, hotspots), total active lines likely fall in the 240,000–280,000 range within the county.

Demographic and behavioral patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone use (~95%); heavy app, social, and video usage; primary 5G users.
  • 35–64: Very high adoption (~90%); heaviest share of multi-line family plans and work phones.
  • 65+: Lower but growing adoption (~70–75%); higher use of larger-screen devices and medical/telehealth apps; more LTE/low-band 5G reliance.
• Income and affordability
  • Mobile-only internet reliance is meaningfully higher than Illinois as a whole. A sizable share of lower-income households rely on smartphone data or mobile hotspots as their primary internet, reflecting the county’s more suburban/rural mix compared with the Chicago-led state profile.
  • Prepaid usage is higher than the Illinois average, driven by price sensitivity and coverage parity among the big carriers in the Metro East.
• Platform and device mix
  • Android modestly leads iOS countywide, in contrast to Illinois’s urban core (where iOS is at parity or a slight majority). Longer device replacement cycles and a higher share of value-priced devices are evident outside the largest towns.
• Urban–rural contrast within the county
  • Towns and corridors (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Granite City, Collinsville, Alton/Godfrey, along I‑55/I‑70/I‑270) see denser 5G coverage, higher median speeds, and more fixed–mobile substitution.
  • Outlying and river-bottom areas experience more LTE fallback, signal variability, and greater dependence on mobile for home internet where fixed broadband options are limited or costly.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Networks and coverage
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) provide countywide 4G LTE with broad 5G availability in population centers and along interstates. A regional carrier presence (e.g., UScellular) exists in parts of downstate Illinois, with roaming support where native coverage is limited.
  • 5G mid-band (C‑band and 2.5 GHz) is established in major towns and travel corridors; mmWave is sparse and venue-specific. Rural tracts rely on low-band 5G or LTE.
• Typical performance bands
  • Town centers and interstates (mid-band 5G): ~100–400 Mbps down, single‑digit to low‑teens ms latency under favorable conditions.
  • Suburban edges/mixed coverage (low‑band 5G/LTE): ~20–100 Mbps down, teens–20s ms latency.
  • Rural/floodplain pockets (LTE or weak low‑band 5G): ~5–25 Mbps down with higher variability and occasional dead zones in terrain-shielded areas.
• Backhaul and fixed access context
  • Charter Spectrum is the dominant cable footprint; AT&T offers fiber in and around larger towns and IP‑DSL/DSL in outlying areas. This mix shapes mobile reliance: where fiber/cable is absent or costly, households lean on unlimited smartphone plans and 5G home internet.
  • FirstNet (AT&T) public-safety coverage is deployed; network hardening around interstates and bridges supports commuter and freight corridors into the St. Louis metro.

How Madison County differs from Illinois overall

• Higher mobile-only internet reliance: A larger share of households depend on smartphones/hotspots as primary internet compared with the state average, reflecting more areas without affordable high‑speed wireline.
• More prepaid and Android share: Price sensitivity and device longevity tilt the mix toward prepaid plans and Android relative to Chicago-area patterns.
• Slower median mobile speeds than metro Chicago: 5G mid-band is present but less dense; mmWave is rare. Expect more LTE fallback and wider performance ranges in rural tracts than the statewide urban median.
• Longer upgrade cycles: Devices are kept longer on average; this slightly dampens cutting-edge 5G feature uptake versus state urban centers.
• Commute-driven load patterns: Daytime network load concentrates along I‑55/I‑70/I‑270 and Mississippi River bridge approaches, producing more pronounced peak-time variability than typical in downstate rural counties while still below Chicago’s extreme peaks.

Key takeaways

• Approximately 175,000–190,000 adults in Madison County use smartphones, and roughly 195,000–205,000 adults use some type of mobile phone.
• Mobile networks are robust along towns and interstates with strong mid-band 5G, but rural pockets still see LTE dependence and variable service.
• Compared with Illinois overall, Madison County shows greater reliance on mobile as primary internet, a shift toward prepaid/Android, and somewhat lower 5G density and speeds outside the main corridors.

Notes on estimation

• User counts are derived by applying current U.S. adult mobile and smartphone adoption rates (Pew and federal surveys) to the county’s adult population (ACS/Census). Performance ranges reflect observed mid-band 5G and LTE capacity profiles typical for Midwestern suburban–rural counties adjacent to major metros.

Madison County, IL social media snapshot (benchmarked to 2024 U.S. usage and a suburban Midwest profile)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults who use the platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~50%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• Nextdoor: ~15–20% (higher in suburban neighborhoods; range shown as national figures vary by locale)

User/device baseline

• Smartphone ownership: ~89% of adults
• Daily social media use: roughly three-quarters of adults use at least one platform daily
• County context: Suburban/exurban St. Louis “Metro East,” with a large student presence around SIUE (Edwardsville). Usage patterns generally track U.S. suburban averages.

Age group patterns (how usage clusters locally)

• 18–24 (students/early career): Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube; frequent Stories/Reels, campus and nightlife content; DMs preferred for service.
• 25–34: Instagram + Facebook + YouTube core; rising TikTok consumption; high Facebook Marketplace use for housing/furniture; strong interest in local dining and fitness.
• 35–49: Facebook + YouTube dominant; Instagram secondary; high engagement with school, youth sports, and community groups; some Nextdoor usage in subdivisions.
• 50–64: Facebook is primary; YouTube for news/how‑to; Pinterest usage among women; steady engagement with municipal updates and local events.
• 65+: Facebook first, YouTube second; platform use is more informational (city, utilities, health systems) than creator-driven.

Gender breakdown (directional, consistent with national patterns)

• Women: Overindex on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; highly active in local groups (schools, buy/sell, events); strong Marketplace participation.
• Men: Overindex on YouTube, Reddit, X, and LinkedIn; higher engagement with sports, local government/infrastructure updates, and tech/DIY content.

Behavioral trends in Madison County

• Community-first Facebook usage: Neighborhood and “buy/sell/trade” groups, school district pages, municipal and public safety accounts are primary information hubs. Weather, road construction (I‑255/I‑270), river conditions, and school closings drive spikes.
• Marketplace matters: Facebook Marketplace and local swap groups see sustained weekly activity; weekends late morning to afternoon are peak browse times.
• Short-form video growth: Reels and TikToks featuring local food, festivals (Alton, Edwardsville), hidden gems, and high school/SIUE sports perform best; under-35s favor vertical video with captions and location tags.
• Messaging as customer service: Residents commonly use Facebook/Instagram DMs to ask hours, availability, and pricing; fast responses (under 2 hours) improve conversion.
• Events and “family-friendly” framing: Interest for fairs, farmers markets, concerts, and community fundraisers rises 7–14 days pre‑event; “free,” “family,” and “outdoors” keywords boost intent.
• Regional spillover: St. Louis influence (Cardinals/Blues, dining, concerts) shapes conversation and cross-border follow patterns; local pages that repost regional content see higher shareability.
• Trust and reviews: Facebook and Google reviews plus user-generated photos weigh heavily in decisions for restaurants, contractors, health/fitness, and auto services.

Practical implications

• Use Facebook and YouTube for countywide reach; add Instagram for under‑45 and TikTok for under‑35.
• Lean on Facebook Groups/Pages and localized Reels for discovery; list events 2–3 weeks out with reminders in the final week.
• Encourage UGC and reviews; respond quickly to DMs; cross-post short videos to Reels and TikTok with local tags.

Sources: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; Mobile Fact Sheet), patterns adjusted for suburban Midwest context; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) for county profile. County-level platform splits are inferred from these definitive national statistics and local demographic composition.