Tazewell County

Tazewell County, Illinois — key demographics

Population

• 129,600 (2023 estimate); 131,343 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: 41.9 years
• Under 18: 21.1%
• 65 and over: 20.4%

Gender

• Female: 50.6%
• Male: 49.4%

Race and Hispanic origin

• White alone: 91.8%
• Black or African American alone: 2.5%
• Asian alone: 0.9%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: 3.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.8%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 89.6%

Households

• Number of households: ~52,600
• Average household size: 2.43
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• Slight population decline since 2020.
• Older age profile (about 1 in 5 residents are 65+).
• Predominantly White population with small but present racial/ethnic diversity.
• Household sizes are modest and family households comprise roughly two-thirds of all households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey; 2023 Population Estimates). Figures rounded for clarity.

Tazewell County, IL snapshot (2023 unless noted; adults 18+):

• Population: ~130,000; adults ~101,000.
• Estimated email users: ~92,000 adults (≈91–92% adoption), reflecting near-universal use among connected adults.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: ~25%
  • 35–54: ~35%
  • 55–64: ~18%
  • 65+: ~22% (senior adoption lower but substantial via smartphones and tablets)
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors population; usage gap negligible).
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: mid‑80s percent, consistent with Illinois averages; computer access near 90% of households.
  • Mobile broadband is widespread; most users check email primarily on smartphones, with growing multi‑device use.
  • Fiber and high‑speed cable concentrated in urban/suburban corridors (Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, Washington), with incremental build‑outs along I‑74 and the Illinois River corridor; rural edges rely more on cable/DSL fixed wireless and 4G/5G.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈200 people/sq. mile; majority reside in the Peoria metro suburbs and river corridor, supporting strong last‑mile infrastructure.
  • Lower‑density townships show more variability in fixed high‑speed options but generally maintain reliable mobile coverage.

Mobile phone usage in Tazewell County, Illinois — snapshot and trends that diverge from the state

User base and adoption (estimates grounded in national age-specific adoption applied to local age structure)

• Total population: 131,343 (2020 Census). Adults make up roughly four-fifths of residents, with a larger-than-state share age 65+.
• Estimated smartphone users (ages 13+): about 95,000 residents.
  • Adults 18–64: ≈72,400 smartphone users.
  • Adults 65+: ≈15,000 smartphone users.
  • Teens 13–17: ≈7,700 smartphone users.
  • Method: Pew Research Center 2023 smartphone ownership rates by age (≈96% ages 18–49, ≈88% ages 50–64, ≈61% ages 65+, ≈95% teens) applied to Tazewell’s age mix from Census/ACS.
• Basic/feature-phone-only users: on the order of 6,000–8,000 adults (concentrated among 65+), with a smaller group having no mobile at all.
• Household connectivity context (ACS 2018–2022): more than 9 in 10 households include a smartphone; roughly 1 in 10 households have no home internet subscription. Cellular-only home internet is present but clustered in exurban blocks; fixed broadband remains primary in the cities.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Older profile than Illinois overall: a higher 65+ share pulls down smartphone ownership by a few points versus the state average and increases the share of basic-phone users. This is most visible in Pekin and small towns along the county periphery.
• Income and education are slightly below statewide medians, which raises the rate of smartphone-as-primary internet among younger and lower-income households. The county thus shows a bimodal pattern: older residents more likely to retain landlines or basic phones, while price-sensitive households rely more on smartphones and cellular data.
• Urban-suburban core (East Peoria, Pekin, Morton, Washington) vs exurban/rural edges: the core mirrors statewide urban adoption; exurban blocks show higher cellular-only reliance and more dead zones.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all provide countywide 4G LTE and broad 5G coverage across population centers and the I-74/I-155 corridors; UScellular fills some fringe/rural gaps. FirstNet (AT&T) is deployed for public safety.
• 5G profile: mid-band/sub-6 GHz 5G is the workhorse countywide; mmWave is rare and localized, unlike Chicago’s dense mmWave footprints. T-Mobile’s mid-band and Verizon C-band are prevalent in the metro-facing corridors and towns.
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): T-Mobile and Verizon FWA are widely marketed in the suburban/exurban fabric, providing an alternative to cable for price-sensitive households and contributing to the cellular-only home internet segment.
• Wireline backbones: cable (e.g., Xfinity) covers the principal cities; fiber footprints have expanded in the Peoria metro, including parts of East Peoria/Pekin/Washington (e.g., i3 Broadband), improving offload options and indoor coverage. Rural edges still rely on legacy DSL or fixed wireless, which sustains mobile dependence for everyday connectivity.
• Coverage constraints: the Illinois River valley, bluffs, and wooded hollows introduce localized weak-signal pockets; tower siting follows river crossings, rail, and highways, yielding strong corridor performance but variable in-between coverage.

How Tazewell County differs from Illinois overall

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration due to an older age mix, with a measurably larger basic-phone cohort among seniors.
• Greater reliance on mid-band 5G and FWA rather than dense fiber or mmWave; mobile networks shoulder more of the load for home connectivity in exurban blocks than in Chicago-area suburbs.
• Coverage is more topography-limited (river valley/bluffs) than the flat, dense urban buildouts upstate, so reliability varies more across short distances outside the core cities.
• Despite these differences, the urban core of Tazewell performs similarly to statewide urban areas on device adoption and 5G availability, while the periphery diverges toward cellular-first behavior.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population); ACS 2018–2022 (household internet/device context).
• Pew Research Center, 2023, smartphone ownership by age.
• FCC Mobile Coverage and Broadband Maps, 2023–2024 (carrier 4G/5G footprints and FWA availability).

Tazewell County, IL — Social media snapshot (2024, modeled local estimates)

User stats

• Adult population (18+): ~100,000
• Social media users: ~82,000 (82% of adults)
• Use social media daily: ~57,000 (69% of users)

Age groups (share of local social media users; adoption within group)

• 18–29: 19% of users; ~93% adoption. Heavy on TikTok/Snap/Instagram; strong short‑form video creation and consumption.
• 30–49: 35% of users; ~86% adoption. Facebook + Instagram core; high use of Marketplace, Stories/Reels, and YouTube how‑to and product research.
• 50–64: 28% of users; ~73% adoption. Facebook Groups/Pages and YouTube dominate; Pinterest for DIY, home, recipes; growing TikTok viewing.
• 65+: 18% of users; ~50% adoption. Facebook as primary network; YouTube for news/weather/local content; light Nextdoor usage for neighborhood info.

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Female: 53%
• Male: 47%
• Skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Most‑used platforms (share of adult social media users active on each; overlaps by design)

• Facebook: 82%
• YouTube: 80%
• Instagram: 48%
• Pinterest: 38%
• TikTok: 34%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 28%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• Reddit: 18%
• Nextdoor: 16%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Strong engagement with local Facebook Groups, schools, youth sports, churches, festivals, and severe weather updates; Marketplace is a major driver of visits.
• Video-forward consumption: YouTube and Reels/Shorts are primary discovery surfaces; short, captioned, vertical video performs best.
• Commerce and research: High Facebook/Instagram influence on local shopping and services; YouTube used for product comparisons and DIY; Pinterest drives home/craft intent.
• Messaging as conversion: Many residents prefer Facebook/Instagram DMs over web forms; prompt reply times materially improve outcomes.
• Timing patterns: Engagement clusters in evenings on weekdays and late mornings/weekends; posting aligned to these windows sees higher reach.
• Cross‑platform duplication: Facebook and Instagram audiences overlap heavily among 25–54; creative reuse works but benefits from platform‑native tweaks.
• Trust cues matter: Local testimonials, recognizably local footage, and clear service areas lift CTR and inquiries; older users respond to straightforward, utility-focused messaging.

Source note: Figures are modeled local estimates for 2024, derived from Tazewell County’s age/sex profile (ACS) and U.S. platform adoption benchmarks (Pew Research) adjusted for the county’s older-than-average, suburban profile.