Alcorn County

Here are current, concise demographics for Alcorn County, Mississippi. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Population

• Total population: 34,740 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48% (ACS 2019–2023)

Race and Ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~83%
• Black or African American: ~12%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%
• Other: <1%

Households and Housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~13,700
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~65% of households
• Owner-occupied housing: ~70% (renter-occupied ~30%)

Notes: ACS figures are estimates and may not sum to 100% due to rounding and category definitions.

Alcorn County, MS snapshot (estimates)

• Population/density: ~34,700 residents; ~87 people per sq. mile. Most wired access is concentrated in Corinth; outlying areas rely more on DSL/fixed wireless.
• Email users: ~25,000–28,000 residents use email regularly (driven by high adult adoption but lower rural broadband).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–34: ~28%
  • 35–54: ~34%
  • 55+: ~33%
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male among users (usage is near-parity by gender).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~70–75% of households subscribe to home broadband; ~82–86% have a computer.
  • ~15–20% of households are smartphone‑only for internet, making mobile the primary channel for email for many.
  • Fiber/cable coverage is growing along the US‑72/Corinth corridor; rural pockets still face slower speeds and higher latency.
  • Email use remains near‑universal among working‑age adults; adoption among 55+ continues to rise as mobile access improves.
  • Affordability programs and recent federal/state investments (e.g., BEAD-funded builds) are nudging subscription rates upward, though the lapse of ACP subsidies may temper gains.

Notes: Figures are derived from U.S. Census/ACS rural connectivity patterns and Pew email adoption benchmarks applied to local demographics.

Below is a concise, decision-ready view of mobile phone usage in Alcorn County, Mississippi, with emphasis on how local patterns diverge from the statewide picture. Figures are estimates synthesized from recent national and Mississippi rural adoption benchmarks, county demographics, and carrier coverage patterns; ranges are shown where precise local counts are not published.

Snapshot and user estimates

• Population context: ~34–36k residents; ~26–28k adults; ~13–14k households.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile): 25–27k residents, reflecting very high overall mobile access among adults and teens.
• Smartphone users: 22–24k residents. Adoption is widespread but slightly tempered by an older age profile than the state overall.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no home broadband): about 20–25% of households (≈2.6–3.5k). That share is likely a bit lower than Mississippi’s statewide rate due to cable availability in Corinth, but higher in the rural parts of the county.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • The county skews older than the state average. As a result:
    • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (~90–95%); heavy social/video use and mobile payments common.
    • 35–64: high adoption (~85–90%); strong use for work coordination, navigation, and shopping.
    • 65+: notably lower adoption (~60–70%), with larger pockets of flip/feature-phone users and voice/text-first behavior.
• Income/device plans
  • Median incomes near or slightly below the state median support a larger-than-national share of prepaid and budget MVNO plans.
  • The sunset of the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024 likely nudged some low-income households toward smartphone-only access or hotspot-based connectivity.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county is more heavily White and has a smaller Black population share than Mississippi overall. Given that Black Mississippians statewide show higher reliance on smartphones as a primary internet connection, Alcorn’s different racial mix contributes to a slightly lower countywide smartphone-only rate than the state average.
• Work/commute patterns
  • Manufacturing, logistics, and retail in and around Corinth increase daytime device usage and demand for reliable mid-band coverage along US‑72/US‑45 corridors.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Cellular coverage
  • 4G LTE: broadly available countywide, with strong signal in Corinth and along US‑72/US‑45; patchier service in some wooded and low-lying rural areas.
  • 5G: low-band 5G is common in and around Corinth and along main highways; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in the city and traffic corridors, tapering quickly in outlying areas.
  • Public safety and resilience: macro towers anchor coverage; small‑cell density is limited outside central Corinth, so capacity can tighten during events and severe weather.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backhaul follows highway/rail rights‑of‑way and into key business districts, supporting higher 5G capacity in town.
  • Wireline options: cable broadband is widely available in Corinth; legacy DSL persists in the county; fiber-to-the-home is expanding but still uneven outside the city limits, leading many rural households to lean on cellular hotspots.
• Competition
  • All three national carriers serve the area; regional players and MVNOs provide price competition. Coverage competitiveness is better than in some Delta counties but below large metro MS markets.

How Alcorn County differs from Mississippi overall

• Slightly lower smartphone-only reliance: Cable availability in Corinth and growing (but incomplete) fiber builds mean fewer households depend solely on phones for home internet compared with the statewide average, though rural pockets still do.
• Older age structure dampens smartphone penetration: A larger 65+ share reduces overall smartphone uptake versus the state.
• Better highway-corridor performance: Proximity to US‑72/US‑45 and cross-border travel to Tennessee improve mid-band 5G capacity and reliability along corridors relative to many rural MS counties without similar routes.
• More pronounced rural divide within the county: The gap between Corinth (good 5G capacity, multiple wireline options) and outer areas (LTE-first, hotspot reliance) is starker than the typical urban–rural split seen in statewide aggregates.

Planning implications

• Targeted 5G capacity and in‑building coverage upgrades in Corinth and along US‑72/US‑45 will capture the heaviest demand growth.
• Rural capacity and reliability improve most via additional mid-band sites and fiber backhaul extensions; fixed wireless can bridge gaps where fiber-to-the-home is not yet economical.
• Digital inclusion efforts should emphasize older adults (device training, telehealth readiness) and post‑ACP affordability supports to reduce smartphone-only dependence where wireline is available.

Data notes

• Estimates reflect county population and age structure, rural Mississippi adoption patterns (Pew/CDC-type benchmarks), and carrier coverage norms as of 2024–2025. Localized audits (drive tests, FCC BDC map validation, provider build plans) will refine these ranges.

Alcorn County, MS social media snapshot (2025)

Topline

• Population and access: ~34–37k residents; households with broadband internet ~70–78% (mobile-only internet is common). Smartphone adoption is high, so most online activity is mobile-first.
• Estimated social media reach: 20–24k residents use at least one social platform (roughly 65–75% of adults, plus most teens).

Users by age (share of local social users, est.)

• 13–17: 12–15%
• 18–29: 18–22%
• 30–49: 32–36%
• 50–64: 20–24%
• 65+: 12–16% Note: Age mix skews slightly older than the U.S. average, lifting Facebook and YouTube usage and moderating Instagram/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown (est.)

• Female: 51–53%
• Male: 47–49% Platform tendencies: women are more represented on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; men slightly more on YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Most‑used platforms in Alcorn (share of local social users, est.)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 70–80%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 35–45%
• Snapchat: 25–35% (very high among teens)
• Pinterest: 20–30% (strong among women 25–54)
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (lower than national, but used by healthcare, education, manufacturing supervisors)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (news, sports, weather)
• Reddit: 8–12% (younger males)
• WhatsApp: 5–10% (below national average)
• Nextdoor: 3–6% (limited neighborhood coverage outside denser areas)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, yard sales, lost & found pets, storm updates; Marketplace is a top commerce channel.
• Video leads: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) drives discovery; Facebook Live and YouTube used for church services, civic meetings, and high‑school sports highlights.
• Local > generic: posts with local faces, places, and events markedly outperform stock or nationalized content.
• Timing: morning scroll (7–8:30am), lunch (12–1pm), and late evening (8–10pm) see highest engagement; weekends spike for events and Marketplace.
• Messaging matters: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are primary backchannels for inquiries and peer sharing; many posts get more off‑platform DMs than public comments.
• Commerce: boutiques, trades, and home services lean on Facebook/Instagram for leads; TikTok is emerging for product demos; older audiences still prefer phone after seeing a post.
• Information habits: severe weather and school updates cause sharp, short‑lived surges on Facebook and X; trust is highest for posts from known local institutions or admins.
• Youth patterns: teens favor Snapchat (daily messaging) and TikTok (discovery/entertainment); Instagram used for identity and events; Facebook mostly to follow family or teams.

Notes on data and method

• Exact county‑level platform penetration isn’t publicly reported. Figures above are estimates derived from U.S. Census/ACS demographics and broadband access for Alcorn County, combined with Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform usage rates, adjusted for Alcorn’s older/rural profile. Use as directional planning inputs rather than precise counts.