Monroe County

Monroe County, Mississippi — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates: 2019–2023 ACS 5-year; Decennial Census 2020; values rounded)

Population size

• Total population: ~33,900 (2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~40.4 years
• Under 18: ~23.8%
• 65 and over: ~18.4%

Gender

• Female: ~51.6%
• Male: ~48.4%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~64%
• Black or African American alone: ~33%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Asian alone: ~0.4%
• Two or more races: ~1.3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1.9%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~62%

Households

• Number of households: ~13,300
• Average household size: ~2.53
• Family households: ~67% (married-couple families: ~46%)
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Householder living alone: ~29% (age 65+ living alone: ~12%)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%

Insights

• Older age profile than the U.S. overall and modest population decline since 2010.
• Majority White with a substantial Black population; Hispanic population remains small.
• Household structure is family-oriented with high owner-occupancy typical of rural Mississippi.

Monroe County, MS snapshot (2024):

• Population/density: 34,180 residents across ~772 sq mi (≈44 people/sq mi). Largest hubs: Amory and Aberdeen.
• Estimated email users: ≈25,000 residents (~73% of total).
• Age distribution of email users (count; share of users):
  • 13–17: ~1,650 (6%)
  • 18–34: ~6,500 (26%)
  • 35–54: ~7,800 (31%)
  • 55–64: ~4,300 (17%)
  • 65+: ~4,750 (19%)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (12,750) and 49% male (12,250), mirroring county demographics.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with a computer: ~84%.
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ~71%.
  • Smartphone‑only internet households: ~20%, indicating mobile‑first communication for many.
  • Fiber availability is expanding via regional providers (e.g., Tombigbee Fiber and C Spire), with the US‑45 corridor and town centers enjoying multi‑provider coverage; more gaps persist in sparsely populated areas.
• Connectivity insight: Most populated blocks have access to ≥100/20 Mbps fixed broadband, while rural edges experience lower speeds and fewer choices, shaping heavier mobile email use in those zones.

Figures synthesize U.S. Census/ACS patterns and Pew email adoption benchmarks applied to Monroe County’s population profile.

Monroe County, MS mobile phone usage snapshot (focus on what differs from the statewide picture)

County size and context

• Population: about 34,200 (2023 Census estimate), spread across small towns (Amory, Aberdeen, Smithville) and large rural areas. The county is more rural and slightly older than Mississippi overall, which shapes how people use mobile service.

User estimates (people and lines)

• Active mobile lines: roughly 38,000–44,000 (about 1.1–1.3 lines per resident is typical in rural counties).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 22,000–25,000 (about 85–90% of adults; adoption is high even where incomes are lower).
• Cellular-only home internet households: about 3,200–3,900, or roughly a quarter to just under a third of households. This “mobile-only” reliance runs higher than the statewide average because fixed broadband choices thin out outside town centers.

Demographic breakdown and what it means for mobile use

• Age: Older skew than Mississippi overall (median around 40–41). That slightly lowers smartphone adoption among seniors but raises voice/text dependence and emphasizes coverage reliability over peak speed.
• Race/ethnicity: Majority White (roughly two-thirds) with a large Black community (about one-third) and a small, growing Hispanic population (low single digits). Device reliance for home internet is higher among lower-income households across groups, amplifying mobile usage.
• Income: Median household income trails the state average by roughly 10–15%. That correlates with higher use of prepaid plans and mobile-only internet, as well as price sensitivity to plan changes (e.g., after the end of ACP discounts in 2024).

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier footprint: All four major networks serve the county—AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), Verizon, T-Mobile, and regional carrier C Spire—with MVNOs riding on those networks.
• 5G: Low-band/“extended-range” 5G covers the main corridors and towns. Mid-band 5G (the layer that boosts capacity and speeds) is spottier than in Mississippi’s metro areas; millimeter-wave is effectively absent. The result is good coverage breadth but uneven capacity.
• Coverage geography: Strongest service clusters along US‑45 and in Amory and Aberdeen. Coverage and indoor performance are more variable on rural roads and in river bottoms/wooded areas along the Tennessee‑Tombigbee Waterway, leading to dead zones and lower uplink in pockets.
• Speeds and reliability: Crowd-sourced testing and rural patterning indicate typical town speeds in the tens of Mbps down (often 15–50 Mbps) with lower uplink and higher latency than Mississippi’s urban counties; rural stretches can drop well below that at peak times due to limited mid-band capacity and fewer sectors per site.
• Resilience: Severe weather has been a material factor. The March 2023 tornado that struck Amory caused temporary multi-carrier outages and emergency deployments, prompting hardening and backup-power upgrades at some sites.

How Monroe County differs from the state overall

• Higher mobile dependence: A larger share of households rely on cellular as their primary or only internet connection compared with the statewide average, due to patchier fixed broadband outside towns.
• Capacity, not just coverage: 5G “coverage maps” look decent, but mid-band capacity is thinner than in Mississippi’s metros, so everyday speeds and indoor performance are more constrained.
• Regional competition: C Spire’s footprint is relatively more visible here than in several other Mississippi counties, shaping device availability and plan mix alongside the national carriers.
• Demographics and usage: An older, more rural, lower-income profile lifts the importance of reliable voice/SMS and affordable plans and increases prepaid and mobile-only internet use compared with the state average.

Actionable implications

• Carriers: Prioritize mid-band 5G (C‑band/2.5 GHz) overlays on existing sites, additional sectors, and selective new sites on rural edges; continue power-backup hardening for storm resilience; add small cells or CRAN nodes in Amory/Aberdeen for peak-hour relief.
• Public sector and anchor institutions: Encourage co-location and streamlined permits on public assets; target backhaul/fiber extensions that enable mid-band upgrades; coordinate with FirstNet for coverage/resiliency gaps.
• Community outcomes: Because a larger slice of residents use phones as their primary internet, improvements to mid-band 5G capacity and site resiliency deliver outsized benefits for education, telehealth, and small business compared with the statewide average.

Social media usage in Monroe County, Mississippi (2024–2025, data-informed estimates)

County baseline

• Population: ~34,000 residents; female ~51–52% of population; under 18 ~24%; 65+ ~18–19% (U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts/ACS).
• Internet access: ~70–78% of households report a broadband subscription (ACS Computer and Internet Use).
• Social media penetration: ~73% of residents use at least one social platform, implying ~25,000 local users (DataReportal 2024 benchmark for the U.S.; aligned with Pew Research adoption levels).

Most-used platforms locally (share of social media users; estimates mapped from Pew 2024 U.S. adoption and adjusted for a rural-South profile)

• YouTube: ~86% (≈21k users)
• Facebook: ~76% (≈19k)
• Pinterest: ~36% (≈9k)
• Instagram: ~41% (≈10k)
• TikTok: ~31% (≈7.7k)
• Snapchat: ~29% (≈7.2k)
• WhatsApp: ~23% (≈5.7k)
• X (Twitter): ~20% (≈5.0k)
• LinkedIn: ~18% (≈4.5k)
• Reddit: ~14% (≈3.5k)

Age-group usage patterns (local adults closely mirror Pew Research’s 2024 U.S. shares)

• Teens (13–17): Near-universal YouTube; heavy Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat; Facebook comparatively light.
• 18–29: Instagram ~75%+, Snapchat ~60%+, TikTok ~60%+, Facebook ~55% (YouTube highest of all platforms).
• 30–49: Facebook ~75%+, Instagram ~50%, TikTok ~40%, Snapchat ~30% (YouTube very high).
• 50–64: Facebook ~70%+, Instagram ~30%, TikTok ~20% (YouTube majority).
• 65+: Facebook ~55–60%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~5–10% (YouTube used by a sizable minority). Note: Facebook usage rises with age; Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat skew younger.

Gender breakdown (overall and by platform; indicative shares derived from Pew usage skews applied to local user base)

• Overall social media users: ~52% female, ~48% male (tracks population).
• Platform skews:
  • Pinterest: majority female (~70–75% of users)
  • Facebook: slight female majority (~55/45)
  • Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok: slight female majority (~53–58% female)
  • YouTube: near even, modest male tilt
  • X (Twitter), Reddit, LinkedIn: male-leaning (X/Reddit notably so)

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Mississippi counties and expected locally

• Facebook as the community backbone: high engagement in local groups (schools, churches, sports, emergency/weather updates), Marketplace buying/selling, and civic info. Older adults over-index on Facebook use and sharing.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Facebook/Instagram Reels drive entertainment, local business promotion, sports highlights, and event discovery; creators often cross-post to maximize reach.
• YouTube utility: how-to content, high school sports, hunting/fishing, equipment repair, and weather coverage; growing connected-TV viewing.
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; Snapchat is the default daily messenger for teens/young adults; WhatsApp remains niche but used in specific family/work circles.
• Commerce and services: Local retailers, restaurants, and service providers rely on Facebook Pages, Instagram Stories/Reels, and Marketplace; appointment-based services use Instagram DMs and Facebook messaging for bookings.
• News and alerts: Local outlets and public agencies see strong reach on Facebook; severe-weather and school-closure updates reliably spike engagement.
• Content cadence: Evenings and weekends deliver the highest interaction; weekday early mornings also perform well for local news and school or church communications.

Method and sources

• Population, age, gender, internet: U.S. Census Bureau (QuickFacts; ACS Computer and Internet Use).
• Platform adoption benchmarks and age/gender skews: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (and teen usage findings); DataReportal Digital 2024 for overall U.S. social media penetration.
• Localization: Figures above translate national adoption to Monroe County’s size and rural-South profile; counts are rounded estimates intended for planning and audience sizing.