Tate County

Tate County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• 28,064 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year)

• Median age: ~37 years
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 18–64: ~61%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~51–52%
• Male: ~48–49%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Decennial Census)

• White (alone): ~57%
• Black or African American (alone): ~38%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian (alone): <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): <1%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~10,100
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~68%
• Married-couple families: ~45%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~75–76%
• Average family size: ~3.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171) and American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

• Context: Tate County, MS had 28,064 residents in 2020 across ~405 sq mi of land (≈69 people/sq mi). Females comprise about 51% of the population.
• Estimated email users: 19,000 adult residents use email regularly. Method: apply national adult email adoption (90%) to the county’s adult population share.
• Age distribution (usage rates; Pew benchmarks applied locally):
  • 18–29: ~95% use email
  • 30–49: ~93%
  • 50–64: ~88%
  • 65+: ~85% Result: usage is near-universal among under-50s and remains high among seniors.
• Gender split among users: approximately 51% female, 49% male (email adoption shows minimal gender gap; split mirrors local population).
• Digital access trends:
  • Rural internet adoption trails urban areas but continues to rise; smartphone-only access is common in rural Mississippi.
  • Fixed broadband availability and speeds have expanded along primary corridors (e.g., I‑55/Senatobia area), with fewer choices in outlying areas.
  • Mobile LTE/5G coverage reaches most populated parts of the county, supporting email access even where fixed options are limited.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Low population density increases last‑mile costs, contributing to patchier fixed broadband outside towns; proximity to the Memphis metro corridor improves network backhaul and provider presence in and around Senatobia.

Mobile phone usage in Tate County, Mississippi — summary and local deviations from state-level patterns

Core user estimates

• Population baseline: 28,064 (2020 Census).
• Estimated mobile users (unique people with a mobile phone): about 21,700 (≈77.5% of total population; aligns with near-universal ownership among residents aged 13+ and low ownership among children under 13).
• Estimated smartphone users: about 19,800 (≈86% of residents aged 13+), consistent with 2023 national adoption levels, adjusted to local age mix.
• Estimated active mobile lines: ≈30,000 (about 110 lines per 100 residents), reflecting secondary lines for tablets, wearables, hotspots, and work phones.

Demographic breakdown of mobile use (counts are estimates derived from the county’s age structure and current ownership norms)

• By age
  • 13–17: ~1,900 teens; ~1,820 smartphone users (≈95%); ~60 on basic phones.
  • 18–24: ~3,150; ~3,050 smartphone users (≈97%); ~60 on basic phones.
  • 25–44: ~7,300; ~6,790 smartphone users (≈93%); ~365 on basic phones.
  • 45–64: ~6,790; ~5,770 smartphone users (≈85%); ~680 on basic phones.
  • 65+: ~3,950; ~2,410 smartphone users (≈61%); ~750 on basic phones.
• By race/ethnicity (structure approximates local census makeup; usage patterns reflect national differentials)
  • Black residents (≈40% of county): similar smartphone ownership rates to White residents but higher smartphone-only internet reliance; a larger share depend on prepaid plans and mobile hotspots rather than fixed broadband.
  • White residents (≈56%): high smartphone ownership; higher fixed broadband adoption than Black households, so somewhat lower smartphone-only dependence.
  • Hispanic/Latino and other groups (≈3–4% total): very high smartphone adoption; above-average mobile-only internet use.
• Plan types and usage behaviors
  • Prepaid share is higher than the statewide average due to the student population in Senatobia (Northwest Mississippi Community College) and lower-income rural households. Expect prepaid to account for roughly 40–45% of lines in the county (vs. lower statewide postpaid dominance).
  • Smartphone-only internet users are meaningfully above Mississippi’s statewide share, driven by students and wireless-first households outside Senatobia.

Digital infrastructure highlights (and what differs from state-level)

• Coverage and capacity
  • All four major operators serve the county (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and regional carrier C Spire).
  • 5G is established along the I‑55/US‑51 corridor and around Senatobia; mid-band 5G (where present, especially on T‑Mobile and AT&T) typically delivers 100–300 Mbps in-town. This corridor-based 5G density is stronger than is typical for rural Mississippi.
  • Outside the corridor—particularly around Arkabutla Lake, the Coldwater River bottoms, and far-western agricultural tracts—coverage thins and capacity drops to low-band 5G or LTE, with occasional dead zones. This urban-rural performance gap is typical for the state, but Tate’s proximity to the Memphis metro and I‑55 yields better average speeds than many Mississippi Delta counties.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Fiber and cable are available in and immediately around Senatobia; availability drops off quickly in unincorporated areas. Fixed wireless (notably 5G-based home internet) fills many gaps and has broader availability here than in much of rural Mississippi due to strong mid-band 5G on the highway spine.
  • Because of this mix, smartphone tethering and mobile hotspots are common substitutes for home broadband outside town limits; Tate’s rate of “wireless-only” households is likely above the Mississippi average.
• Network resilience and traffic patterns
  • Traffic peaks around college terms and commuter hours on I‑55. Storm-related outages do occur but are typically shorter around the highway corridor than in outlying areas, where site density is lower and backhaul is less redundant.

How Tate County differs from Mississippi overall

• Better-than-typical rural 5G availability and speeds along a major interstate corridor (I‑55), thanks to spillover from the Memphis market and carrier investment in the county seat, leading to higher effective mobile capacity than many rural MS counties.
• Higher share of prepaid and mobile-only internet users, influenced by a sizable student population and rural households using mobile as primary connectivity.
• More pronounced in-county disparity: town/corridor areas enjoy mid-band 5G and higher speeds, while outlying areas still face LTE/low-band 5G and coverage gaps; the corridor advantage is sharper than in many parts of the state without a nearby metro.
• Mobile adoption among older adults is somewhat higher than the state’s rural average because coverage and retail access are better along the corridor, though a notable basic-phone segment remains in the 65+ group.

What these numbers imply

• Approximately 21,700 residents actively use a mobile phone in Tate County, with about 19,800 on smartphones. The county likely supports around 30,000 active mobile lines once tablets, wearables, and work SIMs are included.
• Mobile networks carry a disproportionate share of the county’s total internet usage relative to Mississippi overall, with corridor-based 5G enabling high-capacity service in and near Senatobia and increased reliance on mobile data in rural tracts where fixed broadband is limited.

Social media usage in Tate County, MS (2025 snapshot)

What to know up front

• Tate County is a small, largely rural county in North Mississippi (exurban to the Memphis metro). Local behavior mirrors rural U.S./Mississippi patterns: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram and TikTok are strong with under‑35s; Snapchat is teen/young‑adult heavy; X (Twitter) and Reddit are niche.

Most‑used platforms (adult usage benchmarks; Tate County follows this ranking)

• YouTube: 83% of U.S. adults use it
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 50%
• Pinterest: 34%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• Reddit: 22% These Pew Research Center 2024 benchmarks reflect the order you should expect locally in Tate County: YouTube ≈ Facebook at the top; Instagram third; TikTok/Snapchat mid‑tier; Pinterest notable among women; X/Reddit niche.

Age-group usage patterns (how this plays out locally)

• Teens/18–24: Very high Snapchat and TikTok usage; heavy YouTube; Instagram central for peer/social; Facebook used mainly for events/groups and family.
• 25–34: Instagram and Facebook both strong; TikTok growing; YouTube daily; Snapchat still active but tapering; Marketplace used for deals/moves.
• 35–54: Facebook is the hub (Groups, Marketplace, school/league info); YouTube for how‑to/local sports/church streams; Instagram for small business and family updates; TikTok consumption increasing but posting selective.
• 55+: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram adoption moderate; TikTok minimal but rising among 55–64. High engagement with civic/church/school pages and Marketplace.

Gender breakdown

• Population in Tate County slightly skews female (≈51% female, ≈49% male; U.S. Census). The active social audience typically mirrors this with a slight female over‑index, especially on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. Men over‑index on YouTube, X, and Reddit.
• Practical takeaway: Expect a small female majority in engagement and stronger response to visuals, community updates, and shopping content; expect higher male response on video how‑to, sports/outdoors, and news/opinion formats.

Behavioral trends to factor in (rural North Mississippi patterns)

• Facebook Groups are “home base”: schools, churches, youth sports, county/city updates, community alerts, and local buy/sell groups drive daily check‑ins.
• Facebook Marketplace is a primary local commerce channel for vehicles, tools, furniture, and rentals; price sensitivity is high and response windows are fast evenings/weekends.
• Video first: YouTube for long‑form how‑to, sermons, and local sports; Reels/Shorts/TikTok for short, vertical updates. Short videos (10–30s) with captions perform best.
• Messaging > comments: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat (younger audiences) are preferred for inquiries; many users avoid public commenting on sensitive topics.
• Mobile‑only access is common: Keep creatives legible on small screens; vertical formats and large‑type text overlays improve completion rates.
• Timing: Peak engagement typically early morning (6:30–8:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.), and evenings (7:00–10:00 p.m.), plus weekends. Friday nights in season skew to high‑school sports content; Sundays see church/community spikes.
• Trust and locality matter: Content tagged to Tate County communities (Senatobia, Coldwater) and featuring recognizable places/people outperforms generic creative. Word‑of‑mouth via Groups and shares is a key reach multiplier.
• Commerce: Deal‑oriented creative (clear price, pickup location, “DM to hold”) drives faster action than brand‑first messaging. For services, before/after videos and customer testimonials outperform static ads.

How to interpret the numbers for Tate County

• Use the platform percentages above as reliable baselines for the adult audience; expect slightly higher Facebook reliance and slightly lower Instagram/TikTok penetration than dense urban markets, but the platform ranking remains the same.
• Planning shorthand for Tate County adults: YouTube (very high), Facebook (very high), Instagram (moderate‑high), TikTok/Snapchat (moderate, age‑skewed), Pinterest (moderate among women), X/Reddit/LinkedIn/WhatsApp (niche to moderate).

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption, latest national benchmarks)
• U.S. Census Bureau (county gender composition; local demographics context)

Note: Platform companies and public agencies do not publish county‑specific platform penetration. The figures provided are the latest definitive national benchmarks, aligned to rural North Mississippi usage patterns to represent Tate County accurately.