Tippah County

Tippah County, Mississippi — key demographics (latest Census Bureau estimates)

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: ~22,100
• 2020 Census: 21,815

Age

• Median age: ~39–40 years
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 65 and over: ~17–18%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition (shares of total population)

• White alone: ~73–75%
• Black or African American alone: ~21–23%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0–0.1%

Households

• Total households: ~8,000
• Average household size: ~2.6 persons
• Family households: ~70–72% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~50–52% of households
  • Female householder, no spouse: ~14–16% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~30%
• Householders living alone: ~24% (about 10% age 65+ living alone)
• Average family size: ~3.1

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program). Figures rounded for clarity.

Tippah County, Mississippi (2020 population 21,815) spans about 458 sq mi, yielding roughly 48 people per square mile, reflecting a sparsely populated, rural connectivity profile.

Estimated email users: ≈16,000 residents (about 73% of the population) use email at least monthly.

Age distribution of email use (approximate users, reflecting typical rural adoption):

• 18–29: ~3,700 users (≈95% adoption)
• 30–49: ~5,200 (≈96%)
• 50–64: ~3,900 (≈90%)
• 65+: ~3,000 (≈80%)
• Teens add modest additional usage; children under 13 contribute minimally

Gender split among email users: Female ~8,000 (≈51%), Male ~7,700 (≈49%), reflecting near-parity in adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• About 78% of households have a broadband subscription; roughly 20% report no home internet.
• An estimated 12% are smartphone‑only for internet, pushing mobile-first email habits.
• Connectivity is strongest in and around towns and along major corridors; more remote areas see patchier fixed-line options.
• Ongoing state and federal broadband investments are expanding fiber and improving speeds, while 4G/5G coverage continues to fill gaps, supporting rising mobile email usage.

Overall: high adult email penetration tempered by rural infrastructure constraints and an older population profile.

Summary for Tippah County, Mississippi (mobile phone usage and infrastructure)

Scope and approach

• County-level mobile usage is not reported in a single official source. The figures below combine the latest public datasets available as of 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2019–2023 5‑year for population and households; Pew/NTIA for adoption patterns by rural status; FCC coverage data trends for rural MS). Where exact county values are unavailable, ranges are modeled from rural-Mississippi benchmarks. Counts are rounded for clarity.

Headline takeaways

• Mobile dependence is higher than Mississippi’s average. A larger share of households rely on cellular data as their primary or only home internet, driven by patchier fixed broadband and lower incomes relative to the state average.
• Smartphone ownership is widespread but a few points lower than the statewide average, reflecting the county’s older and more rural profile.
• 5G coverage exists along primary corridors and in/around Ripley, but most outlying areas remain LTE-centric; performance is more variable than the state average.

User base and adoption (estimates)

• Population and adults
  • Total population: approximately 22,000
  • Adults (18+): approximately 16,500–17,000
• Adult smartphone users
  • Estimated 85–88% of adults use a smartphone in rural north Mississippi contexts
  • Tippah County estimate: 14,200–15,000 adult smartphone users
• Mobile-only home internet households (cellular data plan used without a fixed home broadband subscription)
  • Rural-Mississippi benchmark: roughly 22–28% of households
  • Tippah County estimate: approximately 1,800–2,300 households
• Prepaid vs. postpaid
  • Rural, lower-income areas of MS show elevated prepaid shares
  • Tippah County estimate: prepaid lines likely account for 30–40% of active mobile lines (higher than the state average)
• Device mix
  • Skews more Android than iOS compared with the statewide mix, consistent with rural income profiles and higher prepaid penetration

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Age: Older-than-state-average age structure modestly depresses overall smartphone adoption but increases voice/SMS reliance among seniors; younger working-age adults show high smartphone dependence for work and schooling.
• Income: Lower median household income than the state average correlates with higher prepaid uptake, tighter data budgets, and greater reliance on smartphones as primary internet devices.
• Race/ethnicity: Minority households (notably Black residents) show high smartphone reliance for internet access, paralleling statewide patterns, but with a larger mobile-only share due to fewer fixed-broadband options in outlying tracts.
• Education: Areas with lower postsecondary attainment exhibit higher mobile-only usage, consistent with state rural trends.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and technology
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage across the county from the national carriers; indoor coverage varies by construction type and distance to highways.
  • 5G: Present around Ripley and along major corridors (e.g., US-72), but mid-band 5G is still spotty; most non-town areas remain LTE-first.
• Capacity and speeds
  • LTE download speeds typically adequate for messaging, social media, and streaming in-town; speeds degrade in fringe areas and during peak hours more than the state average.
  • 5G brings better capacity in limited footprints, but countywide experience lags Mississippi metro areas.
• Competition and redundancy
  • Three national carriers operate, but single-carrier dominance appears in several rural pockets; residents often report materially different performance by carrier depending on location.
  • Fixed broadband gaps (DSL legacy plant, limited fiber outside town centers) raise the role of mobile hotspots and smartphone tethering.
• Emergency/coverage resiliency
  • Weather and power interruptions can impact single-tower communities more acutely than the state average; cross-carrier redundancy is advisable for critical users.

How Tippah County differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher mobile-only internet reliance: +5 to +10 percentage points above the statewide share, driven by fewer fixed options and budget constraints.
• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration: 2–4 points below the statewide average, tied to age and rurality.
• Higher prepaid share: 5–10 points above statewide, influencing device mix and plan choices.
• More variable performance: Greater dependence on LTE and fewer mid-band 5G nodes than in MS metros, producing wider speed and latency swings.

Implications

• Service planning: Carriers that densify LTE and deploy mid-band 5G along secondary roads (and add small cells in Ripley) will capture outsized quality gains.
• Affordability and adoption: ACP wind-down and limited fiber availability magnify the importance of competitively priced prepaid and fixed-wireless plans.
• Public services: Mobile-first design for county services, telehealth, and schooling is essential, with offline-capable options for fringe-coverage areas.

Social media usage in Tippah County, Mississippi (2025 snapshot)

Baseline

• Population: approximately 22,000 residents (ACS 2023).
• Residents age 13+: approximately 18,700.
• Social media users (13+): approximately 14,300 (76% penetration).

Gender breakdown (share of social media users)

• Women: 53% (~7,600 users).
• Men: 47% (~6,700 users).

Most-used platforms (share of social media users; approximate counts in parentheses)

• YouTube: 82% (~11,700).
• Facebook: 68% (~9,700).
• Instagram: 45% (~6,400).
• TikTok: 38% (~5,400).
• Pinterest: 34% (~4,900; skew female).
• Snapchat: 29% (~4,100; skew under 30).
• X (Twitter): 19% (~2,700; skew male).
• LinkedIn: 21% (~3,000; skew 25–44).

Age patterns (penetration within each age group; platform skews)

• 13–17: 95% use social. Heaviest on YouTube (95), TikTok (70), Snapchat (60), Instagram (65); Facebook (30).
• 18–29: 90%. YouTube (90), Instagram (75), Snapchat (60), TikTok (55), Facebook (60).
• 30–49: 80%. Facebook (72), YouTube (85), Instagram (50), TikTok (~35).
• 50–64: 72%. Facebook (76), YouTube (78), Instagram (35), TikTok (~25).
• 65+: 60%. Facebook (73), YouTube (68), Instagram (20), TikTok (~14).

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the local hub: heavy use of Groups (schools, churches, youth sports, civic updates), Marketplace for buying/selling, and event posts; public information and local alerts often propagate here first.
• Video-first consumption: high passive viewing on YouTube and short-form (Reels/Shorts/TikTok); creation is concentrated among teens/20s, while 30+ primarily watch and share.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger dominates for cross-age communication; Snapchat is common among teens/young adults; SMS remains prevalent for coordination.
• Local discovery and commerce: residents find contractors, yard/estate sales, and small retailers on Facebook; boutiques/salons and food trucks see meaningful discovery on Instagram; YouTube used for how-to and product research.
• Engagement timing: strongest in evenings and weekends; spikes around school calendars, sports seasons, church/community events, and weather incidents.
• Content that performs: practical, hyper-local updates; photos/video of community events; limited-time deals; short vertical video; posts that tag locations and community groups.

Notes on methodology

• Population from U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023). Usage rates modeled from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use (2024) with standard rural adjustments and age/gender weighting to Tippah County’s profile. Figures are rounded estimates suitable for planning.