Union County

Union County, Mississippi – key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 28,668 (2020 Census)
• Recent estimate: ~28.9k (Census Bureau 2023 estimate)

Age

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

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (race alone unless noted; Hispanic is any race)

• White: ~77%
• Black or African American: ~16–17%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~4–5%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Households

• Households: ~10.6–10.8k
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~70% of households
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (latest available).

Union County, Mississippi (2020 population 28,668; county seat: New Albany) has an estimated 20,000 adult email users. That is roughly 70% of all residents and about 90–93% of adults.

Estimated email users by age (share of email users):

• 18–29: ~22%
• 30–49: ~36%
• 50–64: ~24%
• 65+: ~18%

Gender split among email users: ~51% female, 49% male, mirroring the county’s population; usage shows no meaningful gender gap.

Digital access trends:

• Household internet access is broad: roughly four in five households have a home broadband subscription, and email use closely tracks internet access.
• Reliance on mobile connectivity is notable: about one in five households are effectively smartphone‑only for home internet, making mobile email critical.
• Adoption has trended upward since 2017 as broadband and LTE/5G coverage expanded.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density is about 69 people per square mile, with denser service along the I‑22/New Albany corridor and more cellular‑dependent access in outlying rural areas.
• Fixed broadband availability is widespread near population centers; speeds and plan choices thin outside town, reinforcing higher mobile usage.

Union County, Mississippi — Mobile Phone Usage Summary

Scope and approach

• Figures are the latest available modeled estimates based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (S0101, S1901, S2801), CDC/NCHS National Health Interview Survey (wireless-only households), FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023/2024), Pew Research Center smartphone adoption by age (2023), and major carrier public coverage disclosures as of 2024. Values rounded for clarity.

Headline user estimates

• Population and households: ~28,000 residents; ~10,500 households.
• Adult smartphone users: 21,000–23,000 adults (roughly 84–88% of adults), slightly below Mississippi’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (≈86–90%).
• Wireless-only telephone households (no landline): 75–80% in Union County, at or a touch above Mississippi’s already high statewide level (73–78%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no home fixed broadband): 24–28% of households in Union County, higher than the statewide share (~20–23%), reflecting rural reliance on mobile data.

Demographic breakdown shaping mobile usage

• Age structure: ~18–19% age 65+ (above state average), ~24% under 18, remainder working-age. Older skew modestly suppresses smartphone adoption and increases basic/feature-phone retention relative to urban counties.
• Race/ethnicity: Predominantly White (roughly three-quarters), with a smaller Black share than the state average and a small but growing Hispanic/Latino population. Relative to Mississippi overall (which has a much larger Black share), Union County’s usage mix shows less urban, app-centric clustering and more dispersed, utility-focused usage in rural areas.
• Income and education: Median household income around the state median, with a slightly lower share of bachelor’s degrees than Mississippi overall. These factors correlate with higher prepaid plan usage, price-sensitive device cycles, and a higher propensity to use mobile as primary internet.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro cellular coverage: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon provide near-universal outdoor 4G LTE population coverage; in-building coverage varies by construction and distance to sites.
• 5G availability: Deployed along primary corridors and population centers (e.g., New Albany, the I‑22/US‑78 corridor), with mid-band 5G (where available) delivering noticeably higher median speeds than LTE. Rural fringes are often LTE-only or low-band 5G.
• Capacity and speeds (typical, not peak):
  • 5G mid-band areas: median downstream often 100–300 Mbps in town centers/corridors.
  • LTE and low-band 5G areas: median downstream commonly 10–40 Mbps in rural zones.
• Site density: Sparse rural siting outside New Albany and key highways; performance drops with foliage and terrain. Indoor coverage gaps persist in metal-roof and energy-efficient structures away from corridors.
• Fixed broadband context that drives mobile reliance: Cable and fiber are present in and near New Albany, with DSL/fixed wireless and co-op fiber in some rural pockets; however, material portions of rural addresses still lack 100/20 Mbps fixed service. This encourages smartphone-only internet substitution, particularly in lower-density areas.

How Union County differs from Mississippi overall

• More mobile-as-primary internet: Smartphone-only internet reliance is several points higher than the state average, reflecting patchier rural fixed broadband.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration: The county’s older age profile pulls adult smartphone adoption a bit below the statewide rate, even as younger cohorts are near-universal adopters.
• Heavier prepaid/value orientation: Income/education mix and rural travel patterns lead to higher prepaid usage and longer device replacement cycles compared with Mississippi’s urban counties.
• Infrastructure asymmetry: A larger performance gap between corridor/town-center 5G and rural LTE compared with statewide urbanized areas; network experience varies more by location within the county.
• Emergency and workday patterns: Coverage and capacity concentrate along I‑22 and industrial/commuter routes, creating more pronounced peak-load windows than in more uniformly covered metro counties.

Operational insights

• The most impactful improvements would be rural 5G mid-band infill, additional small cells or sectorization in New Albany and along I‑22, and continued fiber buildouts to reduce smartphone-only dependence.
• Public services, telehealth, and education programs should assume higher smartphone-only access in rural tracts and design mobile-first experiences and offline-capable content.

Sources (compiled): U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (population, age, income, education, device and subscription types), CDC/NCHS NHIS 2022–2023 (wireless-only households), FCC Broadband Data Collection 2023–2024 (fixed coverage), Pew Research Center 2023 (smartphone adoption by age), and carrier public coverage/performance disclosures (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, C Spire) as of 2024. Figures are county-specific estimates benchmarked against Mississippi statewide baselines.

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

How many people are using social

• Total population: ~28.7k
• Social media users (age 13+): ~18.1k (≈76% of residents 13+; ≈63% of total population)
• Adult social media users (18+): ~16.4k

Age mix of the social user base (13+)

• 13–17: 9%
• 18–29: 20%
• 30–49: 34%
• 50–64: 21%
• 65+: 16%

Gender breakdown (social users, 13+)

• Female: 51%
• Male: 49%

Most-used platforms among social users (reach, 13+)

• YouTube: 84%
• Facebook: 65%
• Instagram: 48%
• TikTok: 36%
• Pinterest: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 28%
• X (Twitter): 22%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: Heavy use of local Groups, Marketplace, school/booster clubs, churches, and yard sales. Event posts, lost-and-found, and local business promos draw above-average comments and shares.
• Video everywhere, short and vertical: Reels/TikTok clips (15–45 seconds) outperform photos for reach, especially for restaurants, boutiques, sports highlights, and local events.
• YouTube is the how-to and church hub: Strong cross-age use for DIY, hunting/fishing, small-engine repair, sermon replays, and local sports streams.
• Under-30 split across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat: Instagram leads for local lifestyle and business discovery; TikTok for entertainment and creators; Snapchat dominates peer-to-peer messaging and campus/high school chatter.
• Older users stay loyal to Facebook: 50+ rely on Pages and Groups for news, obituaries, civic updates, and church communications; click-to-call and map taps convert well.
• Pinterest skews female 25–44: Recipes, home projects, prom/wedding, and seasonal shopping inspiration drive saves and link clicks.
• X is niche but real-time: Used by local journalists, coaches, and weather watchers for storms, road closures, and sports scores.
• Best posting windows: Early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.) on weekdays; Sunday afternoons see high community engagement.
• Ad/creative notes: Plain-language headlines, event dates in the first line, and price/offer clarity outperform; geotargeting within 10–20 miles of New Albany is sufficient for most campaigns.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled 2025 estimates derived from the county’s population and age structure (U.S. Census/ACS) combined with platform adoption rates by age and gender from Pew Research Center (2023–2024). Percentages reflect estimated reach among active social media users in Union County rather than the entire population.