Greene County

Greene County, Missouri — key demographics

Population size

• 298,915 (2020 Decennial Census)
• 306,900 (2023 Census Bureau population estimate)

Age

• Median age: 37.0 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: 20.8%
• 65 and over: 17.5%

Gender

• Female: 51.3%
• Male: 48.7% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: 85.7%
• Black or African American alone: 4.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: 0.8%
• Asian alone: 2.1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 6.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 4.9%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 81.7%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: 125,900
• Average household size: 2.33
• Family households: 58%
• Married-couple families: 43%
• Households with children under 18: 27%
• Nonfamily households: 42%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 57%

Insights

• Population grew roughly 2–3% since 2020.
• Age structure is relatively young-adult, with about one in six residents 65+.
• Household mix skews smaller with a sizable nonfamily and renter share compared with many Missouri counties.

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

Greene County, MO snapshot (2020 base, modeled to 2024 behaviors)

• Population/density: ≈299,000 residents across ≈678 sq mi (≈442 people/sq mi). Springfield holds ≈57% of the county, concentrating connectivity in the urban core.

• Estimated email users: ≈230,000 residents (age 13+) use email regularly. Method: county age mix plus near‑universal email adoption among internet users (Pew), applied to residents 13+.

• Age distribution of email users (estimated share of users):

  • 13–17: 7%
  • 18–34: 31%
  • 35–54: 33%
  • 55–64: 14%
  • 65+: 15%

• Gender split among users: mirrors population; ≈51% female (≈117k), 49% male (≈113k).

• Digital access and trends:

  • Urban Springfield drives higher broadband and smartphone adoption; rural fringes show more reliance on slower or wireless options, creating a modest urban–rural gap in access quality.
  • Household broadband subscription is high for an Ozarks county, with growing fiber/cable availability in and around Springfield and increased smartphone‑only access among lower‑income households.
  • Public institutions (schools, libraries, municipal facilities) add significant free Wi‑Fi coverage, supporting consistent email access for students and workers.

Implication: Email reach in Greene County is broad and demographically balanced, with strongest engagement in 18–54 and slightly lower—but still substantial—use among 65+.

Greene County, Missouri mobile phone usage — 2024 snapshot

Executive summary

• Estimated adult mobile users: ~229,000 adults use a mobile phone (any type), and ~215,000 are smartphone users, in a county of ~300,000+ residents.
• Compared with Missouri overall, Greene County trends more urban: higher smartphone adoption, greater reliance on mobile data as a primary home connection, and denser 5G coverage and capacity in the Springfield core and along I‑44/US‑65 corridors.

User estimates

• Population base: ~300,000–310,000 residents; ~240,000 adults (18+).
• Any mobile phone (voice/SMS): ~95–96% of adults → ~229,000 adult mobile users.
• Smartphones: ~89–90% of adults → ~215,000 adult smartphone users.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed home broadband): ~22–24% of households, translating to roughly 28,000–31,000 households countywide.
• Mobile lines per adult: typical 1.1–1.2 lines per adult user in urban Missouri markets suggests ~250,000–275,000 active mobile lines in the county when including tablets/wearables and secondary lines.

Demographic breakdown (adults 18+)

• By age
  • 18–34: ~27% of adults; smartphone adoption ~97–99% → ~63,000 smartphone users. Heaviest video/social, app-based transit/food delivery use. Above-state adoption and data consumption.
  • 35–64: ~49% of adults; smartphone adoption ~92–95% → ~108,000 smartphone users. Strong BYOD use for work; high 5G handset penetration.
  • 65+: ~24% of adults; smartphone adoption ~75–82% → ~44,000–49,000 smartphone users. Adoption higher than Missouri’s senior average due to better device support access in Springfield; larger share uses big-screen Android devices and simplified plans.
• By income/tenure
  • Median household income trails the state average; renter share is higher in Springfield. Both factors correlate with more prepaid plans and higher smartphone-only home internet reliance (Greene ~22–24% vs Missouri ~17–20%).
• By urbanicity
  • Springfield and adjacent suburbs drive most usage and 5G uptake; outlying townships show more LTE-only devices and mixed signal quality indoors, contributing to higher usage of Wi‑Fi calling where available.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks and coverage
  • 4G LTE is effectively universal in populated areas; 5G from all three national carriers covers Springfield, major suburbs, the I‑44 corridor, and key arterials (US‑65, MO‑13). Rural fringes of the county still see LTE primary with patchier mid-band 5G.
  • Indoor coverage: Generally strong in modern commercial corridors; select older multistory buildings and valley areas on the Ozarks’ edge experience attenuation, especially on higher-frequency 5G bands.
• Capacity and speeds (typical user experience)
  • 5G mid-band in Springfield commonly delivers triple‑digit Mbps downlink at peak, with uplink 10–30 Mbps; LTE ranges roughly 10–50 Mbps down / 3–10 Mbps up in town, lower at rural edges and near congestion hotspots (event venues, campus peaks).
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Springfield has robust fiber backbones (e.g., AT&T Fiber, Mediacom business fiber, and the municipal SpringNet network) feeding macro sites and small cells, which raises 5G capacity in commercial districts and near campuses and hospitals.
• Infrastructure siting patterns
  • Macro sites line I‑44, US‑65, and major arterials; additional rooftop and small‑cell placements are concentrated downtown, on/near Missouri State University, Mercy/CoxHealth campuses, retail corridors (Glenstone, Sunshine, Battlefield), and event venues.
• Reliability and public safety
  • The county participates in IPAWS/WEA for mobile alerts; carriers maintain overlapping LTE coverage for redundancy. Storm-related outages tend to be localized and resolved as backhaul power and fiber routes are restored.

How Greene County differs from Missouri statewide

• Higher smartphone adoption: Urban/college-driven demographics lift adult smartphone penetration several points above the Missouri average.
• More smartphone-only households: Lower median income and higher renter share raise the share of households relying solely on mobile data (roughly 22–24% vs ~17–20% statewide).
• Denser 5G footprint and capacity: Springfield’s fiber-rich core supports broader mid-band 5G availability and higher median speeds than many Missouri counties, especially outside the St. Louis and Kansas City metros.
• Smaller urban–rural gap within the county: While rural fringes exist, a majority of residents live in the Springfield metro, compressing adoption and coverage disparities relative to the state’s more rural composition.

Method notes

• Population, household, and age structure are based on recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Greene County; device ownership and smartphone-only reliance rates are derived by applying current Pew Research device-adoption benchmarks and ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns to the county’s urban/age/income profile. Coverage characterizations reflect the 2024 FCC mobile maps and carrier-disclosed 5G deployments in Springfield. Figures are presented as county-level estimates consistent with those sources and local market conditions.

Social media usage in Greene County, MO (2024 snapshot)

Baseline and overall user stats

• Population estimate: ~306,000; adults 18+: ~238,000
• Adults using any social media: ~197,000 (≈83% penetration)
• Multiplatform behavior: ≈70% of users are active on 2+ platforms; video-first consumption continues to grow

Most-used platforms (share of adults; approximate user counts)

• YouTube: 84% (~200k)
• Facebook: 70% (~167k)
• Instagram: 52% (~124k)
• TikTok: 36% (~86k)
• Pinterest: 34% (~81k)
• Snapchat: 32% (~76k)
• LinkedIn: 31% (~74k)
• X/Twitter: 26% (~62k)
• WhatsApp: 25% (~60k)
• Reddit: 22% (~52k)
• Nextdoor: 20% (~48k) Note: Shares exceed total social-media penetration because many adults use multiple platforms.

Age-group usage (share of adults in each group using any social media; platform skews)

• 18–24: 95% use social media; strongest on Instagram (80%), Snapchat (80%), TikTok (70%), YouTube (95%); Facebook moderate (65%)
• 25–34: 90%; Instagram (65%), YouTube (90%+), Facebook (73%), TikTok (50%), Snapchat (50%)
• 35–49: 85%; Facebook (76%) and YouTube (88%) lead; Instagram (48%), TikTok (~37%)
• 50–64: 75%; Facebook (69%), YouTube (81%); moderate Instagram (28%), low TikTok/Snapchat (≤20%)
• 65+: 58%; Facebook (52%) and YouTube (70%) dominate; limited Instagram (15%) and TikTok (~8%)

Gender breakdown (share of users by platform)

• Overall adult social-media adoption: women ~84%, men ~82% (small gap)
• Skews by platform:
  • More female: Pinterest (75% women), Facebook (55% women), Instagram (56% women), TikTok (58% women), Nextdoor (~60% women)
  • More male: YouTube (54% men), X/Twitter (60% men), Reddit (70% men), LinkedIn (54% men)

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Facebook is the community backbone: extensive use of Facebook Groups and Marketplace for neighborhood news, school/parent groups, church activities, buy/sell/trade, and local services
• Weather-driven spikes: severe weather and school-closure updates from local outlets (e.g., KY3, OzarksFirst) trigger high engagement and rapid sharing
• Events and dining discovery skew to visual/video: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive awareness for local restaurants, coffee shops, nightlife, and campus events; hashtags tied to the 417 area are commonly used
• Student footprint (Missouri State, OTC, Drury) amplifies short-form video and DM-first behavior (Instagram and Snapchat) and raises late-evening engagement
• Professional sectors (healthcare, education, logistics) sustain steady LinkedIn usage for recruiting and networking; many small businesses still rely on Facebook Pages + Messenger for customer service
• Nextdoor usage is concentrated in suburban/owner-occupied neighborhoods for HOA notices, public safety, lost/found pets, and contractor recommendations
• Content formats that perform: short vertical video, before/after visuals, limited-time offers for retail/F&B on Facebook and Instagram; how-to and service explainer videos on YouTube; real-time alerts (traffic, weather, sports) on Facebook and X

Method note

• Figures are modeled local estimates for 2024, derived by applying recent Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption rates to Greene County’s age/sex mix from the latest ACS/Census data. Expect ±3–5 percentage points variance by platform and segment.