Lawrence County

Lawrence County, Missouri — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 38,153 (2020 Census)
• ACS estimate: ~38.3K (2018–2022 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 5: ~6%
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White alone: ~88–91%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: ~0.3–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~4–6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7–9%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~84–87%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022 5-year)

• Households: ~14.5K–14.8K
• Average household size: ~2.55–2.60
• Family households: ~70–72%
• Married-couple families: ~55–57%
• Households with children under 18: ~30–32%
• Nonfamily households: ~28–30%; living alone: ~23–25%; 65+ living alone: ~9–11%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~70–72%

Insights

• Population is stable and predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a growing Hispanic community.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the national median, reflecting a sizable 65+ share.
• Household composition is family-oriented with above-average homeownership and modest household sizes.

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

Lawrence County, MO (2025 estimate)

• Population ≈38,300 across ~613 sq mi; density ~62 people/sq mi.
• Email users: ≈28,500 residents (≈74% of total; ≈92% of adults).
• Gender split (users): 51% female (14,500) and 49% male (14,000).
• Age distribution (users): 13–17: 7% (2,000); 18–34: 24% (6,800); 35–54: 33% (9,400); 55–64: 15% (4,300); 65+: 21% (~6,000).

Digital access and usage

• ~87% of households have a computer; ~76% have home broadband; ~14% are mobile-only internet users.
• Email is checked primarily on smartphones, with desktop/laptop use more common among older adults; work and school accounts drive weekday daytime peaks.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Highest email activity aligns with the I‑44 corridor and population centers (Aurora, Mount Vernon, Marionville).
• Rural townships rely more on fixed wireless/DSL and public Wi‑Fi at libraries and schools.
• Ongoing fiber and 5G expansions are raising speeds, but pockets below 25 Mbps persist in sparsely populated areas, which can limit large-attachment emails and shift usage to off-peak hours.

Figures are county-level estimates derived from current population and U.S. rural adoption patterns.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Lawrence County, Missouri

Headline user estimates (2025)

• Population base: ~38,000–39,000 residents
• Estimated mobile phone users (any cell phone): ~30,000–31,000 (about 80% of residents)
• Estimated smartphone users: ~27,000–28,000 (about 72–74% of residents)
• Adult smartphone adoption (18+): ~82–84% in Lawrence County versus ~85–88% statewide

How the estimate was built

• Adults 18–64: ~94% have a mobile phone; ~86% have a smartphone
• Adults 65+: ~85% have a mobile phone; ~72% have a smartphone
• Teens 12–17: ~93–95% have a mobile phone (mostly smartphones)
• Children 5–11: ~25–30% have a mobile phone These rates reflect national/Pew norms adjusted downward slightly for rural/r lower-income areas and applied to county age structure from recent ACS releases.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Age: Lawrence County skews older than Missouri overall. Seniors (65+) represent roughly 18–20% of the population locally versus ~17% statewide, which pulls down overall smartphone penetration and increases the share of basic/older devices.
• Income: Median household income in Lawrence County is materially below the Missouri median. This correlates with more price-sensitive plans (prepaid, MVNOs) and greater dependence on a single mobile device per adult, with fewer multi-line, premium data add-ons than the state average.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s Hispanic share is modestly higher than the Missouri average. Hispanic adults tend to show high smartphone adoption and above-average reliance on mobile data for home internet, which raises the local rate of “cellular-only” internet households relative to the state.
• Mobile-only internet: An estimated 11–13% of households rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet (vs about 7–8% statewide). Households with no internet access at all are also somewhat higher locally (roughly mid-teens percentage) than the state average.
• Post-ACP affordability: The wind-down of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024 has a larger affordability impact in rural counties like Lawrence, likely increasing plan downgrades, data rationing, and reliance on public Wi‑Fi compared with urban Missouri.

Digital infrastructure and network experience

• Coverage baseline: 4G LTE is effectively ubiquitous in populated areas and along corridors (I‑44, US‑60, MO‑39), with spotty indoor and fringe coverage in the most rural tracts and river bottoms.
• 5G availability:
  • T-Mobile: Broad low-band 5G countywide with mid-band (2.5 GHz) capacity focused along I‑44 and population centers (Mount Vernon, Aurora, Marionville).
  • Verizon: Low-band 5G wide-area; mid-band (C‑band) capacity strongest toward the Springfield side, tapering westward into the county.
  • AT&T: Low-band 5G broadly present; mid-band pockets near towns/corridors. Approximate population coverage: 5G of some kind reaches a large majority of residents; mid-band/high-capacity 5G likely covers roughly half of residents countywide versus a markedly higher share in metro Missouri.
• Performance expectations: In-town mid-band 5G commonly delivers tens to low hundreds of Mbps with good app performance and video quality; rural edges revert to LTE with 5–20 Mbps typical and greater latency/jitter variability, affecting hotspot use and real-time apps.
• Tower density and backhaul: Sites cluster along I‑44 and town centers, with sparser rural density. Fiber backhaul is less ubiquitous than in metro areas; some sectors rely on microwave backhaul, which can constrain peak throughput during busy periods.
• Emergency and legacy support: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is a selling point for public safety and healthcare users; CDMA/3G sunsets are complete, but some legacy device users remain in rural pockets, reinforcing the need for VoLTE-capable handsets.

How Lawrence County differs from Missouri overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone penetration due to an older age mix and lower incomes.
• Higher share of cellular-only households and households with no internet, indicating greater substitution of mobile for home broadband.
• More prepaid/MVNO plan adoption and price-sensitive data usage patterns than statewide averages.
• Mid-band 5G coverage and backhaul depth are thinner than in Missouri’s urban counties; users more frequently fall back to LTE at the fringes, yielding lower median speeds and more variable experience.
• Practical reliance on mobile hotspots for homework, telehealth, and gig work is greater than the state norm, especially outside town centers.

Actionable implications

• Market sizing: Addressable smartphone base locally is roughly 27–28 thousand users, with room to grow in 65+ adoption via simplified devices and senior-friendly plans.
• Product mix: Prepaid, MVNO, and value-focused postpaid plans with robust coverage and generous hotspot allotments are well aligned with local needs.
• Infrastructure leverage: Capacity upgrades on mid-band 5G near schools, clinics, and along I‑44/US‑60 corridors will yield outsized user benefit; rural-sector LTE modernization and fiber backhaul extensions would improve evening performance where congestion is most acute.

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2020–2023) for population and household internet characteristics (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions).
• Pew Research Center 2023–2024 for smartphone and cellphone ownership by age and rural/urban segments.
• FCC mobile coverage filings and carrier public 5G deployment disclosures through 2024 for infrastructure patterns.

Social media usage snapshot — Lawrence County, Missouri (2025)

Population and connectivity

• Total population: 38,001 (2020 Census). Adults (18+): ~29,300.
• Households with broadband: roughly three-quarters (ACS for rural Missouri counties; Lawrence County aligns closely).

Estimated user base

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~21,000–23,000 (applying Pew Research national adoption rates to the local adult population).

Most-used platforms (share of adult users; best-available estimates modeled from Pew 2023–2024, adjusted for rural Missouri)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Facebook Messenger: ~65%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• Pinterest: ~29%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~15%
• Reddit: ~14%
• Nextdoor: <5% (limited neighborhood coverage outside larger metros)

Age patterns (share of adults in each bracket who use social media; Pew-based, applied locally)

• 18–29: ~85–90%
• 30–49: ~80–85%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~45–50%

Gender breakdown

• Adult population is approximately even (slight female majority).
• Among social-media users: ~52% female, ~48% male overall. Platform skews locally mirror national patterns:
  • More female: Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok.
  • More male: YouTube, Reddit, X.
  • Snapchat skews younger and slightly female; LinkedIn skews male in this market given the local industry mix.

Behavioral trends observed in rural Missouri counties consistent with Lawrence County

• Facebook as the community hub: high engagement in local groups, schools/boosters, church and civic announcements, lost-and-found, and Marketplace. Events and fundraisers perform well; live video and photo albums of local sports drive comments and shares.
• Utility-driven content wins: weather updates, road closures, school calendars, agriculture/farm tips, hunting/fishing, home repair, and “how-to” videos on YouTube.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels usage rising among teens and 18–34s; cross-posted clips to Facebook Reels extend reach to 35–54.
• Messaging-first behavior: Facebook Messenger widely used for coordination instead of SMS; Snapchat is a daily communication tool for high school and college-age residents.
• Shopping and discovery: Facebook Marketplace dominates local buy/sell; Pinterest used for recipes, crafts, and home projects; Instagram used to vet boutiques, salons, and eateries; Google/YouTube for product research before in-store purchase.
• News and sports: X used by a minority for breaking news and Missouri sports; YouTube and Facebook carry local radio/podcast clips. Local school athletics pages garner outsized reach.
• Best posting windows: evenings (7–9 p.m.) and lunch hours; weekends see strong Marketplace and event interest.
• Ads and targeting: Practical offers (“$ off,” seasonal services), before/after visuals, and short videos outperform generic branding. Radius and ZIP-code targeting with interest overlays (farming, DIY, hunting, auto) are effective. Retargeting from website traffic to Facebook/Instagram and YouTube improves conversion in this market.

Notes on method

• Direct, platform-level county statistics are not publicly released. Figures above are the best-available local estimates derived from U.S. Census/ACS county demographics and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform usage rates, adjusted for rural Missouri usage patterns.