Alexander County

Alexander County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population

• Total: 36,444 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~43 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~82–84%
• Black or African American: ~3–4%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.7–1%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~8–9%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Number of households: ~13.6–13.8k
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~72–74% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~78%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Alexander County, NC snapshot (estimates)

• Population and density: ~37,000 residents; roughly 130–150 people per sq. mile; largely rural with service concentrated around Taylorsville and US‑64/NC‑16 corridors.
• Estimated email users: 27,000–29,000 residents use email at least monthly. Basis: ~90% of adults use email nationally, plus most teens; lower uptake among the oldest ages.
• Age pattern (approx. usage rates):
  • Ages 13–17: 70–80%
  • 18–29: ~98–99%
  • 30–49: ~96–98%
  • 50–64: ~90–95%
  • 65+: ~80–86%
• Gender split: Near parity; users roughly 49% male, 51% female, mirroring population.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Home broadband subscription: ~75–80% of households (rural NC range), with higher adoption in town centers.
  • Smartphone‑only internet: ~10–15% of households.
  • Service quality: Cable/fiber more available in Taylorsville and along main corridors; DSL/fixed wireless/satellite fill gaps in hillier, low‑density areas where coverage and speeds are less consistent.
  • Ongoing improvements: Gradual expansion of fiber and 5G; libraries and schools provide important public Wi‑Fi and digital skills support.

Notes: Figures are derived from county population, rural NC/American Community Survey patterns, and national email/internet adoption benchmarks; treat as directional estimates.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Alexander County, North Carolina

How many users (estimates)

• Population baseline: roughly 37,000 residents; about 77% are 18+ (~28,500 adults).
• Any mobile phone (cellphone) ownership: about 95–97% of adults in rural counties. Estimated 27,000–27,600 adult mobile users in Alexander County.
• Smartphone ownership: typically 80–83% in rural areas versus ~85% statewide. Estimated 23,000–23,500 adult smartphone users in the county.
• Mobile-only internet households (smartphone as primary or only internet): estimated 19–23% of households locally versus ~13–15% statewide. With ~14,000–15,000 households, that’s about 2,700–3,300 mobile-only homes in Alexander County.

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–49: High smartphone penetration (roughly 90–96%), similar to state averages.
  • 50–64: Moderate adoption (~80–85%), slightly below state average due to the county’s older age mix.
  • 65+: Lower adoption (~60–70%); the county’s larger senior share drags down overall smartphone penetration more than at the state level.
• Income and education
  • Median household income trails the NC median, and bachelor’s attainment is lower than the state average. Both correlate with:
    • Higher likelihood of prepaid plans and value carriers/MVNOs.
    • Greater smartphone dependence for internet access (mobile-only households).
• Race/ethnicity
  • Majority White, with a growing Hispanic population. Smartphone adoption among Hispanic residents is typically high, but language-accessible plans and prepaid offerings are disproportionately used. Overall racial gaps in basic smartphone ownership are modest; the bigger local differences are in plan type and reliance on mobile data.
• Work patterns
  • Smaller share of remote workers than statewide urban areas; more mobile use for on-the-go work in trades, transport, and services, and less for full-time video conferencing than in Triangle/Charlotte metros.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network coverage
  • 4G LTE is widespread. 5G coverage exists but is clustered near population centers and main corridors (e.g., around Taylorsville and along primary highways); outlying and foothill areas see more LTE fallback and spotty indoor coverage.
  • Terrain in the Brushy Mountains and low tower density create dead zones and weaker in-building signal than in Piedmont metros.
• Carriers and plans
  • Verizon and AT&T typically have stronger rural signal consistency; T-Mobile mid-band 5G is expanding but can be inconsistent indoors outside the core corridors. MVNO use is higher than in urban NC due to cost sensitivity.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Fiber backhaul is improving along main routes, but capacity constraints persist on the fringes during peak hours and during weather events, leading to throttling or reduced speeds compared with urban NC.
• Public safety and resilience
  • First responder networks (e.g., AT&T FirstNet) have improved rural coverage in recent years, but redundancy (power, microwave/fiber backhaul) is thinner than in metro counties.
• Affordability pressures
  • The wind-down of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program has a larger relative impact here than in urban NC, increasing risk of households shifting to mobile-only connectivity to manage costs.

How Alexander County differs from North Carolina overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration due to an older age profile and more rural settlement.
• Higher reliance on mobile-only internet for home connectivity, driven by affordability and patchy fixed-broadband access in outlying areas.
• Greater use of prepaid/value plans and MVNOs; more sensitivity to data caps and promotional pricing.
• More uneven 5G availability; LTE remains the default in many peripheral areas, while statewide metrics are buoyed by dense 5G in metros.
• Coverage quality varies sharply with terrain; indoor service gaps are more common than the statewide average.
• Capacity and resilience are improving but lag metro counties; outages or congestion during storms/peak periods are more noticeable locally.

Notes on methodology and uncertainty

• Figures are estimates triangulated from recent national and North Carolina trends (e.g., Pew Research smartphone adoption by geography and age, FCC and state broadband reports, ACS household counts). Alexander County-specific mobile adoption is rarely published directly; therefore, ranges are provided where appropriate.

Social media usage in Alexander County, NC (2025 snapshot; modeled estimates)

Note on method: County-specific social media data isn’t published directly. The figures below are model-based estimates using 2020 Census/ACS demographics for Alexander County and recent U.S./rural-NC adoption rates (e.g., Pew Research), adjusted for rural usage patterns. Treat exact percentages as indicative ranges.

User base

• Population: ~36–37k; adults (18+): ~28–29k.
• Online adults (18+): ~25–27k (≈85–90% of adults). Teens (13–17) are >90% online.

Most-used platforms among adult internet users (monthly)

• YouTube: 78–85%
• Facebook: 68–75%
• Instagram: 38–48%
• TikTok: 28–36%
• Snapchat: 20–28% (skews <30)
• X (Twitter): 15–20% (skews male, news/sports)
• Pinterest: 20–25% overall; 35–45% of women
• LinkedIn: 12–18% (smaller professional cohort)
• Reddit: 12–18%
• WhatsApp: 12–18% overall; substantially higher among Hispanic/bilingual households

Age-group patterns (share using platform monthly, directional)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~95%+, Snapchat 70–80%, TikTok 70–75%, Instagram 60–65%, Facebook ~35–45%.
• 18–29: YouTube ~90–95%, Instagram ~70–80%, TikTok ~60–70%, Snapchat ~55–65%, Facebook ~50–60%.
• 30–49: Facebook ~75–85%, YouTube ~80–90%, Instagram ~40–50%, TikTok ~30–40%, Pinterest ~30–40% (women).
• 50–64: Facebook ~70–80%, YouTube ~65–75%, Instagram ~20–30%, TikTok ~15–25%.
• 65+: Facebook ~65–75%, YouTube ~55–65%, Instagram ~10–20%, TikTok ~8–15%.

Gender breakdown (estimated share of user base)

• Overall social media users: ~52–54% women, ~46–48% men.
• Platform skews:
  • Facebook: ~58–60% women
  • Instagram: ~55% women
  • TikTok: ~60% women
  • YouTube: ~55% men
  • X (Twitter): ~60–65% men
  • Reddit: ~70%+ men
  • Pinterest: ~70–75% women
  • WhatsApp: balanced, with higher use in Hispanic households

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as local utility: Heavy use of local groups (schools, churches, youth sports, buy/sell/trade), Facebook Marketplace dominates community commerce and yard-sale culture.
• Video-first habits: YouTube for DIY, equipment repair, hunting/fishing, sermons, and high school sports; TikTok/Shorts/Reels rising, especially for local creators and small businesses.
• Messaging ecosystems: Facebook Messenger broad; Snapchat central for teens/20s; WhatsApp used for family and cross-border ties in Hispanic communities.
• Information flows: Local news and event discovery happen in Facebook groups/pages; trust is relationship-based (neighbors, churches, boosters). Rumor control by admins is common.
• Timing: Peaks before work (6–8am), lunch (12–1pm), and evenings (7–10pm). Weekend spikes for Marketplace and events.
• Commerce/ads: Best reach via Facebook/Instagram; YouTube effective for awareness (how-to, product demos). TikTok increasingly useful for 13–34. Strong performance for hyperlocal/geofenced campaigns and boosted posts tied to events or promotions.
• Access realities: A notable share of smartphone-only users; vertical video, captions, and lightweight creatives perform better. Short, clear CTAs and click-to-message options increase response.