Macon County

Key demographics for Macon County, North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: ~38,000 (37,056 in 2020 Census; ~38k in 2019–2023 ACS estimates)

Age

• Median age: ~51–52 years
• Under 18: ~18%
• 65 and over: ~29–30%

Sex

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White (non-Hispanic): ~86–87%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7–8%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): ~1%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): ~1% or less
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%

Households and housing

• Households: ~16,700
• Average household size: ~2.2–2.3
• Family households: ~64%
• Married-couple households: ~50% of all households
• Households with children <18: ~20–22%
• Living alone: ~30%; 65+ living alone: ~14–15%
• Owner-occupied: ~76–78%; renter-occupied: ~22–24%

Insight

• The county skews older with a high share of retirees, is predominantly non-Hispanic White, has small household sizes, and a high owner-occupancy rate consistent with a significant seasonal/second-home presence.

Macon County, NC snapshot (2023 est.)

• Estimated email users: ≈28,500 adults. Basis: ~38,000 residents, ~31,500 adults (18+), ~90% adult email use.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–29: ~15%; 30–49: ~21%; 50–64: ~28%; 65+: ~36% (older-skewing county drives a large senior share).
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors county demographics).

Digital access and trends

• Household computer access: ~91%.
• Household broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, fixed wireless): ~85%.
• Cellular-only internet at home: ~10%.
• No home internet: ~8%.
• Trend: steady migration from DSL to cable/fiber; fixed wireless and satellite fill remote gaps; smartphone-only households persist, limiting full-feature email use for some residents. Seniors’ email adoption continues to rise, narrowing age gaps.

Local density/connectivity context

• Population density ≈74 people per square mile across mountainous, dispersed settlements, raising last‑mile buildout costs and correlating with slightly lower broadband subscription than the North Carolina average.
• Connectivity is strongest in and around towns (e.g., Franklin/Highlands) with cable/fiber footprints; outer rural areas rely more on fixed wireless/satellite, influencing email usage patterns and frequency.

Mobile phone usage in Macon County, North Carolina (2025 snapshot)

Core user estimates

• Population base: roughly 38,000 residents (2023 Census estimate range), with about 31,000–32,000 adults (≈82% of the population, reflecting the county’s older age profile).
• Mobile phone users (any cell phone): about 29,000–30,000 adults (≈93–96% adult adoption). This is slightly below North Carolina’s urban corridors but broadly in line with rural U.S. norms.
• Smartphone users: about 26,000–27,000 adults (≈83–86% adult adoption), trailing the North Carolina statewide average (≈90%) due to the county’s age distribution and rural terrain.
• Smartphone-dependent households (smartphone as the primary/only internet connection): approximately 1,700–2,000 households (≈10–12% of ≈17,000 total households), a higher share than the state average (≈7–9%).

Demographic shape of usage

• Age-driven differences (key divergence from state-level):
  • Macon County has a substantially older population than North Carolina overall (≈29% age 65+ vs ≈17–18% statewide). Seniors show lower smartphone ownership and use more basic or flip phones, pulling down overall smartphone penetration.
  • Estimated smartphone adoption by age in Macon County:
    • 18–34: ≈95–98% (near parity with statewide/US levels)
    • 35–64: ≈88–92% (modestly below statewide)
    • 65+: ≈65–70% (well below statewide), with higher reliance on voice/SMS and Wi‑Fi at home
• Income and plan type:
  • Prepaid/MVNO usage runs higher than statewide (≈25–30% of lines vs ≈20% statewide), driven by cost sensitivity among service and seasonal workers and by coverage-oriented plan selection.
  • Smartphone-only internet reliance is elevated among lower-income and some multilingual households because fiber/cable availability is uneven outside town centers.
• Seasonal population effects:
  • Tourism and second‑home patterns in Highlands, Franklin, and lake areas create pronounced weekend/summer and fall “leaf season” surges in mobile traffic, increasing congestion and variability more than in most NC counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (what’s different from state-level)

• Terrain-limited radio coverage:
  • The Nantahala National Forest and steep ridgelines create more dead zones, shadowing, and lower indoor signal quality than the North Carolina average. Coverage is strongest along US‑23/441, US‑64, and NC‑28 corridors and in Franklin/Highlands; it thins quickly on mountain roads and in hollows.
• Network generations and 5G footprint:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) provide 4G LTE plus low‑band 5G across populated corridors; mid‑band 5G is primarily concentrated in and near Franklin and Highlands. mmWave is negligible. Compared with large NC metros, Macon has less mid‑band depth and fewer small cells, so speeds and in‑building performance are more variable.
• Carrier positioning:
  • AT&T and Verizon generally have the broadest rural coverage footprints; T‑Mobile’s 600 MHz 5G has expanded reach but still shows gap areas in rugged terrain. UScellular legacy coverage remains relevant in parts of the western mountains via native or roaming arrangements, depending on plan.
• Backhaul and middle‑mile:
  • The region benefits from the BalsamWest middle‑mile fiber backbone that passes through western NC (including Macon), linking to Atlanta/Knoxville routes. This supports carrier backhaul and local ISPs, but last‑mile density drops outside town limits, influencing where carriers prioritize 5G capacity upgrades.
• Last‑mile broadband context (affecting mobile reliance):
  • Charter Spectrum and Frontier (among others) serve town centers and some subdivisions; availability declines in scattered, mountainous areas. That uneven fixed broadband footprint raises smartphone‑only and hotspot use above the state norm.
• Public access and resiliency:
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings provide important Wi‑Fi offload points. Backup power and hardening at macro towers have improved in recent years, but extended outages during severe weather still have outsized impacts versus most NC counties because of site access constraints and fewer redundant routes.

How Macon County differs from North Carolina overall

• Lower smartphone penetration overall, driven primarily by a larger 65+ population share and terrain‑constrained coverage; North Carolina’s metro counties approach ≈90% adult smartphone ownership, while Macon County sits nearer ≈84–85%.
• Higher share of prepaid/MVNO lines and smartphone‑dependent households due to cost and fixed‑network gaps, whereas statewide dependence is lower.
• Greater variability in signal and speeds because of fewer small cells, less mid‑band 5G density, and mountainous topography, while NC’s Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte corridors have denser capacity builds and more consistent performance.
• More pronounced seasonal congestion from tourism and second homes than typical NC counties, affecting weekend and peak‑season mobile performance.

Method notes (for transparency)

• Population and household bases draw from recent Census/ACS county estimates; adoption rates are localized estimates anchored to Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 smartphone ownership benchmarks (≈90% US adults; rural ≈84–86%) and adjusted for Macon County’s older age structure per ACS age shares. Smartphone‑only household estimates reflect ACS Computer/Internet Use patterns for rural counties and observed NC statewide ranges, scaled to ≈17,000 Macon households. These produce the stated user and household counts.

Social media in Macon County, NC — 2025 snapshot

User base

• Residents: roughly 38,000; residents aged 13+: about 33,000
• Monthly social media users: approximately 24,000–27,000 (about 75–80% of residents 13+)

Age mix of local social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: 7–10%
• 18–29: 15–18%
• 30–49: 26–30%
• 50–64: 28–31%
• 65+: 18–22%

Gender breakdown (share of users)

• Women: 52–55%
• Men: 45–48%

Most-used platforms in Macon County (estimated share of residents 13+ using each monthly)

• YouTube: 63–69%
• Facebook: 58–64%
• Instagram: 29–34%
• Pinterest: 24–30%
• TikTok: 22–27%
• Snapchat: 18–22%
• Facebook Messenger: 45–50%
• X (Twitter): 10–13%
• LinkedIn: 10–12%
• Reddit: 7–10%
• Nextdoor: 5–8%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for local news, lost-and-found, school and church updates, yard sales, and small-business promotions. Engagement concentrates around practical, local, and service-oriented posts.
• Video is ubiquitous but utility-driven: YouTube is strong for how‑to, outdoors/recreation, local sports, worship content, and event recaps; short‑form clips cross‑posted to Facebook and Instagram perform well.
• Seasonality matters: engagement spikes during severe weather, school calendars, and tourism seasons (spring–fall), with notable lifts for scenic/outdoor content and local events; “leaf season” imagery and trail/waterfall posts travel well.
• Shopping and discovery: locals favor Facebook for deals, craftsmen, and services; Instagram is effective for 18–34 discovery and aesthetics; TikTok skews teen/young adult for entertainment and quick local highlights.
• Timing: best engagement typically in early mornings (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.), with strong weekend morning performance for community pages and Marketplace.
• Trust and reach: posts from known local admins, first responders, schools, and county/municipal pages earn high attention; many Groups include neighboring counties, extending effective reach beyond county lines.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger and SMS dominate for local coordination; WhatsApp use is limited but growing among service workers and multi‑lingual households.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are county‑level estimates derived by weighting recent U.S. platform adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) by Macon County’s age structure (American Community Survey) and rural adoption patterns. Ranges reflect uncertainty inherent in applying national platform rates to an older‑leaning, rural county profile.