Moore County

Moore County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population size

• 111,000 (Census Bureau 2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~46 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~26%

Gender

• Female: ~51.7%
• Male: ~48.3%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022, estimates; categories are mutually exclusive)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
• Black or African American: ~11%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~9%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Asian: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~45,000
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%
• Households with broadband subscription: ~89%

Insights

• Older age profile with a large retiree share (about one-quarter 65+).
• Small household size and high owner-occupancy indicate a stable, homeowner-dominant market.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with notable Black and growing Hispanic populations.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Population Estimates Program 2023; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year).

Email usage snapshot — Moore County, NC (pop ≈105,000; density ≈150 per sq mi)

• Estimated email users (age 13+): ≈81,000 residents.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 6.7% (≈5.5k)
  • 18–34: 23.8% (≈19.4k)
  • 35–54: 29.4% (≈23.9k)
  • 55–64: 10.5% (≈8.5k)
  • 65+: 29.6% (≈24.1k)
• Gender split among email users: ≈52% female (≈42k), 48% male (≈39k), mirroring the county’s population.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Households with a computer: ≈94%.
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ≈88%.
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ≈10–12%.
  • Working-age adoption is near-universal (≈95%+ among 18–54), while seniors remain highly engaged (≈85%+), making Moore’s email audience older-skewing than the U.S. average.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population concentrated along the US-1/15-501 corridor (Southern Pines–Pinehurst–Aberdeen) with stronger fixed broadband and fiber availability; northern and western rural areas show higher cellular-only reliance.
  • High device ownership and broadband penetration support reliable reach via email countywide, with slightly lower fixed-line adoption in the most rural tracts.

These figures reflect current ACS-style household internet metrics and standard age-based email adoption rates applied to Moore County’s older demographic profile.

Mobile phone usage in Moore County, North Carolina: what’s different from the state

Context and scale

• Population and households: Moore County’s 2023 population is roughly 104,000, with about 42,000–44,000 occupied households and a high median age (about 46–47, several years older than North Carolina overall).
• Age structure: 65+ share ≈ 28% in Moore vs ≈ 18% statewide, a defining factor for mobile behavior. Adult (18+) population is ≈ 85,000.

User estimates (adults) and household adoption

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 70,000–72,000 adults in Moore County use a smartphone. A reasonable age-based breakdown (aligning county age mix to current U.S. ownership rates by age) is:
  • 18–29: ≈ 13,000 smartphone users
  • 30–49: ≈ 24,000 smartphone users
  • 50–64: ≈ 18,000 smartphone users
  • 65+: ≈ 15,000–17,000 smartphone users
• Household device and subscription profile (ACS “Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions,” most recent 5-year estimates):
  • Households with at least one smartphone: ≈ 92% in Moore (≈ 40,000–41,000 households), slightly higher than NC overall (≈ 90%).
  • Cellular data plan in the household (alone or in combination): high and broadly similar to NC, reflecting near-universal mobile access.
  • Cellular-only internet households (cellular data plan with no fixed home internet): ≈ 11% in Moore (≈ 4,600–5,000 households), below the North Carolina rate (≈ 14%).
  • No home internet subscription of any kind: ≈ 8% in Moore (≈ 3,300–3,600 households), below the state average (≈ 10%–11%).

What’s different in Moore vs North Carolina

• Older population, higher household smartphone presence: Despite an older population share that typically lowers per-person smartphone adoption, Moore’s household-level smartphone presence is slightly higher than the state. In practice, most households have at least one smartphone even when some seniors in the home do not personally use one.
• Less “cellular-only” dependence: A smaller share of Moore households rely solely on cellular data for home internet compared with the state. This aligns with Moore’s higher incomes and educational attainment, both associated with maintaining a fixed broadband line alongside mobile.
• Lower “no internet” rate: Households without any internet subscription are fewer than the statewide average, reinforcing the pattern of better-than-average connectivity and lower digital exclusion.
• Demographic composition and mobile reliance: Moore has smaller Black and Hispanic shares than North Carolina overall. Statewide, Hispanic and lower-income households are more likely to be smartphone- and cellular-only–reliant; Moore’s demographic and income profile contributes to lower cellular-only rates than the state.

Demographic breakdown influencing usage

• Age: High 65+ share dampens per-adult smartphone penetration relative to the state, but adoption among Moore seniors is buoyed by higher income/education and healthcare/telehealth needs, narrowing the senior gap.
• Income and education: Median household income in Moore is modestly above the state median, with higher bachelor’s attainment; both correlate with multi-device households and maintaining fixed broadband alongside robust mobile plans.
• Household structure: Moore’s household size is modest, with many two-adult and retiree households, producing high “at least one smartphone per household” figures even when not every adult has one.

Digital infrastructure notes (mobile-focused)

• 5G availability: All three national carriers provide 5G in the county’s population centers (Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Aberdeen, Carthage, and along the US‑1/NC‑211 corridors). Mid-band 5G delivers much higher capacity and speed in these areas than rural surroundings.
• Rural coverage/capacity: Western and northern parts of the county are more dependent on LTE with occasional 5G coverage; voice and text service are widespread, but capacity and indoor penetration are less consistent away from towns.
• Backhaul and densification: The presence of cable and growing fiber backhaul in town centers underpins denser 5G deployments, while lower-density areas rely on macro sites with wider spacing, which constrains speeds at the edge of cells.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage spans the primary population areas and major corridors, supporting public safety and emergency communications alongside commercial networks.

Key takeaways

• Moore County combines high household smartphone penetration with lower-than-state reliance on cellular-only internet and a lower no-internet rate.
• The county’s older age profile reduces per-adult smartphone penetration versus state averages, but higher income/education and healthcare usage lift overall mobile adoption, particularly in household terms.
• 5G capacity is strong in towns and along main corridors; rural edges experience more LTE fallback and capacity variation than the state’s metro counties, but coverage breadth for core services remains solid.

Social media usage in Moore County, NC (2025 snapshot)

County profile (demographics that shape usage)

• The county skews older: median age ≈46; roughly a quarter of residents are 65+ and about one‑fifth are under 18. Women make up ≈52% of the population. These traits boost Facebook/YouTube and Nextdoor relative to TikTok/Snapchat.

Overall penetration and user count

• About 72–75% of adults use at least one social platform. In Moore County, that equates to roughly 60,000–70,000 adult users.

Most‑used platforms (adult reach; estimates calibrated to Moore County’s age mix, anchored to Pew’s 2024 U.S. adoption rates)

• YouTube: ~80–85% of adults
• Facebook: ~70–75%
• Instagram: ~40–45%
• Pinterest: ~35–40%
• TikTok: ~25–30%
• WhatsApp: ~25–30%
• LinkedIn: ~25–30%
• Snapchat: ~20–25%
• X (Twitter): ~18–22%
• Nextdoor: ~18–25% (higher in owner‑occupied neighborhoods)

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): YouTube is near‑universal; heavy Snapchat/TikTok and Instagram Reels; low Facebook posting but will use Messenger/Groups via parents’ networks.
• 18–29: Instagram and TikTok lead for discovery and creators; Snapchat for close friends; YouTube for tutorials/fitness; Facebook mainly for events and marketplace.
• 30–49: Facebook and Instagram dominate for parenting, schools, youth sports, and local events; rising Reels/short‑form video; Messenger/WhatsApp for coordination.
• 50–64: Facebook Groups, Marketplace, and YouTube (DIY, news, church services); Nextdoor grows for neighborhood info; Pinterest strong for projects and recipes.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube are primary; Nextdoor for HOA/alerts; lower TikTok/Snapchat but growing exposure via shared short‑form clips.

Gender breakdown among users

• Overall user base mirrors the population (≈52% women, 48% men).
• Women over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over‑index on YouTube, X/Reddit, and LinkedIn. Local shopping and dining discovery skews toward Facebook/Instagram among women; product research skews toward YouTube among men.

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook Groups are the information hub for towns like Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen—schools, youth sports, community alerts, and buy/sell activity have high engagement.
• Nextdoor drives neighborhood‑level conversation (HOA updates, lost/found pets, safety, contractor recommendations), with spikes during storms or outages.
• YouTube consumption is strong on smart TVs—golf content, local events, home improvement, and faith services see sustained watch time.
• Short‑form video (Reels/TikTok) is the main discovery path for restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and local events; saves and shares outperform link clicks.
• Marketplace has largely displaced Craigslist for local commerce; porch‑pickup norms are common.
• Engagement timing skews early mornings (6–9 a.m.) for older cohorts and evenings (7–10 p.m.) for younger cohorts; weekend event posts perform best Thursday–Saturday.
• Word‑of‑mouth via Groups and DMs shapes trust; official pages perform better when cross‑posted into active community Groups and tagged by known local figures.

Notes on methodology

• Platform percentages reflect Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates, adjusted modestly for Moore County’s older median age and suburban/rural profile. The overall user count is an estimate derived from adult population and national social‑media penetration.