Swain County

Swain County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population size

• 14,117 (2020 Census)
• 14,6xx (2023 estimate; U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)

Age structure (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~43 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and older: ~22–23%

Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and Hispanic origin (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~66–67%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~28–29%
• Black or African American alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: ~0.5–0.7%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3–4%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~64–65%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~5.6–5.9k
• Persons per household: ~2.4
• Family households: ~70% of households
• Married-couple households: ~53% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• One-person households: ~25%
• Homeownership rate: ~73%
• Housing units: ~9.3–9.5k
• Median household income (2022 dollars): about $50k
• Persons in poverty: ~19–20%

Insights

• One of North Carolina’s highest shares of American Indian/Alaska Native residents, reflecting the presence of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
• Older age profile and smaller household size typical of rural mountain counties.
• Income and poverty metrics indicate economic constraints relative to state averages.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (2023). Figures are ACS estimates and may include margins of error.

• Population and density: Swain County, NC has about 15,000 residents (≈28 people per square mile).
• Estimated email users: ~11,200 adult users (≈92% of ~12,200 adults).
• Age distribution of email users (approximate):
  • 18–29: ~1,640 (high adoption ≈96%)
  • 30–49: ~3,825 (≈95%)
  • 50–64: ~3,030 (≈92%)
  • 65+: ~2,700 (≈85%)
• Gender split: Nearly even; 51% women (5,700 users) and 49% men (5,500 users).
• Digital access and devices:
  • ~76% of households subscribe to home broadband.
  • ~89% of households have a computer.
  • ~16% of households are smartphone‑only for internet, indicating mobile‑centric email use in some areas.
• Connectivity and local context:
  • Service is strongest around Bryson City and the US‑74/US‑19 corridor; coverage and speeds are spottier in mountainous and sparsely populated communities.
  • Over 80% of county land is federally managed (Great Smoky Mountains National Park/Nantahala National Forest), raising last‑mile build‑out costs and contributing to uneven fixed connectivity.
• Trends:
  • Broadband adoption has risen in recent years, and mobile reliance is growing, particularly among younger adults.
  • Email remains near‑universal among connected adults, with slightly lower usage among seniors largely tied to access and device constraints rather than preference.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Swain County, North Carolina

Key takeaways

• Mobile phone use is nearly universal among adults, but smartphone reliance is elevated because home broadband availability trails the state average and mountainous terrain creates persistent coverage gaps.
• Compared with North Carolina overall, Swain County shows fewer mid-band 5G sites, more mobile-only households, and more pronounced dead zones outside highway corridors and town centers.

User estimates (2025-ready, derived from Census/ACS population structure and current national adoption rates)

• Population baseline: approximately 14,600 residents; about 82% are 18+ (≈12,000 adults).
• Mobile phone users (any cellphone): ≈11,400 adults (about 95% of adults), plus ≈750 teens with phones, for ≈12,200 total users.
• Smartphone users: ≈10,400 adults (about 87% of adults) plus most teens, totaling ≈11,100 smartphone users countywide.
• Households: roughly 5,700 households.
  • Home broadband subscription: about 70% of households (vs ≈82% statewide).
  • Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband): about 24% (vs ≈14–16% statewide).
  • Wireless-only telephony (no landline): about 75–80% of households, similar to or slightly above statewide.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Age: Swain County skews older than the state (roughly 23% age 65+ vs ≈18% statewide). Smartphone adoption among seniors is lower (about low-70s% locally vs upper-70s% statewide), pulling down overall smartphone penetration and increasing the share of basic/voice-first users and simplified devices.
• Income: Median household income is materially lower than the state median (about upper-$40Ks vs ≈$67K for NC), raising price sensitivity. This contributes to higher use of prepaid plans, hotspotting, shared data plans, and smartphone-only internet access.
• Race/ethnicity: The county includes a significant population from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), making the Native American share several times the NC average. Tribal and rural areas exhibit higher mobile dependence where fixed broadband options are limited or unaffordable.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), Verizon, T‑Mobile, and UScellular are active in and around Bryson City, Cherokee/Qualla Boundary, and along US‑19/74 and US‑441.
• 5G footprint:
  • Predominantly low-band 5G along primary corridors and in town centers. Mid-band (C‑band/2.5 GHz) 5G is sparse compared with the NC average, limiting capacity and speeds during peak periods.
  • 4G LTE remains the primary coverage layer countywide; it is reliable along highways and in towns but inconsistent in hollows and backcountry.
• Terrain constraints: Great Smoky Mountains National Park and national forest lands limit tower siting and line-of-sight, leading to:
  • Persistent no‑service or 1–2 bar areas off-corridor (e.g., deep valleys, lakeshores, and interior park trails).
  • Large differences between “outdoor predicted” coverage on maps and real indoor coverage, more so than typical NC counties.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • The western NC fiber backbone led by BalsamWest (with EBCI involvement) provides critical backhaul into Bryson City, Cherokee, and adjacent towns, underpinning LTE/5G performance where fiber reaches macro sites.
  • Outside fiber-fed corridors, microwave backhaul is still common, limiting peak capacity compared with urban NC.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet buildouts have improved coverage along primary routes and in public-safety priority areas, but wilderness and park interiors still lack consistent service.
  • Seasonal congestion remains an issue during tourism peaks (Great Smoky Mountains, Nantahala Outdoor Center, events in Bryson City), when visitor devices temporarily outnumber residents and stress low-band 5G/LTE sectors.

How Swain County differs from North Carolina overall

• Lower fixed-broadband adoption and higher smartphone-only access make mobile data more central to everyday connectivity.
• Coverage reliability diverges more sharply from carrier maps due to mountainous terrain and protected lands, creating larger indoor and off‑corridor gaps than typical NC counties.
• 5G capacity (mid-band) rollouts lag the state average, so real-world speed gains over LTE are less consistent, and congestion is more noticeable during peak seasons.
• Device and plan mix skews more value-oriented (prepaid, MVNOs, hotspotting) and includes more signal-optimized hardware and external antennas than in metro NC.

Method notes

• Population, household counts, and age mix reflect recent Census/ACS profiles for Swain County; device ownership and broadband adoption rates apply current national and North Carolina rural benchmarks to the county’s demographic structure to produce the estimates above.

Swain County, NC — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Overview and connectivity

• Population: roughly 14,000 residents; predominantly rural with seasonal tourism.
• Internet access: about 70–75% of households have broadband; 85–90% have a computer/device (ACS 5‑year patterns for rural NC counties).
• Active social media users (13+): approximately 9,300 people (about 64% of total population; ~80% of residents 13+), modeled from Pew U.S. adoption rates adjusted for rural connectivity and local age mix.

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

• 13–17: ~8%
• 18–29: ~19%
• 30–49: ~36%
• 50–64: ~22%
• 65+: ~15%

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Most-used platforms locally (estimated penetration of residents 13+; users overlap across platforms)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 66–72%
• Instagram: 35–42%
• TikTok: 28–35%
• Pinterest: 28–33%
• Snapchat: 24–30%
• X (Twitter): 12–18%
• WhatsApp: 12–18%
• LinkedIn: 10–14%
• Nextdoor: 5–8%

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: very high participation in local groups (buy/sell, school, youth sports, church, outdoor recreation) and Marketplace; strong reliance for local news in a rural “news desert.”
• Video-first engagement: short-form video (Reels/TikTok) drives the most reach, especially for tourism, outdoor activities (Smokies, rafting, fishing), and local events; seasonality peaks spring–fall.
• Youth split: teens and early 20s concentrate on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube; Facebook usage grows with age.
• Rural professional mix: LinkedIn usage is relatively low; X is niche and news-oriented.
• Messaging behavior: Facebook Messenger dominates; WhatsApp is smaller and more family/visitor driven.
• Timing: engagement peaks evenings (7–9 pm) and weekends; mobile-first consumption.
• Community specifics: strong presence of Cherokee community pages and cultural/tourism content; local small businesses and outfitters lean on Facebook/Instagram for promotions, events, and reviews.

Notes on method

• Figures are modeled for Swain County by applying recent Pew Research U.S. platform adoption by age/rural status to the county’s age-gender structure and ACS-reported internet access, producing defensible local estimates.