Union County

Union County, South Carolina – Key Demographics

Population

• 27,244 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year)

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~63%
• Black or African American alone: ~33%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.4%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3% Note: Hispanic overlaps with race categories

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~10.8k
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74%
• Renter-occupied: ~26%

Insights

• Small, slowly declining rural population with a comparatively older age profile
• Racial composition is predominantly White and Black with a small but growing Hispanic population
• Household structure skews toward family households with a high owner-occupancy rate

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

Union County, South Carolina snapshot

• Population and density: 27,244 residents (2020 Census); ~514 sq mi; ~53 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~19,900 adults use email (≈94% of adults), derived by applying national age-specific email adoption to the local population.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–34: ~27%; 35–54: ~35%; 55–64: ~14%; 65+: ~24%. Older adults participate heavily but at lower rates than younger cohorts.
• Gender split among users: ~52% female, ~48% male, mirroring the county’s population composition.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Household broadband subscription: roughly three-quarters of households maintain a home broadband plan, with a noticeable smartphone-only segment and a residual share lacking home internet. This pattern is typical of rural South Carolina and aligns with ACS internet-subscription norms.
  • Rural density (~53/sq mi) contributes to patchier high-speed fixed coverage outside the City of Union, with stronger access in town centers and along main corridors, and greater reliance on mobile data in outlying areas.
  • Public access points (e.g., Union County Carnegie Library) remain important for residents without reliable home connections.

Overall, email usage is widespread and near-universal among working-age adults, with adoption strongest in ages 18–54 and robust but lower among seniors.

Union County, South Carolina – Mobile Phone Usage Summary

Headline user estimates

• Population and households: ~27,200 residents and ~11,200 households (latest county/federal estimates through 2023).
• Mobile phone users: ~22,000 residents use a mobile phone (roughly 80–85% of the total population; ~88–90% of residents aged 13+).
• Smartphone presence in households: ~89% of households have at least one smartphone.
• Cellular data plans: ~74% of households maintain a cellular data plan.
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data without any fixed home broadband): ~24% of households.
• Any home broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, or fixed wireless): ~76% of households.
• No home internet (neither fixed broadband nor cellular data): ~16% of households.

How Union County differs from statewide patterns

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: ~24% vs ~18% statewide (+6 percentage points). Residents more often use phones as their primary internet connection.
• Lower home broadband take-up: ~76% vs ~82% statewide (−6 pp). This gap drives heavier mobile dependence.
• Older age structure than South Carolina overall, which moderates overall smartphone adoption but increases household-level smartphone-only reliance among fixed-income seniors.
• Mid-band 5G (e.g., C-band/2.5 GHz) is less pervasive than in metro South Carolina, creating a larger town–rural performance gap than the state average.
• Lower Hispanic share and slightly higher Black share than the state average; combined with lower incomes, this correlates with higher smartphone-only internet use than statewide.

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• By age (individual smartphone adoption):
  • Under 35: ~96%
  • 35–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~75%
• By income (share of smartphone-only internet households):
  • Under $25k: ~38%
  • $25k–$74.9k: ~26%
  • $75k and above: ~10%
• By race/ethnicity (share of smartphone-only internet households):
  • Black: ~29%
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~21%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~30%
• Residence pattern:
  • Towns (Union, Buffalo, Jonesville): higher overall smartphone adoption, more mid-band 5G availability, and lower smartphone-only reliance than outlying rural tracts.
  • Rural/forested tracts (e.g., toward Sumter National Forest): higher smartphone-only reliance and lower median speeds, with more LTE fallback.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: near-universal outdoors across populated areas.
  • 5G: all three national carriers are present. Low-band 5G covers most populated corridors; mid-band 5G is concentrated in and around Union, Buffalo, and along US‑176/SC‑9/SC‑49. Coverage thins toward Lockhart and forested northern areas, where LTE remains primary.
• Capacity and speeds (typical user experience):
  • Mid-band 5G (near equipped sites): ~150–300 Mbps down.
  • Low-band 5G in towns/outdoor: ~40–120 Mbps down.
  • LTE in fringe/wooded areas: ~5–25 Mbps down, variable indoors.
• Sites and backhaul:
  • Macro cell density is characteristic of rural South Carolina, with on the order of several dozen macro sites countywide and infill small cells mainly in the town of Union.
  • Fiber backhaul from Charter/Spectrum and AT&T follows main corridors and industrial areas; microwave backhaul persists on some rural sites.
• Resilience and public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is available on key sites serving public safety.
  • Generators or battery backups are deployed on priority towers after recent storm seasons; temporary Cells-on-Wheels are used for outages and events.

Implications and actionable insights

• Mobile-first connectivity: With roughly one in four households relying on smartphones for home internet, mobile networks function as the county’s de facto broadband for many residents, especially low-income and senior households. This raises the importance of reliable 5G coverage and capacity even outside town centers.
• Performance gap vs metros: The limited footprint of mid-band 5G creates a notable speed and indoor-coverage gap compared to South Carolina’s urban counties. Targeted mid-band upgrades along secondary roads and around schools/clinics would close the largest deficits.
• Affordability pressures: The county’s higher poverty rate and the wind-down of federal affordability subsidies have shifted more households to smartphone-only access and prepaid plans. Sustained low-cost mobile plans and device financing are critical to prevent a widening digital divide.
• Anchor institutions as enablers: Extending fiber to additional towers via schools, health facilities, and industrial sites can lift mobile capacity countywide at relatively low incremental cost while complementing fixed broadband expansion.

Social media usage snapshot — Union County, South Carolina (2024–2025)

Population context

• Total population: ~27,300 residents (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimate)
• 13–17: ~2,200 (≈8%); 18+: ~21,600 (≈79%)
• Gender: ~52% female, ~48% male
• Median age ≈44; older-skewing relative to U.S. average (ACS)

How many people use social media

• Estimated active social media users (all ages): ~19,800 (≈72–73% of total population), based on U.S. penetration applied locally (DataReportal, Jan 2024)
• By gender (users): ~10,300 female (52%), ~9,500 male (48%)

Most-used platforms (share of adults 18+ who use each; Pew Research Center, 2024)

• YouTube: 83% (~17.9k adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~14.7k)
• Instagram: 47% (~10.1k)
• TikTok: 33% (~7.1k)
• Snapchat: 30% (~6.5k)
• Pinterest: 35% (~7.5k)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~6.5k)
• X (Twitter): 27% (~5.8k)
• Reddit: 22% (~4.7k)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~4.5k)
• Nextdoor: 19% (~4.1k)

Teens (13–17) — platform use (Pew Research Center, teens 2023; ~2,200 local teens)

• YouTube 95% (2,075 teens)
• Instagram 62% (1,350)
• TikTok 63% (1,380)
• Snapchat 59% (1,290)
• Facebook 33% (720)
• X (Twitter) 20% (440)

Age-group patterns (Pew Research Center, 2024 adults; 2023 teens)

• 13–17: Heavy short‑form video and messaging; TikTok/Snap/IG dominant; Facebook mainly for groups/events and family
• 18–29: Very high YouTube; IG ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~45%
• 30–49: YouTube >90%; Facebook ~73% is the daily driver; IG ~49%; TikTok ~30%
• 50–64: Facebook ~69% and YouTube ~83% lead; IG ~29%; TikTok ~17%
• 65+: Facebook ~58% and YouTube ~60%; other platforms low adoption

Gender breakdown and platform skew (national patterns applied locally)

• Overall usage is near parity, but platform skews matter:
  • Pinterest heavily female; Facebook and Instagram slightly female-leaning
  • Snapchat female-leaning; TikTok near balanced
  • Reddit and X male‑leaning; LinkedIn slightly male‑leaning

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural/older‑skewing U.S. counties (applies well to Union County)

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, schools/athletics, churches, civic groups, emergency updates; Marketplace is widely used for vehicles, equipment, yard sales
• Video first: YouTube for how‑to, local sports highlights, sermons; shorter clips repurposed as Facebook Reels/Instagram Reels
• Messaging > public posting for coordination: Facebook Messenger dominates private sharing; SMS group chats common; WhatsApp niche
• Event‑driven engagement: fairs, ballgames, hunting seasons, and church events drive spikes; giveaways and photo contests perform reliably
• Time‑of‑day peaks: early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekends outperform weekdays for community content
• Trust and local proof: posts with recognizable local faces/landmarks, before‑and‑after services, and word‑of‑mouth testimonials outperform generic creative
• Older residents: consistent daily Facebook use, strong response to clear calls, phone numbers, and location maps; lighter adoption of newer apps
• Younger residents: prefer authentic, quick video; respond to music trends, sports highlights, and school‑centric content; cross‑posting IG ↔ TikTok helps reach

Sources and method

• Population and age/gender mix: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 estimates, ACS)
• Platform adoption: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023)
• Overall penetration: DataReportal (Digital 2024, United States)
• County figures are estimates derived by applying the above age‑specific U.S. adoption rates to Union County’s population structure; counts are rounded for clarity