Claiborne County

Which reference year would you like? I can provide:

• 2020 Decennial Census counts (official) or
• Latest ACS 5-year estimates (most current, e.g., 2019–2023)

Also, which household metrics should I include beyond count and average size (e.g., family vs. nonfamily share, owner-occupancy)?

Claiborne County snapshot

• Population: ~32,000; density ~70–75 people per sq. mile (rural).
• Connectivity: About 75–80% of households have a broadband subscription; roughly 20–25% lack home internet. An additional 10–15% are smartphone‑only. Service is strongest in/around Tazewell–Harrogate and along US‑25E; mountainous hollows see patchier fixed-line coverage. Ongoing fiber/mobile upgrades are gradually improving access.

Estimated email users

• Count: Approximately 18,000–20,000 adults (about 60–65% of total population), derived from local internet adoption and typical U.S. email use among internet users (~90%+).

Age distribution of email users (approximate share of users)

• 18–29: 15–20%
• 30–49: 30–35%
• 50–64: 25–30%
• 65+: 20–25% Notes: County skews older than the U.S. average; seniors participate at somewhat lower rates but are steadily increasing.

Gender split

• Roughly even (about 49–51% male/female), mirroring population and national email-usage parity.

Digital access trends

• Gradual growth in email usage via improved fiber and 4G/5G coverage; more mobile-first email behavior.
• Persistent gaps remain in low-density areas without reliable wired options; public Wi‑Fi (schools, libraries) and smartphone plans often bridge access.

Claiborne County, TN: mobile phone usage snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

Headline estimates (orders of magnitude, rounded)

• Population: ≈32–33k residents; ≈24–26k adults.
• Smartphone users: ≈19–23k adults (assuming 80–88% adult smartphone ownership; rural/older counties trend a bit below statewide averages).
• Households relying mainly or only on mobile for internet: roughly 18–25% of households (≈2.4–3.3k), likely above the Tennessee average due to gaps in affordable/wired broadband and income mix.
• Households without any internet subscription: likely in the mid-teens to ~20% range (above state average), concentrated among seniors and in very rural tracts.

Demographic patterns

• Age: The county skews older than Tennessee overall. Seniors are less likely to own smartphones or use mobile data plans, and more likely to have voice/text-only or minimal-data plans. This depresses overall smartphone penetration versus the state, but…
• Income: Lower incomes and higher poverty rates raise reliance on smartphones as the primary or only internet connection (smartphone-only households). That share is typically higher here than statewide averages.
• Education and students: K‑12 and LMU students have near-universal smartphone access; many hotspot from phones due to limited/unstable home broadband in outlying areas.
• Geography within the county: Residents in and around Tazewell/New Tazewell and Harrogate show higher 5G adoption and heavier data use; hollows and ridge-shadowed areas exhibit lower adoption and more voice/SMS-centric usage due to signal limitations.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Terrain effects dominate: Ridge-and-valley topography creates signal shadowing. Coverage is strong along US‑25E and in towns; it drops off quickly on the back sides of ridges and in deeper hollows—more so than the Tennessee average.
• 4G/5G: Low-band 5G is present on primary corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is mainly around population centers. Outside those nodes, users often fall back to LTE, with uneven indoor coverage in older buildings and valley floors.
• Carriers: AT&T and Verizon tend to provide the most consistent rural coverage; T‑Mobile’s low-band spectrum has improved reach along main routes, but mid-band is more spotty off-corridor. Cross-border handoffs occur near Cumberland Gap (KY/VA), which can affect experience for commuters and park visitors.
• Backhaul and densification: Fiber backhaul has expanded, particularly with electric cooperative builds (e.g., PVEC Fiber) and institutional networks (LMU, schools, libraries). This improves tower capacity in town centers but is still catching up in remote tracts, limiting 5G mid-band reach compared with state urban/suburban areas.
• Public/anchor connectivity: Libraries, schools, and LMU provide important Wi‑Fi offload points. E‑Rate funded networks and co‑op fiber have reduced pressure on mobile in town but not eliminated mobile-first usage in rural areas.

Usage behaviors and service mix

• Higher mobile-first dependence: A larger slice of households use smartphones as their primary internet connection than statewide, driven by affordability and availability of wired options.
• Plan types: Prepaid and budget MVNO plans are more common than in metro Tennessee, reflecting income profiles and credit access.
• Indoor coverage challenges: Metal-roof homes and hollow locations make in-home voice/data more reliant on Wi‑Fi calling or external antennas than the state average.

How Claiborne differs from Tennessee overall (key trends)

• Lower overall smartphone ownership rate because of an older population, but higher smartphone-only internet reliance among lower-income households.
• Greater coverage variability within short distances due to rugged terrain; more frequent transitions between 5G/LTE and occasional no-signal pockets compared with flatter Tennessee metros.
• Slower and more localized 5G mid-band buildout; capacity upgrades clustered in towns and along US‑25E rather than broadly distributed.
• More cross-state mobility effects (KY/VA borders) leading to roaming/handoff quirks not typical for interior Tennessee counties.
• Faster recent gains in fixed infrastructure from co‑op fiber projects relative to its starting point, which is beginning to reduce mobile congestion in town centers but hasn’t yet erased rural mobile-first patterns.
• Public anchors (schools, LMU, libraries) play a bigger role in everyday connectivity and offloading than in many urban Tennessee counties.

Implications

• For residents: A good external antenna/router or Wi‑Fi calling can materially improve reliability in shadowed areas; choosing carriers with proven ridge-and-valley coverage matters more here than price alone.
• For providers: Additional small cells or repeaters on secondary roads and better in‑building solutions would have outsized impact; leveraging new co‑op fiber for backhaul can extend 5G mid-band into underserved tracts.
• For policymakers: Continue to pair last‑mile fiber expansion with mobile dead‑zone mitigation (e.g., targeted tower infill and highway corridor coverage) to narrow the mobile and broadband divide simultaneously.

Notes on sources and method

• Estimates align with recent ACS 5‑year “Computer and Internet” indicators for rural Tennessee counties, Tennessee wireless-only household research, FCC coverage maps, co‑op fiber announcements, and known terrain constraints. Exact percentages vary by tract; use the latest ACS table S2801, FCC Broadband/Cellular maps, and carrier coverage maps for site-specific planning.

Below is a concise, planning-grade snapshot based on Claiborne County’s size (~32K residents), its rural profile, and recent Pew/industry benchmarks for rural Tennessee/US. Figures are estimates; local surveys will vary.

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~77–80% of adults (≈19K–20K people)
• Smartphone ownership (adults): ~85–90%; home broadband: ~70–75%
• Daily social users (log in daily): ~65–70% of adult users

Most-used platforms (adults, est. share of adults)

• YouTube: 78–80%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 25–30% (skews female)
• Snapchat: 22–28% (skews under 30)
• X/Twitter: 18–22% (skews male/news-oriented)
• Reddit: 10–12% (skews male/younger)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (lower in rural labor markets)

Teens (13–17) usage (share of teens)

• Any social: 90–95%
• YouTube ~95%; TikTok 65–70%; Snapchat 55–60%; Instagram 55–60%; X ~15–20%

Age-group patterns (adults; share using any social + leading platforms)

• 18–29: 90–95%; heavy on YouTube, Instagram (75–80%), TikTok (60–65%), Snapchat (60–70%), Facebook (~60%)
• 30–49: 85–90%; Facebook (75–80%), YouTube (85–90%), Instagram (45–50%), TikTok (35–40%), Pinterest (35–40%)
• 50–64: 70–75%; Facebook (65–70%), YouTube (70–75%), Pinterest (25–30%), Instagram (25–30%), TikTok (15–20%)
• 65+: 45–55%; YouTube (50–55%), Facebook (45–50%)

Gender breakdown

• Overall users roughly mirror population (~51% women, 49% men)
• Platform tilt: Pinterest and Facebook slightly female-heavy; TikTok slightly female-leaning; X and Reddit more male; YouTube broad, slightly male-leaning for creator/content niches

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: local groups (yard sale, school, church, sports, weather), Marketplace, event updates; high engagement on road closures, outages, and school announcements
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, auto repair, outdoor/hunting/fishing, music; short-form (Reels/TikTok) growing for under-40 retail discovery and local food spots
• Messaging over forms: Facebook Messenger DMs for business inquiries; Snapchat messaging among teens/young adults; WhatsApp comparatively low
• “Lurkers” dominate: many browse and react; a smaller segment posts/creates. Engagement spikes on hyper-local content, storms, and seasonal events (fairs, festivals, sports)
• Shopping behavior: Facebook/Instagram drive local retail via short videos, Lives, and Marketplace; younger buyers influenced by TikTok-style “shop-tainment”
• News/trust: Local news primarily encountered via Facebook shares; higher comment activity on public safety and weather; rumor/misinformation risk during emergencies
• Timing: Peaks early morning (5:30–7:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30–1), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekends strong for Marketplace and events

Notes on methodology

• Percentages are derived from recent Pew Research Center data (2023–2024) and rural Tennessee/US benchmarks, scaled to Claiborne County’s demographics. Use as directional estimates for planning; validate with local page insights or a short resident survey for precision.