Dyer County

Here are concise, recent U.S. Census Bureau figures for Dyer County, Tennessee.

Population

• Total: 36,801 (2020 Census)
• Latest estimate: ~36,600 (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Sex

• Male: ~48%
• Female: ~52%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Hispanic can be any race)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~73%
• Black/African American: ~20%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~4%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~14,800
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~9,600
• Owner-occupied: ~66%
• Renter-occupied: ~34%
• Housing units: ~16,600; vacancy ~11%

Economics (ACS 2019–2023)

• Median household income: ≈ $50,000
• Persons below poverty level: ≈ 18%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Figures rounded.

Dyer County, TN snapshot (estimates)

• Population and email users: About 36.8k residents (2020 Census). Roughly 75–77% are adults (~27–28k). Using typical U.S. rural adoption (≈85–90% of adults use email), estimated 23k–26k email users.
• Age pattern:
  • 18–34: ~95% use email; ~25–30% of local users.
  • 35–54: ~90–95%; ~35–38% of users.
  • 55–64: ~80–90%; ~15–18% of users.
  • 65+: ~65–75%; ~12–16% of users.
• Gender split: Approximately even (near 50/50), with minor variation by age.
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband subscription likely ~70–80%, lower outside Dyersburg; increasing fiber availability near population centers.
  • 15–25% of households are smartphone‑only internet users; mobile email is common.
  • Countywide 4G coverage with some 5G around denser corridors; rural fringes rely more on fixed wireless/satellite.
• Local density/connectivity context: County density roughly 70–75 people per square mile, with residents concentrated in Dyersburg and along major routes; sparsely populated areas face longer last‑mile connections, which can reduce speeds and raise reliance on mobile for email.

Notes: Figures are derived from Census population levels and national/rural email and broadband adoption benchmarks.

Here’s a concise, locally tuned snapshot of mobile phone usage in Dyer County, Tennessee, with emphasis on how it differs from state-level patterns.

Headline estimates (2025)

• Population base: ~36–37k residents; ~28k adults (18+).
• Smartphone users (adults): ~22k–24k (roughly 78–85% of adults). This runs a few points below Tennessee’s statewide adult rate (≈85–90%).
• Total mobile lines (incl. work, tablets, IoT): ~40k–50k (about 1.1–1.3 lines per resident).
• Mobile-only internet households: 3,000–4,200 (about 24–34% of households), higher than the state average (18–22%).
• Prepaid share of phone lines: estimated 35–45%, higher than the Tennessee average (≈25–35%).

What’s different from the state

• Greater mobile-only reliance: A higher share of households in Dyer County rely on smartphones/hotspots as their primary internet, driven by income constraints and uneven fiber/cable availability outside Dyersburg/Newbern.
• Slightly older, slightly lower adoption: An older age profile and more fixed-income households tamp down overall smartphone penetration a bit versus the state’s metro-heavy average.
• Prepaid and MVNOs punch above their weight: Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, Straight Talk, and Boost see higher usage than in large Tennessee metros.
• Faster FWA uptake than fiber: T-Mobile (and to a lesser extent Verizon) fixed wireless access has filled gaps more quickly than fiber builds in rural pockets—opposite the trend in fiber-rich urban/suburban Tennessee.
• 5G depth, not breadth: Low-band 5G coverage is broad, but mid-band 5G density (the “fast 5G”) is thinner than in Nashville/Knoxville/Chattanooga, so average 5G speeds trail the state’s top-tier markets.

Demographic breakdown highlights

• Age
  • 18–29: Very high smartphone adoption (~90–95%); heavy app/social/video use; lower ARPU, higher prepaid incidence.
  • 30–49: High adoption (~88–92%); family plans dominate; hotspot use for homework common in neighborhoods without fiber/cable.
  • 50–64: Moderate-high (~80–85%); growing telehealth use; device financing and carrier bundling matter.
  • 65+: Lower (~60–70%); more flip/basic phones remain; text/voice-first users; some smartphone uptake for banking/telehealth.
• Income and education
  • A larger share of sub-$50k households than the state average correlates with more prepaid plans, budget Android devices, and reliance on unlimited but deprioritized data.
  • Smartphone-only internet usage is notably higher among lower-income households and single-parent families.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Black and Hispanic residents (concentrated in and around Dyersburg) show similar or higher smartphone adoption than White residents but are more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet, aligning with national patterns.
• Work patterns
  • Agriculture and light manufacturing create early-morning/shift-change mobile traffic spikes and strong interest in durable devices and fleet telematics (LTE-M/NB-IoT).

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and networks
  • AT&T and Verizon have long-standing macro coverage along US-51 and around Dyersburg/Newbern; AT&T’s FirstNet (Band 14) improves public-safety coverage.
  • T-Mobile’s low-band 5G is widespread; mid-band (2.5 GHz) is strongest along major corridors and town centers.
  • Rural river-bottom areas and low-lying farmland can have weaker indoor service; metal-roof buildings often need boosters.
• 5G specifics
  • Low-band 5G: Countywide baseline, similar to state.
  • Mid-band/C-band: Present but sparser than big Tennessee metros, so real-world 5G speeds are less consistent than the statewide “headline” numbers.
• Fixed broadband context (affects mobile behavior)
  • Cable (Sparklight) and AT&T wireline serve Dyersburg/Newbern; fiber is present but not universal. Electric co-op fiber has expanded in parts of the county, but gaps remain.
  • T-Mobile Home Internet is widely available near towns; Verizon 5G Home exists in select zones. FWA is a meaningful substitute where cable/fiber is absent or expensive.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Schools, the library system, and Dyersburg State Community College provide reliable Wi‑Fi and device programs, reducing weekday mobile congestion for students.
• Resilience
  • Tornado and ice-storm risks make backup power at towers important; not all rural sites have long-duration backup, so outages can be more impactful than in urban Tennessee.

Usage behavior and market notes

• Video and social drive most data, but hotspot use for homework and streaming is measurably higher than in fiber-rich metro counties.
• Device mix skews slightly more Android and previous‑gen iPhones; installment plans and used/refurbished devices are common.
• Business and farm IoT (asset tracking, pumps, irrigation, fleet) add a nontrivial number of lines; coverage and battery life (LTE-M) matter more than peak speed.

Method and confidence

• Figures are modeled from county population and age structure, statewide/adult smartphone adoption research, rural-vs-urban adoption differentials, and observed infrastructure footprints in northwest Tennessee. Ranges provided to reflect uncertainty in county-level reporting. Confidence is moderate for directional trends; low-to-moderate for point estimates.

Below is a concise, directional snapshot for Dyer County, TN. Figures are estimates, derived by applying recent U.S. rural/small-town patterns (e.g., Pew Research 2023–2024) to the county’s size and age mix; treat as ranges rather than precise counts.

Headline size

• Population: ~36,000; residents 13+ ≈ 30,000.
• Monthly social-media users: ~22,000–26,000 (about 70–80% of residents 13+).

Most-used platforms (share of local social-media users, monthly)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 70–78%
• Instagram: 32–40%
• TikTok: 30–38%
• Snapchat: 22–30% (concentrated under 25)
• Pinterest: 22–28% (skews female, 25–54)
• X (Twitter): 10–15%
• LinkedIn: 10–13%
• Reddit: 8–12%
• Nextdoor: 5–8% (coverage varies by neighborhood)

Age usage patterns (share in each group using any platform)

• Teens (13–17): 90%+; heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram moderate; Facebook low for posting but used for groups/events.
• 18–29: 90%+; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok lead; Snapchat strong; Facebook used mostly for Marketplace/events/Messenger.
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising.
• 50–64: ~65–75%; Facebook first, YouTube second; light Instagram/TikTok.
• 65+: ~45–55%; primarily Facebook and YouTube.

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: roughly balanced, ~53% women / ~47% men (mirrors local adult population).
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram lean female; YouTube, Reddit, and X lean male; Facebook close to even with a slight female tilt.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first Facebook: Local groups (schools, churches, youth sports, buy/sell/trade, weather alerts) drive much of the engagement; Marketplace is highly active.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok clips and IG Reels see rising reach; many posts are cross-posted to Facebook Reels. Live video (e.g., high school sports, small-business updates) performs well.
• Messaging is critical: Facebook Messenger is the default for inquiries and customer service; SMS still common. WhatsApp usage remains niche.
• Local news via socials: County/city, school, and media pages on Facebook are major information hubs; share/reshare behavior is strong.
• Content themes that resonate: “Support local,” family activities, high school sports, hunting/fishing and outdoors, church and community events, festivals, and practical how-tos.
• Timing: Peaks around lunch (11:30 am–1 pm) and evenings (7–10 pm CT); weekends are strong for events and yard sales.
• Ad tactics that work: Tight geo-targeting (10–20 miles around Dyersburg), interest targeting (outdoors, youth sports, home & garden), short captioned videos, and boosted posts in relevant local groups.
• Cautions: Older users show higher scam sensitivity; verified pages and clear contact info improve trust. Keep videos short and captioned for mobile and spotty bandwidth.

Notes on methodology

• Estimates are extrapolated from national platform usage by age and rural/Southern differentials, applied to Dyer County’s size and age structure. For campaign planning, validate with platform ad-reach tools (Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) and local page insights.