Gibson County

To ensure accuracy: do you want these figures from the 2020 Decennial Census (exact counts) or the latest American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023, more recent but modeled)?

Gibson County, TN snapshot (estimates)

• Population: ~50,000; ~84 residents/sq mi over ~600 sq mi; ~20,000 households.
• Email users: ~35,000–38,000 adults (≈88–92% of adults; ≈70–75% of total residents).
• Age mix of email users (share of users; adoption within group):
  • 18–29: ~19% of users; ~95–98% adoption
  • 30–49: ~35% of users; ~96–98% adoption
  • 50–64: ~26% of users; ~90–94% adoption
  • 65+: ~20% of users; ~75–85% adoption
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (adoption rates are very similar by gender).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~79–82% of households have a broadband subscription; ~13–15% are smartphone‑only; ~5–8% report no home internet.
  • Towns (Humboldt, Milan, Trenton) have cable/fiber with typical speeds 100–1,000 Mbps; rural areas rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, and expanding fiber.
  • 5G/4G coverage is strongest along US‑45E/45W/79 corridors; service quality drops in some low‑density western/southern tracts.
  • Ongoing fiber buildouts via state/federal programs are improving coverage and speeds, with senior adoption rising gradually.

Notes: Figures synthesize recent national usage patterns (Pew) applied to local demographics (ACS) and rural broadband conditions (FCC/state reports).

Here’s a concise, county-specific view of mobile phone usage in Gibson County, Tennessee, with estimates, demographics, and infrastructure—highlighting where local patterns differ from state-wide trends.

What’s notably different from Tennessee overall

• Slightly lower smartphone adoption and iPhone share, driven by an older age mix and lower median incomes than the state.
• Higher reliance on prepaid plans and “mobile-only” internet access—though rural fiber from the local electric co-op (Gibson Connect) is reducing that in some tracts more than is typical for rural Tennessee.
• 5G coverage is broad at low band, but mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in town centers (Milan, Humboldt, Trenton, Medina); rural areas more often fall back to LTE than in urban Tennessee.
• Fixed wireless (T‑Mobile/Verizon) plays a larger role at the rural fringes than in state urban counties, bridging gaps where cable or AT&T fiber are absent.

User estimates (method-based ranges)

• Population baseline: ~50–51k residents; ~76–78% are adults.
• Mobile phone users (any mobile phone): 39,000–42,000. Assumes ~95% adult mobile ownership plus some teen users.
• Smartphone users: 35,000–38,000. Assumes 85–88% adult smartphone ownership; ~90% among teens 13–17; partial uptake among ages 10–12.
• Mobile-only home internet households: roughly 18–25% countywide, higher than the statewide share (often ~15–20%), but with pockets significantly lower where Gibson Connect fiber or town cable is available.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 65+: Larger share than the TN average; smartphone ownership ~65–75% locally vs ~75–80% statewide. Greater retention of basic/feature phones and simpler Android devices.
  • Under 35: High smartphone and social/video use, similar to the state; heavier hotspotting for homework/work where home broadband is weak.
• Income
  • Lower median income and higher poverty than TN overall correlate with:
    • More prepaid (Cricket, Metro by T‑Mobile) and value postpaid plans.
    • Higher smartphone dependence for primary internet access, especially where cable/fiber isn’t available or is unaffordable.
    • Sensitivity to the end of ACP subsidies in 2024–2025, likely increasing plan downgrades and data-conservation behaviors.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Majority White with a sizable Black community and a small but growing Hispanic population. As elsewhere in TN, Black and Hispanic households show higher smartphone-only internet reliance; in Gibson this is amplified in rural blocks lacking wired options.
• Device mix
  • iPhone share likely a few points lower than statewide norms (state often ~55–60%); Android share higher due to price and prepaid channels.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Macro coverage and carriers
  • All three nationals (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) provide countywide coverage, strongest along US‑45E/45W and through town centers.
  • Low-band 5G covers most traveled areas; rural byways still drop to LTE more often than in TN metros.
• 5G capacity
  • Mid-band 5G (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz, Verizon/AT&T C‑band) is common in Milan, Humboldt, Medina, and Trenton. Expect 200–400+ Mbps in those cores.
  • Rural sectors frequently rely on LTE or low‑band 5G, with typical speeds 5–50 Mbps and more variability than in urban TN counties.
• Fixed wireless home internet
  • T‑Mobile Home Internet is widely marketed in town centers and many rural addresses; Verizon 5G Home appears in denser town cores.
  • This option fills gaps but can be capacity‑sensitive at peaks in fringe sectors.
• Wired competition (key local differentiator)
  • Gibson Connect (the local electric co‑op’s fiber) has built substantial rural FTTH—unusually strong for a rural TN county—cutting mobile-only dependence in its footprint.
  • Charter/Spectrum cable is available in larger towns; AT&T offers a mix of fiber (select neighborhoods, especially newer developments) and legacy copper elsewhere.
• Known weak spots
  • Outlying agricultural areas and wooded lowlands see more dead zones and indoor signal challenges, particularly for mid-band 5G and T‑Mobile in some sectors; AT&T’s FirstNet build improves highway/first‑responder corridors but doesn’t eliminate all rural gaps.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Schools and libraries provide vital Wi‑Fi offload nodes; community use spikes after work/school hours in areas without robust home broadband.

Implications and near-term outlook

• As co‑op fiber expands, mobile-only households should decline in those served rural tracts—an atypically positive rural trend compared to many TN counties.
• In unserved pockets, expect continued reliance on prepaid and fixed wireless. The end of ACP support likely sustains pressure on data caps and plan affordability.
• Carriers will keep densifying mid-band 5G in town cores; rural sites will see incremental upgrades but are less likely to get dense mid-band layers in the short term.

How to use these estimates

• The figures above are model-based ranges derived from county population structure, national/rural adoption rates, and observed provider footprints in West Tennessee. For program design or network planning, pair this with address-level availability (co‑op fiber vs cable vs fixed wireless) and carrier drive-test or crowdsourced speed data to pinpoint the highest mobile-only reliance and coverage pain points.

Here’s a concise, practical snapshot (estimates modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use study plus U.S. Census/ACS data; exact county-level splits aren’t published).

Overall size

• Population: ~50.5k; adults (18+): ~39k.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~26–29k (≈66–74% of adults).
• Daily users (among those on social): ~17–20k (≈65–70% of users).

Age mix of users (share of local social users)

• 18–29: ~20–25%. Heavy Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; near-universal YouTube.
• 30–49: ~33–38%. Facebook + YouTube core; growing Instagram; moderate TikTok.
• 50–64: ~25–30%. Facebook dominant; YouTube strong; lighter Instagram/TikTok.
• 65+: ~12–18%. Facebook and YouTube mainly.

Gender

• Overall social users: ~53–56% women, ~44–47% men.
• Platform skews: Pinterest (predominantly women), Instagram/TikTok (slightly more women), Facebook (slight female tilt), Reddit and X/Twitter (more men), YouTube roughly balanced.

Most‑used platforms in Gibson County (share of adults; estimates)

• YouTube: ~75–80%
• Facebook: ~63–68%
• Instagram: ~38–45%
• TikTok: ~28–35%
• Pinterest: ~30–37%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• X/Twitter: ~15–20%
• LinkedIn: ~15–20%
• Reddit: ~15–18%

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: school updates, church events, high‑school sports, local government and weather alerts; very active buy/sell groups and Marketplace.
• Video habits: short‑form (Reels/TikTok) for quick local updates and entertainment; YouTube for DIY, equipment/auto repair, hunting/fishing, and church services.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is primary; Snapchat among teens/20s; WhatsApp niche.
• Content that performs: local faces and names, high‑school sports highlights, event recaps, giveaways, cause/benefit posts, limited‑time local deals.
• Engagement windows: mornings 6–8 am and evenings 7–10 pm; strong weekend activity (Sun p.m.); quieter during school/work hours.
• Info pathways: local TV/radio/newspaper pages drive news; shares in town‑specific groups (Milan, Humboldt, Trenton, Medina, etc.) amplify reach; comment threads shape perception.
• Shopping: strong inclination toward local boutiques’ live sales, farm/yard equipment and vehicles via Marketplace; curbside/porch pickup norms persist.

Notes on methodology

• Population from recent Census/ACS estimates; platform and demographic rates adapted from Pew 2024 national data with rural/Southern adjustments. Treat figures as directional rather than exact counts.