Henderson County

Henderson County, Tennessee — key demographics (latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates: 2019–2023 ACS 5-year; 2020 Census baseline)

Population size

• Total population: ~27,900–28,000
• Population density: ~55–60 per square mile

Age

• Median age: ~43 years
• Age distribution: under 18: ~22%; 18–64: ~58–59%; 65 and over: ~19–20%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5–51%
• Male: ~49–49.5%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~84–86%
• Black or African American: ~9–10%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~0.3–0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and other: <0.5% combined

Households and housing

• Total households: ~10,800–11,000
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~67–69% of households (average family size ~3.0)
• Married-couple families: ~49–52% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~11–13%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~74–77%; renter-occupied: ~23–26%
• Total housing units: ~12,500–12,800; vacancy rate: ~13–14%

Key takeaways

• Aging profile: roughly 1 in 5 residents are 65+, with a median age around 43.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with Black residents near 1 in 10 and a small but growing Hispanic population.
• Household structure skews toward married-couple family households, small household sizes, and high homeownership.

Henderson County, TN (pop. ≈27.8k) is largely rural, with ≈53 residents per square mile.

Estimated email users (age 13+): ≈21,100 (≈76% of total population; ≈88% of residents 13+).

Age distribution of email users (percent of email users):

• 13–17: 9%
• 18–34: 23%
• 35–54: 31%
• 55–64: 18%
• 65+: 20%

Gender split among email users: ≈51% female, 49% male, mirroring the county’s population.

Digital access and trends:

• ≈80% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS), and ≈85–90% have a computer, indicating strong baseline digital access for email.
• Access quality varies: populated corridors and the Lexington area generally have cable/fiber with 100+ Mbps service, while outlying rural areas rely more on DSL or fixed wireless, which depresses speeds and reliability.
• Year-over-year improvements are occurring as rural broadband builds expand coverage; cellular data fills gaps, and a meaningful minority of households are mobile- or cellular-only for internet.

Insights: Email is effectively ubiquitous among working-age adults, strong among seniors but constrained in the most rural zones by last‑mile infrastructure, not by willingness to use email.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Henderson County, Tennessee

Context and scale

• Population: 27,842 (2020 Census). Largely rural, anchored by the city of Lexington and the I‑40/US‑412 corridors.
• Mobile user base (estimate): 24,000–26,000 active mobile lines in the county, including secondary lines and minors. Adult smartphone users are estimated at 18,000–20,000, reflecting rural adoption patterns slightly below urban Tennessee.

User estimates and usage patterns

• Smartphone ownership (adults): Approximately 82–86% of adults, consistent with rural U.S. rates and slightly below Tennessee’s statewide adult ownership (~88–90%).
• Mobile-only internet households: 20–25% of households rely primarily or exclusively on mobile data for home internet, several points higher than the statewide share (roughly mid-teens). This reflects patchier fixed broadband and the sunset of ACP subsidies in 2024.
• Plan mix: Prepaid penetration is elevated (roughly 30–40% of mobile lines), higher than the state average, driven by budget sensitivity and variable credit access.

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage

• Age:
  • 18–29: Near-saturation smartphone ownership (~95%+), heavy social/video usage; higher data consumption than state average due to weaker fixed broadband access at home.
  • 30–49: High ownership (~90–95%); strong mobile-work usage but less small-cell/indoor 5G than in metro Tennessee.
  • 50–64: Upper-middle ownership (~85–90%); practical use cases (navigation, telehealth), with more reliance on LTE than mid-band 5G away from corridors.
  • 65+: Lower but rising ownership (~70–80%); increased telehealth and messaging, hampered by indoor coverage in some low-density areas.
• Income:
  • Under $35k: Highest mobile-only reliance and prepaid share; substitution of home broadband with unlimited or high-cap LTE/5G plans is notably above the statewide rate.
  • Middle incomes: Mixed fixed/mobile; widespread hotspot use when fixed service is unavailable or slow.
• Race/ethnicity: Adoption tracks rural Tennessee norms; gaps in mobile-only reliance correlate more with income and location (fixed broadband availability) than with race.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage from national carriers countywide, with occasional weak-signal pockets in sparsely populated or low-lying areas.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G is common outdoors; mid-band 5G (e.g., C‑band, 2.5 GHz) is strongest along I‑40, US‑412, and in/near Lexington. Away from these corridors, users more frequently fall back to LTE or low-band 5G.
• Capacity and speeds:
  • Typical rural LTE/low-band 5G: tens of Mbps, sufficient for streaming and telehealth but variable indoors.
  • Mid-band 5G nodes along major corridors: markedly higher throughput and lower latency, supporting advanced use cases; availability is more uneven than in metro Tennessee.
• Sites and backhaul:
  • Dozens of macro towers with limited small-cell density outside Lexington. Fiber backhaul aligns with highway corridors, reinforcing performance there.
  • FirstNet (AT&T) public-safety coverage present; practical benefit is improved rural reliability more than peak speed.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): 5G home internet offers an alternative to DSL/satellite for many addresses, materially influencing the higher local mobile-only and mobile-primary internet share.

How Henderson County differs from Tennessee overall

• Higher reliance on mobile data for home connectivity due to patchier fiber/cable buildout and the end of ACP subsidies, resulting in more smartphone-only and hotspot-based households.
• Lower mid-band 5G availability and fewer small cells away from highways reduce indoor performance and median speeds compared with urban counties.
• Higher prepaid and budget-plan adoption; average revenue per user (ARPU) likely below statewide averages.
• Age structure skews older than major metros, producing a wider gap between younger near-universal smartphone ownership and more moderate senior adoption.
• Network experience is corridor-driven: performance is excellent near I‑40/US‑412 and more variable in outlying communities, whereas Tennessee’s urban counties enjoy consistently dense mid-band and small-cell coverage.

Key implications

• Mobile carriers see sustained demand for capacity along I‑40/US‑412 and pragmatic coverage improvements in fringe areas rather than dense urban densification.
• Public services and healthcare should continue optimizing for mobile access and low-bandwidth experiences, given the elevated mobile-only base.
• Economic development tied to logistics and travel benefits from strong corridor coverage; broader competitiveness will track incremental mid-band and fiber expansion beyond the main routes.

Notes on figures: Population is from the 2020 Census. Usage figures are county-level estimates derived from 2019–2023 ACS population structure, Pew Research smartphone adoption rates by urbanicity and age, NTIA/FCC reporting on broadband availability, and common carrier deployment patterns across rural Tennessee. Where county-specific measurements are unavailable, ranges reflect rural Tennessee benchmarks adjusted for Henderson County’s geography and settlement pattern.

Henderson County, TN — social media usage snapshot

Baseline

• Population: 27,842 residents (U.S. Census, 2020)
• Gender mix: ≈51% female, 49% male
• Adults (18+): ≈21,700 Note: Platform percentages below are U.S. adult usage rates (Pew Research, 2023–2024) applied to Henderson County’s adult population to produce local estimates.

Most‑used platforms among adults (percent of adults; estimated local adult users)

• YouTube: 83% → ≈18,000 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ≈14,800 adults
• Instagram: 50% → ≈10,900 adults
• Pinterest: 35% → ≈7,600 adults
• TikTok: 33% → ≈7,200 adults
• Snapchat: 30% → ≈6,500 adults
• LinkedIn: 30% → ≈6,500 adults
• X (Twitter): 22% → ≈4,800 adults
• Reddit: 25% → ≈5,400 adults

Age groups and usage patterns (locally inferred from national age trends)

• Under 35: Largest drivers of Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube Shorts; heavier daily multi‑platform use and short‑form video creation/consumption
• 35–54: Broadest multi‑platform mix (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest); strong engagement with local groups, events, and Marketplace
• 55–64: Facebook and YouTube dominant; news, community updates, hobbies/DIY, and health content
• 65+: Facebook first, YouTube second; local news, church/community pages, and family updates drive usage

Gender breakdown by platform (directional skews)

• Facebook, Instagram, TikTok: near‑balanced with a slight female tilt
• Pinterest: female‑skewing audience
• YouTube: broadly balanced, slight male tilt
• X (Twitter) and Reddit: male‑skewing
• LinkedIn: slight male tilt, concentrated among 25–54

Behavioral trends in Henderson County

• Community‑centric usage: Facebook Groups, school and church pages, and local news pages are high‑engagement hubs; Marketplace is a daily habit for buying/selling
• Video everywhere: Short‑form video (Reels, Shorts, TikTok) drives reach; how‑to, local events, sports highlights, and behind‑the‑scenes content perform best
• Event‑driven spikes: Severe weather, school sports, festivals, and public services updates produce noticeable engagement surges
• Trust in local voices: Posts from local officials, coaches, pastors, small businesses, and media personalities earn outsized reach and shares
• Messaging as a conversion path: Many interactions move quickly to Messenger/DMs for quotes, appointments, and sales
• Mobile‑first behavior: Creative that is vertical, captioned, and visual outperforms; weekday early morning, lunch, and evening windows typically see the most activity

Key takeaways

• Facebook and YouTube are the reach workhorses; Instagram and TikTok add incremental younger reach and video velocity
• For commerce and announcements, Facebook Groups and Marketplace are essential
• Short, locally relevant video plus clear CTAs to Messenger/DMs convert best in this market