Lauderdale County

Lauderdale County, Tennessee — key demographics

Population size

• 25,143 (2020 Census)
• ~24,000–24,500 (2023 Census estimate; continued gradual decline since 2010)

Age

• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 5-year, latest available)
• Age structure: ~18% under 18; ~67% 18–64; ~15% 65+

Gender

• Male ~54–56%; Female ~44–46% (male-skewed relative to state average due in part to the local state prison population)

Racial/ethnic composition (alone or in combination)

• White: ~55%
• Black or African American: ~40%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~4–6%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other groups: each <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~8,500–9,000
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5 persons
• Family households: ~65% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~65–70%
• Housing units: ~9,500–10,000; vacancy typical of rural counties

Insights

• Population has declined since 2010 and skews older than children share would suggest, consistent with rural outmigration.
• Gender distribution is more male than the Tennessee average, influenced by the incarcerated population.
• Racial composition has a substantially higher Black share than the state average, with a small but growing Hispanic/Latino population.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and American Community Survey 5-year estimates (most recent available).

Lauderdale County, TN email usage (2025 snapshot)

• Estimated adult email users: ~16,500–17,500 of ~19,500 adults (≈85–90% of adults), reflecting national email adoption tempered by local internet access.
• Age profile of email users (estimates):
  • 18–29: ~3,000–3,200
  • 30–49: ~5,700–6,000
  • 50–64: ~4,800–5,100
  • 65+: ~3,400–3,800
• Gender split: Mirrors adult population (~51% women, 49% men) among email users.

Digital access and trends (ACS 2019–2023, FCC mapping insights):

• ~75–80% of households have a broadband subscription; ~15% have no home internet. ~85% have a computer, with notable smartphone‑only reliance in some households.
• Mobile connectivity is strong along the US‑51 corridor (Ripley, Halls), with weaker fixed‑broadband options in outlying rural tracts; fiber availability is expanding from town centers outward.
• Email access skews slightly higher in working‑age adults due to employment/benefits use cases; older adults’ usage rises where telehealth and banking are common.
• Local density/connectivity: ~25,000 residents spread across ~500 square miles yields roughly 50 people per square mile; this low density and river‑bottom terrain increase last‑mile costs, contributing to pockets of slower speeds and higher reliance on mobile data for email.

Mobile phone usage in Lauderdale County, Tennessee — 2023–2024 snapshot

Context

• Population: ~25,600; adults (18+): ~19,100; households: ~10,200 (ACS 2019–2023 estimates).
• Rural county anchored by Ripley, Halls, and Henning; incomes below the state median and a larger share of residents in or near poverty than the Tennessee average.

User estimates and adoption

• Adult smartphone users: ~15,700 (≈82% of adults), lower than Tennessee’s ~87%.
• Feature-phone-only users: ~1,100 (≈6%), roughly double the statewide share.
• Adults without a mobile phone: ~1,300 (≈7%), higher than the statewide rate.
• Households with a smartphone: ~89% (TN: ~91%).
• Households relying on a cellular data plan for home internet (cellular-only or primary): ~24% (TN: ~14%), indicating much heavier mobile dependence than the state overall.

Demographic breakdown (ownership/use)

• Age
  • 18–34: ~95% smartphone access (near parity with state).
  • 35–64: ~86% (slightly below state).
  • 65+: ~62% (notably below state; higher rates of feature phone or no phone).
• Income
  • < $25k household income: ~78% smartphone access; ~26% are smartphone-only for home internet (TN: ~15–18%).
  • ≥ $50k: 94% smartphone access; smartphone-only share much lower (9%).
• Race/ethnicity
  • Black households show similar smartphone access to White households but higher smartphone-only internet reliance (~22% vs ~12%), mirroring statewide patterns but with larger gaps locally due to fixed-broadband availability and affordability.
• Plan type and devices
  • Prepaid lines are materially higher than the Tennessee average (≈45% of active lines vs ≈30% statewide), reflecting price sensitivity; Android share is correspondingly higher than state averages.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE population coverage: ~97% (TN: ~99%).
  • 5G (any band) population coverage: ~90% (TN: ~96%).
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., 2.5 GHz n41, C-band) population coverage: ~35–45% (TN: ~60–70%), concentrated along the US-51 corridor (Ripley–Halls) and town centers; weaker in the river bottoms and low-density western tracts.
• Typical speeds (user-experienced)
  • LTE: ~8–25 Mbps down in rural tracts; 25–50 Mbps in towns.
  • 5G low-band: ~25–80 Mbps.
  • 5G mid-band (where present): ~150–300 Mbps.
  • These are below statewide medians, especially outside town centers.
• Carriers and networks
  • National operators present: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile; roaming to UScellular in fringe areas.
  • AT&T FirstNet provides prioritized coverage for public safety along main corridors and in town centers.
  • MVNOs (Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, Boost, Straight Talk) are widely used, reinforcing the high prepaid share.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Cable/fiber is available in parts of Ripley, Halls, and Henning; outside those areas, households face limited fixed options (legacy DSL, fixed wireless, satellite).
  • As a result, cellular hotspots and smartphone tethering are common substitutes for home broadband.
  • With the 2024 lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program, price-sensitive households have shifted further toward mobile-only connectivity.

How Lauderdale County differs from Tennessee overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: cellular-primary/only households are roughly 10 percentage points higher than the state, indicating that phones shoulder a larger share of home connectivity.
• Lower mid-band 5G availability: coverage is patchier, with performance leaning on low-band 5G and LTE outside the US-51 corridor; median speeds trail state medians.
• Older and lower-income residents are less connected: the 65+ smartphone gap and the feature-phone/no-phone share are both higher than statewide.
• Market mix skews prepaid/Android: prepaid penetration is markedly higher, reflecting affordability constraints and contributing to higher Android share than the state mix.
• Usage patterns tilt toward essential services: heavier reliance on messaging, telehealth, benefits management, and school/work apps over high-bandwidth entertainment compared with more urban Tennessee markets.

Implications and actionable insights

• Network planning: Additional mid-band 5G sites (or sector/beam adds) outside Ripley/Halls would yield outsized benefits, particularly in western census tracts where LTE is capacity-constrained.
• Affordability and resilience: Reinstating subsidy mechanisms or low-cost plans would directly reduce the county’s mobile-only burden and improve digital inclusion, especially for seniors and very-low-income households.
• Public services: Given mobile-first usage, county communications, telehealth, and workforce programs should prioritize mobile-optimized portals and low-bandwidth modes, and expand public Wi‑Fi in town hubs to offset capacity gaps.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Figures are derived from 2019–2023 American Community Survey computer/Internet use tables, statewide benchmarks (Pew and ACS), 2024 FCC mobile availability filings, and aggregated network performance datasets. County values are rounded, and where only statewide data exist, county estimates are adjusted for rurality, income, age distribution, and observed infrastructure footprint.

Lauderdale County, TN social media snapshot (2024)

User stats

• Population: ≈25,000. Internet users: ≈21,000 (≈84%). Social media users: ≈15,500 (≈62% of total population; ≈74% of adults).
• Device use: ≈95% of social activity is mobile-first.
• Daily use: ≈60% of Facebook users and ≈55% of YouTube users engage daily; TikTok ≈45% daily among under-35s.

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users; overlapping)

• YouTube: 81%
• Facebook: 74%
• Instagram: 41%
• TikTok: 35%
• Snapchat: 27%
• Pinterest: 26% (women ≈34%, men ≈17%)
• WhatsApp: 18%
• X (Twitter): 17%
• LinkedIn: 14%
• Reddit: 9%
• Nextdoor: 7%

Age groups (share using any social media; top platforms)

• 13–17: 95% use; YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram dominate.
• 18–24: 94% use; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook secondary.
• 25–34: 89% use; YouTube and Facebook lead; Instagram strong; TikTok moderate.
• 35–44: 82% use; Facebook and YouTube lead; Instagram/TikTok mid-tier.
• 45–54: 76% use; Facebook strong; YouTube high; Pinterest rising among women.
• 55–64: 68% use; Facebook and YouTube primary.
• 65+: 55% use; Facebook primary; YouTube secondary.

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Female: ≈53% — higher usage of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; more engagement with community groups and shopping features.
• Male: ≈47% — higher usage of YouTube, X, Reddit; more how-to and sports content.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups (schools, churches, youth sports, local buy/sell) and Marketplace; Messenger is the default for contacting local businesses.
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (TikTok and Instagram Reels) expanding quickly among under-35; how-to and local sports highlights perform best on YouTube.
• Local commerce: Strong preference for geolocal deals and pickup; Facebook/Instagram DMs commonly replace web forms; reviews and word-of-mouth in groups drive conversions.
• Timing: Peaks before work (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend spikes for events and sports.
• Creative cues that work: Plain-language offers, faces of local owners/staff, recognizable locations, and short vertical video (10–30s). Static images and long captions underperform.

Note on figures: County-level figures are 2024 modeled estimates derived from U.S. Census demographics and recent Pew Research Center platform adoption rates, adjusted for rural Tennessee usage patterns.