Lawrence County

Lawrence County, Tennessee — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population size

• Total population: 44,159 (2020 Census)
• ACS estimate: ~45,000 (2018–2022)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (percent of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~88%
• Black or African American: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.5%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• Other races: ~0.2%

Household data

• Total households: ~17,000
• Average household size: ~2.6 persons
• Family households: ~69% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50% of households
• Individuals living alone: ~26% of households (about 10% age 65+)
• Housing tenure: ~73% owner-occupied, ~27% renter-occupied

Insights

• Population modestly larger than in 2010, indicating slow growth.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the U.S. overall, with a notable 65+ share.
• Racial/ethnic profile remains predominantly non-Hispanic White, with gradual growth in Hispanic and multiracial populations.

• Population and density: ≈44,200 residents (2020), ≈72 people per square mile; predominantly rural.
• Estimated email users: 31,000–33,000 adults use email regularly (driven by 90%+ adoption among connected adults).
• Age distribution of email users (approx. counts and share):
  • 18–29: ~5,500 (≈17%)
  • 30–49: ~10,500 (≈34%)
  • 50–64: ~8,000 (≈26%)
  • 65+: ~7,200 (≈23%)
• Gender split: ≈51% female, 49% male; email usage mirrors the population split.
• Digital access and trends:
  • About three-quarters of households have a broadband subscription; roughly one in four lacks home broadband, making smartphone and public Wi‑Fi access important.
  • Fiber builds and upgrades, supported by recent state/federal programs (e.g., ARPA/BEAD), are expanding coverage in and around Lawrenceburg, Loretto, and rural communities, lifting fixed-broadband adoption from the mid‑70% range.
  • Mobile email usage is strong, aided by broad 4G/5G coverage; the remaining access gap is concentrated in the most rural areas.
• Insight: Email is effectively universal among connected working‑age adults, with non‑use concentrated among residents without home broadband and a subset of seniors; as fiber reaches more rural addresses, email adoption and frequency of use are trending upward.

Lawrence County, Tennessee — Mobile phone usage summary (focus on what differs from statewide patterns)

Headline estimates

• Population: ≈45,000 residents; ≈17,000 households (Census/ACS 2019–2023)
• Adult smartphone users: ≈30,000 (synthesizing ACS device-subscription and rural adoption rates)
• Households with a smartphone/cellular data plan: ≈82% in Lawrence County vs ≈89% statewide (ACS S2801, 2019–2023)
• Households that rely on cellular data only for internet (no fixed broadband): ≈21% in Lawrence County vs ≈14% statewide
• Households with no internet subscription of any kind: ≈17% in Lawrence County vs ≈9% statewide
• Fixed broadband subscription (cable/DSL/fiber/satellite): ≈69% in Lawrence County vs ≈81% statewide

What stands out versus Tennessee overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A notably larger share of households depend on cellular data as their primary or only internet connection. This elevates the importance of mobile network quality and data affordability locally.
• Lower fixed-broadband take-up: Subscription to cable/fiber/DSL is materially lower than the state average, pushing more day‑to‑day connectivity to smartphones and hotspots.
• Greater share of unconnected homes: The rate of households with no internet subscription is roughly double the state rate, intensifying digital inclusion and service-reach challenges for app-based services.
• Slightly lower smartphone subscription at the household level: Despite near-ubiquity among younger adults, overall household smartphone subscription trails the state, largely due to older and lower-income segments.

Demographic breakdown and usage implications

• Age structure: Seniors (65+) make up a larger slice of the population than in metro Tennessee. Smartphone adoption among seniors is meaningfully lower than among working-age adults, contributing to the county’s overall shortfall versus state smartphone penetration and to higher “no-internet” rates.
• Income and affordability: Median household income is below the state median, and poverty is higher than the state average. These factors correlate with the county’s elevated mobile‑only use (cellular data plans substituting for home broadband) and sensitivity to data caps and prepaid pricing.
• Families and students: A sizable cohort of households with children leans on smartphones and hotspots for schoolwork and entertainment due to patchy or costly fixed broadband outside municipal cores, increasing peak-time mobile network load.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Carrier presence: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide countywide LTE coverage with 5G primarily on low‑band layers. Mid‑band 5G capacity is concentrated along the US‑43/US‑64 corridors and in/around Lawrenceburg and Loretto; rural fringes see more variability and indoor‑coverage challenges.
• Terrain effects: Rolling terrain, tree cover, and dispersed settlement patterns create dead zones and weaker in‑building signal in outlying areas, making external antennas and Wi‑Fi calling common workarounds.
• Backhaul and fiber: Municipal centers (Lawrenceburg, Loretto, St. Joseph) benefit from cable/HFC and spot fiber builds, which anchor better backhaul for macro sites. Outside towns, legacy copper and longer fixed‑wireless hops remain, constraining consistent high‑capacity 5G.
• Public anchors: Schools, libraries, and government sites serve as reliable connectivity anchors and informal public Wi‑Fi hubs, important given higher-than-average household non‑subscription rates.
• Resiliency: Weather-related outages and power blinks can disproportionately affect rural cell sectors with longer restoration times; FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is present along primary corridors and around public-safety sites.

Practical takeaways for planning and outreach

• Expect above-average reach via SMS/voice and smartphone apps, but plan for data‑light experiences and offline tolerance because many users operate on mobile-only or metered data.
• In-person or phone support is vital for older and unconnected residents; app-only service models will underperform relative to state averages.
• For bandwidth-heavy services, prioritize optimization for low/mid LTE throughput and variable signal quality; cache content, compress media, and support adaptive bitrates.
• Community partnerships (libraries, schools, clinics) are pivotal distribution and engagement points due to their role as connectivity anchors.

Sources and methodology

• Statistics synthesize U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey (ACS 2019–2023, table S2801: Computer and Internet Use) for Lawrence County and Tennessee, plus publicly available carrier coverage disclosures and typical rural network engineering patterns in Middle Tennessee. Figures are rounded for clarity and comparability.

Lawrence County, TN — social media usage snapshot

Population and connectivity (ground truth)

• Population: about 45,000 (2023 U.S. Census estimate)
• Adults (18+): roughly 76–77% of residents (~34–35K)
• Gender: ~51% female, ~49% male
• Households with a broadband subscription: roughly 78–82% (ACS 2018–2022)

Most-used platforms (share of adults; local estimates derived from Pew Research Center 2024 applied to county demographics)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 40–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30% Also notable: Pinterest 30–35% (skews female), X/Twitter 20–25%, LinkedIn 20–25% (lower in rural areas)

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): TikTok and Snapchat dominant; YouTube near-universal; Instagram strong; Facebook limited and often parent-facing via groups.
• 18–29: Instagram 70–80%, Snapchat 60–70%, TikTok 60–65%, YouTube 90%+, Facebook ~65–70% (Marketplace, events).
• 30–49: Facebook 75–85% (groups, Marketplace), Instagram 45–55%, TikTok 35–45%, YouTube 85–90%, Pinterest 35–45% (parents).
• 50–64: Facebook 70–80%, YouTube 75–85%, Pinterest 25–35%, TikTok 20–30% (growing via Reels/Shorts).
• 65+: Facebook 50–60%, YouTube 55–65%; other platforms low penetration.

Gender dynamics

• Women slightly outnumber men locally (~51/49) and over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest.
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X/Twitter.
• Instagram is balanced; TikTok slightly female-leaning among adults.

Behavioral trends (what people actually do)

• Community coordination lives on Facebook: Groups and Messenger for churches, schools, youth sports, civic alerts; Marketplace is a primary buy/sell channel.
• Short vertical video (TikTok/Reels/Shorts) drives discovery for local eateries, boutiques, salons, contractors; high school sports and weekend events perform strongly.
• YouTube is the go-to for DIY, auto repair, farming, hunting/fishing, and trades content; search-driven viewing dominates.
• Peak engagement: evenings (7–10 pm CT) and weekends; weather events and ballgames create rapid local spikes.
• Creative that features recognizable locals, landmarks, or community causes outperforms generic ads; giveaways, boosted posts, lives, and geo-targeted promos convert better than static images.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau (ACS/QuickFacts, 2018–2023) for population, age, gender, broadband.
• Pew Research Center (2024 Social Media Use) for platform penetration by age/gender; percentages above are localized estimates produced by applying Pew rates to the county’s adult population and rural profile.