Marshall County

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

• Population

  • Total: ~36,400 (ACS 2019–2023)
  • 2020 Census: 34,318
  • Growth since 2010: roughly +19%

• Age

  • Median age: ~39
  • Under 18: ~24%
  • 18–64: ~60%
  • 65 and over: ~16%

• Sex

  • Female: ~50–51%
  • Male: ~49–50%

• Race/ethnicity (Hispanic is of any race; remainder are non-Hispanic)

  • White: ~79–83%
  • Black or African American: ~6–8%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~8–10%
  • Two or more races: ~3–4%
  • Asian: ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native and other: ~0.5–1%

• Households and housing

  • Households: ~13,200–13,400
  • Average household size: ~2.6
  • Family households: ~69–72% of households; average family size ~3.1
  • Married-couple households: ~50–53% of all households
  • Households with children under 18: ~30–33%
  • Housing units: ~14,000–14,500
  • Owner-occupied rate: ~72–75%; renter-occupied: ~25–28%

Insights

• Fast population growth for a rural/suburban county.
• Age structure skews middle-aged with a sizable under-18 share and a smaller but growing 65+ cohort.
• Predominantly White non-Hispanic with a notable and growing Hispanic population.
• High homeownership and family-oriented household structure.

Marshall County, TN email usage (2025 est.)

• Estimated users: ~26,000 adult email users (≈94% of ~27,700 adults; county population ≈36,000).
• Age distribution of users: 18–29: 19% (≈5.1k); 30–49: 32% (≈8.4k); 50–64: 27% (≈7.0k); 65+: 21% (≈5.5k). Adoption rates remain very high for under‑65s (mid‑90%) and strong for 65+ (mid‑80%).
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male among users, mirroring the adult population.
• Digital access trends: ~81% of households subscribe to home broadband; ~14% are smartphone‑only internet users. Fixed broadband availability is broad: ≈98% of locations can get ≥25/3 Mbps and ≈87% can get ≥100/20 Mbps. Fiber passes roughly 55–60% of addresses and is expanding, supporting higher speeds and reliability. Mobile 4G/5G coverage is strongest along the I‑65 corridor and in town centers, enabling frequent email access via smartphones.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population density ≈93 people per sq. mi. Rural pockets north/south of Lewisburg have thinner wired options and lean more on mobile, but overall connectivity supports near‑universal email adoption and daily use across work, school, and services.

Marshall County, Tennessee — Mobile Phone Usage Snapshot (latest available data through 2023–2024)

User estimates

• Population base: ≈36,000 residents (2023 Census estimate); ≈27,500 adults (18+).
• Estimated adult smartphone users: ≈24,000 (assumes ~87% adult smartphone take‑up, consistent with ACS household smartphone penetration and regional patterns).
• Estimated active mobile subscriptions: ≈41,000 (applying Tennessee’s statewide ratio of ~114 subscriptions per 100 residents to the county population; CTIA-derived benchmark).

Adoption and usage (household-level, ACS 2018–2022 5-year, S2801)

• Households with a smartphone: ≈87% in Marshall County (vs ≈89% statewide). Local count ≈11,700 of ≈13,500 households.
• Households with a cellular data plan: ≈76% (vs ≈72% statewide).
• Cellular-data-only internet (no other home broadband): ≈17% (vs ≈12% statewide).
• Any home broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, fixed wireless, satellite): ≈79% (vs ≈83% statewide).

What’s different from Tennessee overall

• Mobile-only dependence is meaningfully higher in Marshall County (about 17% of households relying solely on cellular data vs ~12% statewide), indicating greater use of phones as the primary on‑ramp for internet access.
• Smartphone presence per household is a touch lower than the state average, but cellular data plan uptake is slightly higher; taken together, this points to tighter coupling between mobile service and general internet access locally.
• Home broadband subscription is a few points lower than the state, reinforcing the above-mobile reliance gap.

Demographic breakdown (county pattern relative to state)

• Age: Adoption is highest among younger adults and lower among seniors, with a wider gap than in urban Tennessee. Approximate county pattern: 18–34 ~95% smartphone adoption; 35–64 ~90%; 65+ ~75–78%. This skews overall usage toward mobile-first among working-age adults and households with children.
• Income: Lower-income households in Marshall County are more likely to be mobile-only than the statewide average. Roughly one in five households under ~$35k relies solely on cellular data, compared with closer to one in ten among higher-income households—amplifying the county’s mobile-only differential.
• Tenure and location: Renters and residents in unincorporated/rural tracts show higher mobile-only rates than owner-occupied and in-town households (Lewisburg/Chapel Hill). This intra-county rural gap is larger than the urban–rural gap seen in Tennessee’s metro counties.

Digital infrastructure notes (2023–2024)

• Mobile networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide LTE and low-band 5G coverage across the county. Mid-band 5G is concentrated in and around Lewisburg and along primary corridors; coverage thins in sparsely populated areas away from main routes. mmWave 5G presence is negligible outside small town centers.
• Fixed broadband mix: Spectrum (cable) serves incorporated areas (e.g., Lewisburg, parts of Chapel Hill). AT&T provides legacy copper (DSL/FTTN) with pockets of fiber. United Communications has been actively expanding fiber in Marshall County via state/federal-funded projects (e.g., TNECD/ARPA-backed buildouts), improving last‑mile availability in previously underserved rural tracts. Fixed wireless home internet (Verizon and T‑Mobile) is available to portions of the county and is being adopted as an alternative where cable/fiber are limited.
• Funding pipeline: Recent Tennessee broadband grants and ARPA-funded projects have accelerated rural fiber construction in the county. BEAD-funded expansions are expected to widen fiber coverage further as awards progress, which should, over time, reduce the share of mobile-only households.

Key insights

• Marshall County’s mobile ecosystem is characterized by higher-than-average mobile-only internet reliance and slightly lower home broadband take‑up, despite broadly similar smartphone presence to Tennessee overall.
• The gap is driven by rural geography and income/tenure patterns; as fiber projects reach more unserved/underserved areas, expect gradual migration from mobile-only to mixed home+mobile access.
• For the near term, mobile will continue to carry a larger share of everyday connectivity in Marshall County than in the state overall, especially for lower-income and rural households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (S2801), CTIA (state-level subscription density), carrier network disclosures and Tennessee broadband grant announcements (2023–2024).

Marshall County, TN social media snapshot (2025)

User stats

• Estimated adult social media users: ~20,000 (about 72% of ~27.5K adults)
• Teens (13–17) using social media: ~2,200 (≈90%+ of local teens)
• Overall user base (13+): ~22,000

Age mix of local social media users

• 13–17: ~10%
• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~38%
• 50–64: ~22%
• 65+: ~10%

Gender breakdown

• Women: ~54% of local social media users
• Men: ~46% of local social media users
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram lean female; Reddit, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) lean male; Facebook and YouTube are broadly balanced

Most‑used platforms among adults in the county (estimated reach of adults)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~66%
• Instagram: ~44%
• Pinterest: ~33%
• TikTok: ~31%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• LinkedIn: ~26%
• X (Twitter): ~23%
• WhatsApp: ~24%
• Reddit: ~19%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the default local hub: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, festivals, road and weather updates; Marketplace is a top commerce channel for cars, equipment, and furniture
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, home/auto repair, outdoors content; Instagram Reels and TikTok for short local clips from small businesses, events, and sports highlights
• Messaging over public posting: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat dominate daily communications; WhatsApp usage concentrated in bilingual/Latino households
• Shopping and discovery: Facebook/Instagram drive top‑of‑funnel awareness; conversions often occur via DMs, phone calls, or in‑person; Marketplace outperforms Instagram Shops for direct sales locally
• Posting cadence: most residents are browsers/lurkers; active local creators and small businesses post several times weekly, favoring short video and story formats
• Timing: engagement typically peaks before work (6–8 a.m.), lunch (noon hour), and evenings (8–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes around events and sports
• Trust and relevance: content featuring recognizable local people, schools, and causes outperforms polished corporate creative; weather alerts, traffic, and community service updates get high share rates
• Platform roles: Facebook for community and commerce, Instagram for brand/style and Reels, TikTok for trends and youth reach, YouTube for tutorials and longer viewing, X for sports and severe weather, LinkedIn for commuters/professionals

Notes on method and sources

• Figures are 2025 county‑level estimates built from Marshall County’s age/sex population (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023) and nationally representative platform usage by age and gender (Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024). Percentages reflect estimated share of adults using each platform; user counts derive from applying those rates to the county’s population structure.