Mcminn County

Key demographics — McMinn County, Tennessee

Sources and years: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census (total population); American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates 2018–2022 (age, gender, race/ethnicity, households/housing).

Population

• Total population: 53,794 (2020 Census)
• ACS 2018–2022 estimate: ~54,000

Age

• Median age: ~43 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~86%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~4%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~1%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~21,300
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~68% of households; married-couple families: ~49%
• Homeownership rate: ~72%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• Population is modestly growing since 2010 and older than the U.S. median, with about one in five residents 65+.
• The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but growing Hispanic/Latino and multiracial populations.
• Household structure skews toward owner-occupied, family households with relatively small household sizes.

• Population and density: 53,794 residents (2020 Census) across ~430 sq mi ≈ 125 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈41,400 residents (age 13+) use email regularly, applying high U.S. adoption rates to McMinn’s age mix.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17 ≈7%; 18–34 ≈23%; 35–64 ≈48%; 65+ ≈22%.
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female, 49% male, mirroring the local population.
• Digital access and devices (ACS 2018–2022, county-level): ≈83% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈90% have a computer device. About 13% are smartphone‑only internet users, which can constrain routine email use for work/school.
• Connectivity facts/trends: Access and adoption are strongest around Athens/Etowah and the I‑75 corridor; rural areas show lower subscription rates and more reliance on legacy DSL or satellite. Continued cable/fiber buildouts are expanding 100/20 Mbps availability and lifting email reliability, with gains driven by remote work/learning and telehealth needs.

Overall: McMinn County’s email user base is large and skews to working‑age adults, with strong female/male parity. The main constraint is rural last‑mile connectivity and smartphone‑only households rather than user willingness to use email.

Mobile phone usage in McMinn County, Tennessee — 2024 snapshot

User estimates

• Total population: about 54,000; adults (18+) about 42,000.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: about 35,000 (≈84% adult adoption, a few points below the statewide adult average).
• Including teens (13–17): about 41,000 regular mobile users countywide. Teen smartphone adoption is near-universal, so youth lift overall user counts despite lower uptake among seniors.

How McMinn differs from Tennessee overall

• Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption than the state average (county ≈84% vs Tennessee ≈88–90%), driven by an older age profile and slightly lower incomes than the state median.
• Higher share of “smartphone-only” internet households (about 16–18% in McMinn vs roughly 12–14% statewide), reflecting patchier fixed-broadband options outside town centers.
• Wireless-only (no landline) households are common but likely a bit below the Tennessee average because of the county’s older population mix. Expect roughly low-70s percent in McMinn vs mid-to-high 70s percent statewide.
• Heavier dependence on mobile data for everyday connectivity outside Athens/Etowah/Englewood, whereas urban Tennessee counties lean more on home broadband with mobile as a complement.

Demographic breakdown of mobile adoption and use

• Age
  • 18–34: very high adoption (≈95%+), similar to state levels.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈88–92%), a touch below statewide in rural tracts.
  • 65+: notably lower adoption (≈70–78%); this cohort is larger in McMinn than statewide, pulling down the county average and increasing the share who keep a landline.
• Income and education
  • Lower-income households show slightly lower device ownership but higher reliance on smartphone-only internet. This pattern is more pronounced in McMinn than in the state overall because fixed broadband is less ubiquitous outside town limits.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s population is predominantly White, with smaller Black and Hispanic communities. Adoption gaps by race seen at the state level are muted locally simply because the county’s demographic composition is less diverse; differences in McMinn are driven more by age, income, and location (town vs rural) than by race.
• Household type
  • Renters and younger households are more likely to be wireless-only and smartphone-only for home internet; seniors and multi-generational owner-occupied households are more likely to retain a landline or subscribe to fixed broadband.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Cellular networks
  • AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile all provide countywide 4G LTE footprints, with the strongest and most consistent performance along the I‑75 corridor and in/near Athens, Etowah, Englewood, Niota, and Riceville.
  • 5G coverage is present and expanding in population centers and along I‑75 (primarily sub‑6 GHz). Expect spottier 5G and occasional LTE-only pockets in outlying valleys and ridge-adjacent areas on the county’s fringes.
• Fixed broadband context that shapes mobile reliance
  • Charter Spectrum serves much of Athens and Etowah with cable internet; AT&T offers IPBB/DSL and limited fiber in select locations; electric/co‑op builds (e.g., fiber from local utilities/co‑ops) are expanding coverage into previously underserved areas but are not yet universal.
  • Outside municipal footprints, some households depend on fixed wireless or satellite; this boosts smartphone-only internet rates and increases mobile data traffic compared with Tennessee’s metro counties.
• Public investment and near-term trajectory
  • State BEAD and related grants are targeting hundreds to a few thousand unserved/underserved locations in McMinn. As those projects complete through 2026–2027, expect a measurable drop in smartphone-only households and a shift toward home Wi‑Fi offload, bringing the county’s usage patterns closer to the state profile.

Key takeaways

• Around 41,000 residents use mobile phones regularly in McMinn County, with adoption strong among working-age adults and teens but held back among seniors.
• Compared with Tennessee overall, McMinn shows slightly lower adult adoption but higher dependence on mobile as a primary internet connection, a difference explained by its older, more rural population and uneven fixed-broadband availability.
• 4G LTE is broadly available, 5G is growing along main corridors, and pending fiber/co‑op builds should narrow the gap with state-level digital access over the next two to three years.

Social media usage in McMinn County, TN (short breakdown)

Core user stats

• Population: ~55,000 residents; gender split roughly even with a slight female majority (per recent ACS).
• Adult base: ~40,000–45,000 residents age 18+ (used for platform estimates below).

Most-used platforms (local rank and estimated adult reach)

• Facebook: primary daily platform across 30+, community groups and Marketplace dominate. Estimated 27,000–31,000 adult users locally (≈68% of adults, using Pew US rate).
• YouTube: near-universal video utility across all ages. Estimated 33,000–37,000 (≈83%).
• Instagram: strong among 18–34; Reels mirrors TikTok content. Estimated 18,000–21,000 (≈47%).
• TikTok: fastest growth under 35; discovery for food, events, retail. Estimated 13,000–15,000 (≈33%).
• Snapchat: concentrated among teens/young adults for messaging. Estimated 10,000–12,000 (≈27%).
• Pinterest: strong among women 25–54 (home, crafts, recipes). Estimated 14,000–16,000 (≈35%).
• X (Twitter): niche (sports, politics, breaking news). Estimated 9,000–10,000 (≈23%).
• LinkedIn: small but present; regional employers/professionals. Estimated 12,000–14,000 (≈30%).
• Reddit/Discord: niche communities; tech/gaming/outdoors. Reddit estimated 8,000–10,000 (≈22%).

Age-group patterns

• Teens: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube for messaging, trends, and local sports highlights.
• 18–29: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat daily; Facebook for events/family; YouTube universal.
• 30–44: Facebook and Instagram core; TikTok/Reels rising; YouTube for tutorials/family content.
• 45–64: Facebook dominant (groups, Marketplace, local news); YouTube for how-to and streaming; Pinterest active among women.
• 65+: Facebook for community/church connections; YouTube for sermons/how-to; limited TikTok/Instagram.

Gender breakdown (behavioral skews)

• Women: over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; heavy use of groups (schools, churches, yard sale/buy-sell-trade) and Marketplace; strong engagement with short-form video for recipes/home projects.
• Men: over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; focus on sports, outdoors, automotive, local government updates; Facebook used for groups and Marketplace.

Behavioral trends and local norms

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups are the backbone (youth sports, schools, churches, neighborhood safety, buy/sell/trade). Group admins and school district pages are key distribution nodes.
• Marketplace as commerce: Facebook Marketplace functions as the primary local classifieds; discovery on TikTok/Instagram often converts via Facebook messages or in-person visits.
• Video-first shift: Short-form vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives reach; repurposing across platforms is common among local businesses, churches, and boosters.
• Messaging as customer service: Facebook Messenger is the default contact channel for local shops, food trucks, and services; response time materially affects conversion.
• Time-of-day posting: Evenings and weekends perform best; noticeable spikes around Friday night lights, Saturday errands, and early Sunday afternoon.
• Information risks: Rumors and missing-context posts can spread rapidly in Facebook groups; trusted local pages (schools, city/county offices, major churches) anchor corrections.
• Advertising realities: Most efficient paid reach for 25+ is on Facebook/Instagram; TikTok ads effective for under-35 awareness; YouTube pre-roll is strong for broad, low-frequency awareness; Snapchat works for short, geo-fenced teen/college promotions.
• Influencers: Micro-influencers (1–10k followers) tied to schools, sports, churches, and small businesses have outsized local impact.

Notes on figures

• Platform percentages shown in parentheses reflect Pew Research Center’s latest US adult usage rates; local user counts are modeled by applying those rates to McMinn County’s adult population range from recent ACS estimates. This yields conservative, defensible ranges rather than single-point claims.