Morgan County

Key demographics for Morgan County, Tennessee (U.S. Census Bureau; primary source: 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; population baseline from 2020 Decennial Census)

• Population

  • Total: ~21,300 (2023 estimate); 21,035 in 2020
  • Population density: ~41 per sq. mile

• Age

  • Median age: ~42 years
  • Under 18: ~18–19%
  • 18–24: ~7–8%
  • 25–44: ~28–29%
  • 45–64: ~28–29%
  • 65 and over: ~16–17%

• Gender

  • Male: ~56–57%
  • Female: ~43–44%
  • Note: Skew toward males reflects the county’s large correctional population

• Race and ethnicity

  • White (alone): ~88%
  • Black or African American (alone): ~8%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0.5%
  • Asian (alone): ~0.3%
  • Two or more races: ~3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

• Households and housing

  • Total households: ~7,700
  • Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
  • Family households: ~66% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~28%
  • One-person households: ~27%
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%

Insights: The county’s population is stable to slightly growing since 2020, older than the U.S. overall, predominantly White, with a notable male majority due to the presence of state correctional facilities. Household structure is family-oriented with high owner-occupancy typical of rural Tennessee.

Morgan County, TN (pop. ≈21,000) has an estimated 15,000 adult email users (≈92% of adults). Estimated age mix of email users:

• 18–29: ~2,600 (≈17%)
• 30–49: ~4,800 (≈32%)
• 50–64: ~4,300 (≈28%)
• 65+: ~3,400 (≈23%)

Gender split among email users is roughly even, tilting slightly female (~51% female, ~49% male). The county’s sizable male institutional population minimally uses email, so active users reflect the non‑institutional, slightly female‑leaning community.

Digital access and usage:

• ~84% of households have a computer/smartphone.
• ~70–75% subscribe to home broadband; smartphone‑only internet users account for roughly 15–20% of households, indicating higher mobile dependence than urban Tennessee.
• Email is checked primarily on smartphones, with older adults more likely to rely on webmail via home broadband.

Trends: Broadband availability and speeds are improving with ongoing rural fiber builds, but gaps persist in more remote hollows and ridgelines. Mobile coverage is generally reliable along main corridors; fixed broadband remains variable off‑grid.

Local density/connectivity facts: Morgan County spans ~522 sq. mi. with ~40 people per sq. mi., making it a low‑density, mountainous market where terrain and distance increase last‑mile costs and slow uniform high‑speed coverage.

Mobile phone usage in Morgan County, Tennessee — 2024 snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

Headline user estimates

• Population and adult base: ~21,200 residents; ~16,500 adults (18+).
• Adult mobile phone users: ~15,400 (≈94% of adults), below Tennessee’s ≈96–97%.
• Adult smartphone users: ~14,200 (≈86% of adults), vs Tennessee ≈90–91%.
• Active mobile subscriptions: ~23,000–26,000 total lines (≈1.1–1.2 lines per resident), below Tennessee’s ≈1.4.
• Households relying on smartphones for home internet (smartphone-only): ~1,900–2,100 households, roughly 24–27% of ~7,800 households; higher than Tennessee’s ≈18–21%.

Demographic breakdown (usage and adoption)

• Age
  • 18–29: Near-saturation smartphone adoption (≈95–98%), roughly on par with Tennessee.
  • 30–49: High adoption (≈90–93%), 2–4 points below the state.
  • 50–64: Moderate adoption (≈80–85%), 3–6 points below the state.
  • 65+: Lower adoption (≈65–72%), 5–10 points below the state; more basic/flip-phone retention and shared devices.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income households (<$35k) are more smartphone-dependent for internet (≈35–40% vs ≈28–31% state).
  • Prepaid penetration ≈30–35% of lines, higher than Tennessee’s ≈22–26%, reflecting budget-focused plans and weaker credit card penetration.
• Platform and device lifecycle
  • OS split skews toward Android (≈65–70%) vs iOS (≈30–35%), compared with Tennessee’s ≈58/42 Android/iOS.
  • Device replacement cycles are longer (≈3.0–3.3 years vs ≈2.6–2.8 statewide), reflecting income and retail access.
• Work and schooling
  • Mobile-only access is materially higher among service, trades, and shift workers; hotspot use is common for after-hours coursework and job-related training due to uneven fixed broadband.
• Accessibility
  • Higher share of households with single-device access, which can constrain telehealth and remote work compared with urban Tennessee counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and technology mix
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage along US‑27, TN‑62, and in population centers (Wartburg, Coalfield, Sunbright), but with ridge-and-hollow dead zones off main corridors.
  • 5G: Predominantly low‑band 5G with partial mid‑band deployment; estimated population coverage ≈70–80% vs ≈90–97% statewide. Indoor 5G is inconsistent in valleys and at the county fringes.
• Speeds and reliability
  • Typical median mobile download: ≈35–55 Mbps (peak 100–200 Mbps near towns/corridors), below Tennessee’s ≈85–110 Mbps; uplink commonly ≈6–12 Mbps.
  • Greater signal variability due to topography; call reliability and SMS succeed where app-based calling may not. Wi‑Fi calling is important in pockets with weak RF.
• Carriers and network design
  • All three national carriers present; AT&T/FirstNet has notable public safety footprint; Verizon widespread LTE; T‑Mobile’s low‑band 5G improves highway coverage but remains thinner off-corridor than in metro Tennessee.
  • Macro‑site spacing is wider than statewide averages in the northern/southern ridges, with coverage concentrated along transportation and town centers. Limited mmWave; mid‑band 5G is spotty outside towns.
• Backhaul and fiber context
  • Ongoing fiber builds by regional providers and cooperatives improve tower backhaul and enable incremental 5G upgrades; fixed-fiber availability remains uneven, sustaining higher smartphone-only reliance vs state.
• Public safety and resiliency
  • FirstNet availability is a differentiator vs legacy coverage, but terrain still influences in‑building and holler coverage; battery backup on rural sites mitigates, but does not eliminate, outage risk during extended storms.

Key ways Morgan County differs from Tennessee overall

• Fewer smartphone users as a share of adults and fewer lines per capita, but higher smartphone dependence for home internet.
• Higher prepaid adoption and a stronger Android skew, both associated with income and rural retail/device ecosystems.
• Slower typical mobile speeds and more variability due to terrain and thinner mid‑band 5G; 5G population coverage lags the state.
• Longer device replacement cycles and greater single-device households, contributing to digital equity constraints not as prevalent in metro Tennessee.
• Greater reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and hotspots to overcome indoor and off‑corridor signal limitations.

Method notes

• Figures are 2024 county-level estimates synthesized from recent American Community Survey device/internet indicators (multi‑year county tables), FCC broadband/mobile availability filings, and national/regional mobile adoption research (with rural‑South adjustments). State comparisons use Tennessee aggregates from the same sources. Where official county measures are not published, ranges reflect plausible bounds given rural Appalachian counties with similar income, density, and terrain.

Morgan County, Tennessee social media snapshot (2024 best-available estimates)

Population base

• Total population: ~21,200
• Residents age 13+: ~17,900

User stats

• Social media users (13+): ~13,600 (76% of residents 13+)
• Daily active social users: ~9,100 (67% of users; 51% of residents 13+)

Age mix of the user base (share of social users)

• 13–17: 10% (~1,360 users)
• 18–29: 20% (~2,720)
• 30–49: 36% (~4,900)
• 50–64: 22% (~3,000)
• 65+: 12% (~1,600)

Gender breakdown of the user base

• Women: 54% (~7,350)
• Men: 45% (~6,100)
• Nonbinary/other: 1% (150)

Most-used platforms among residents 13+ (adoption rate; daily use where notable)

• YouTube: 66% use; ~38% daily
• Facebook: 62% use; ~70% of Facebook users visit daily
• Facebook Messenger: 55% use; daily for most active users
• Instagram: 31% use; ~55% of Instagram users daily
• TikTok: 26% use; ~60% of TikTok users daily
• Pinterest: 25% use; higher among women (~40% of women)
• Snapchat: 21% use overall; heavy among 13–24 (~70% in that cohort)
• X (Twitter): 16% use; ~45% of X users daily
• WhatsApp: 11% use; light daily use
• LinkedIn: 9% use; mostly occasional/professional
• Reddit: 8% use; concentrated among men under 40
• Nextdoor: 4% use; limited neighborhood coverage

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: high participation in local Groups for school updates, churches, high school sports, yard sales, road conditions, and severe weather. Marketplace is the default classifieds channel.
• Video-first consumption: short-form clips (Facebook Reels/TikTok) are rising under 35 for humor, local happenings, and trades; YouTube dominates “how-to,” outdoor/auto, homesteading, and appliance/repair research across all ages.
• Messaging over public posting: much coordination moves to Facebook Messenger (adults) and Snapchat (teens/early 20s). Group chats for teams, classes, and churches are common.
• Local news reliance: users prioritize county/city pages, school district posts, and local broadcasters over national outlets; emergency/weather posts get rapid sharing and high engagement.
• Time-of-day activity: morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.) are peak windows; shift work produces late-night spikes midweek.
• Commerce and response: strong engagement with practical, time-bound offers (giveaways, coupons, “message to reserve”), Facebook Events for festivals/ballgames, and Marketplace for used goods. Geo-targeting within ~15–20 miles performs best.
• Platform roles by cohort: under 30 splits time between Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; 30–49 centers on Facebook + Messenger with YouTube for research; 50+ is Facebook-first, YouTube for “how-to,” and Pinterest for recipes/crafts.
• Access considerations: mobile-only connections are common in more rural parts of the county, so vertical video and lightweight creatives load more reliably than long HD streams.

Method note

• Figures are 2024 modeled estimates derived from Morgan County’s age/sex mix (ACS), combined with 2023–2024 U.S. and Tennessee-specific platform adoption and usage patterns (Pew Research and comparable surveys), adjusted for rural usage. They represent the civilian, non-institutionalized population to reflect the active social media audience.