Polk County

Polk County, Tennessee — key demographics

Population size

• 17,996 (July 1, 2024 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)
• 17,544 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: 46.7 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: under 18: 20.0%; 18–64: 57.6%; 65 and over: 22.4% (ACS 2019–2023)

Gender

• Female: 50.3%; Male: 49.7% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: 94.4%
• Black or African American alone: 0.5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.7%
• Asian alone: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: 3.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.7%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 92.2%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: 7,120
• Average household size: 2.41
• Family households: 66% (married-couple families: 51%)
• Nonfamily households: 34%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 80%
• Average family size: 2.89

Insights

• Small, slow-growing county with an older age profile (over one-fifth 65+), predominantly non-Hispanic White, smaller household sizes, and high owner-occupancy typical of rural East Tennessee.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates

Polk County, TN email usage snapshot

• Population and density: ~17,500 residents; ~40 people per square mile (Census 2020).
• Estimated email users: ~13,900 residents (≈92% of adults; ≈79% of total population).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 7% (1,000)
  • 18–34: 22% (3,100)
  • 35–54: 33% (4,600)
  • 55–64: 18% (2,500)
  • 65+: 20% (2,700)
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors local demographics).
• Digital access trends:
  • Roughly three-quarters of households maintain a broadband subscription, up notably since 2016.
  • About one in six households are mobile‑only for internet access.
  • Email is near‑universal among employed adults and students; the fastest growth is in the 55+ cohort as device ownership and connectivity improve.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Sparse, mountainous, and heavily forested terrain raises last‑mile costs and creates pockets of weaker fixed coverage.
  • Fiber and fixed‑wireless coverage have expanded around population centers (Benton, Copperhill, Ducktown) and main corridors, improving reliability and email access continuity.

Mobile phone usage in Polk County, Tennessee — key findings

Headline numbers

• Population and households: About 17,300 residents and roughly 6,900 households (2023 estimates).
• Smartphone access at home: 82% of households have a smartphone (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year). Tennessee statewide is about 89%.
• Internet at home:
  • Any broadband subscription: 70% of households in Polk vs 81% statewide.
  • Cellular data plan subscription (at home): 16% in Polk vs 12% statewide.
  • No home internet subscription: 24% in Polk vs 16% statewide.

User estimates

• Adult base: Approximately 13,600 adults (18+). Applying observed adoption in similarly rural Tennessee counties and Polk’s ACS profile, an estimated 84% of adults use a smartphone, or about 11,400 adult smartphone users.
• Including teens: Adding typical teen ownership rates raises total smartphone users to roughly 12,500–13,000 people, or about 72–75% of the total population using a smartphone personally.
• Mobile-only households: About 10–12% of households are effectively mobile-only for home internet (no wired subscription but a cellular data plan), which is several points higher than the state share.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • Polk has an older age structure (roughly a quarter of residents are 65+, materially above the state average). Estimated smartphone ownership among Polk seniors is in the high 60s to low 70s percent, below Tennessee’s senior adoption, while adults under 50 are near statewide rates (low-to-mid 90s).
• Income and education:
  • Median household income is lower than the state (around low-$50k vs mid-$60k statewide), and bachelor’s+ attainment is also lower. These factors correspond to lower smartphone and home-broadband adoption. Households under $25k show markedly lower device and subscription rates; middle-income households (25–75k) are closer to state norms; $75k+ are near-saturated for smartphones and more likely to have both mobile and wired options.
• Geography:
  • Settlement in river valleys and hollows produces uneven signal quality. Residents in Benton, Copperhill/Ducktown, and along US-64/74 and US-411 experience stronger, more consistent service than those in mountainous or forested tracts of the county.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile network footprint:
  • 4G LTE is broadly present along primary corridors and in population centers; coverage gaps persist in mountainous terrain and parts of the Cherokee National Forest.
  • 5G is available in and around towns and along the main highways, predominantly low-band; mid-band 5G capacity is present only in select spots, so 5G speeds vary widely and often trail urban Tennessee.
• Fixed broadband context:
  • Fiber is available in limited pockets (notably around the Copper Basin and near Benton through regional providers), but large rural areas remain dependent on older DSL, satellite, or fixed wireless.
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) from national mobile carriers has expanded rapidly along the highway corridors, filling service gaps and contributing to the county’s above-average reliance on cellular data plans at home.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet/AT&T public-safety sites follow the major corridors and towns; terrain-induced shadowing still affects off-corridor coverage and disaster resilience.

Trends that differ from the Tennessee statewide picture

• Higher mobile dependence: Polk shows a distinctly higher share of households that rely on cellular data for home connectivity and a higher proportion with no wired broadband at home.
• Wider adoption gap by age and income: The county’s older age profile and lower incomes widen the smartphone and home-internet adoption gap relative to state averages, even as younger residents approach statewide mobile adoption.
• More variable performance: Terrain and sparser mid-band 5G deployments yield lower and more inconsistent mobile speeds than typical Tennessee urban/suburban markets, with noticeable dead zones off the main corridors.
• Faster FWA uptake: Fixed wireless home internet is growing faster as a substitute for wireline in Polk than statewide, improving access but also increasing sensitivity to cell-site load and signal quality.
• Seasonal congestion effects: Recreation-driven visitor spikes around the Ocoee/Hiwassee areas create periodic mobile network congestion that is more acute than in most Tennessee counties.

Implications

• Mobile networks are carrying a heavier load in Polk than statewide—both on-the-go and at home—making capacity upgrades (especially mid-band 5G) along US-64/74, US-411, TN-68, and in Benton/Copperhill/Ducktown disproportionately impactful.
• Closing the digital divide will require both fiber buildouts into rural tracts and targeted infill of macro/small cells to address terrain shadowing.
• Outreach focused on seniors and lower-income households (device affordability programs, ACP successor benefits, and basic-plan awareness) would yield outsized gains in smartphone and home connectivity.

Social media in Polk County, TN — 2025 snapshot

Overall user base

• Population: ≈18,000 residents; adult (18+) share ≈79–80%
• Social media penetration: ≈80% of adults (Pew, 2024; rural adjustment) and ≈95% of teens (Pew, 2023) use at least one platform
• Estimated users (age 13+): ≈12,000–13,000

Most-used platforms (share of Polk County adults using each at least occasionally; modeled from Pew 2024 with rural adjustments)

• YouTube: ~80–83%
• Facebook: ~70–74%
• Instagram: ~40–45%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Pinterest: ~30–34% (skews female)
• Snapchat: ~24–28% (concentrated under 30)
• WhatsApp: ~12–18%
• Reddit: ~15–18% (skews male/under 35)
• X/Twitter: ~12–16%
• LinkedIn: ~15–20% (lower in rural labor markets)

Age mix of social media users (share of all county social users)

• 13–17: ~8%
• 18–24: ~9%
• 25–34: ~16%
• 35–44: ~18%
• 45–64: ~31%
• 65+: ~18%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~52% female, ~48% male (roughly mirroring county demographics)
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram more female; Reddit and YouTube slightly more male; Facebook broadly balanced but modest female tilt; Snapchat/TikTok skew younger across genders

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Tennessee counties and consistent with Polk County’s profile

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy reliance on Groups and Marketplace for local news, school and weather updates, yard sales, lost-and-found, and church/community events; high engagement on evenings and weekends
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, home/auto repair, outdoor recreation (rafting, fishing, hiking), and product research; TikTok/Instagram Reels for short-form local business promos and event highlights
• Messaging over posting among younger users: Snapchat and Instagram DMs dominate daily communication; public posting less frequent than story/DM sharing
• Local commerce and services: Marketplace and local buy/sell groups drive discovery for trades, used goods, and seasonal work; review-seeking and how-to content precede purchases
• Older adults online: Strong Facebook and YouTube adoption among 45–64 and growing 65+ usage for community info, health content, and family updates; lower adoption of TikTok/Reddit/X
• Mobile-first usage: Most engagement via smartphones; broadband gaps in rural pockets encourage compressed video, offline viewing, and burst engagement around weather or outage events

Context and methodology

• Figures are county-level estimates built from: Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform-use rates (with rural adjustments), ACS 2018–2022 demographics for Polk County, and Pew teen usage data. Polk County household broadband access is roughly three-quarters per ACS Computer & Internet Use, shaping a mobile-first, Facebook/YouTube–heavy mix.