Putnam County

Putnam County, Tennessee – key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 80,812
• 2023 estimate: 86,800 (approx., Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: 36.4 years
• Under 18: 20.4%
• 18 to 64: 62.6%
• 65 and over: 17.0%

Gender

• Female: 50.7%
• Male: 49.3%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS, percent of total)

• White alone: 88.1%
• Black or African American: 2.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.4%
• Asian: 1.8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
• Two or more races: 3.7%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 6.2%
• White alone, not Hispanic: 82.8%

Household data

• Total households: 31,600
• Average household size: 2.47
• Family households: ~60% of households; married-couple families: ~44%
• Nonfamily households: ~40%
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Households with persons 65+: ~27%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~63%
• Average family size: 3.0

Insights

• Rapid growth since 2020, reflecting strong in-migration and the Cookeville university/medical hub.
• Younger profile than the U.S. overall, with a sizable student/young adult presence.
• Predominantly White, with growing Hispanic/Latino and multiracial shares.

Sources and reference years: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (2023).

Email usage snapshot — Putnam County, Tennessee

• Estimated email users: 62,000 residents
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 6% (≈3,700)
  • 18–34: 28% (≈17,400)
  • 35–54: 34% (≈21,100)
  • 55–64: 16% (≈9,900)
  • 65+: 16% (≈9,900)
• Gender split among email users: Female 51% (≈31,600); Male 49% (≈30,400)

Digital access and usage trends

• Household broadband subscription: ~84% of households; computer access: ~92% of households.
• Smartphone ownership among adults: ~90%; smartphone‑only internet households: ~15%.
• Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; seniors show strong adoption with slightly lower daily use.
• Growth trend: broadband subscriptions and fiber availability have risen meaningfully in recent years, narrowing rural gaps.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Population density: ~200 residents per square mile, with the I‑40 corridor and Cookeville/Tennessee Tech anchoring higher‑speed coverage.
• Cable and fiber service are widely available in and around Cookeville, with ongoing build‑outs extending higher‑speed options to outlying areas.

Notes: User counts derive from current county population and age structure combined with national email and device‑access adoption rates applied locally.

Mobile phone usage in Putnam County, Tennessee (mid‑2025)

Key takeaways

• Estimated smartphone users: ~65,000 residents age 12+ (≈88% of the 12+ population; ≈78% of all residents), driven by a large student/young‑adult segment centered in Cookeville.
• Adoption skews younger and more mobile‑dependent than Tennessee overall, with higher “smartphone‑only” internet reliance among students and lower‑income renters, and more variable rural coverage east and north of Cookeville.

User estimates (how many and who is using)

• Population base: ≈84,000 residents (2023 Census estimate).
• By age (estimated smartphone users, derived from local age structure and current national age‑specific ownership rates):
  • 12–17: ~6,800 users (≈90% adoption)
  • 18–24: ~10,600 users (≈97% adoption; Tennessee Tech influence)
  • 25–44: ~21,000 users (≈96% adoption)
  • 45–64: ~16,700 users (≈83% adoption)
  • 65+: ~10,200 users (≈76% adoption)
  • Total age 12+ users: ~65,000
• Mobile‑only (smartphone as primary home internet): materially above the Tennessee average in student neighborhoods and lower‑income tracts around Cookeville/Algood/Baxter. A practical planning range is 20–25% of households locally versus a high‑teens share statewide.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Compared with Tennessee statewide, Putnam has a larger 18–24 share and a slightly smaller 65+ share. This pushes overall smartphone penetration and daily mobile app usage above the state average.
• Income and housing: Median household incomes are lower than the state average due in part to student households; this increases smartphone‑only reliance and prepaid plan usage relative to the state.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is majority non‑Hispanic White with growing Hispanic/Latino communities; Hispanic households show higher smartphone‑only dependence than average, consistent with national patterns.
• Urban vs rural: Cookeville and the I‑40 corridor exhibit near‑ubiquitous 5G coverage and high median mobile speeds; outlying areas toward Monterey and the county’s northern/eastern ridges see more LTE fallback and variable signal quality.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G availability:
  • T‑Mobile mid‑band 5G covers Cookeville, Algood, Baxter, Monterey, and the I‑40 corridor, providing broadly consistent 150–300 Mbps median downloads in town.
  • AT&T and Verizon provide countywide low‑band 5G, with C‑band capacity live in and around Cookeville and along I‑40; AT&T FirstNet Band 14 overlays key public‑safety corridors.
• Coverage variability:
  • Strongest signal density along I‑40, US‑70N, and within Cookeville; more shadowing in valleys and higher elevations east/northeast of the urban core, where LTE (10–50 Mbps typical) remains common.
• Backhaul and fiber support:
  • Active fiber expansion by Twin Lakes, UCEMC Fiber, Spectrum, and AT&T in and around Cookeville improves 5G backhaul resilience and peak capacity, particularly on campus and commercial corridors.
• Capacity hotspots:
  • Tennessee Tech campus, Cookeville Regional Medical Center area, and retail clusters near I‑40 interchanges show robust mid‑band 5G capacity and densification (small cells plus macro).

How Putnam County differs from Tennessee statewide

• Higher youth/student share: Drives higher smartphone penetration and heavier app‑centric behaviors (streaming, campus mobility, digital payments) than the state average.
• Greater smartphone‑only reliance: Student and lower‑income households push the local share of smartphone‑only internet usage above statewide levels.
• More pronounced urban–rural split: 5G performance in Cookeville matches or exceeds Tennessee urban medians, while rural edges see more LTE fallback and coverage variability than the state overall.
• Early mid‑band 5G corridor strength: The I‑40 corridor through Cookeville has a denser mid‑band 5G footprint than many rural Tennessee counties, lifting peak and median speeds where people live and work.

Sources and method notes

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 county population estimates.
• Smartphone ownership rates by age: 2024–2025 national benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research Center for adults; widely cited teen smartphone adoption studies for 12–17). Applied to Putnam’s age structure to produce user counts.
• Network availability: FCC National Broadband Map (2024–2025) mobile coverage filings; operator public coverage disclosures; observed deployment patterns for low‑, mid‑, and C‑band 5G in Tennessee.
• Backhaul/fiber context: Public announcements and service maps for Twin Lakes, UCEMC Fiber, Spectrum, and AT&T in the Upper Cumberland region.

These figures provide a defensible current snapshot: Putnam County’s mobile user base is young‑skewed and highly engaged, its core corridor enjoys robust 5G capacity, and its rural periphery lags the statewide experience more than its urban core surpasses it.

Social media in Putnam County, TN (2025 snapshot)

Overall user stats

• Population: ≈82,500 (2023 estimate). Adult share ≈78%.
• Adult social media penetration: ≈72–74% of residents 18+ use at least one social platform (proxying Pew U.S. adult adoption; local adoption closely mirrors national rates).
• Daily use: Facebook and YouTube dominate daily habit; Instagram/TikTok daily use is concentrated in under-35s.
• College effect: Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville) lifts the 18–24 share of local social users and raises Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok activity relative to a typical rural county.

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use each platform; reliable local proxy = U.S. 2024 rates)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• LinkedIn: ~33%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22% These shares are the best guide for Putnam County; on the ground, Facebook and YouTube are the broadest-reach channels, with Instagram/TikTok strongest among campus-age users and young families.

Age groups

• 13–17: Near-universal usage; heaviest on TikTok and Snapchat, with rising Instagram Reels. Minimal Facebook posting, but many have accounts for groups/events.
• 18–24: Highest multi-platform intensity; Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat lead; YouTube is near-universal. Facebook mainly for groups, Marketplace, and campus/community coordination.
• 25–44: Broadest cross-platform reach; Facebook (friends, groups, Marketplace), Instagram (stories/reels), YouTube (how‑to, entertainment). TikTok usage is mainstream in this cohort.
• 45–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram secondary; TikTok usage growing for entertainment and local food/retail discovery.
• 65+: Facebook is primary (family, church, community groups); YouTube for news/how‑to; lighter use of other platforms.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user base roughly mirrors county population: ≈51% female, 49% male.
• Platform tendencies: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Engagement with local Facebook Groups and Marketplace skews female; sports, outdoors, and tech content skews male on YouTube/Reddit/X.

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook Groups = the community hub: high activity around schools, youth sports, churches, neighborhood watch, local events, and buy/sell/trade. Facebook Events is a key driver of offline attendance.
• Marketplace is a top local commerce channel: strong for vehicles, tools, furniture, and student turnover items around semester changes.
• Short-form video discovery: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive awareness for restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, salons, and campus-adjacent businesses; creators cross-post to Facebook Reels for older audiences.
• YouTube “how-to/local expertise”: Trades, DIY, outdoor, and repair content performs strongly; local businesses benefit from searchable tutorials and product explainers.
• Local news and emergency comms: Facebook pages and X accounts of local outlets, city/county agencies, and schools see spikes during weather events, closings, and road incidents.
• Time-of-week rhythms: Peaks Thurs–Sun for events, dining, and yard sales; weekday evenings for school- and church-related groups. Semester starts/ends amplify student-focused content and resale.
• Trust and word-of-mouth: Recommendations in local groups heavily influence service providers (home, auto, healthcare, pet care). Reviews and community endorsements matter more than polished ads.

Notes on data

• Exact county-level platform adoption is not officially tracked. Percentages shown for platform usage reflect the latest Pew Research Center U.S. adult adoption rates (2024) and serve as reliable proxies for Putnam County; local observations (college presence, rural-suburban mix) explain small skews by age and behavior. Population figures are based on recent Census/ACS estimates.