Rhea County

Key demographics for Rhea County, Tennessee (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; rounded):

• Population: ~33,500
• Age: median 42.0 years; under 18: 22.9%; 65 and over: 20.0%
• Sex: 49.6% male; 50.4% female
• Race/ethnicity:
  • White (non-Hispanic): 85.7%
  • Black or African American: 3.2%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): 6.3%
  • Two or more races: 3.3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.6%
  • Asian: 0.4%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
  • Some other race: 0.4%
• Households: ~12,900; average household size: 2.56
  • Family households: ~69% of households; married-couple families: ~51% of all households
  • Owner-occupied: ~74%; renter-occupied: ~26%

Insights: The county is predominantly non-Hispanic White, skews older than the U.S. overall, and has a higher-than-national homeownership rate.

Rhea County, TN overview (population ~33,000; ~100 people/sq. mile):

• Estimated email users: ~24,000 (±2,000). That’s roughly 70–80% of residents and 85–92% of adults, consistent with rural Tennessee adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: 7%; 18–34: 24%; 35–64: 48%; 65+: 21%. Adoption is near-universal among working-age adults, with somewhat lower but substantial use among seniors.
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male among users, mirroring the population; usage rates are effectively even.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household internet subscriptions are broadly in the upper‑70s to low‑80s percent range, with a steady shift from DSL to cable/fiber and continued mobile‑only households (~15–20%).
  • Smartphone-centric access is rising; many households rely on smartphones as the primary email device.
  • Fiber and upgraded cable service are expanding along denser corridors (e.g., Dayton/Spring City areas), improving speeds and reliability; more remote areas remain reliant on fixed wireless or satellite.
• Connectivity and density insights: Population is concentrated along the US‑27 corridor and near the Tennessee River, where broadband is strongest; sparsely populated ridges and hollows see the biggest coverage gaps, which depresses email adoption at the margins.

Mobile phone usage in Rhea County, TN — summary with county-specific estimates, demographic context, and infrastructure notes, highlighting where local trends diverge from statewide patterns

Headline user estimates

• Adult mobile users: About 24,000–25,000 adults use a mobile phone in Rhea County, based on adult population and near-universal cell-phone adoption in rural areas (Pew Research, 2023; U.S. Census 2020/ACS 2018–2022).
• Adult smartphone users: Approximately 21,000–22,000 adults use a smartphone. This reflects slightly lower rural smartphone uptake than the Tennessee average, driven by age and income mix.
• Household device and access footprint (ACS 2018–2022 patterns applied locally):
  • Households with a smartphone: High (upper-80s to low-90s percent), but a bit below the Tennessee average.
  • Households with a cellular data plan used at home: Elevated relative to wired-only households and modestly above the statewide share.
  • Households without any home internet subscription: Higher than the statewide average.

How Rhea County differs from Tennessee

• More mobile-reliant access: A larger share of households rely on a cellular data plan (including smartphone-based access) as their primary or only home internet connection than the state average. This is driven by patchier wired broadband and income constraints.
• Lower wired-broadband take-up: Subscriptions to cable/fiber/DSL are several points below the statewide rate; satellite and fixed wireless subscriptions are a few points higher than the state rate, reflecting geography and last-mile limitations.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration among adults overall: Strong adoption among younger adults offsets lower adoption among seniors; net penetration comes in a few points below the Tennessee average.
• Higher share of “smartphone-only” households: The county shows a higher proportion of households that have a smartphone and cellular plan but no wired broadband, compared with the Tennessee average.
• Digital divide more pronounced: The percentage of households with no internet subscription at home is several points higher than the state rate.

Demographic breakdown shaping usage

• Age: Rhea County skews older than the state. Smartphone adoption is near-saturation among 18–34-year-olds, but trails the state among 65+ residents, increasing the share of basic phone users and mixed device use in older households.
• Income: Lower-income households are more likely to be mobile-first or mobile-only (smartphone plus cellular plan) and less likely to subscribe to wired broadband. Higher-income households show near-universal smartphone ownership and higher rates of cable/fiber subscriptions.
• Education: Lower educational attainment correlates with higher reliance on smartphones as the primary internet device and lower desktop/laptop ownership, accentuating mobile-centric usage patterns.
• Geography within the county: Residents along the US-27 corridor (Dayton–Graysville–Spring City) enjoy stronger multi-carrier coverage and better wired options; upland and ridge areas see more cellular dependence, satellite/fixed wireless use, and occasional dead zones.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Cellular coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide 4G LTE coverage across population centers and arterial roads; low-band 5G is present around Dayton/Spring City with improving but uneven reach in ridge/plateau terrain. Coverage gaps persist in parts of Walden Ridge and other upland areas, where signal attenuation and line-of-sight limit performance.
• Capacity and spectrum: Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated near higher-density corridors and town centers; rural cells lean on low-band 5G/LTE, which provides coverage but lower peak and median speeds under load.
• Backhaul and fiber: Electric cooperative builds (e.g., VEC Fiber) and incumbent cable plant in town centers have expanded fiber backhaul and FTTH footprints in recent years, but coverage remains discontinuous outside municipalities, reinforcing higher cellular and fixed-wireless reliance than the statewide norm.
• Fixed alternatives: Above-average presence of satellite and fixed wireless as substitutes or complements to wired service, compared with Tennessee overall, especially in terrain-challenged pockets.
• Public anchors: Schools, libraries, and county facilities are fiber-fed and act as connectivity anchors and Wi‑Fi access points, partially mitigating home-access gaps.

Implications and actionable insights

• Marketing and service design: Expect a larger segment of mobile-only and mobile-first users than the Tennessee average; optimize for smartphone UX and low-to-moderate bandwidth conditions.
• Coverage engineering: Prioritize upland/ridge fill-in and capacity upgrades near US-27 and town centers where demand clusters; leverage new fiber backhaul from cooperative builds to densify sites.
• Adoption programs: Senior-focused digital literacy and device affordability efforts will move the needle more in Rhea than statewide; bundled mobile-plus-fixed offers can convert smartphone-only households where new fiber becomes available.
• Equity targeting: Income- and geography-based outreach (upland tracts; outer Dayton/Spring City) will outperform generic statewide tactics due to the county’s higher no-internet and cellular-only shares.

Sources and methods

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and ACS 2018–2022 (computer/smartphone ownership, internet subscription types by county)
• Pew Research Center, 2023 (U.S./rural smartphone and mobile phone adoption patterns)
• FCC coverage and provider filings; Tennessee broadband program updates (for infrastructure context)
• Estimates above synthesize county ACS patterns with state benchmarks to produce user counts and highlight divergences from Tennessee’s statewide profile.

Social media snapshot: Rhea County, Tennessee (modeled 2025)

Topline user stats

• Population: ~34,000 residents
• Estimated social media users: ~20,800 (about 61% of total population), combining adults and teens
  • Adults (18+): ~18,900 users (≈73% of adults)
  • Teens (13–17): ~1,900 users (≈95% of teens)

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

• 13–17: ~9%
• 18–29: ~19%
• 30–49: ~35%
• 50–64: ~23%
• 65+: ~13%

Gender breakdown among users

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47% Notes: Women skew higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men skew higher on YouTube, Reddit, X.

Most-used platforms (share of local adult social media users)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~74%
• Instagram: ~36%
• TikTok: ~29%
• Pinterest: ~32% (predominantly women 25–54)
• Snapchat: ~22% (concentrated 13–24, including Bryan College students)
• X (Twitter): ~17%
• Reddit: ~15%
• LinkedIn: ~15%
• WhatsApp: ~12%

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Facebook is the community backbone: buy/sell/trade groups, church and school announcements, local sports, county news, and Marketplace drive frequent logins and high comment activity.
• Video-first consumption: long-form and how-to on YouTube; short-form discovery growing on TikTok and Instagram Reels; Facebook video remains strong for local events and live streams.
• Youth concentration around Dayton/Bryan College boosts Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok usage in the 18–24 bracket, with heavy private messaging and Stories over public posts.
• Adults 30–49 are multi-platform but default to Facebook for local info and Messenger for coordination; YouTube is universal across ages for tutorials, hunting/fishing, auto/DIY, and faith content.
• Older adults (50+) rely on Facebook for news, community updates, church content; they are less likely to adopt new platforms but engage consistently with local pages and groups.
• Discovery paths: local businesses and events are most often discovered via Facebook pages/groups and word-of-mouth shares; short-form video increasingly drives top-of-funnel awareness.
• Engagement timing: weekday early mornings, lunch, and evenings; weekend engagement tied to local sports, festivals, church activities, and seasonal events.

How to read these numbers

• Figures are modeled for Rhea County by applying recent Pew Research Center platform adoption rates and demographic skews to U.S. Census/ACS county demographics. They reflect local tendencies (rural profile, older median age, presence of Bryan College) while aligning with current U.S. usage patterns.