Stewart County

Stewart County, Tennessee — key demographics

• Population size:

  • 14,736 (2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)
  • 13,657 (2020 Decennial Census)

• Age:

  • Under 5 years: 5.1%
  • Under 18 years: 21.1%
  • 65 years and over: 19.6%
  • Median age: ~44 years (ACS)

• Gender:

  • Female: 49.5%
  • Male: 50.5%

• Racial/ethnic composition:

  • White alone: ~92.7%
  • Black or African American alone: ~2.4%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.6%
  • Asian alone: ~0.5%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
  • Two or more races: ~3.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3.1%
  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~90.1%

• Household data (ACS 2018–2022 unless noted):

  • Total households: ~5,716
  • Persons per household: ~2.45
  • Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~82.7% (renter-occupied ~17.3%)

Insights: Stewart County is small and growing modestly, with a predominantly White population, relatively high homeownership, smaller households, and an age profile skewed slightly older than the U.S. overall.

Stewart County, TN (pop. ≈14,700, 2020 Census) is a low‑density rural market (~30 people/sq. mi.) with dispersed settlements and sizable public land/water corridors that complicate last‑mile connectivity.

Estimated email users

• ≈11,000 residents use email (≈90% of adults; ≈75% of total residents). Daily users ≈60–65% of adults.

Age distribution of email users (estimate)

• 13–17: 4–6%
• 18–34: 20–24%
• 35–54: 30–35%
• 55+: 35–40% The user base skews older, reflecting the county’s age profile.

Gender split (estimate)

• Female ≈51%
• Male ≈49% Email adoption is essentially even by gender.

Digital access and trends

• Household broadband subscription ≈75–80% (ACS 2018–2022), up from roughly the low‑70s mid‑2010s.
• Mobile‑only internet households ≈15–20%, supporting heavy smartphone‑based email use.
• Device access is strong among adults; seniors’ adoption has grown, narrowing the gap with younger cohorts.
• Connectivity is uneven in sparsely populated areas; state/federal rural broadband programs are expanding fiber and fixed‑wireless coverage, improving reliability and speeds around towns and key corridors.

Overall: Email reach is broad and mature, with most residents—especially 35+—reachable. Coverage gaps are narrowing but remain in the most rural pockets, where mobile email dominates.

Stewart County, TN mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

Headline estimates

• Population and households: ~14,600 residents; ~5,800 households
• Unique mobile phone users (any cellular phone): ~11,500 people
• Adult smartphone users: ~9,800 people (about 87% of adults)
• Households relying on a smartphone/mobile data as their only home internet: ~27% (≈1,560 households), higher than the Tennessee statewide share (≈21–23%)
• Wireless‑only voice households (no landline): ~70–72% (≈4,100 households), roughly on par with or slightly above the state

Demographic breakdown of usage

• By age (share using a smartphone; estimated users)
  • 18–34: ~95% (≈2,500 users)
  • 35–64: ~88% (≈5,400 users)
  • 65+: ~70–75% (≈1,900 users)
  • Minors (13–17): ~90% have a mobile phone (≈900 users); under 13 usage is materially lower
• Income and plan type
  • Lower median household income than the Tennessee average translates into greater reliance on smartphone‑only internet and prepaid plans; prepaid adoption is materially higher than the state average and concentrated among sub‑$50k households
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s largely White, non‑Hispanic population means adoption gaps by race are smaller than statewide, but the smartphone‑only pattern is driven more by income and rural geography than by demographics

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Broad coverage along US‑79, TN‑49, Dover, Indian Mound, and Big Rock; persistent gaps around river valleys and the Land Between the Lakes area
  • 5G: Low‑band 5G from major carriers covers population centers; mid‑band 5G is present in and around Dover and along primary corridors but is patchy elsewhere, leaving large areas on LTE
• Speeds and reliability
  • Typical mobile speeds: ~35–55 Mbps down and ~5–12 Mbps up across most populated areas, with meaningful slowdowns in fringe and wooded terrain; this is notably slower than the statewide median (which is roughly double in downlink)
  • Latency and reliability degrade in the north and along the lakes, where tower spacing and terrain create dead zones
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Recent fiber buildouts (notably by the local electric cooperative’s fiber subsidiary and cable in Dover) have improved tower backhaul near towns, but many macro sites outside corridors still depend on longer microwave or limited backhaul, constraining mid‑band 5G expansion
• Fixed wireless home internet
  • 5G/LTE fixed‑wireless home internet (FWA) from national carriers is available to a significant share of addresses along main corridors; take‑up is higher than the state average due to limited wired options in outlying areas

How Stewart County differs from Tennessee overall

• Higher reliance on mobile as primary internet: Smartphone‑only households are several percentage points higher than the state average, driven by cost sensitivity and scarcer wired broadband off the main corridors
• Slower mobile speeds and less mid‑band 5G: County median performance trails the state by a wide margin because of tower density, terrain, and backhaul limitations
• Older age structure moderates smartphone penetration: Overall adult smartphone ownership is a few points lower than the state average, with the 65+ cohort lagging, but the gap is narrowing each year
• Prepaid and budget carriers are more prevalent: Price‑sensitive users are over‑represented relative to the state, aligning with higher smartphone‑only use and FWA uptake
• Coverage gaps are more persistent: The mix of waterways, federal lands, and low density makes infill sites slower to deploy than in suburban Tennessee

Implications and actionable insights

• Closing the mid‑band 5G gap would lift median downlink speeds countywide and reduce the dependence on LTE in fringe areas; priority infill along TN‑49 and the lakeshore would address the largest day‑to‑day coverage complaints
• Continued fiber backhaul expansion to rural towers will yield outsized benefits, enabling higher 5G capacity without new spectrum
• Targeted affordability offers and device financing will resonate: the elevated smartphone‑only share indicates demand is constrained more by cost than by interest
• Public‑safety and resiliency investments (e.g., hardened sites on FirstNet/AT&T and multi‑carrier roaming for emergency services) have high payoff given weather‑related outages and terrain challenges

Notes on sources and method

• Population, households, age structure, and income context are from recent Census/ACS county estimates
• Smartphone ownership and wireless‑only benchmarks are derived from Pew Research and NHIS, adjusted for rural counties in Tennessee
• Smartphone‑only internet households come from ACS “internet subscription” indicators and county‑rural adjustments
• Coverage and speed characterizations reflect FCC mobile coverage filings, state broadband reports, and aggregated speed‑test data patterns for rural Middle Tennessee counties; figures shown are county‑level estimates as of 2024

Stewart County, TN — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Overall usage (adults 18+)

• Social media adoption: 73–76% of adults use at least one platform
• Daily users: ~70% of users are on social media daily
• Mobile-first usage: ~95% primarily access via smartphone

Most-used platforms (adults; share of all adults)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 20–23%
• WhatsApp: 18–22%
• Reddit: 15–20%
• LinkedIn: 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 12–18%

Age-group usage and platform mix

• Teens 13–17
  • Any platform: 92–96%
  • YouTube 92–95; TikTok 60–65; Snapchat 58–62; Instagram 55–60; Facebook 25–35; X 15–20
• 18–29
  • Any platform: 84–89%
  • YouTube ~90; Instagram ~70; TikTok ~60; Snapchat ~60–65; Facebook ~55
• 30–49
  • Any platform: 80–85%
  • YouTube ~85; Facebook ~70–75; Instagram ~45–50; Pinterest ~40; TikTok ~30–35; Snapchat ~25–30
• 50–64
  • Any platform: 70–75%
  • Facebook ~65–70; YouTube ~70–75; Instagram ~25–30; Pinterest ~30–35; TikTok ~20–25
• 65+
  • Any platform: 45–52%
  • Facebook ~50; YouTube ~45–50; Instagram/Pinterest ~12–18; Nextdoor ~12–16

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Overall user mix: Women 51–53%; Men 47–49%
• Platform skews
  • Women: higher on Facebook (+5–8 pp vs men) and Pinterest (women ~2–3× men)
  • Men: higher on YouTube (+5–7 pp), Reddit (+5–7 pp), and X (+2–4 pp)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the local hub: Heavy use of Facebook Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, hunting/fishing, yard sales, and community alerts; Marketplace is a top commerce channel
• Video-first consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives discovery; YouTube used for DIY, home/auto repair, outdoor recreation, and local event replays
• Messaging over public posting: High reliance on Messenger, SMS, and Snapchat for coordination; community organizing often happens in private groups
• Local news and emergencies: Spikes in engagement around weather events, road closures, school closings, and high school sports; county pages and local media pages see rapid sharing and comments
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.) peaks; weekend afternoons stronger for Marketplace and event content
• Commerce behavior: Local services, contractors, and seasonal work are sourced through Facebook Groups/Marketplace; product research and how-tos on YouTube precede in-person purchases
• Platform roles by life stage
  • Teens/young adults: Snapchat/TikTok for messaging and entertainment; Instagram for identity and friends
  • Families (30–49): Facebook Groups/Events for logistics, school/activities; Instagram for local food/venues
  • 50+: Facebook for community and news; YouTube for tutorials; limited but growing TikTok use for entertainment

Notes on method

• Figures are 2025 county-level estimates modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media adoption by age/gender and applied to Stewart County’s age mix (ACS). Platform percentages are shares of the adult population unless noted. Behavioral insights reflect rural Tennessee usage patterns and local-group dynamics.