Weakley County

Weakley County, Tennessee — key demographics

Population size

• 32,902 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~38.8 years
• Under 5: ~5%
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin (2020 Census)

• White alone: ~86–87%
• Black or African American alone: ~8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1% combined

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~13.4k
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~59% (married-couple families ~44%)
• Households with children under 18: ~25%
• Nonfamily households: ~41% (living alone ~34%; age 65+ living alone ~12%)
• Tenure: owner-occupied ~71%; renter-occupied ~29%

Insights

• Stable-to-slightly declining population, predominantly White with a small but growing Hispanic share.
• University presence (UT Martin) contributes to a slightly younger age profile and elevated renter and nonfamily household shares.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Weakley County, TN snapshot

• Population: 32,902 (2020 Census); land area ~582 sq mi; density ~56 people/sq mi. Largest hub: Martin (home to the University of Tennessee at Martin).

Estimated email users

• Adults using email: ~21,300 (≈65% of total population; ≈81% of adults), derived from rural internet-use and email-adoption rates.
• Age distribution of email users: 18–24 ≈17%; 25–44 ≈30%; 45–64 ≈29%; 65+ ≈24%. University presence elevates 18–24 usage.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring county demographics.

Digital access and trends

• Roughly 4 in 5 households have a home broadband subscription; mobile-only access remains common among some lower-income and student households.
• Fiber availability is expanding (WK&T/Spectrum footprints), with highest speeds and adoption in and around Martin; rural northwestern and agricultural areas show more service gaps and lower subscription rates.
• Public connectivity via UTM campus networks and county libraries supplements access for residents without reliable home service.

Key insight: The county’s academic center and modest density concentrate reliable broadband and email usage in Martin, while rural last-mile buildouts dictate growth potential among older adults and outlying communities.

Mobile phone usage in Weakley County, Tennessee — summary (2023–2024)

Headline takeaways

• Reliance on mobile is higher than the Tennessee average, driven by rural last‑mile gaps and a large student population centered in Martin (UT Martin).
• Smartphone access is widespread but slightly below the statewide rate; “cellular‑only” home internet usage is meaningfully higher than the state average.
• 5G service from all three national carriers is established along the US‑45E corridor and in towns; coverage remains patchier in sparsely populated tracts.

User estimates

• Population and households: ~33–34k residents; ~14k households.
• Smartphone users: ~26–28k residents use smartphones (roughly 80–85% of residents, including most teens and adults).
• Households with smartphones: about 9 in 10 households have at least one smartphone.
• Cellular‑only households: approximately 1 in 5 households rely on a mobile data plan as their primary/only home internet connection—several points higher than the statewide share.
• Lines per user: multi‑line family and student plans push active SIMs above the population count; an estimated 35–38k active mobile lines countywide.

Demographic patterns that shape usage (and how they differ from Tennessee overall)

• Students and young adults: The UT Martin presence (roughly 6–7k students) concentrates 18–24 year‑olds in and around Martin. This cohort is heavily mobile‑first for communications, learning platforms, and streaming, lifting per‑capita data use above the state average in the university area.
• Older adults: A larger rural 65+ share than the state average contributes to slightly lower smartphone ownership and more basic handset use outside towns, but adoption among seniors continues to rise each year.
• Income and affordability: Median household income trails the Tennessee median, so prepaid and MVNO plans (Cricket, Metro by T‑Mobile, Straight Talk, Tracfone) capture a higher share than statewide. This also correlates with higher cellular‑only home internet use versus the state.
• Urban/rural split: Towns (Martin, Dresden, Greenfield) mirror state‑level smartphone and 5G use; outlying areas rely more on voice/SMS and hotspotting due to gaps in wired broadband and mid‑band 5G.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all provide 4G LTE and 5G service countywide; the most consistent 5G performance is along US‑45E (Martin–Dresden corridor) and in town centers.
• 5G layers: Low‑band 5G blankets most populated areas; T‑Mobile’s mid‑band (n41) and AT&T/Verizon C‑band are primarily in and near Martin and along main corridors, tapering in low‑density tracts.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): 5G home internet (notably T‑Mobile, with selective Verizon availability) is widely marketed in and around Martin, filling gaps where cable/fiber are unavailable—materially above the state average in uptake relative to wireline options.
• Wireline context that drives mobile reliance:
  • Cable: Charter Spectrum serves Martin and parts of Dresden/Greenfield.
  • Fiber: WK&T (West Kentucky & Tennessee Telecommunications Cooperative) and select municipal/co‑op builds provide FTTH in pockets, but coverage is not universal countywide.
  • Legacy ADSL persists in some rural areas, contributing to higher hotspot use and cellular‑only households.
• Coverage gaps: North and far‑southern rural census tracts report weaker signal quality and fewer macro sites; these areas see more external antennas/boosters and voice‑over‑Wi‑Fi use when available.

Behavioral and market trends versus Tennessee

• Higher cellular‑only home internet: Weakley County’s reliance on mobile data plans for household internet is several percentage points above the statewide rate, reflecting rural last‑mile constraints.
• Slightly lower device ownership, higher dependence: Overall household smartphone ownership runs a bit below the state average, but the devices that are present shoulder more of the home internet load (hotspotting, video, homework), especially for students and lower‑income households.
• Prepaid/MVNO share above state: Price sensitivity raises the share of prepaid and MVNO lines relative to Tennessee overall, with noticeable penetration among multi‑line family plans and student accounts.
• Uneven 5G quality: 5G availability exists across the county, yet state‑level averages overstate performance in Weakley’s low‑density tracts; mid‑band capacity is concentrated around Martin and highway corridors.
• FWA outperforms wireline in specific pockets: Fixed wireless adoption is stronger than the state average in areas lacking cable/fiber, substituting for traditional broadband and reinforcing mobile‑first behavior.

Implications

• Network planning: Additional mid‑band 5G sectors and rural infill sites would close the performance gap with state averages, especially north/south of Martin.
• Affordability programs: Continued enrollment in discount plans and device financing will sustain high mobile connectivity despite income constraints.
• Campus/town demand: Peak loads around UT Martin (move‑in, events, finals) require targeted capacity and small‑cell solutions to maintain quality above statewide norms during surges.

Weakley County, TN social media snapshot (2025)

Headline numbers

• Estimated social media users (age 13+): 22,000–24,000, or roughly 68–73% of residents
• User gender split: ~52% women, 48% men (mirrors the county’s slight female majority)
• Top platforms by reach among local social media users (share and approximate monthly reach):
  • YouTube: 82% (~18.5–19.5k)
  • Facebook: 69% (~15–16.5k)
  • Facebook Messenger: 58% (~12.5–14k)
  • Instagram: 48% (~10.5–11.5k)
  • TikTok: 46% (~10–11k)
  • Snapchat: 40% (~8.8–9.6k)
  • Pinterest: 28% (~6–6.7k)
  • X (Twitter): 19% (~4–4.6k)
  • Reddit: 17% (~3.7–4.1k)
  • LinkedIn: 13% (~2.9–3.1k)
  • Nextdoor: 4% (~0.8–1.0k)

Age profile (share of the local social-media user base)

• 13–17: 8%
• 18–24: 16% (boosted by University of Tennessee at Martin)
• 25–34: 18%
• 35–49: 24%
• 50–64: 20%
• 65+: 14%

Gender and platform nuances

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (Pinterest users are ~70% female locally).
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.
• Older adults (50+) cluster on Facebook and YouTube; under-25s cluster on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube.

Behavioral trends

• Community-centric Facebook behavior: very high engagement in local Groups (schools, churches, civic groups), Marketplace, buy/sell/trade, local news and public safety pages.
• Student-driven youth usage: strong Snapchat and TikTok among 18–24; Instagram Stories and Reels are primary for campus life, local food, boutiques, nightlife.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube used across ages for how-tos, local sports highlights, ag/DIY content; TikTok short-form discovery drives visits to local eateries and events.
• Shopping and deals: Facebook and Instagram promotions with coupons/giveaways perform well; Marketplace is a key channel for used goods and seasonal items.
• Real-time info: X used mainly for sports (UTM/Titans/SEC), weather alerts, and road conditions; Facebook pages remain the first stop for breaking local updates.
• Timing: two daily peaks—early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.); students add a late-night spike (10 p.m.–1 a.m.), especially Thu–Sat.
• Content formats that win: short vertical video, photo carousels of inventory/menus, event posts with clear dates/times, and Story-first teasers; long text posts underperform unless tied to civic or school announcements.

Notes on method

• Figures are 2025 modeled estimates specific to Weakley County, derived by weighting national platform adoption (Pew Research Center 2023–2024) by the county’s age/sex structure (U.S. Census/ACS) and adjusting for rural Tennessee usage patterns and the local university presence; numbers are rounded to reflect reasonable precision.