Limestone County

Limestone County, Texas — key demographics

Source and vintage: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: 23,146 (2020 Census)
• ACS 2019–2023 estimated population: about 23.6K

Age

• Median age: ~40 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Sex

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49% (ACS 2019–2023)

Race and ethnicity

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~22%
• Non-Hispanic White: ~57–60%
• Non-Hispanic Black: ~14–16%
• Non-Hispanic Two or more races: ~3–5%
• Non-Hispanic Other (including AIAN, Asian, NHPI, Some Other Race): ~2–4% (2020 Census; ACS patterns are consistent)

Households and housing

• Households: ~8.3K–8.6K
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~65–70% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72–76%
• Median household income: roughly $52K–$56K
• Per capita income: roughly $25K–$27K
• Persons in poverty: ~15–18% (ACS 2019–2023)

Notes

• Figures are rounded ACS 5-year estimates for a small, rural county; use for planning and benchmarking. For legal or grant reporting, reference the exact ACS table values for 2019–2023 and the 2020 Census count.

Limestone County, TX has about 24,600 residents spread across ~933 sq mi (≈26 people/sq mi), with population centered in Mexia and Groesbeck. Estimated adult email users: ≈17,200 (about 92% of adults), reflecting near‑universal adoption among internet users.

Age distribution of email use (adoption within each group, based on national rural benchmarks applied locally):

• 18–29: ~96%
• 30–49: ~97%
• 50–64: ~93%
• 65+: ~88% This yields a user base skewed toward 30–64 but with fast growth among 65+.

Gender split: roughly even; email users mirror the adult population at ~50/50.

Digital access and connectivity:

• ≈79% of households have a home broadband subscription (ACS S2801–style rural profile).
• ~15–18% are cellular-only (smartphone or hotspot) for home internet.
• ~5–7% have no home internet.
• Smartphone ownership exceeds 80% of adults; laptop/desktop access is lower in rural areas, pushing mobile‑first email.
• Coverage is strongest in and along US‑84/State highways and town centers; outlying areas see slower fixed service, increasing reliance on mobile networks and public Wi‑Fi (libraries/schools).

Trends: steady gains in broadband subscriptions, rising senior adoption, and continued shift to mobile email for work, healthcare, and school communications.

Mobile phone usage in Limestone County, Texas — 2024 snapshot

User estimates

• Population: ~23,800; adults (18+): ~18,300
• Mobile phone users (age 13+): ~18,700 residents
• Smartphone users (age 13+): ~16,600 residents
• 5G‑capable smartphones: ~10,500 users (about 63% of local smartphones), below Texas overall where 5G‑capable penetration is closer to 70–75%
• Prepaid share: ~38% of active lines (notably higher than Texas overall, ~25–28%)
• Smartphone‑only (no home broadband) households: ~2,100 (about 22% of households), vs roughly mid‑teens statewide

Demographic breakdown shaping usage

• Age: 65+ is 19% of the population (vs ~13% statewide). Smartphone adoption is near‑universal for 18–34 (95%+), mid‑to‑high 80s for 35–64, and around 70% for 65+
• Income: Median household income is lower than the Texas median by roughly $18–20k, driving higher prepaid adoption, longer device replacement cycles (≈3+ years), and stronger reliance on budget Android devices
• Race/ethnicity: Lower Hispanic share and higher Black share than the Texas average; Hispanic and lower‑income households show above‑average “mobile‑only” internet reliance locally
• Rurality: Dispersed settlement pattern outside Mexia and Groesbeck increases dependence on low‑band spectrum coverage and contributes to gaps at the county’s edges

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T (including FirstNet), T‑Mobile, and Verizon all provide 4G LTE county‑wide in populated areas, with 5G service clustered around Mexia, Groesbeck, along US‑84/SH‑14, and select corridors
• 5G profile: Predominantly low‑band 5G for reach; mid‑band 5G capacity appears in and near the two main towns and along primary highways. Outside these zones, service frequently falls back to LTE
• Noted weak spots: Shorelines and recreation areas around Lake Limestone, low‑lying ranchland between towns, and some FM road stretches show reduced signal quality and lower data rates, especially indoors
• Backhaul and congestion: A mix of microwave and fiber backhaul; evening congestion is common on LTE sectors serving exurban clusters and lake communities
• Home internet interplay: Limited fiber beyond town centers and patchy cable/DSL drive uptake of mobile and fixed‑wireless (5G) home internet; T‑Mobile 5G Home is available around towns, with more limited Verizon fixed‑wireless footprints in rural tracts

How Limestone County differs from Texas overall

• Adoption and device mix: Slightly fewer 5G‑capable devices and overall smartphone penetration than the state average, tied to an older age profile and lower incomes
• Plan type: Meaningfully higher prepaid and MVNO usage (Cricket, Metro, Straight Talk) than urban Texas, supported by local retail channels and price sensitivity
• Mobile‑only reliance: A markedly higher share of smartphone‑only households, reflecting more limited fixed broadband options
• Network experience: Wider gaps between town and countryside in signal quality and speeds; mid‑band 5G capacity is less ubiquitous than in metro Texas, so performance regresses to LTE more often
• Growth trend: Smartphone and 5G adoption are rising, but at a slower clip than statewide; improvements are concentrated along major corridors and in the two population centers rather than uniformly across the county

Key takeaways

• Approximately 18.7k residents use mobile phones, with about 16.6k on smartphones; two‑thirds of those smartphones are 5G‑capable
• Usage skews more prepaid, more Android‑leaning, and more “mobile‑only” than Texas overall
• 5G exists but is capacity‑limited outside Mexia/Groesbeck and main highways; LTE remains the workhorse in outlying areas
• Infrastructure constraints and demographics—not demand—are the primary reasons local trends diverge from statewide patterns

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2022 ACS for demographics), Pew Research Center (2023–2024 device adoption), FCC Broadband Data Collection (2024) and carrier coverage disclosures; figures above are county‑level estimates derived from these datasets and local network footprints.

Limestone County, TX social media snapshot (2024, modeled from Texas/US datasets and county demographics)

Population context

• Residents: ≈24,000; adults (18+): ≈18,400

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one major social platform (incl. YouTube): ≈80% (≈14,700 adults)
• Typical daily use: Facebook and Instagram users are predominantly daily users; TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube also see strong daily frequency among their users

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of all adults; modeled estimates)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 66%
• Instagram: 42%
• TikTok: 31%
• Pinterest: 28%
• Snapchat: 24%
• WhatsApp: 20%
• X (Twitter): 19%
• LinkedIn: 17%
• Reddit: 14%

Age-group adoption (share using any social platform; top platforms)

• 18–29: ≈90% use social
  • Platforms: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~76%, TikTok ~70%, Snapchat ~68%, Facebook ~57%
• 30–49: ≈82% use social
  • Platforms: YouTube ~88%, Facebook ~76%, Instagram ~54%, TikTok ~43%, Snapchat ~28%
• 50–64: ≈68% use social
  • Platforms: Facebook ~71%, YouTube ~74%, Instagram ~32%, TikTok ~20%
• 65+: ≈50% use social
  • Platforms: Facebook ~58%, YouTube ~61%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~10%

Gender breakdown

• Share of social media users: women ~53%, men ~47%
• Platform tendencies (adult usage within gender):
  • Women: Facebook ~72%, Instagram ~49%, Pinterest ~44%, TikTok ~33%, YouTube ~75%
  • Men: YouTube ~81%, Facebook ~60%, Instagram ~35%, X ~24%, Reddit ~20%

Behavioral trends observed in rural Texas counties of similar size (applicable to Limestone County)

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local Groups (Mexia/Groesbeck community groups), Marketplace buying/selling, school and church updates, civic and emergency information
• Video-first consumption: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) significantly outperforms photos/links; clips in the 10–45 second range do best
• Local news and weather: strong reliance on Facebook for severe weather alerts, local incident reports, and county/city notices; posts with timely utility (closures, outages, road conditions) get rapid sharing
• Sports and events drive spikes: high engagement around high school football, tournaments, fairs, rodeos, and holiday events; Stories and short highlight videos see strong same-day reach
• Messaging over posting for younger users: Snapchat for day-to-day chat among teens/20s; Messenger and group chats for families; WhatsApp used by Spanish-speaking residents and trade/crew coordination
• Shopping behavior: Facebook Marketplace is the default; Instagram drives discovery for local boutiques and food trucks; promotional giveaways and limited-time offers perform well
• Timing: peak activity evenings 7–10 pm; secondary peaks around lunch (11:30 am–1 pm) and Saturday mornings
• Trust and proof: people look for neighbor comments, photo/video proof, and admin-verified posts in local groups before acting

Method note and sources

• Estimates apply Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. adult platform penetration and usage by age/gender to Limestone County’s age structure and rural profile, with minor adjustments based on ACS internet access patterns. Sources include Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2023/2024) and U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2022–2023.