Marion County

Marion County, Texas — key demographics (most recent Census Bureau data: 2023 Population Estimates; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year):

Population size

• 9,566 (2023 estimate)
• 9,725 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~51 years
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18 to 64: ~53%
• 65 and over: ~28%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~70%
• Black or African American alone: ~18%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~6%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Other groups (Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): ~2% combined

Households

• Households: ~4,300
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.2
• Family households: ~63%
• Married-couple households: ~50% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~80%+
• Notable: Older age structure and small household size; slight population decline since 2020

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

Marion County, Texas snapshot (2020 Census): population 9,725; land area ~381 sq mi; density ~25 people/sq mi (very rural).

Estimated email users

• Adults using email: ~7,100 (≈92% of ~7,750 adults).
• Total residents 13+ using email: ~7,600.
• Gender split of users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors county sex ratio).

Age distribution among email users (reflecting an older county profile and age-specific adoption)

• 65+: ~33% of users (adoption high but slightly below younger cohorts).
• 50–64: ~25%.
• 30–49: ~26%.
• 18–29: ~16%.

Digital access and trends

• Home broadband subscription: ~72% of households; ~21% have no home internet, with the remainder relying on mobile-only plans.
• Device access: ~85% of households have a computer; ~13% are smartphone‑only.
• Connectivity is concentrated in and around Jefferson; outlying areas depend more on fixed wireless and satellite due to low density.

Implications

• Email usage is mainstream across all ages; the county’s older-skewing population means a larger share of users are 50+.
• The primary growth lever is expanding reliable home broadband to the roughly one in five households still offline.

Mobile phone usage in Marion County, Texas (2024 snapshot)

Key user estimates

• Population baseline: approximately 9,800 residents; about 7,800–8,000 adults (18+).
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile device): ~7,500 (≈95% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ~6,300 (≈81% of adults).
• Teen smartphone users (13–17): ~550.
• Total smartphone users (teens + adults): ~6,800–6,900.
• Feature/basic phone users (primarily older adults): ~1,100–1,300.

How Marion County differs from Texas overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: ~81% of adults in Marion vs ~89% statewide (Pew, 2023). The gap is driven by an older age structure and lower incomes.
• Higher share of basic/feature phones among seniors: roughly 35–40% of 65+ adults in Marion use either a basic phone or no mobile device, versus a much smaller share statewide.
• More cellular-only households: roughly 15–20% of households rely on a cellular data plan with no other home internet option, several points higher than the Texas average. This reflects patchier fixed broadband outside Jefferson and along the Lake O’ the Pines area.
• Slower 5G adoption and more LTE fallback: low-band 5G is present around Jefferson and primary corridors, but mid-band 5G capacity is sparse. Residents more often fall back to LTE than urban Texans, especially in forested or lakeshore areas.
• Longer device replacement cycles: upgrade cycles skew longer (often 3–5 years) than the Texas urban/suburban norm, tempering 5G-capable handset penetration.

Demographic breakdown of mobile use

• By age (adults):
  • 18–29: ~96% smartphone adoption; near-universal mobile phone use.
  • 30–49: ~95% smartphone adoption; near-universal mobile phone use.
  • 50–64: ~83% smartphone adoption; ~96% have a mobile phone of some kind.
  • 65+: ~60–62% smartphone adoption; ~90–92% have a mobile phone of some kind.
  • Net effect: older age mix (roughly 28–30% of residents are 65+) pulls county-wide smartphone rates below the state average.
• By income:
  • Households under ~$35,000 (a larger share than statewide) show materially lower smartphone and mobile-data plan adoption and are more likely to share devices or remain on legacy plans. Smartphone adoption in this band is roughly mid-to-high 70s percent, versus 80s–90s percent at higher incomes.
• By race/ethnicity:
  • Racial/ethnic composition differs from Texas (smaller Hispanic share than the state average). However, smartphone ownership differences by race/ethnicity are small relative to age and income effects; age/income remain the dominant drivers of the local gap.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: broadly available in and around Jefferson and along main roadways; spotty coverage and lower signal quality in heavily forested tracts and near the lake shoreline.
  • 5G: low-band 5G is reported by national carriers in and around Jefferson and select corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is limited, so speeds and capacity fall back to LTE more frequently than in Texas metros.
• Performance:
  • Typical outdoor performance ranges: LTE ~10–60 Mbps in many rural areas; 5G low-band ~30–150 Mbps where present. Indoor penetration varies notably in older buildings and piney-woods terrain.
• Backhaul and density:
  • Macro towers are concentrated near Jefferson and primary highways; fewer fiber-fed sites and greater inter-site distances than in urban Texas constrain peak-time capacity.
• Fixed broadband context:
  • Cable and fiber availability is limited outside town centers. Fixed wireless, satellite, and mobile hotspots fill gaps, raising reliance on cellular data for home access compared with the Texas average.

What the trends imply locally

• Mobile is essential but not uniformly “smart”: overall mobile reach is high, yet a meaningful minority—especially seniors—remain on basic phones or older smartphones without 5G.
• Cellular data is a safety net for home connectivity: cellular-only households are more common than statewide, elevating sensitivity to tower congestion and data caps.
• Network upgrades matter more per site: additional mid-band 5G sectors and fiber backhaul to existing towers would yield outsized benefits compared with already well-provisioned Texas metros.

Method notes (for transparency)

• Population and age structure are based on recent ACS/Census estimates for small rural Texas counties; smartphone and mobile ownership rates by age come from Pew Research Center (2023). County-level smartphone user counts derive from applying those age-specific adoption rates to Marion County’s adult age mix, with teen adoption (13–17) added from national benchmarks. Cellular-only household reliance is inferred from ACS “cellular data-only” subscription indicators and NTIA/FCC rural usage patterns. Numbers represent best-available 2023–2024 estimates.

Marion County, TX social media snapshot (2024, modeled) Scope and method: Estimates for residents age 13+ using U.S. Census ACS age mix for Marion County and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform adoption, adjusted for rural/older-skewed populations. Figures are point estimates; expect ±3–5 percentage points.

Headline usage

• Estimated monthly users: ~74% of residents 13+ (roughly three in four adults/teens).
• Estimated daily users: ~50% of residents 13+ (about two in three monthly users).

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+)

• Facebook: 60%
• YouTube: 68%
• Instagram: 30%
• TikTok: 26%
• Pinterest: 22%
• Snapchat: 17%
• X (Twitter): 12%
• LinkedIn: 9%
• Nextdoor: 7%
• Reddit: 6% Note: Multi-platform overlap is common; totals exceed 100%.

Age-group adoption (share of each age group using any social platform monthly)

• 13–17: ~92%
• 18–34: ~88%
• 35–54: ~80%
• 55–64: ~70%
• 65+: ~55%

Gender breakdown among users

• Female: ~54%
• Male: ~46% Platform skew: Pinterest and Facebook lean slightly female; LinkedIn and Reddit lean male; Instagram/TikTok near parity with a slight female tilt.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural East Texas counties and applicable locally

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy reliance on Groups for Jefferson/Marion County news, schools/ISD updates, churches, civic clubs, local events, lost-and-found pets, and Marketplace for buy/sell/trade.
• Short-form video rising: Facebook Reels and TikTok drive discovery; older users engage more with Reels vs. TikTok; younger users favor TikTok/Snapchat Stories.
• Local relevance wins: Posts tied to Caddo Lake, Lake O’ the Pines, hunting/fishing, weather alerts, road conditions, festival weekends in Jefferson, and high school sports outperform generic content.
• Message-first communication: Facebook Messenger dominates for local businesses and groups; SMS and GroupMe are common for teams/clubs; WhatsApp usage is present but niche.
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evening (7–10 p.m.) see the highest activity; weekend late mornings perform well for event promos.
• Trust and amplification: Shares by known community members and admins of established local groups significantly boost reach; overtly polished out-of-market ads underperform unless paired with local offers or faces.
• Commerce behavior: Facebook Marketplace is a key channel for household goods, tools, vehicles; event-driven promos (holiday markets, downtown Jefferson weekends) convert better than evergreen ads.

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (Marion County age/sex composition).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023–2024 (platform penetration by age/rural status).
• Adjusted using rural adoption discounts and the county’s older age profile.