Navarro County

Navarro County, Texas — key demographics (latest Census Bureau data)

Population size

• 53,100 (2023 population estimate; up ~0.9% since 2020)

Age

• Median age: 37.9 years
• Under 18: 24.9%
• 18–64: 57.8%
• 65 and over: 17.3%

Sex

• Male: 49.5%
• Female: 50.5%

Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive)

• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 28.9%
• White alone, non-Hispanic: 53.8%
• Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: 13.3%
• Asian alone, non-Hispanic: 0.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone, non-Hispanic: 0.8%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 2.3%
• Other race, non-Hispanic: 0.3%

Households

• Total households: 19,100
• Average household size: 2.70
• Family households: 68.9% of households
• Nonfamily households: 31.1%
• Households with children under 18: 32%
• One-person households: 25% (about 10% age 65+ living alone)

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

Navarro County, TX email usage (modeled from 2023 ACS population and Pew 2024 adoption):

• Population ≈53,000; adults (18+) ≈41,000.
• Estimated adult email users ≈37,700 (92% of adults).
• Age-specific adoption (share within each age group using email): 18–29 ≈97%; 30–49 ≈96%; 50–64 ≈92%; 65+ ≈85%. This skews the user base toward 30–64, with seniors the smallest share but still high penetration.
• Gender split: adoption is effectively even (women ≈93%, men ≈91%); among users, roughly 51% women and 49% men, mirroring the local population mix.
• Digital access trends: ≈79% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈90% have a computer or smartphone; ≈20% are smartphone‑only at home. Fixed broadband is strongest in and around Corsicana along the I‑45 corridor, with greater DSL/satellite reliance in rural tracts, which depresses heavy email use (attachments, multi-account management) outside population centers.
• Local density/connectivity facts: population density ≈49 people per square mile; about 1 in 5 households lack fixed broadband, and adoption gaps are most pronounced among older and lower‑income residents.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022–2023); Pew Research Center (2024) technology adoption.

Mobile phone usage in Navarro County, Texas — 2023–2025 snapshot

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~52,000 residents; ~19,000 households (ACS 2019–2023, rounded).
• Estimated resident mobile phone users: ~40,000 (about three-quarters of the total population when accounting for children under 10), driven by high adult smartphone adoption.
• Household device/connectivity profile (ACS 2019–2023, S2801, rounded):
  • Households with a smartphone: ~88% (Texas ~92%).
  • Households with a cellular data plan (smartphone or other mobile device): ~78% (Texas ~82%).
  • Households with wired broadband (cable, fiber, or DSL): ~57% (Texas ~68%).
  • Cellular-only internet households (cellular plan but no wired broadband): ~21% (Texas ~14%).
  • Households with no home internet subscription of any kind: ~13% (Texas ~9%).

Demographic breakdown (what’s distinctive vs Texas)

• Age: Older residents are more likely to be mobile-reliant and less likely to have wired broadband than the state average.
  • Households led by someone 65+: smartphone adoption is a few points lower than Texas overall, while cellular-only reliance is several points higher.
• Income: A pronounced mobile-first pattern among lower-income households.
  • Households under $25,000 annually are substantially more likely to be cellular-only than the Texas average, reflecting affordability and limited wired options.
• Race/ethnicity: Mobile-reliance is elevated among Hispanic and Black households compared with White non-Hispanic households, and the gaps are wider than at the state level.
  • In Navarro County, Hispanic and Black households are notably more likely to be cellular-only than the statewide averages for those groups.
• Urban-rural split: Corsicana and the I‑45 corridor look closer to Texas norms; outlying precincts show lower wired-broadband take-up and higher cellular-only dependence.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Mobile coverage:
  • 4G LTE coverage is effectively countywide for outdoor use from AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile; indoor coverage remains variable outside Corsicana and along smaller FM roads.
  • 5G availability is strong along I‑45/Corsicana and key towns; coverage becomes patchier toward the county’s eastern and western rural edges and around parts of Richland‑Chambers Reservoir.
• Network build:
  • Macro sites are concentrated along I‑45, US‑287, and TX‑31; fewer sites serve the southern and far‑eastern parts of the county, contributing to localized slowdowns and indoor gaps.
  • Mid‑band 5G (e.g., T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz, AT&T/Verizon C‑band) is present around Corsicana and primary corridors; most remaining 5G in rural tracts is low‑band, favoring reach over speed.
• Wireline context (key to understanding mobile reliance):
  • Cable and fiber options are prevalent in Corsicana and select towns; many outlying areas still depend on DSL or lack competitive wired choices, reinforcing cellular-only behavior.
  • Wired broadband subscription rates trail the state by double digits, a gap that mobile networks partially but not fully bridge.

How Navarro County differs from Texas overall

• More mobile-reliant: Cellular-only households are roughly 50% higher share than the state average (about 21% vs ~14%).
• Less wired: Wired broadband subscription lags the state by ~10–11 percentage points (about 57% vs ~68%).
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration at the household level, but a greater share of those smartphones serve as the primary connection.
• Strong corridor-centric 5G, with rural coverage that is more dependent on LTE/low-band 5G than the overall Texas pattern.

Implications

• Mobility is the de facto on-ramp to the internet for many Navarro County residents, especially lower-income, older, and rural households.
• Investments that extend mid-band 5G and expand fiber/cable into rural precincts would most directly reduce cellular-only reliance and improve indoor coverage.
• Public services and businesses should design for mobile-first access (apps and low-bandwidth web), while also planning for intermittent rural coverage and lower wired adoption.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019–2023 (Table S2801: Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions); FCC Broadband Data Collection (2024) for mobile availability; carrier deployment announcements and publicly available coverage maps (2024–2025). Figures are rounded to emphasize directional differences and county-level patterns.

Navarro County, TX social media snapshot (2025)

Most‑used platforms (benchmarked; US adult usage in parentheses, Pew Research Center 2024)

• Facebook: dominant locally, especially 30+, heavy use of Groups and Marketplace (68%).
• YouTube: near‑universal across ages; go‑to for music, DIY, local sports (83%).
• Instagram: strong in 18–39; Reels growth for local creators (47%).
• TikTok: fastest growth under 40; strong short‑form video discovery (33%).
• Snapchat: concentrated in teens/20s; private, ephemeral sharing (30%).
• WhatsApp: above average among Hispanic residents; family and community chat (29%).
• Pinterest: largely women; home, food, wedding, and seasonal planning (35%).
• X (Twitter) and Reddit: niche, news/sports and hobby/tech respectively (22% each).

User penetration

• Expect overall adult social media penetration in Navarro County to be similar to the national baseline (roughly seven in ten adults use at least one major platform). Rural/older skew tends to lift Facebook use slightly and trim Instagram/TikTok slightly relative to US averages.

Age groups (local behavior patterns)

• 13–17: Snapchat and TikTok daily; Instagram for trends/events; YouTube for how‑to, gaming, sports highlights.
• 18–29: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat lead; YouTube daily; Facebook mainly for Marketplace, family, and local groups.
• 30–49: Facebook + YouTube core; Instagram growing; TikTok used for products, recipes, parenting hacks, and local finds.
• 50–64: Facebook first; YouTube second; Instagram adoption rising; TikTok/Reels used via shares.
• 65+: Facebook primary for community, church, and family; YouTube for tutorials and news clips.

Gender breakdown (usage tendencies)

• Women: Higher likelihood of Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; strong engagement with school, faith, health, and event content; Marketplace use is high.
• Men: Higher likelihood of YouTube, Reddit, and X; heavier sports, local politics, autos/outdoors, and DIY consumption.

Behavioral trends specific to a rural Texas county profile

• Community‑centric: Facebook Groups function as the de facto local bulletin board for schools, churches, civic updates, lost/found, and high‑school sports.
• Marketplace economy: Significant buy/sell/trade activity; posts with clear photos, prices, and local pickup details perform best.
• Video‑first consumption: Short‑form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives discovery; how‑to and place‑based clips outperform static posts.
• Trust-in-local voices: Posts from local businesses, coaches, clergy, first responders, and educators outperform generic brand content.
• Messaging shift: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp usage is elevated among Hispanic households for family and community groups.
• Timing and cadence: Evenings and early mornings see consistent engagement; consistent weekly posting beats sporadic bursts.
• Ad performance norms: Boosted Facebook posts and Instagram Reels deliver efficient local reach; YouTube pre‑roll broadens exposure; TikTok creative must be native/lo‑fi to convert.

Notes on figures

• County‑level platform penetration is not directly published in the US; the percentages in parentheses are the latest national adult usage rates from Pew (2024) used as benchmarks. Local adoption in Navarro County typically skews slightly higher for Facebook and slightly lower for Instagram/TikTok versus the US average due to its older, more rural age mix.