Highlands County

Highlands County, Florida — key demographics

Population size

• 106,000–107,000 residents (July 1, 2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: about 54–55 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• 65 years and over: about 36%
• Under 18: about 18–19%

Gender

• Female: about 51%
• Male: about 49%

Racial and ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: about 77–78%
• Black or African American alone: about 10%
• Asian alone: about 1–1.5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: about 0.5–1%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: <0.5%
• Two or more races: about 3–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): about 24–26%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: about 55–56%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: about 45,000
• Persons per household (average): about 2.36
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: about 78%
• Household composition: predominantly small households; majority are family households, with a relatively low share having children under 18

Insights

• Older, retiree-heavy population with a median age well above the U.S. average and more than one-third aged 65+
• High homeownership and smaller household sizes
• Significant Hispanic/Latino community alongside a majority White population

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2023) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (Tables including B01003, DP05, DP04)

• Population and density: Highlands County has about 105,000 residents across 1,017 square miles (≈103 people per sq. mi.), centered on Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid.
• Estimated email users: ~83,000 residents (age 13+).
• Email users by age:
  • 13–17: ~4,500 (5%)
  • 18–29: ~12,000 (14%)
  • 30–49: ~21,200 (26%)
  • 50–64: ~19,300 (23%)
  • 65+: ~25,900 (31%)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (42,000) and 49% male (41,000), reflecting the county’s slight female majority.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~81% of households have a broadband subscription; ~9% are cellular-only; ~10% have no home internet.
  • Subscription rates have been rising, but gaps persist in low-density tracts outside the US‑27 corridor.
  • Town centers typically have cable/fiber options; outlying areas rely more on DSL or fixed wireless, with lower speeds and less reliability.
• Insights: Email is near-universal among working-age adults and substantial among seniors, giving the county a large reachable base across demographics. Coverage and subscription disparities align with rural density patterns, so pairing email with SMS can broaden reach among cellular-only households.

Mobile phone usage in Highlands County, Florida — 2024 snapshot

Bottom line

• Highlands County skews older, more rural, and lower-income than Florida overall. That translates into slightly lower overall smartphone adoption, noticeably higher “smartphone-only” internet reliance, and more prepaid usage, even as 4G is effectively ubiquitous and 5G is concentrated along the US‑27/SR‑64 urban corridor (Sebring–Avon Park–Lake Placid).

User estimates

• Adult smartphone adoption: approximately 78–83% of adults in Highlands County, versus roughly 89–90% at the state level. That equates to about 70,000–80,000 adult smartphone users countywide.
• Smartphone-only internet households (rely on a cellular data plan without wireline broadband at home): roughly 22–28% of households in Highlands County, versus about 18–20% statewide. This higher mobile dependence reflects both rural infrastructure gaps and cost sensitivity after the phase-out of the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024.
• Prepaid/MVNO reliance: materially higher than the Florida average. Highlands’ income and age mix drive elevated use of prepaid and value plans (e.g., Boost, Metro by T‑Mobile, Cricket, Tracfone), with prepaid share likely several points above the state’s mix.

Demographic breakdown (how usage differs from Florida overall)

• Age
  • 65+ adults constitute roughly one-third of Highlands County’s population (well above Florida’s ~1-in-5). Local smartphone adoption among seniors is lower than the state’s senior average (approximately mid‑60s to low‑70s percent locally vs mid‑70s percent statewide), but has been rising steadily since 2019.
  • Under‑35 adoption is near-universal (mid‑ to high‑90s percent), on par with state levels.
• Income
  • Below-median household incomes correlate with heavier smartphone-only use. Budget Android devices and prepaid plans are common; family/shared data plans are less prevalent than in metro Florida.
• Language/seasonal workforce
  • Hispanic/Latino households and seasonal agricultural workers show above‑average reliance on smartphones for primary internet access, mobile payments, WhatsApp/Meta apps, and streaming over cellular rather than home broadband.
• Disability and fixed incomes
  • Higher shares of retirees and residents on fixed incomes favor low-cost plans, autopay discounts, and Lifeline-supported offerings; device upgrade cycles are longer than the state average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Networks present: AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon all provide countywide 4G LTE; 5G service from all three is present in and between Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid, with lower-band 5G extending farther and mid‑band 5G (for higher capacity/speeds) concentrated along US‑27 and other primary corridors.
• Coverage quality
  • 4G LTE: effectively universal across inhabited areas; lakes, groves, and state/federal conservation lands create localized dead zones and capacity dips.
  • 5G: strong along urbanized corridors and major roads; patchier at the fringes and around large water bodies. Mid‑band 5G capacity is best in commercial districts and near schools, hospitals, and along US‑27.
• Performance
  • In-town 5G mid‑band typically delivers strong everyday performance suitable for HD streaming and hotspot use; outside the corridor, 4G/low‑band 5G speeds vary and can degrade at peak times or in heavy-rain propagation.
• Backhaul and tower siting
  • Most macro sites ride fiber backhaul along US‑27/SR‑64/CR‑17; older microwave backhaul persists in outlying areas. New small cells are scarce outside central Sebring/Avon Park.
• Wireline context shaping mobile behavior
  • Wireline broadband adoption in Highlands County is several points below Florida’s average, with fewer fiber-to-the-home options and pockets still relying on legacy DSL or satellite. This gap directly increases smartphone-only and hotspot use compared to metro counties.
  • The end of ACP subsidies in 2024 disproportionately affected price‑sensitive households, leading to plan downgrades or shifts from home broadband to mobile-only solutions.

Trends that diverge from state-level

• Higher mobile dependence: A larger slice of households rely on smartphones as their primary internet connection than the Florida average.
• More prepaid/value plans: Elevated use of prepaid/MVNOs and longer device replacement cycles versus metro Florida.
• Senior adoption gap but narrowing: Seniors are adopting smartphones faster than earlier in the decade, yet overall county adoption remains several points below the state due to Highlands’ older age structure.
• Usage patterns: Messaging/voice and social/video apps dominate; hotspotting for home devices is more common than in urban Florida, particularly where wireline is slow or costly.

Methodological note

• Figures are based on the latest available federal datasets (e.g., Census/ACS 2018–2022 Computer and Internet Use, FCC Broadband Data Collection) combined with national smartphone adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research 2023) and adjusted to Highlands County’s demographic profile. Ranges are provided where county‑specific reporting is not published at single‑point precision.

Highlands County, FL — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Baseline population and connectivity

• Population: ≈105,000; older-leaning demographic with roughly one-third ages 65+. Female ~51%.
• Broadband at home: roughly three-quarters of households have a subscription; smartphone ownership is high but somewhat suppressed by age relative to the U.S. average.

Estimated local social media user base (adults 18+)

• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈62,000 (about 71% of adults; ≈59% of total population).
• Gender split of users: ≈53% female, ≈47% male.

Most-used platforms in Highlands County (adult reach, modeled percentages)

• YouTube: ~79%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~38%
• TikTok: ~28%
• WhatsApp: ~21% overall; markedly higher among Hispanic residents (≈50%+)
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• Snapchat: ~17%
• Nextdoor: ~13% (concentrated in HOA and suburban pockets)
• LinkedIn: ~20% (skews toward working-age professionals; lower than national average)

Age profile of local social media users (share of total users)

• 18–29: ~17%
• 30–49: ~29%
• 50–64: ~30%
• 65+: ~24%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the default community hub: heavy use of local groups (buy/sell, neighborhood, church, schools, civic updates), Marketplace, and event discovery. Daily engagement highest among women 25–54 and retirees.
• YouTube is the top video destination across ages: strong consumption of DIY, local meetings/streams, motorsports (12 Hours of Sebring), faith content, and how‑to. Rising use of Shorts among 50–64.
• Visual/short‑form splits by age: 18–34 lean Instagram + TikTok for entertainment and local eats/attractions; 35–64 prioritize Facebook (feeds, Groups, Reels) with YouTube as a second screen.
• WhatsApp is common for bilingual family networks and small businesses (contractors, landscaping, retail) for messaging, voice notes, and customer updates.
• X (Twitter) and Reddit are niche, used more for state/national news and sports than local coordination.
• Seasonal pattern: engagement lifts Nov–Apr with snowbirds; Facebook Groups and events see noticeable upticks, as do tourism- and motorsports-related content.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is a primary channel for second‑hand goods, vehicles, and local services; Instagram is used by boutiques, beauty, and food trucks for promos; many small businesses cross‑post to Facebook + Instagram and increasingly repurpose vertical video to YouTube Shorts.

Notes on data and method

• Population, age, and gender baselines reflect recent U.S. Census/ACS profiles for Highlands County.
• Platform reach figures are modeled local estimates: Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform‑by‑age adoption rates reweighted to Highlands County’s older age structure; results rounded to whole percentages. WhatsApp uplift reflects the county’s sizable Hispanic population relative to U.S. averages.