Lafayette County

Lafayette County, Florida — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 8,452 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~8,600 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–64: ~67%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Gender

• Male: ~58%
• Female: ~42% (Note: The county’s male share is elevated due to correctional population.)

Racial/ethnic composition (shares of total population)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~63%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~20%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~13%
• Other/Two+ races (non-Hispanic): ~4%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~2,700
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~67% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80%
• Average family size: ~3.1

Insights

• Small, rural county with slow population growth.
• Demographics are majority non-Hispanic White with notable Black and Hispanic communities.
• Household structure is family-oriented with high homeownership and moderate household size; sex ratio is male-skewed due to group quarters.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2023). Figures rounded for readability.

Lafayette County, Florida overview (2023 est.)

• Population: ~8,700; land area ~540 sq mi; density ≈16 people/sq mi (very rural).
• Households with broadband subscription: ~77%; ~12% are smartphone‑only internet users; ~9% have no home internet.
• Estimated adult population (18+): ~6,800.

Email usage

• Estimated email users: ~6,000 adults (≈88% of adults), reflecting near‑universal email use among internet users and strong smartphone reliance.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~1,100 (18%)
  • 30–49: ~2,000 (33%)
  • 50–64: ~1,700 (28%)
  • 65+: ~1,200 (21%)
• Gender split among email users: ~56% male, ~44% female, mirroring the county’s male‑skewed population due to institutional facilities.

Digital access trends and local connectivity facts

• Entirely non‑metropolitan; residents rely on a mix of DSL, fixed wireless, and emerging fiber builds from regional providers and cooperatives.
• Public anchors (schools, county library in Mayo) provide free Wi‑Fi and computer access that supplement lower home‑broadband adoption.
• Mobile broadband is a key on‑ramp to email for lower‑income and remote households, supporting high email adoption despite rural infrastructure gaps.

Mobile phone usage in Lafayette County, Florida — key findings and how they differ from the state

Headline differences vs Florida

• Higher reliance on mobile as primary internet: About one in four Lafayette County households are “cellular-only” for home internet, versus roughly one in six statewide. This stems from lower fixed-broadband availability and incomes below the Florida median.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: Adult smartphone adoption trails the Florida average by a few points (mid‑80s percent vs ~90% statewide), with a larger share of basic/feature phone users and shared devices.
• More prepaid, more Android: Prepaid subscriptions and Android handsets make up a larger share of the installed base than in Florida overall, reflecting income and credit profiles typical of rural counties; iPhone share is correspondingly lower than the state average.
• 5G availability is mostly low-band: Lafayette’s 5G footprint is dominated by low-band (coverage-first) deployments with limited mid-band capacity compared to metro Florida, so average 5G speeds are lower and more variable.
• Coverage is corridor-centric: Stronger signal along US‑27/SR‑51 and near the town of Mayo; weaker indoor coverage and dead zones toward forested and river-adjacent areas, unlike the denser, more uniformly covered urban counties.

User estimates (2025) Note: Counts reflect non‑institutional residents; Lafayette has an above-average incarcerated population that is included in Census totals but not in the active mobile user base.

• Total resident mobile phone users: ~6,000
• Resident smartphone users: ~5,200
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~24% of households (well above the Florida average of roughly 14–16%)
• Monthly data use: Elevated share of users exceeding 20 GB per month due to hotspotting and weak fixed broadband options (higher than the statewide mix of users in this band)

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: The county skews younger than Florida overall (fewer 65+ as a share of population), and teens/working-age adults drive most mobile usage. Teens (13–17) account for ~450 mobile users; adults 18–64 account for ~4,100; adults 65+ account for ~700–800.
• Gender: The incarcerated population produces a male-heavy count on paper; among community (non-institutional) residents, usage is balanced by gender. Women show higher engagement with social/messaging apps; men exhibit slightly higher hotspot and navigation use tied to trades and outdoor work.
• Income/education: Median household income is below the state median and bachelor’s attainment is lower, correlating with:
  • Higher prepaid adoption and multi-line discount plans within families
  • Greater Android share and longer handset replacement cycles
  • More “smartphone-only” households relying on cellular data in lieu of home broadband
• Race/ethnicity: A majority White population with meaningful Black and Hispanic communities; bilingual usage (English/Spanish) is common in messaging and media apps, and community networks often share Wi‑Fi access points.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety), Verizon, T‑Mobile. All provide countywide LTE coverage outdoors along primary corridors; indoor coverage varies with building materials and distance from towers.
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G from AT&T and T‑Mobile covers the main transport routes and population centers; T‑Mobile’s footprint is generally the widest.
  • Mid-band 5G (C‑band/n41) is sparse compared with metro Florida; capacity benefits are intermittent, so many residents see LTE-like performance on 5G.
  • mmWave is effectively absent.
• Capacity and speeds: Typical real‑world speeds range from low tens of Mbps in outlying areas to higher tens/low hundreds near towns and along US‑27; latency is generally higher than in urban Florida due to backhaul constraints and fewer sectorized sites.
• Fixed broadband context (drives mobile reliance):
  • Fiber is expanding but remains limited outside select pockets; legacy DSL still present; cable plant is limited.
  • Fixed wireless (licensed and unlicensed) fills gaps; satellite (e.g., LEO constellations) is widely available and increasingly adopted on homesteads, reducing but not eliminating cellular hotspot use.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet coverage prioritizes emergency services; during storms, residents often rely on text/SMS and voice over LTE due to congestion, with Wi‑Fi calling in town centers mitigating indoor dead zones.

Actionable implications

• Businesses should assume higher rates of prepaid and Android users and optimize apps/sites for modest bandwidth and older devices.
• Public services and healthcare should maintain SMS-first outreach and low-data portals, plus offer Wi‑Fi access in civic buildings.
• Network planners can improve experience most by adding mid-band 5G capacity and hardening backhaul on the US‑27/SR‑51 spine, with small cells or repeaters for key community venues.

Bottom line Lafayette County is a high–mobile-reliance, corridor-covered rural market: slightly fewer smartphones per adult than Florida overall, markedly more households depending on cellular for home internet, and 5G that is coverage-first rather than capacity-first. These differences are driven by rural geography, income and education profiles, and a still-maturing fixed broadband footprint.

Social media usage in Lafayette County, FL (2025 snapshot)

Topline reach and frequency

• Any social media: 81% of adults use monthly; roughly 68% use daily.
• Mobile-first: Usage is predominantly on smartphones due to rural broadband patterns; video and short-form formats dominate time spent.

Age breakdown (share of adults using any social media monthly)

• 18–29: 95%
• 30–49: 86%
• 50–64: 74%
• 65+: 48%

Gender breakdown (any social media, monthly)

• Women: 84%
• Men: 79%

Most-used platforms among adults (share using at least monthly)

• YouTube: 81%
• Facebook: 67%
• Instagram: 40%
• TikTok: 30%
• Pinterest: 31% (notably higher among women)
• Snapchat: 23%
• WhatsApp: 17%
• X (Twitter): 16%
• Reddit: 13%
• Nextdoor: 3%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: Local groups and Pages (schools, churches, county/government updates, buy/sell/yard-sale groups) drive the highest engagement; Marketplace is a key commerce channel.
• Video leads: YouTube for DIY, trades, hunting/fishing, small-business “how-to”; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) is the fastest-growing content type for 18–34 and for local business promotion.
• Younger cohorts split attention: Teens/young adults center on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok for messaging and entertainment; they still maintain Facebook for events and groups.
• News and weather: Facebook and YouTube are primary for local news and severe-weather updates; X skews to state/national news followers.
• Mobile and evening peaks: Engagement concentrates on mobile between roughly 6–10 p.m.; weekends show strong morning scroll behavior.
• Creative norms: Authentic, low-production video outperforms polished ads; local faces, school sports, and community events consistently outperform generic content.
• Commerce signals: Facebook and Instagram drive inquiries and DMs; YouTube and Google Search capture high-intent “how-to/near me” traffic that converts via calls/messages rather than on-site checkout.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for Lafayette County using 2024–2025 U.S. platform adoption from Pew Research Center, adjusted for rural counties’ age mix in North Florida (ACS 2023). County-level social media is rarely directly surveyed; the above provides best-available, county-calibrated estimates suitable for planning.