Appling County

Here are concise, headline demographics for Appling County, Georgia.

Population

• Total population: 18,444 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~23–24%
• 65 and over: ~16–17%

Gender

• Female: ~49–50%
• Male: ~50–51%

Race/ethnicity (share of total)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~60–63%
• Black/African American (non-Hispanic): ~26–28%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~10–11%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• Two or more races/Other: ~2–3%

Households

• Number of households: ~6,600
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7 persons

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Appling County, GA (pop. ~18.5k; ~36 people per sq. mi.) is rural. Household internet: about 70–75% have a broadband subscription; 15–20% are smartphone‑only. Coverage is stronger in/near Baxley; outlying areas see fewer wired options and more reliance on cellular hotspots.

Estimated email users: 12.5k–14k residents (about 68–76% of the population) use email at least monthly.

Age adoption (share using email):

• 13–17: 75–85%
• 18–34: ~95%
• 35–54: ~90%
• 55–64: ~80%
• 65+: 60–70%

Gender split: approximately even (about 49% male, 51% female), so email users mirror that balance.

Trends: increasing mobile‑first email use; public schools and libraries remain key access points; gradual fiber/cable upgrades near town centers, with persistent last‑mile gaps in sparsely populated areas.

Notes: Figures are estimates derived from rural Georgia and U.S. adoption patterns applied to local population and connectivity levels.

Appling County, GA mobile phone usage summary (with differences vs Georgia overall)

Headline takeaways

• Mobile dependency is notably higher than the Georgia average. A larger share of households rely on a cellular data plan as their primary or only internet connection, reflecting Appling’s rural profile, lower median income, and patchier fixed broadband options outside Baxley.
• Smartphone ownership is widespread but a few points lower than the state, with a sharper drop among residents 65+.
• 5G is present but more uneven than in metro Georgia; capacity and indoor coverage are the main constraints rather than simple availability.

User estimates (order-of-magnitude, based on ACS demographics and Pew adoption rates)

• Population baseline: about 18,500–19,000 residents; roughly 6,800–7,100 households.
• Estimated mobile phone users (any mobile device, age 12+): 14,500–15,000 people (around 90–93% of residents age 12+).
• Estimated smartphone users (age 12+): about 13,000–13,600.
• Household smartphone access: 86–90% of households have at least one smartphone (a few points below Georgia’s ~90–93%).
• Households with a cellular data plan: 70–75% (vs Georgia ~75–80%).
• Cellular-only households (no fixed home internet): 25–30% in Appling (roughly 1,700–2,100 households), versus about 12–18% statewide. This is one of the clearest ways Appling differs from the Georgia average.

Demographic breakdown and patterns

• Age
  • 12–17: High smartphone penetration (~90%); many rely on family plans and school-provided hotspots. Higher mobile-only use than peers statewide due to fixed-broadband gaps.
  • 18–34: Near-ubiquitous smartphone usage (~95%+), strong reliance on unlimited/prepaid plans for home connectivity; app-based work and schooling drive data usage.
  • 35–64: High ownership (~85–90%) but slightly below state levels; mix of postpaid (family) and value/prepaid plans.
  • 65+: Ownership drops to ~55–60% for smartphones; overall mobile phone ownership remains much higher (feature phones fill the gap). This age group is more likely to be offline or mobile-only if fixed broadband is unavailable or unaffordable.
• Income and affordability
  • Lower median household income than Georgia overall correlates with: higher prepaid share, more data-capped plans, and higher cellular-only rates. The 2024 wind-down of the Affordable Connectivity Program likely nudged some fixed-broadband households back to mobile-only service.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Appling’s growing Hispanic population and younger households show above-average mobile-first behavior (mirroring national patterns). Black and lower-income White households also show elevated mobile-only rates compared with statewide averages.
• Digital inclusion gap
  • The gap in reliable at-home connectivity is larger than the state average, especially for seniors, low-income households, and areas outside/away from Baxley and main corridors.

Digital infrastructure notes

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE covers most populated areas; indoor coverage and capacity can dip in low-density zones and at the edges of cells.
  • 5G low-band is present around Baxley and major road corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is spottier than in metro Georgia. Users often see strong 5G indicators but LTE-like speeds indoors or in fringe areas.
• Capacity and performance
  • Typical speeds: LTE 10–40 Mbps in-town, single digits at rural edges; 5G mid-band (where available) often 100–300 Mbps but drops to 5–25 Mbps on low-band or congested sectors. Performance varies notably by carrier and proximity to highways/towers.
• Tower density and siting
  • A sparser macro-tower grid than urban Georgia leads to broader cells, more sector congestion at peak times, and more dead zones in forested or low-lying areas. In-building coverage can be challenging for metal-roof homes and larger farm structures.
• Backhaul and fixed networks
  • Cable or fiber is typically available in and near Baxley; outside town, many locations fall back to DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. Recent electric co-op and independent fiber builds are expanding but not yet countywide.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Schools, the public library, and some municipal sites offer Wi‑Fi that residents use as supplemental access. School hotspots remain a meaningful stopgap for some households.

How Appling differs most from the Georgia average

• Mobile-only internet: Roughly 1.5–2x higher share of cellular-only households than the state.
• Seniors’ connectivity: Larger smartphone adoption gap among 65+; seniors more likely to be offline or use basic phones only.
• 5G quality vs presence: 5G availability exists but with more low-band and fewer mid-band capacity sites than metro areas, creating a bigger gap between “5G icon” and real-world speeds.
• Plan mix: Higher reliance on prepaid/value plans and data-capped offerings; more hotspot use to substitute for home broadband.
• Speed dispersion: Wider variance in speeds (very fast near select 5G cells; slow at rural edges) compared with the more consistent urban/suburban patterns in Georgia.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Estimates synthesize: county population/household structure from recent ACS 5‑year releases; ACS device/subscription patterns (table S2801); Pew Research Center smartphone adoption by age (2023); and typical rural Georgia infrastructure characteristics from FCC broadband mapping and carrier build patterns. Exact figures can vary by block group and carrier.

Below is a concise, locality‑aware snapshot for Appling County, Georgia. Figures are modeled from U.S. Census/ACS demographics and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform adoption (adjusted for rural profiles). Treat them as planning estimates, not hard counts.

Headline user stats (residents 13+)

• Total population: ~18.6k; residents 13+: ~15.8k
• Estimated social‑media users (any platform, monthly): ~12–13k (about 75–82% of 13+)
• Daily social users: ~9–10k (roughly 60–65% of 13+)

Age breakdown (estimated monthly social users)

• 13–17: ~1.4k users (very high adoption; heavy Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube)
• 18–24: ~1.6k (near‑universal; TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube)
• 25–34: ~2.0k (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
• 35–44: ~1.9k (Facebook, YouTube; rising Reels/TikTok use)
• 45–54: ~1.8k (Facebook, YouTube; some Pinterest)
• 55–64: ~1.6k (Facebook, YouTube; Pinterest)
• 65+: ~2.0k (Facebook, YouTube; lowest multi‑platform use)

Gender breakdown (all platforms, monthly)

• Women: 54% of users (6.6–7.0k). Overindexed on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; more group/marketplace activity.
• Men: 46% (5.6–6.0k). Overindexed on YouTube, X/Twitter, Reddit; more sports/outdoors content.

Most‑used platforms locally (share of residents 13+, monthly; modeled ranges)

• YouTube: ~80–85% (top reach across all ages)
• Facebook: ~65–70% (strongest daily use; 35+ core)
• Instagram: ~38–45% (18–34 core; growing with 35–44)
• TikTok: ~32–40% (teens/20s heavy; rising 30–44)
• Snapchat: ~22–28% (dominant among teens/young adults)
• Pinterest: ~28–35% (women 25–54 skew)
• X/Twitter: ~16–22% (niche: sports, news, weather)
• WhatsApp: ~18–24% (not universal; higher among Hispanic/Latino residents and families with ties abroad)
• LinkedIn: ~15–20% (education, healthcare, plant/industry management) Note: Nextdoor usage is likely minimal in a sparsely populated county.

Behavioral trends to expect

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell/trade, school and church updates, local sports, civic/sheriff/school‑district notices. Marketplace and Groups drive much of the activity.
• Short‑form video leads attention: TikTok and Instagram Reels content is frequently cross‑posted to Facebook; local businesses use short clips for promos and hiring.
• Peak times: early morning (before work/school), lunch, and evenings; weekend spikes around games, festivals, and hunting/fishing seasons.
• Trust and localism: Residents engage strongly with recognizable local pages/people; official agencies and schools earn outsized reach during alerts and weather events.
• Messaging for coordination: Facebook Messenger widely used; WhatsApp common in bilingual/Spanish‑speaking circles; group chats organize teams, ministries, and events.
• Commerce and jobs: “Now hiring,” services, yard work, and seasonal gigs perform well; porch‑pickup norms via FB groups/Marketplace.
• Bandwidth sensitivity: Some households face spotty broadband, so concise captions and sub‑titled videos help; avoid heavy, long video files for critical announcements.
• Content that works: High school sports highlights, hunting/fishing and farm/forestry life, faith‑community updates, local deals, and practical how‑to content.

Method note

• Counts/percentages are modeled from ACS age/sex mix applied to Pew platform‑adoption by age and rural residence; platform ranges reflect typical rural Southeast usage patterns. For campaign planning, validate with platform ad‑reach tools targeted to Appling County.