Cook County

Which reference year would you like? I can provide:

• Latest ACS 5-year estimates (2019–2023) for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and households
• 2020 Decennial Census counts (exact population)

If you don’t have a preference, I’ll use ACS 2019–2023 for demographics and note the 2020 Census population.

Cook County, GA context: Rural county of roughly 17–18k residents, clustered along I‑75 (Adel, Sparks, Lenox, Cecil) with farmland between towns.

Estimated email users: About 12,000–14,000 residents. Method: apply typical U.S. adult email adoption (≈90%+) and some teen usage to local population.

Age distribution of email users (approx.):

• 18–29: 18%
• 30–49: 34%
• 50–64: 28%
• 65+: 20%

Gender split among users: Roughly even (about 50% female, 50% male), reflecting minimal gender differences in email adoption.

Digital access trends:

• Home internet: ~70–80% of households subscribe to broadband in similar rural GA counties; 15–25% are smartphone‑only. Email is frequently accessed via mobile.
• Older adults (65+) use email less frequently and may rely more on shared/public connections.
• Fiber/cable more available in/near towns; outer areas rely on DSL/fixed wireless. 4G/5G coverage is strongest along I‑75, with weaker spots in sparsely populated areas.
• Public libraries and schools provide Wi‑Fi and computers, supporting those without reliable home service.

Local density/connectivity facts: Population density roughly mid‑70s per square mile; infrastructure investment concentrates near the interstate corridors, with slower speeds more common in outlying areas.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Cook County, Georgia

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: roughly 10,000–12,000. This assumes ~18k total population, ~75% adults, and rural-Georgia smartphone adoption in the low-to-mid 80% range among adults (a few points below Georgia’s statewide rate, which is near 90%).
• Household mobile data subscriptions: on the order of 4,500–5,200 households with an active cellular data plan (smartphone or hotspot). That implies about 70–80% of households subscribe to cellular data, a bit lower than the state average.
• Smartphone-only internet households: likely 15–25% (households that rely on cellular data and do not have wired broadband), a higher share than the statewide average. This aligns with rural patterns where wired options are sparse and fixed wireless/mobile fills the gap.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone adoption (~95%), heavy app/social usage; high likelihood of prepaid or budget plans.
  • 35–64: high adoption (mid/upper 80s%), more multi-line family plans; growing use of mobile for work and telehealth.
  • 65+: notably lower adoption (likely 55–70%), below the statewide senior rate; more basic-plan usage and smaller-screen devices.
• Income and plan type:
  • Higher reliance on prepaid and value MVNOs than the state average, driven by lower median incomes.
  • Greater incidence of smartphone-only connectivity among lower-income households and renters.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Usage rates among Black and Hispanic residents tend to show higher smartphone dependency for home internet compared with White residents, reflecting disparities in wired-broadband availability and affordability; overall adoption levels are close, but reliance patterns differ.
• Work and education:
  • Students and service/agriculture workers rely more on mobile data for homework, scheduling, and benefits systems, especially outside Adel/Sparks where wired options thin out.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage footprint:
  • All three national carriers operate in the county; strongest coverage and 5G along the I‑75 corridor (Adel, Sparks, Lenox, rest areas), with performance tapering on rural roads and in forested/low-lying areas.
  • 5G profile: mid-band 5G is most consistent close to I‑75 and town centers; low-band 5G/4G LTE predominates elsewhere. Millimeter-wave is effectively absent.
• Capacity and speeds (typical, not guaranteed):
  • In/near Adel and along I‑75: 50–300+ Mbps down on newer 5G mid-band sectors during off-peak; lower but usable uplink.
  • Outside the corridor: 5–50 Mbps common, with occasional dead zones or congestion during evening peaks or severe weather.
• Towers and backhaul:
  • Macro towers clustered along I‑75 and near towns; larger gaps between sites in farm/forestry areas. Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed sites near the interstate and microwave-fed rural sites, contributing to variability.
• Fixed wireless/home internet:
  • 5G fixed wireless (from national carriers) is available around the interstate towns and some nearby neighborhoods, serving as an alternative where cable/fiber are limited. Availability drops off in the most rural census blocks.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • Storm-related outages can affect single-tower areas more acutely than urban parts of the state; generators keep core sites up, but backhaul failures can still cause local service loss.

How Cook County differs from Georgia statewide

• Adoption level: overall smartphone adoption is a few points lower than the state due to an older age mix and income factors.
• Smartphone-only reliance: materially higher than the state average, reflecting fewer wired choices and greater dependence on mobile and fixed wireless for home internet.
• Plan mix: higher share of prepaid/MVNO and budget Android devices; lower iPhone share than metro Georgia.
• 5G experience: more polarized—very good along I‑75 where mid-band 5G is present, but more low-band/4G-only zones elsewhere; statewide averages are lifted by metro Atlanta’s dense mid-band and fiber-backed sites.
• Performance variability: larger urban–rural gap in speeds and latency within the county than the state overall; evening congestion is more noticeable on single-carrier corridors or microwave-backhauled sites.
• Infrastructure depth: fewer colocation sites and longer inter-site distances than state urban areas; new tower builds are incremental and focus on the interstate corridor and schools.

Notes and next steps

• The figures above are estimates grounded in national/rural Georgia patterns (ACS, FCC mapping trends, and carrier 5G rollouts). If you need a data-verified version, I can pull the latest county-level ACS “Computer and Internet Use” tables, FCC Broadband Data Collection coverage for each carrier, and recent crowdsourced speed data to replace ranges with exact numbers and maps.

Here’s a concise, practical snapshot for Cook County, GA. Because true county-level social media metrics aren’t publicly reported, figures below are estimates extrapolated from Pew Research (2023–2024), rural-Georgia patterns, and ACS demographics.

Population context

• Population ~17K; adults ~12.5–13K. Internet is largely mobile-first with some broadband gaps.

How many use social media

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~70–75% (≈8.8K–9.8K adults).
• Teens (13–17): ~90–95%+.
• Total users (teens + adults): roughly 9.5K–10.5K.

Gender breakdown (among users)

• Women ~52–55%
• Men ~45–48%

Most-used platforms (share of county social media users)

• YouTube: ~75–85%
• Facebook: ~70–80%
• Instagram: ~35–45% overall (≥70% among 18–29)
• TikTok: ~25–35% overall (≈60–70% among under 30)
• Snapchat: ~20–28% overall (≈50–60% teens/young adults)
• Pinterest: ~25–35% (skews women 25–54)
• WhatsApp: ~10–15% (higher among Hispanic residents)
• X/Twitter: ~12–18% (news/sports lurkers)
• Reddit: ~8–12% (younger male skew)
• LinkedIn: ~10–18% (lower in rural labor mix)

Age-group patterns

• 13–17: ~95%+ on social; heavy YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram strong; Facebook mainly for groups/school notices.
• 18–29: ~95%+; Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat dominant; YouTube universal; Facebook still widely used.
• 30–44: ~85–90%; Facebook and YouTube core; Instagram moderate; TikTok and Pinterest rising.
• 45–64: ~70–80%; Facebook and YouTube primary; light Instagram/TikTok.
• 65+: ~55–65%; Facebook first, YouTube second; minimal on others.

Behavioral trends to know

• Local-first usage: High engagement with community groups (buy/sell/trade, school sports, churches, hunting/fishing, weather/emergencies). County/school pages on Facebook are key info hubs.
• Marketplace behavior: Facebook Marketplace is the go-to for goods/services; local businesses rely on boosted posts and events.
• Content formats: Short vertical video is sticky (Reels/TikTok); live streams for church and high-school sports get strong local reach.
• Timing: Peaks evenings 7–10 pm and weekends; activity spikes around school events, severe weather, and elections.
• Trust dynamics: Word-of-mouth via familiar faces and closed groups outperforms polished brand content; comment threads guide decisions.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is default; WhatsApp used within Hispanic communities; SMS still common for coordination.
• Multi-platform roles: YouTube for how-to/DIY and ag content; Facebook for news/community; Instagram for boutiques/beauty/photography; TikTok for entertainment and quick local trends; X for state/national sports/news.
• Device reality: Predominantly mobile; data limits and patchy broadband shape short-form viewing and off-peak consumption.

Notes for planning

• Expect Facebook + YouTube to deliver the broadest reach; use Instagram/TikTok for younger demos.
• Lean on local faces, school/faith tie-ins, and practical value (deals, weather, schedules).
• If you need tighter numbers, run platform ad-audience estimates geotargeted to Cook County ZIPs for a current snapshot.