Emanuel County

Here are concise, current demographics for Emanuel County, Georgia.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates). ACS figures are estimates and rounded.

• Population

  • 2020 Census: 22,768
  • 2019–2023 ACS estimate: ~22,200

• Age

  • Median age: ~39–40 years
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~18%

• Gender

  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%

• Race/ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~56%
  • Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~36%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~5–6%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, other: each <1%

• Households

  • Total households: ~8,500–8,700
  • Average household size: ~2.5
  • Family households: ~65–66% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~42–45% of households

• Scale: About 23,000 residents (rural; ~33 people per sq. mile). Adults ≈ 17,500–18,000.
• Estimated email users: 12,500–13,500 adults, based on rural internet adoption and typical U.S. email-use rates.
• Age mix of email users (approx. share of users):
  • 18–29: 19–21%
  • 30–49: 34–36%
  • 50–64: 24–26%
  • 65+: 18–21%
• Gender split among users: roughly 51% female, 49% male (email use is near-parity by gender).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: ~68–72%; no home internet: ~16–20%.
  • Smartphone-only home internet: ~10–12%.
  • Adoption is rising gradually with state/federal investments, but last‑mile gaps persist in sparsely populated areas.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Connectivity strongest in and around Swainsboro and along major corridors (e.g., U.S. 1/80); outlying areas more reliant on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Libraries and schools act as important public access points and Wi‑Fi hubs.

Notes: Figures are estimates derived from recent Census/ACS “Computer and Internet Use” data for rural Georgia and national email-use benchmarks (e.g., Pew), scaled to Emanuel County’s population and age structure.

Below is a concise, planning-oriented snapshot of mobile phone usage in Emanuel County, Georgia, with emphasis on how it diverges from statewide patterns. Figures are best-available estimates based on ACS “Computer and Internet Use” (S2801, 5-year), Pew Research (smartphone adoption), FCC mobile coverage maps, and rural Georgia market norms.

Headline estimates

• Residents and households: ~22K residents; ~8K–8.5K households.
• Adult smartphone users: ~14K–15K adults (roughly 80–85% of adults), modestly below Georgia’s ~89–90%. Gap is driven by lower income and older age mix than state average.
• Households with a cellular data plan: ~5.3K–5.8K households (about 65–70%), a bit below Georgia’s ~75–80%.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan with no fixed broadband): roughly 1.3K–1.7K households (about 16–22%), higher than Georgia’s ~12–15%. This is the clearest difference from state-level.

Demographic drivers and how they differ from Georgia

• Age: Slightly older population share than the state. Seniors have the lowest smartphone adoption, pulling the county rate below Georgia’s.
• Income and poverty: Lower median income and higher poverty rate than the state. This correlates with:
  • Higher reliance on prepaid plans and discount brands (e.g., Straight Talk, Metro, Cricket).
  • Higher “mobile-only” internet dependence for home connectivity.
• Race/ethnicity: Larger Black share and smaller Hispanic share than the Georgia average. Nationally, Black and lower-income households show higher mobile dependence; that pattern appears locally, contributing to above-average mobile-only reliance in Emanuel.
• Education: Lower 4-year college attainment than the state, which typically corresponds to slightly lower smartphone adoption but higher mobile dependence for internet access.

Usage patterns that stand out versus Georgia

• More mobile dependence for home internet: Students and workers more often tether or use hotspots when fixed service is unavailable or unaffordable.
• Higher prepaid share and price sensitivity: Data caps and deprioritization are more common experiences than in metro Georgia.
• Device turnover is slower: Handsets are kept longer; refurbished/low-cost Android usage is relatively higher than in urban Georgia.
• ACP wind-down impact (2024): The Affordable Connectivity Program’s sunset likely hit Emanuel harder than the state average because uptake per capita in rural counties was higher; expect some downgrades from fixed to mobile-only service or plan downgrades.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • 4G LTE from all three national carriers is prevalent along US-1/US-80 and in/around Swainsboro; patchier in low-density tracts and timberland.
  • 5G is present but uneven: Low-band (AT&T/Verizon) covers broad areas at modest speeds; mid-band (notably T-Mobile) is strongest along main corridors and town centers, with rural gaps. Net effect: fewer locations achieve consistent mid-band 5G speeds than in metro Georgia.
• Tower spacing and capacity: Macro sites are spaced farther apart than in urban/suburban Georgia, so edge-of-cell performance and indoor coverage are more variable. Capacity constraints appear at busy times near schools, industrial sites, and during events.
• Backhaul and fiber: Fiber backhaul follows highway and utility routes; outside Swainsboro/Twin City, backhaul can be limited, constraining mid-band 5G upgrades compared with state metro areas.
• Fixed alternatives and convergence:
  • Cable or fiber is available in parts of Swainsboro; elsewhere DSL or nothing, pushing households to rely on mobile. Rural fiber builds (e.g., via co-ops/telcos and state/BEAD funds) are expanding but not yet universal.
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) from T-Mobile/Verizon is available to some addresses near upgraded sites; availability is spottier than in Georgia’s populous counties.
• Public safety and resilience: FirstNet (AT&T) presence improves emergency coverage along key corridors, but single-threaded backhaul and longer repair intervals in rural areas mean outages can be more disruptive than in metro Georgia.

What this means for planning and outreach

• Marketing mix: Emphasize prepaid value, reliable rural coverage, hotspot features, and generous deprioritization thresholds. Consider device financing options that work for subprime credit.
• Network: Prioritize mid-band 5G upgrades on corridors serving schools, plants, and dense neighborhoods; add small cells or sector splits in Swainsboro before countywide infill. Where backhaul is the bottleneck, fiber-lite or microwave backhaul upgrades can unlock mid-band wins.
• Equity and adoption: Senior-focused training and subsidy navigation (post-ACP) can lift adoption. School partnerships for hotspot lending remain important until rural fiber fills in.

Notes on sources/method

• Smartphone adoption rates anchored to Pew Research’s 2023 U.S. estimates, adjusted downward for rural/low-income mixes.
• Household cellular-plan and mobile-only shares derived from ACS S2801 (5-year) patterns for rural Georgia counties of similar size; figures shown as ranges to reflect data variance and the latest build-outs.
• Coverage and infrastructure points synthesized from FCC mobile coverage maps, carrier public maps, and typical rural Georgia deployments as of 2023–2024.

Here’s a concise, data‑informed snapshot for Emanuel County, GA (est. pop. ~22–23k). Figures are estimates for residents age 13+ and reflect rural-Georgia adjustments to 2024–2025 national platform usage (Pew Research and similar studies).

Topline user stats

• Estimated social media users: 13k–16k monthly (≈70–80% of 13+ residents); 9k–11k daily users.
• Device mix: Mobile-first; video accounts for a majority of time spent.

Age mix (share of local social users)

• 13–17: 8–10%
• 18–29: 20–22%
• 30–49: 32–36% (largest cohort)
• 50–64: 22–25%
• 65+: 12–15%

Gender breakdown (share of local social users)

• Female: 53–56%
• Male: 44–47%
• Notes: Pinterest usage skews female; Reddit skews male; Facebook near-balanced.

Most-used platforms (share of local social users)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 75–82% (Groups and Marketplace especially strong)
• Instagram: 38–45%
• TikTok: 30–36%
• Facebook Messenger: 60–65%
• Snapchat: 18–24% (concentrated under 30)
• Pinterest: 22–28% (predominantly women)
• WhatsApp: 12–16%
• X (Twitter): 8–12%
• Reddit: 8–10%
• Nextdoor: 3–6% (limited neighborhood coverage outside towns)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first: Heavy use of Facebook Groups for local news, church/community announcements, school/sports updates, lost-and-found, and buy/sell/trade.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default for local classifieds; small businesses lean on boosted posts and word-of-mouth in Groups.
• Video habits: How-to, music, and sports highlights on YouTube; short-form TikTok/Reels growing among under-35 but older users remain Facebook-centric.
• Messaging > comments: Many inquiries shift to DMs (Messenger/Snapchat) rather than public replies.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; midday spikes around lunch. Severe weather and school-related posts drive surges.
• Content preferences: Local faces and events outperform generic stock content; high school sports, family milestones, faith/community service, and practical tips do best.
• Platform gaps: X/Twitter is niche; LinkedIn usage is modest and job-seeking skews to Facebook Groups/Pages.
• Trust and verification: Residents rely on familiar local pages/groups; misinformation risks rise during storms and emergencies—posts with clear sources perform better.

Notes and method

• Estimates blend national platform adoption with rural-Southeast usage patterns and county demographics. Treat platform percentages as ranges, not precise counts.