Greene County

Greene County, Georgia – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population size

• Total population: ~19,600 (ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate)
• 2020 Census: ~18,900

Age

• Median age: ~50 years
• Under 18: ~18–19%
• 18–64: ~52–53%
• 65 and over: ~29–30%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~56–58%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~35–36%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2%
• Asian: <1%
• Other races (combined): <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~7,900–8,000
• Average household size: ~2.35–2.40
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple households: ~53–55% of all households
• Single-person households: ~28%
• Owner-occupied rate: ~78–80%
• Housing units: ~11,800–12,000; notable seasonal/recreational vacancy tied to Lake Oconee developments

Economic context (household-level)

• Median household income: roughly mid–$60,000s
• Poverty rate: roughly mid-teens (%)

Insights

• Older-than-state profile with nearly one-third aged 65+, reflecting retiree in-migration.
• Racial composition is a substantial White and Black population mix with a smaller Hispanic presence.
• High homeownership and elevated seasonal vacancy indicate a significant second-home/retirement market around Lake Oconee.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Greene County, GA snapshot (2024):

• Estimated email users: 14,000–15,000 adults, ≈86–88% of the adult population. This applies national email-adoption benchmarks to Greene County’s adult count.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated share of users): 18–34 ≈25%, 35–64 ≈48%, 65+ ≈27%. Adoption rates by age: 18–34 ≈97%, 35–64 ≈95%, 65+ ≈85% (older-skewing county keeps the 65+ rate slightly lower).
• Gender split: ≈52% female, 48% male among email users, reflecting the county’s older demographic profile.
• Digital access and usage:
  • ≈80% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈90% have a computer.
  • Smartphone adoption ≈85% of adults; the majority of residents check email on mobile at least daily.
  • Mobile-only home internet households: ≈10–12%, contributing to heavier email use via phones.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population ≈19,500 over ~387 square miles (≈50 people/sq mi). Higher-speed wired options are concentrated around Greensboro and the Lake Oconee/I‑20 corridor, with thinner fixed-broadband choices in rural tracts; home broadband subscription rates have risen several points since 2019.

Bottom line: Email is near-universal among working-age adults and robust among seniors, with mobile access central to daily use.

Greene County, GA mobile phone usage summary (with estimates and county-specific contrasts to Georgia)

Baseline and user estimates

• Population: approximately 19,340 (2022 estimate).
• Adults (18+): about 15,700; youth (<18): about 3,600.
• Estimated mobile phone users (any mobile handset): ~16,600 residents, or roughly 86% of the population. This reflects near-universal use among working-age adults, high use among seniors for basic phones, and substantial teen uptake.
• Estimated smartphone users: ~14,100 residents, or about 73% of the population and roughly 83–85% of adults. This is a touch below Georgia’s urban-driven average because Greene has an older age profile.
• Smartphone-only internet (adults who rely mainly on a smartphone for home internet): estimated 20–24% of adults, higher than the statewide share, reflecting more areas without robust wired broadband away from the I-20/Lake Oconee corridor.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• By age
  • 18–29: ~2,200 residents; near-universal mobile ownership; ~98% smartphone adoption. This group mirrors or slightly exceeds statewide rates.
  • 30–49: ~4,000 residents; near-universal mobile ownership; ~97% smartphone adoption. Comparable to state averages.
  • 50–64: ~4,200 residents; ~95% mobile ownership; ~80–85% smartphone adoption. Slightly lower smartphone penetration than Georgia overall due to age mix.
  • 65+: ~5,200 residents; ~90% mobile ownership (many basic phones); ~60–65% smartphone adoption. This age bracket is larger in Greene than statewide, and it pulls down the overall smartphone share.
  • Teens (13–17 within the under-18 cohort): roughly 1,100 smartphone users; near-ubiquitous among high-school-aged youth, similar to Georgia.
• By race/ethnicity
  • The mobile user base roughly mirrors Greene’s population make-up: a majority White non-Hispanic share, a large Black non-Hispanic share, and a smaller Hispanic/Latino share. In line with national patterns, Black and Hispanic households are more likely than White households to be smartphone-dependent for home internet, which, combined with Greene’s patchy nonmobile broadband outside the lake/Greensboro cores, raises smartphone-only reliance above the state baseline.
• Income and housing context
  • Greene’s bifurcated income profile (affluent lake-area and retiree households alongside lower-income rural tracts) produces a split device mix: high-end 5G devices and multi-line households around Lake Oconee, and higher prepaid and smartphone-only dependence in rural and lower-income areas. The latter pattern is more pronounced than in Georgia’s metro counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network footprint
  • All three national carriers operate in the county. The strongest and most consistent 4G/5G coverage tracks I-20, GA-44, and the Lake Oconee/Greensboro corridor. Coverage and capacity drop off in forested and sparsely populated southern and eastern tracts, producing larger dead zones and lower median speeds than Georgia’s metro averages.
• 5G availability and performance
  • Mid-band and low-band 5G are available in and around Greensboro, Union Point, and the lake communities, supporting typical daytime download speeds well above LTE. Outside these cores, service often reverts to low-band 5G or LTE with noticeable speed variability. This urban–rural split is sharper than the statewide picture.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Fiber and cable are present in portions of Greensboro and planned developments along Lake Oconee; elsewhere, DSL or legacy coax—and sometimes no wired broadband—push residents toward mobile hotspots and fixed-wireless (5G/LTE home internet). As a result, the share of households with a cellular data plan and the incidence of mobile-as-primary internet are higher than the statewide average in the county’s rural tracts.
• Seasonal and weekend load
  • Second homes, tourism, and weekend peaks around Lake Oconee create distinctive demand surges not seen statewide, with noticeable weekend/holiday congestion on lakeside sectors and along I-20.

How Greene County’s trends differ from Georgia overall

• Older population structure dampens overall smartphone penetration relative to Georgia, despite strong adoption among working-age adults.
• Higher smartphone-only and cellular-as-primary-home-internet reliance due to uneven wired broadband outside the I-20/lake corridor.
• More pronounced coverage and performance gaps between population centers and rural tracts than the statewide pattern.
• Greater weekend/seasonal traffic variability from second-home and recreation patterns around Lake Oconee.
• A more polarized device and plan mix: premium 5G devices and multi-line households in affluent lake communities, versus higher prepaid and budget handset usage in rural/low-income areas.

Bottom line

• Greene County’s total mobile usage rate is high and in line with modern norms, but its overall smartphone share is slightly below Georgia’s because of a larger 65+ segment. The county relies more heavily than the state as a whole on mobile networks for home connectivity outside its main corridors, and it experiences sharper rural coverage gaps and stronger seasonal traffic swings tied to Lake Oconee.

Greene County, GA social media usage (2025 snapshot)

Scope and method: Figures are 2025 modeled estimates for adults (18+) in Greene County, based on the county’s age/gender profile from recent ACS/Census releases and platform adoption rates from Pew Research and comparable national datasets. Rounded to whole numbers; treat as planning-grade estimates.

Headline user stats

• Adult residents using at least one social platform: ~12,800 people (about 75% of ~17,000 adults)
• Users by age share (of all social media users):
  • 18–29: 15% (~1.9k)
  • 30–49: 32% (~4.1k)
  • 50–64: 28% (~3.6k)
  • 65+: 25% (~3.2k)
• Users by gender:
  • Women: 53% (~6.8k)
  • Men: 47% (~6.0k)

Most-used platforms (percent of adult residents who use each)

• YouTube: 74%
• Facebook: 66%
• Instagram: 36%
• Pinterest: 28%
• TikTok: 22%
• WhatsApp: 20%
• LinkedIn: 19%
• X (Twitter): 16%
• Snapchat: 13%
• Nextdoor: 12%

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: Heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for HOA announcements, buy/sell, local services, and event updates. Civic and weather-related posts draw outsized engagement.
• Video-first habits: YouTube and Facebook Reels see strong consumption for church services, local sports, and event recaps; short vertical videos outperform link posts.
• “Lake life” visuals convert: Instagram and Pinterest engagement clusters around home improvement, decor, dining, and outdoor recreation near Lake Oconee; effective for real estate, hospitality, and local retail.
• Short-form growth under 35: TikTok and Reels are growing for food promos, behind-the-scenes content, and service-industry recruiting; authenticity and creator-style posts outperform polished ads.
• Neighborhood coordination: Nextdoor usage concentrates in HOA/lake communities for safety alerts, utilities, contractor recommendations, and lost/found.
• Messaging is default support: Facebook Messenger is the primary customer-service channel; WhatsApp is used among contractors and multilingual households for scheduling and group coordination.
• When people are active: Peak engagement 7–10 p.m. most days; secondary peak 6:30–8:30 a.m.; weekend and Sunday evening surges for community and events.
• Mobile-first formats win: Vertical short video, single-photo posts, and carousels (on Instagram) outperform link-outs; concise copy and clear CTAs improve click-through.

Notes for application

• Older-leaning county mix boosts Facebook and Pinterest relative to national averages and tempers Snapchat/TikTok penetration.
• Geo-targeting around Greensboro, Union Point, and Lake Oconee corridors captures the highest concentration of active users.
• Cross-posting to Facebook Groups plus short-form video repurposing (Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts) maximizes local reach with minimal creative lift.