Hart County

Hart County, Georgia — key demographics

Population

• 26,205 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~26,900 (U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~23%

Sex

• Female: ~51.5%
• Male: ~48.5%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022; Hispanic can be any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~72%
• Black or African American: ~18%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Asian: ~0.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~10.6k
• Persons per household: ~2.48
• Family households: ~66% of all households
• Married-couple households: ~47%
• Households with own children <18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~28%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74%
• Median household income: ~$54k
• Poverty rate: ~16%

Insights

• Older age profile than the U.S. overall, with nearly one in four residents 65+
• Predominantly White with a sizable Black population and a small but growing Hispanic share
• High homeownership and smaller household sizes consistent with rural counties

Source notes: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census DHC; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 population estimate/QuickFacts). Estimates are survey-based and subject to margins of error.

Hart County, GA email usage (estimates)

• Population baseline: ~26,800 residents (2023 est.); ~78% are 18+, or ~20,900 adults.
• Estimated adult email users: ~18,800 (≈90% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (share and count):
  • 18–29: 17% (3,200)
  • 30–49: 36% (6,800)
  • 50–64: 26% (4,900)
  • 65+: 21% (3,900)
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring the county’s slight female majority.
• Digital access trends:
  • Home internet subscription: ~80–83% of households; computer access ~88–92%.
  • Mobile access is widespread; ~75–85% of adults use smartphones, with ~12–15% of households relying on smartphone-only internet.
  • Fixed broadband availability is strongest in and around Hartwell and main corridors; coverage is patchier in rural tracts, with ongoing fiber buildouts improving speeds and reliability.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈115 residents per square mile of land, with dispersed settlements around Lake Hartwell increasing last‑mile costs and variability in service quality.
  • Public access points (libraries, schools, municipal facilities) supplement connectivity and help sustain high email adoption across age groups.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Hart County, Georgia (best-available estimates, 2023–2024)

Scope and method

• Estimates combine: US Census/ACS county demographics, rural-urban patterns in ACS S2801/S2802 (computer and internet use), Pew Research smartphone adoption (2023), FCC mobile coverage filings, carrier public coverage disclosures. Figures are model-based county estimates benchmarked to Georgia statewide statistics and typical rural-county deltas in northeast Georgia.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: 18,000–20,000 adults, or about 82–88% of adults in Hart County, versus roughly 88–92% statewide.
• Households with at least one smartphone: ~90–94% of households, slightly below the Georgia average (roughly 93–96%).
• Households relying primarily on cellular data for home internet (“cellular‑only”): 20–26% in Hart County, versus about 14–18% statewide. This is one of the clearest differences from the Georgia average.
• Prepaid share of mobile lines: 30–38% in Hart County versus roughly 22–28% statewide, reflecting income mix and credit preferences typical of rural markets.
• Multi-line penetration (3+ lines per household): Lower than state average by ~5–8 percentage points, reflecting smaller household sizes and lower family-plan uptake.
• Device upgrade cycle: Longer than state average by ~6–10 months on median, with more users holding devices 3+ years.

Demographic breakdown (relative to Georgia)

• Age:
  • 18–29: Near parity with state in smartphone ownership (≈95%+), but slightly lower 5G-capable device penetration and lower postpaid plan uptake.
  • 30–64: High ownership (≈90%+), with above-average reliance on mobile hotspots for home/work connectivity.
  • 65+: Notably lower smartphone ownership than the Georgia average (county ≈65–75% vs state ≈75–82%), and higher prevalence of basic/flip phones.
• Income:
  • Under $35k: Higher likelihood of prepaid plans, budget Android devices, and cellular-only home internet; discount MVNO usage above state norms.
  • $75k+: Ownership matches state levels but with somewhat lower adoption of premium unlimited plans than metro Georgia.
• Education/employment:
  • Blue-collar and shift work segments show higher dependence on unlimited data and hotspot use, with lower Wi‑Fi offload compared to state averages.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Differences in ownership rates are smaller than income/age effects; however, prepaid/MVNO usage is elevated across groups relative to state averages, aligned with rural pricing sensitivity.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (key points vs state)

• Network availability:
  • 4G LTE: Near-universal outdoor coverage from the three national MNOs (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile), consistent with statewide norms.
  • 5G: Broad low-band 5G coverage is present, but mid-band 5G (capacity/speed layer) is patchier than in metro Georgia. Practical median mobile speeds trend below state urban/suburban medians.
• Performance:
  • Typical rural median download speeds land in the 25–100 Mbps range depending on carrier/sector load, versus 100–300 Mbps typical in Atlanta and other metros with dense mid‑band 5G.
  • Uplink is often the bottleneck for video calls and telehealth in fringe areas; jitter and signal variability are higher near lake shorelines and forested terrain.
• Capacity and density:
  • Fewer macro sites per square mile than metro counties; sector upgrades have emphasized coverage first, capacity second. This contributes to higher evening slowdowns than the state average.
• Fixed-wireless availability:
  • 5G/4G fixed‑wireless home internet (T‑Mobile, Verizon) is available to a larger share of addresses than the Georgia average outside metros, supporting the elevated cellular‑only household rate.
• Roaming/MVNOs:
  • MVNO performance tracks host networks but can be more throttle-prone during peak periods; this disproportionately affects Hart County users given higher prepaid/MVNO adoption.
• Legacy wireline context:
  • DSL and limited cable footprints persist outside Hartwell and denser pockets; where cable/fiber is absent, households lean on mobile hotspots, unlike most of suburban Georgia.

Trends that differ most from state-level

• Higher cellular-only home internet reliance by roughly 5–10 percentage points.
• Lower smartphone ownership among seniors and slightly lower overall adult ownership.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and longer device replacement cycles.
• Lower mid‑band 5G availability and lower median speeds, with greater peak-time congestion.
• Higher incidence of hotspot use for work/school and telehealth, driven by patchy wireline alternatives.

Implications

• Carriers can gain share with competitive prepaid plans, aggressive rural mid‑band 5G builds, and CPE for fixed‑wireless.
• Public programs that subsidize devices/plans for seniors and low-income residents will have outsized impact in Hart County compared with metro Georgia.
• Telehealth, workforce development, and education initiatives should account for uplink constraints and hotspot dependence.

Hart County, GA social media usage (short breakdown, 2024)

Note on data: County-level platform-by-platform counts aren’t directly published. Figures below are modeled local estimates based on Hart County’s ACS demographics and broadband access, combined with Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. adoption rates adjusted for the county’s older, rural profile. Use as planning-level ranges.

User stats

• Internet access baseline: Roughly 4 in 5 households have a broadband subscription; smartphone access is widespread among adults (mid-80% range).
• Adult social media users: Approximately 15,000–16,000 residents (about 72–76% of adults) use at least one social platform monthly.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated share of adults)

• YouTube: 78–82%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• Pinterest: 25–30%
• TikTok: 25–30%
• Snapchat: 20–25%
• WhatsApp: 18–22%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• LinkedIn: 12–15%
• Reddit/Nextdoor: 8–12%

Age groups (share of local social media users)

• 18–29: 19–22% (heavy on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat; YouTube universal)
• 30–49: 34–37% (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube; rising TikTok use)
• 50–64: 26–29% (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest)
• 65+: 15–18% (Facebook and YouTube dominant; lighter on Instagram/TikTok)

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users; platform tendencies)

• Women: ~52–54% overall. Over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; solid Instagram use; moderate TikTok.
• Men: ~46–48% overall. Over-index on YouTube, X, and Reddit; steady Facebook use; lighter Pinterest.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: High engagement with local news, county/city departments, schools, churches, youth sports, civic groups, and Marketplace buy/sell activity.
• Video is the growth format: Short-form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives reach, even for older cohorts when content is local (events, sports highlights, fishing/boating on Lake Hartwell, restaurant openings).
• Private sharing matters: Messenger, group chats, and closed Facebook Groups carry a large share of local information flow and word-of-mouth for small businesses.
• Timing patterns: Engagement peaks early mornings (6–9 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes around local events, sports, and festivals.
• Commerce and recommendations: Facebook Groups/Marketplace and community pages influence service decisions (home services, autos, outdoor/boating, real estate, seasonal tourism).
• Cross-platform split:
  • Under 35: Instagram/TikTok first, Facebook for groups and events.
  • 35–54: Facebook first, Instagram second; YouTube for how-to and product research.
  • 55+: Facebook for community and family, YouTube for news/how-to; Pinterest for projects.
• Local information sensitivity: Weather alerts, school closings, road incidents, and utility updates trigger rapid spikes in engagement and sharing.

Sources behind the estimates: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS, county demographics and internet subscriptions) and Pew Research Center (Social Media Use, 2023–2024).