Jeff Davis County

Jeff Davis County, Georgia – key demographics

Population

• Total population (2020 Census): 14,779

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Gender

• Male: ~51%
• Female: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; race is non-Hispanic unless noted)

• White (NH): ~64%
• Black/African American (NH): ~16%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~16%
• Two or more races (NH): ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (NH): ~0.3%
• Asian (NH): ~0.4%

Households and housing

• Households (2020): ~5,450
• Average household size: ~2.7
• Family households: ~3,800 (≈70% of households)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73%
• Median household income: ~$46,000
• Poverty rate: ~21%

Insights

• Small, stable population with a relatively balanced gender mix and a median age near 38.
• Notable Hispanic/Latino community (mid-teens share).
• Predominantly owner-occupied housing with modest household sizes and income levels typical of rural South Georgia.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 ACS 5-year estimates)

Jeff Davis County, GA overview

• Population ≈15.5k; low rural density ≈45 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈11.7k (≈75% of residents; ≈92% of adults).
• Gender split among users: ≈51% female, 49% male.

Age distribution of email users

• Under 30: ≈22%
• 30–49: ≈34%
• 50–64: ≈26%
• 65+: ≈18% (Older adults show slightly lower adoption than younger groups but steady growth due to telehealth, banking, and government services.)

Digital access and usage patterns

• Households with a broadband subscription: ≈78%.
• Households with no home internet: ≈20% (often rely on mobile data or public Wi‑Fi).
• Adult smartphone ownership: ≈90%; smartphone‑only internet users: ≈17%.
• Computer access at home: ≈82%.
• Email remains the default channel for schools, healthcare portals, benefits administration, and local employers; mobile access to email is rising fastest.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Sparse settlement and long last‑mile runs limit fixed‑line competition; fiber is present in select corridors, with higher adoption near Hazlehurst and major highways.
• Mobile networks carry a disproportionate share of everyday internet use; public access points (libraries, schools, municipal Wi‑Fi) are important for households without subscriptions.

Mobile phone usage in Jeff Davis County, GA (2024 snapshot)

Baseline

• Population: 14,800 (2020 Census) with slow growth since 2020; land area ~330 sq. mi.; predominantly rural.
• Adult population (18+): ~11,000.

User estimates

• Adults with a mobile phone (any type): ~10,400–10,600 (94–96% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ~8,800–9,200 (about 80–83% of adults). This is roughly 3–5 percentage points lower than Georgia’s statewide average, reflecting the county’s older age structure and lower incomes.
• Total active cellular connections (phones, tablets, IoT): ~16,000–18,000 (about 1.1–1.2 lines per resident), consistent with rural U.S. connection densities.

Demographic breakdown (drivers of variance)

• Age: The 65+ share is higher than the state. Applying current national adoption by age to local age mix yields smartphone use among seniors around 60–65%, versus >85% among prime-age adults. This skews overall county smartphone penetration below the state average.
• Income: Median household income is materially below the Georgia median, which correlates with lower smartphone adoption and greater reliance on prepaid plans. Among households under ~$35k, smartphone adoption remains high but “smartphone-dependent” internet use is common.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is majority White with meaningful Black and Hispanic/Latino minorities. Consistent with national patterns, Black and Hispanic households are more likely to be smartphone-dependent for home internet than White households at similar income levels, contributing to higher mobile-only reliance than the state overall.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage countywide and strong along primary corridors (US‑23/341, GA‑19) and in/around Hazlehurst; indoor gaps persist in dispersed rural tracts.
  • 5G: Low‑band 5G available from major carriers; mid‑band 5G is concentrated in Hazlehurst and along main highways; mmWave is not present.
• Typical performance
  • Download speeds commonly 10–60 Mbps outside town centers; peaks above 100 Mbps where mid‑band 5G is present. This trails metro Georgia, where mid‑band 5G routinely delivers 150–300 Mbps.
  • Uplink generally 3–15 Mbps; latency 30–60 ms on 4G/low‑band 5G, lower where mid‑band 5G is active.
• Reliability
  • Terrain, foliage, and river-adjacent areas create dead zones; external antennas/boosters are frequently used at the edges of coverage.
  • Network resiliency is adequate for voice/SMS during storms; sustained high-throughput data during peak evening hours can degrade more than in urban Georgia.

How Jeff Davis County differs from state-level trends

• Adoption level: Overall adult smartphone penetration is lower (about 80–83% vs ~84–87% statewide) because of a larger senior share and lower incomes.
• Mobile-only internet: Higher reliance on cellular data as the primary home internet connection—about 18–24% of households vs roughly 12–15% statewide—driven by patchier fixed broadband and the wind‑down of affordability subsidies.
• Plan mix: Prepaid and budget plans represent a larger share of active lines than in metro Georgia, with longer device replacement cycles (often 3–4 years).
• Speed and capacity: Fewer mid‑band 5G sectors per capita and wider inter‑site distances result in lower median mobile speeds and more variability than state averages.
• Usage patterns: Voice/SMS reliability and basic app use are prioritized over bandwidth‑intensive mobile applications (e.g., high‑bitrate video, cloud gaming), reflecting both network constraints and plan economics.

Methodological notes and sources

• Population and demographics: U.S. Census 2020 and ACS 2018–2022.
• Adoption rates by age/income: Pew Research Center smartphone adoption (latest available).
• Coverage/performance characterization: FCC National Broadband Map (2023–2024 carrier-reported coverage) and rural Georgia performance norms.
• Estimates are derived by applying national adoption rates to the county’s age/income mix and scaling to local population; ranges reflect uncertainty at small‑area levels.

Jeff Davis County, GA — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Baseline

• Population: ≈15,300 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS). Residents age 13+: ≈13,300.
• Residents using at least one major social platform weekly: ≈81% of 13+ (≈10,800 people).

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+ using monthly; modeled from Pew Research platform adoption by age, adjusted to local age mix)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 66%
• Instagram: 37%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 29%
• Snapchat: 24%
• WhatsApp: 24%
• X (Twitter): 16%

Age profile

• Share of each age group using social weekly:
  • 13–17: ~95%
  • 18–29: ~96%
  • 30–44: ~90%
  • 45–64: ~78%
  • 65+: ~62%
• Share of the local social-media audience by age:
  • 13–17: 9%
  • 18–29: 19%
  • 30–44: 24%
  • 45–64: 30%
  • 65+: 18%

Gender breakdown

• Overall social-media audience: ~53% women, 47% men.
• Platform skews:
  • Pinterest and Instagram: female-leaning (Pinterest particularly strong among women).
  • Facebook and TikTok: slight female tilt.
  • YouTube and X: male-leaning.
  • WhatsApp: near parity overall; higher use among Hispanic households.

Behavioral trends (local/rural Southeast patterns)

• Facebook is the community hub:
  • Heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for local buying/selling, school sports, churches, civic alerts, and events.
  • Older adults disproportionately on Facebook; they engage with practical, local information and photo/video posts.
• Short-form video:
  • TikTok and Facebook/Instagram Reels drive discovery; locals favor relatable, utility-focused clips (local deals, how‑to, community highlights).
• Messaging:
  • Facebook Messenger dominates for adults; Snapchat DMs for teens/young adults; WhatsApp adoption concentrated in Hispanic families and for out-of-area contacts.
• Peak activity windows:
  • Weekdays: 7–10 pm; lunchtime mini-spike; early morning scroll (6:30–8:00 am) for school/weather updates.
  • Weekends: Saturday morning for Marketplace; game nights and Sundays for church/school content.
• Content response:
  • Highest engagement for local faces, youth sports, faith/community events, public safety, and clear value (discounts, service availability).
  • Static flyers underperform vs. short videos or photo carousels; comments and shares drive reach in local groups.
• Ad/organic performance notes:
  • Facebook/Instagram deliver the most efficient local reach; geotargeting within ~15–25 miles performs best.
  • Click-to-call and message objectives convert well; plain-language CTAs beat polished brand copy.

Notes on method

• Figures are county-level estimates derived by applying recent U.S. platform adoption rates by age to Jeff Davis County’s age structure (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 ACS; Pew Research Center 2024–2025 platform usage). They reflect best-available, defensible local approximations in the absence of county-specific platform census data.