Lamar County

Lamar County, Georgia — key demographics

Population size

• 19,000 (July 1, 2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Under 5: ~6%
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~17%
• Median age: ~39 years

Gender

• Female: ~51–52%
• Male: ~48–49%

Race and ethnicity (percent of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~59%
• Black or African American: ~33%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <0.5% combined

Households

• Total households: ~6,700
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.6
• Family households: ~70% of households
• Married-couple households: ~45–50%
• Households with children under 18: ~25–30%

Insights

• Small, steadily growing county around 19k residents.
• Age structure balanced but with a modestly larger 65+ share than the state average, indicating gradual aging.
• Population is predominantly White and Black; Hispanic/Latino population remains small but present.
• Household size aligns with U.S. average; majority are family households with a substantial share of married couples.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2023) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Figures rounded for clarity.

Lamar County, GA — email usage snapshot (2025 est.)

• Population and density: ≈19,000 residents across ≈186 sq mi (≈100–105 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈13,400 adult users (derived from ≈14,600 adults and ~92% U.S. adult email adoption).
• Age distribution of email users (counts):
  • 18–29: ≈2,300
  • 30–49: ≈4,400
  • 50–64: ≈3,700
  • 65+: ≈3,000
• Gender split among email users: ≈49% male, ≈51% female (usage rates are effectively equal by gender in national data).
• Digital access trends:
  • ≈82% of households have a broadband subscription (fixed or cellular); ≈5–7% report no computer; ≈15–18% are smartphone-only internet households.
  • Email remains the default digital identifier for work, school, and services; older adults participate at slightly lower rates, but adoption continues to rise with smartphone reliance.
• Local connectivity and density facts:
  • FCC data indicate >90% of locations have at least one fixed 25/3 Mbps option; 4G/5G mobile coverage reaches virtually all populated areas.
  • Population is concentrated around Barnesville and major corridors, supporting higher-speed options in town centers with thinner fixed broadband choices in outlying areas.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2018–2022), Pew Research Center (2024), FCC Broadband Map (2024).

Mobile phone usage in Lamar County, Georgia — 2025 snapshot

Headline user estimates

• Total mobile subscribers (unique residents with an active mobile line): 15,500–17,000 out of ~19,000 residents
• Adult smartphone users (18+): 13,500–14,500 (≈88–91% adult penetration)
• Households relying primarily or entirely on cellular data for home internet (“mobile-only”): 1,200–1,500 households (≈18–22% of households), materially above Georgia’s statewide share (~12–15%)

How Lamar County differs from Georgia overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: +5–8 percentage points versus statewide, reflecting patchier fixed broadband and a larger share of price-sensitive households
• More prepaid usage: ≈40–50% of lines in-county vs ≈30–35% statewide, driven by income mix and retail channel availability
• Android skew: Android likely 58–62% of smartphones vs near-parity statewide, tied to prepaid adoption and device price points
• Larger age gap: Adults 65+ trail working-age adults in smartphone adoption by ~20–25 points locally vs ~15–18 points at the state level
• Heavier hotspot use: Hotspot and phone-based tethering used more frequently for home access than statewide norms, lifting per-household mobile data consumption even if per-line averages are similar

Demographic context and adoption patterns

• Population profile: Predominantly rural and small-town. Age structure skews slightly older than Georgia overall; 65+ share is a few points higher than the state.
• Race/ethnicity mix: Majority White with a substantial Black population and a small but growing Hispanic population. Smartphone adoption is high across groups, but mobile-only internet reliance is highest among lower-income and renter households.
• Income: Median household income sits roughly 10–15% below Georgia’s median, correlating with higher prepaid plan usage, longer device replacement cycles (by ~6–12 months vs state average), and greater reliance on installment-free devices.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Carrier presence: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all operate in the county. 5G coverage is strongest in and around Barnesville and along primary corridors (e.g., US‑41/GA‑36), with LTE predominating in outlying areas.
• 5G capacity: T-Mobile mid‑band 5G is the most consistently available high-capacity layer near town centers and main roads. AT&T and Verizon mid‑band 5G (C‑band/3.45 GHz) appears in and near population clusters but is patchier across rural tracts, leading to more LTE fallback than typical in metro Georgia.
• Fixed broadband backdrop: Cable and some fiber are available in and near Barnesville, but outside town many residents face limited coax/fiber options, legacy DSL, or rely on fixed wireless and satellite. This availability gap directly drives the county’s above-average mobile-only uptake.
• Backhaul and capacity: Several rural cell sites rely on microwave backhaul or constrained fiber laterals, which can produce noticeable evening congestion compared with metro counties where dense fiber-fed sites are standard.

Usage behaviors and market implications

• Plan mix: Elevated prepaid/MVNO share (Cricket, Metro, Boost, and other MVNOs) relative to postpaid, alongside Family/Multiline discounts. ARPU trends lower than statewide averages.
• Data usage: Higher incidence of unlimited plans; more hotspot add-ons per capita than Georgia overall; time-of-day slowdowns more common outside Barnesville.
• App and content: Practical and bandwidth-light apps see stronger engagement in rural blocks; video usage is widespread but more resolution-adaptive due to variable capacity.
• Emergency and reliability: Coverage can vary in low-density pockets; residents commonly maintain offline-capable apps and SMS fallbacks.

Key metrics at a glance (Lamar County vs Georgia)

• Adult smartphone penetration: 88–91% vs 90–93% statewide
• Mobile-only households: 18–22% vs 12–15% statewide
• Prepaid share of lines: 40–50% vs 30–35% statewide
• iOS share of smartphones: ~38–42% vs ~48–52% statewide
• 5G mid‑band availability outside town centers: Meaningfully lower than in Georgia’s metro counties, with more LTE fallback

Method notes

• Figures are 2025 county-level estimates synthesized from recent ACS device and connectivity patterns, rural Georgia adoption norms, carrier deployment trends, and FCC coverage data. They are designed to be operationally useful for planning and comparison against statewide conditions.

Lamar County, GA social media snapshot (2025)

Baseline usage (adults 18+)

• Social media penetration: ~82% of adults use at least one social platform
• Daily usage: ~72% of social users access at least once per day
• Typical breadth: Adults active on 3–4 platforms on average

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• YouTube: ~82%
• Facebook: ~69%
• Instagram: ~45%
• TikTok: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~28%
• Snapchat: ~25%
• X (Twitter): ~23%
• LinkedIn: ~20%
• Reddit: ~19%
• Nextdoor: ~8%

Age patterns (share within each age group using any social media)

• 18–29: ~95% (heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube)
• 30–49: ~90% (Facebook and YouTube core; Instagram rising; TikTok moderate)
• 50–64: ~80% (Facebook and YouTube dominant; some Pinterest)
• 65+: ~60% (Facebook and YouTube primarily)

Gender breakdown

• Overall among social users: ~52% female, ~48% male (mirrors county demographics)
• Platform skews: Pinterest (more female), Instagram (slight female tilt), Snapchat (slight female tilt); Reddit and X (more male); Facebook and YouTube roughly even

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: Local groups (schools, city/county updates, yard sales) and Marketplace drive high engagement and trust for local info and buy/sell activity
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts; YouTube is the go-to for how‑to, church streams, and local sports highlights
• Messaging is central: Facebook Messenger is default; Instagram DMs common under 35; WhatsApp niche usage
• Commerce and lead-gen: Local service providers and retailers see strongest response to video, limited-time offers, and community tie-ins; comment-to-message handoffs are common
• Posting vs. lurking: Majority consume/reshare; a smaller creator cohort drives most original local content (events, sports, church, civic updates)
• Timing: Peaks around 6–8 a.m., 12–1 p.m., and 7–10 p.m.; weekend late morning to early afternoon spikes
• Mobile-first: >90% of social activity is on smartphones; vertical video and concise captions perform best
• Cross-platform duplication: Facebook+YouTube is the core bundle across ages; under‑35s layer Instagram/TikTok; Pinterest complements Facebook among women 30+

Notes on method and reliability

• Figures reflect best-available 2024–2025 U.S. and Georgia benchmarks (Pew Research Center social media adoption, platform-reported ad reach, and rural usage patterns) scaled to Lamar County’s demographic profile from recent Census/ACS data. Exact, platform-verified counts by county are not publicly published; treat platform shares as locally adjusted estimates rather than official tallies.