Madison County

Madison County, Georgia — key demographics (latest available from the U.S. Census Bureau, primarily 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates and 2020 Census)

Population size

• Total population: ~31,700

Age

• Median age: ~41 years
• Age distribution: under 18 (22%), 18–64 (60%), 65+ (~18%)

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~80–82%
• Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: ~8–10%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5–7%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Asian alone, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and other groups: <1% each

Household data

• Total households: ~11,800–12,200
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~70–72% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50–55% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~28–32%
• Living alone: ~22–25% of households; seniors 65+ living alone: ~8–10%
• Housing tenure: owner-occupied ~75–80%; renter-occupied ~20–25%

Notes

• Figures are rounded for clarity; ACS 5-year estimates include sampling error and are best for small geographies like counties of this size.

Madison County, GA (population ≈31,000; density ≈100 people/sq mi) has an estimated 23,000–24,000 residents who use email regularly.

Age distribution of email users

• 13–17: ~5%
• 18–29: ~16%
• 30–49: ~34%
• 50–64: ~23%
• 65+: ~22%

Gender split of email users

• ~51% female (≈12.0k)
• ~49% male (≈11.6k)

Digital access and connectivity

• About 75–80% of households subscribe to home internet; roughly 60–70% have 100 Mbps or faster service. Smartphone‑only internet households are ~12–15%.
• Broadband adoption has risen about 3–5 percentage points since 2020 with fiber and fixed‑wireless expansion; affordability discounts have supported uptake among lower‑income households.
• Connectivity is strongest along the US‑29 and GA‑72 corridors (Danielsville–Hull–Colbert), with more limited fixed broadband choices in northern and eastern rural tracts; 4G/5G mobile coverage is broadly available on main corridors.
• As a rural county in the Athens commuter belt, Madison’s dispersed settlement pattern yields high‑speed cable/fiber near towns and greater reliance on DSL and fixed wireless in outlying areas, shaping email access and usage consistency.

Mobile phone usage in Madison County, Georgia — 2022–2024 snapshot

Summary

• Resident base: roughly 31,000–32,000 people, with a predominantly rural settlement pattern and an older median age than Georgia overall. That combination drives heavy mobile reliance but slightly lower adoption of higher-end data plans and mid-band 5G than the statewide average.

User estimates and adoption

• Smartphone users: about 25,000 residents use a smartphone in Madison County, reflecting very high device penetration typical of the Southeast.
• Household adoption (American Community Survey, 2018–2022 5-year):
  • Households with a smartphone present: about 88–92% in Madison County, just below Georgia’s statewide rate near 90–92%.
  • Households with a broadband subscription (any fixed, e.g., cable, fiber, DSL): roughly 78–80% in the county vs about 82–84% statewide.
  • Households relying on cellular data only (no fixed home internet): materially higher in Madison County, on the order of the mid-teens as a share of households, versus low-teens statewide.
  • Households with no internet subscription at all: several percentage points higher than the state, commonly in the low-to-mid teens locally versus low-teens statewide.
• Plan mix: prepaid and budget MVNO plans account for a larger share of lines than the state average, consistent with lower median household income and higher price sensitivity in rural northeast Georgia.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Madison County is older than Georgia overall. Seniors make up a larger share of the population than the state average, and while senior smartphone adoption has risen, it remains lower than working-age cohorts. This dampens overall smartphone and high-data-plan penetration versus the state but increases the share of voice-first and text-first usage.
• Income: A higher share of lower-income households than the state average correlates with:
  • Higher reliance on smartphones as the primary internet device.
  • Greater use of mobile-only internet and hotspots for schoolwork and streaming.
  • Slower upgrade cycles for premium 5G devices.
• Race and ethnicity: The county is less diverse than Georgia overall. Statewide, Hispanic households exhibit particularly high smartphone dependence; because Madison County’s Hispanic share is smaller than the state average, county-level device adoption looks similar to the state but the pattern of mobile-only reliance is driven more by rural coverage and income than by ethnicity.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier footprint: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all cover the population centers and major corridors (US‑29, GA‑72). Coverage is effectively universal outdoors for LTE, with persistent indoor weak spots in low-lying and heavily wooded areas, especially away from towns like Danielsville, Comer, and Colbert.
• 5G availability:
  • T-Mobile has the broadest 5G footprint, including mid-band coverage along primary corridors; it is the main driver of 5G fixed-wireless home internet availability.
  • AT&T 5G is present along main roads and in towns, with performance depending on proximity to upgraded sites.
  • Verizon’s low-band 5G covers key areas; mid-band density is thinner than in metro counties.
  • Net effect: Madison County’s 5G availability is good for a rural county but lags metro Georgia in mid-band density and peak speeds.
• Fixed-wireless home internet (FWA): 5G-based home internet from T‑Mobile (and, to a lesser extent, Verizon) is widely offered and has become a meaningful substitute where cable or fiber are absent. Uptake is higher than the state average in rural tracts.
• Fiber and cable:
  • Kinetic by Windstream is the incumbent wireline provider and has been expanding fiber in northeast Georgia; fiber passings have increased since 2021, but coverage is still patchy compared to metro areas.
  • Cable broadband is available in and around the larger towns, but not countywide.
  • Result: A larger share of households than the state remains on DSL or mobile-only connections outside of fiber/cable footprints.
• Public funding and builds: Federal and state broadband programs (ARPA/BEAD and USDA ReConnect) have targeted rural northeast Georgia, including parts of Madison County. These projects are narrowing gaps but have not fully equalized infrastructure with statewide metro standards yet.

How Madison County differs from Georgia overall

• Slightly lower household smartphone presence but meaningfully higher reliance on mobile-only internet, driven by sparser fixed infrastructure and income mix.
• Higher share of residents in areas with weak indoor signal and fewer mid-band 5G sectors; median mobile speeds and capacity are lower than in metro/suburban Georgia.
• Faster recent uptake of 5G fixed-wireless home internet than the state average because it fills coverage gaps where fiber/cable are absent.
• Device upgrade cadence is slower; prepaid/MVNO penetration is higher than statewide norms.
• Digital divide is more geographic than in metro Georgia: address-level variability (one road segment with strong 5G and the next with only LTE or weak indoor service) is more common.

Implications

• Mobile networks are the primary connectivity backbone for a larger share of households than statewide; modest improvements in mid-band 5G density and indoor coverage would have outsized benefits.
• Continued fiber buildouts plus robust 5G FWA options are the fastest path to closing the gap with state averages in speeds and reliability.
• Programs aimed at senior digital adoption and low-income device/plan affordability will have greater marginal impact in Madison County than in metro counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2018–2022, table S2801: Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions), FCC National Broadband Map (mobile and fixed availability through 2024), carrier 5G coverage disclosures and rural buildout announcements in northeast Georgia.

Social media in Madison County, Georgia (estimated 2024–2025 snapshot, modeled from US Census county demographics, Pew Research Center 2024 social media data, and platform reach data for Georgia; figures rounded)

User base

• Residents using social media: 21,000–23,000 people (about 68–74% of total population; ~80–86% of residents aged 13+)
• Daily active users: 65% of social users (14,000–15,000 people)
• Access device: ~95% mobile, ~5% desktop/tablet dominant

Age and gender profile (share of active social users; penetration within each age)

• Gender: ~52% women, ~47% men, ~1% nonbinary/other
• Age mix of users:
  • 13–17: ~8–10% of users; ~90–95% penetration in this age band
  • 18–29: ~20–22% of users; ~95–98% penetration
  • 30–49: ~36–40% of users; ~88–92% penetration
  • 50–64: ~20–23% of users; ~72–80% penetration
  • 65+: ~9–11% of users; ~50–60% penetration

Most-used platforms (share of county social users using monthly)

• YouTube: ~80–84%
• Facebook: ~70–76%
• Instagram: ~44–48%
• TikTok: ~34–38%
• Pinterest: ~28–33%
• Snapchat: ~25–29%
• X (Twitter): ~15–19%
• LinkedIn: ~14–18%
• Nextdoor: ~7–10%
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger ~60–68%; WhatsApp ~10–15%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook-first for local life: Heavy use of Groups and Marketplace for community updates, school and church events, yard sales, and local services. Business outreach and customer service commonly handled via Facebook DMs.
• Video dominates attention: Short-form video (YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok) drives the highest watch time; posting remains concentrated among a minority of users, but viewership is broad across 18–49 and growing among 50–64.
• Peak activity windows: Evenings 7–9 pm ET see the highest engagement; notable weekend spikes around local sports and events.
• Cross-posting habits: Instagram-to-Facebook cross-posting is common among 18–49; TikTok clips are frequently repurposed as Reels/Shorts to reach older audiences on Facebook/YouTube.
• Local trust and discovery: Users rely on local pages/groups and neighboring friends for recommendations; “near me” discovery via Facebook/Google Maps blends with word-of-mouth in Groups.
• Commerce behaviors: Marketplace is a primary resale channel; local service providers (home, auto, ag-related) book via Messenger and SMS. Coupon/offer posts outperform generic brand content.
• Audience nuances:
  • Women 25–54 over-index on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for shopping, school updates, and events.
  • Men 25–54 over-index on YouTube and Facebook for DIY, sports, outdoors, and equipment content.
  • Teens gravitate to TikTok/Snapchat for creation and to YouTube for long-form viewing; Instagram is the bridge to Facebook for older teens/young adults.
• Connectivity context: Mobile-first and variable broadband quality favor lightweight, vertical video and concise posts; link-out content performs better when summarized on-platform.

Notes on method: County-level figures are modeled by applying national platform and age/gender usage rates (Pew Research Center 2024) to Madison County’s demographic structure (US Census/ACS), adjusted for typical rural-Georgia patterns and statewide platform reach indicators.