Polk County

Polk County, Georgia – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; primarily 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; population count from 2020 Census)

Population

• Total population: 42,853 (2020 Census); ~43,400 (2019–2023 ACS)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~62–64%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~10–12%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~18–22%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–0.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: ~0.5–0.7%
• Other/remaining: ~1%

Households

• Total households: ~15,800
• Average household size: ~2.7 persons
• Family households: ~70%
• Married-couple families: ~47%
• Nonfamily households: ~30%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~68%

Notes: Figures are rounded for clarity and reflect the latest reliable county-level ACS 5-year data; decennial census provides the exact 2020 population count.

Polk County, Georgia (pop. ~43,000; ~312 sq mi; ~137 people/sq mi) is largely small-city/rural, shaping digital and email adoption.

• Estimated email users: 26,000 adults (≈79% of 18+ residents), derived by applying Pew Research internet use in rural areas (86%) and email use among internet users (~92%) to Polk’s adult population.
• Age distribution of email users (est. share of all email users): 18–29: 21% (5.4k); 30–49: 34% (9.0k); 50–64: 26% (6.8k); 65+: 19% (5.0k). Older adults participate strongly but at slightly lower rates than younger cohorts.
• Gender split: 50% female (13.1k) and 50% male (12.9k); email adoption is effectively parity by gender per national benchmarks.
• Digital access trends: Roughly four in five Polk households have home broadband, with a meaningful minority relying on smartphone-only access and a persistent no-home-internet gap concentrated in rural tracts and lower-income households. Fiber and fixed-wireless availability have expanded since 2021, and 5G coverage is strongest around Cedartown and Rockmart and along primary corridors (US-278/GA-6), with thinner coverage in outlying areas.
• Insight: Email remains the default digital channel countywide; the main limiter is home broadband quality/availability, not willingness to use email.

Polk County, GA mobile phone usage (2024–2025)

Headline numbers

• Population: ~43,700; households: ~15,700; adults (18+): ~33,200
• Adult smartphone users: ~29,000 (≈87% of adults), lower than Georgia’s ≈90%
• Households with a smartphone: ~14,100 (≈90%)
• Households with broadband of any type (wireline, fixed wireless, or cellular): ~12,250 (≈78%) vs Georgia ≈84%
• Households with a cellular data plan: ~10,700 (≈68%) vs Georgia ≈62%
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data plan but no wireline at home): ~3,770 (≈24%) vs Georgia ≈17%
• Households with no internet subscription: ~2,830 (≈18%) vs Georgia ≈12%

How Polk differs from the state

• Higher mobile dependence: Polk’s smartphone-only reliance is around 7 percentage points above the state average, indicating heavier use of mobile data as the primary home connection
• Lower overall broadband take-up: Broadband subscription lags Georgia by roughly 6 points, reflecting affordability and availability constraints
• Slightly lower adult smartphone adoption: About 3 points under the state, driven by older and lower-income segments
• Faster shift to fixed-wireless for home internet: Adoption is rising more quickly than statewide as households fill gaps left by limited wireline options and the wind-down of ACP subsidies

Demographic patterns (estimates derived from ACS, Pew, and county demographics)

• By age (adult smartphone adoption): 18–34 ≈95%; 35–64 ≈90%; 65+ ≈72% (Polk seniors trail Georgia seniors by ~8 points)
• By income (smartphone-only internet): < $35k ≈35%; $35k–$75k ≈24%; > $75k ≈12% (each higher than Georgia by ~5–10 points)
• By race/ethnicity (smartphone adoption / smartphone-only internet):
  • Hispanic: ≈96% / ≈32%
  • Black: ≈92% / ≈27%
  • White (non-Hispanic): ≈88% / ≈21% These splits underscore that Polk’s mobile-first behavior is concentrated among lower-income, Hispanic, and senior households, with larger smartphone-only gaps than the state.

Digital infrastructure and availability

• Cellular networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile provide countywide 4G LTE with 5G present; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated in Cedartown and Rockmart and along US-278/US-27 corridors, with low-band 5G covering wider rural areas. Terrain and tree cover create spotty indoor service in some valleys and outer rural tracts
• Wireline broadband: Cable and fiber are present in the two cities and along main corridors; many outer areas remain DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite-only. This uneven wireline footprint is the primary driver of Polk’s higher smartphone-only share
• Fixed wireless home internet: T-Mobile 5G Home and AT&T/Verizon fixed wireless options are expanding and seeing above-average uptake compared with Georgia overall, bridging gaps where cable/fiber are absent
• Public access: Libraries in Cedartown and Rockmart offer free Wi‑Fi and device lending that partially offsets access gaps for students and job seekers
• Funding and buildout: Polk retains BEAD-eligible unserved/underserved pockets. Construction timelines into 2025–2027 mean mobile and fixed wireless will remain the primary on‑ramp for many households in the near term

Actionable insights

• Mobile-first is structural, not temporary: Even as fiber and cable slowly expand, affordability pressures and legacy gaps mean a durable 20%+ of households will remain smartphone-only without targeted subsidies and low-cost wireline plans
• Seniors and rural fringes need tailored solutions: Boosting senior digital literacy, device support, and signal enhancement (in-home coverage solutions) would close much of the adoption delta vs the state
• Partnerships can accelerate gains: Coordinating school districts, libraries, and carriers on discounted hotspots and fixed-wireless installs in unserved blocks will have outsized impact in Polk relative to metro Georgia

Sources and methods

• U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018–2022 (S2801 “Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions”) for household device and subscription baselines; Georgia statewide figures used for comparison
• Pew Research Center (2023) for adult smartphone adoption benchmarks
• FCC broadband availability data and Georgia Broadband Office maps for infrastructure context and unserved pockets
• County-level estimates produced by applying ACS/Pew rates to Polk’s demographic structure; figures rounded for clarity

Social media usage in Polk County, Georgia (2025 snapshot)

Headline numbers

• Population: ~43,500; adults 18+: ~33,000 (≈75.9% of residents)
• Adult social media users: ~26,900 (≈81% of adults)

Age mix of adult social media users

• 18–29: 23% of users (≈6,300)
• 30–49: 36% of users (≈9,500)
• 50–64: 24% of users (≈6,500)
• 65+: 17% of users (≈4,500)

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Female: ~52% of social media users (≈14,000)
• Male: ~48% of social media users (≈12,900)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; overlap expected)

• YouTube: ~80% (≈26,400 adults)
• Facebook: ~71% (≈23,400)
• Instagram: ~43% (≈14,200)
• Pinterest: ~33% (≈10,900)
• TikTok: ~30% (≈9,900)
• Snapchat: ~26% (≈8,600)
• X (Twitter): ~24% (≈7,900)
• LinkedIn: ~22% (≈7,300)
• WhatsApp: ~18% (≈5,900)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: high engagement with local news, school updates, church and civic events, yard-sale/Marketplace and buy–sell–trade groups; Messenger widely used for coordination.
• Video-first consumption is mainstream: YouTube for how‑to, auto/home repair, outdoor and music content; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) growing rapidly among 18–34 and increasingly 30–49.
• Commerce and classifieds are local-first: Facebook Marketplace outperforms dedicated classifieds; impulse buys common for under-$200 items and seasonal goods.
• Younger cohorts are multi-platform: 18–29s cluster on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat; they still maintain a Facebook account for local groups and events.
• Older cohorts are sticky on Facebook: 50+ rely on Facebook for community info and local businesses; Pinterest usage is strong among women for recipes, crafts, home projects.
• Messaging segmentation: Messenger is default; WhatsApp adoption is higher within Hispanic and multi-lingual households and among construction/service work crews.
• Content that wins: high school sports, weather alerts/outages, public safety, local jobs, church/community spotlights, and short local business promos. Authentic, local faces outperform polished ads.

Method notes

• Figures are best-available, county-level estimates built by applying 2024 Pew Research U.S. platform adoption rates (with rural adjustments) to Polk County’s 2023 ACS age/sex distribution. Totals reflect overlapping platform use.