Putnam County

Putnam County, Georgia — key demographics

Population size

• 22,047 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~46 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and older: ~23%

Sex

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race; ACS 2019–2023)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~66%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~28%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~5%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: ~0.5%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~9,000
• Average household size: ~2.45
• Family households: ~66% of households; married-couple families ~53% of all households
• Homeownership rate: ~79% owner-occupied; ~21% renter-occupied
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Householder living alone: ~26% (about 12% age 65+)

Insights

• Older age profile than Georgia overall, high homeownership, and a majority White population with a substantial Black community and a small but growing Hispanic share.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Putnam County, GA email usage snapshot (2025)

• Population and density: ~22,500 residents; ~65 people per square mile; ~9,000 households.
• Estimated email users: 18,200 residents (≈81% of total population; ≈93% of ages 13+).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 6% (≈1,100)
  • 18–34: 24% (≈4,400)
  • 35–54: 34% (≈6,200)
  • 55–64: 15% (≈2,700)
  • 65+: 21% (≈3,800)
• Gender split among email users: ~52% female (≈9,500); ~48% male (≈8,700).
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~89% of households have a computer and ~80% maintain a home broadband subscription; ~10% are mobile-only internet users.
  • Email is checked primarily on smartphones, with desktop use higher among 35–64.
  • Connectivity is strongest around Eatonton and the Lake Oconee corridor; outlying rural tracts rely more on DSL and fixed wireless, which moderates usage intensity among older and lower-income residents.
  • Public institutions provide Wi‑Fi access, helping maintain near-universal email reach among working-age adults.

Overall, Putnam County exhibits high email penetration for a rural county, with usage concentrated among 18–54 and a modest but meaningful gap for 65+.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Putnam County, Georgia

Timeframe and sources

• Figures are drawn primarily from 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates on computer and internet use (household-level) for Putnam County and Georgia, supplemented by standard industry conversion of household adoption to user counts and statewide benchmarks from ACS and national surveys for age-specific adoption. Totals are rounded to whole numbers for clarity.

County snapshot

• Population: ~23,000; households: ~9,000
• Settlement pattern: Predominantly rural with a sizable retiree presence around Lake Oconee and a small urban core in Eatonton

User estimates (phones and smartphones)

• Residents using a mobile phone (of any type): 19,000–20,000 (roughly 85–90% of residents), below Georgia’s statewide mobile-use norm (90–93%)
• Smartphone users: 16,000–17,000 (roughly 70–75% of residents), several percentage points below the statewide share (80–85%)
• Household smartphone availability (ACS household metric): Putnam ~85–88% of households have a smartphone; Georgia ~90–92%
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed broadband): Putnam ~20–22% of households; Georgia ~12–15%
• Households with no home internet subscription of any kind: Putnam ~18–22%; Georgia ~10–15%

Demographic breakdown and differences from state-level

• Age structure
  • Seniors (65+): materially higher share in Putnam than the state, contributing to lower smartphone uptake
  • Smartphone adoption among seniors: meaningfully lower than the state average, widening the county–state gap; seniors account for a disproportionate share of basic-phone users and households with no internet
• Income and education
  • Median household income below state average; lower-income households more likely to be mobile-only or to share devices rather than maintain multiple subscriptions
  • Educational attainment is modestly lower than state averages, correlating with lower device and broadband adoption
• Race/ethnicity
  • Racial composition differs from the state (higher White share, lower Hispanic share); however, usage patterns in Putnam are driven more by age, rurality, and income than by race per se
• Household makeup
  • More single-adult and retiree households increase the share of one-line, prepaid, or mobile-only setups compared with Georgia overall

Digital infrastructure and market characteristics

• Cellular networks
  • All three national carriers operate LTE and selective 5G in/around Eatonton, along US‑441/GA‑44 corridors, and near the Lake Oconee commercial nodes
  • Coverage becomes patchier in low-density southern and eastern tracts, with signal attenuation around heavy tree cover and lake coves; these areas show higher mobile-only reliance due to limited fixed-broadband options
  • A few dozen macro cell sites serve the county; upgrades over 2021–2024 added mid-band 5G along main corridors, improving capacity more than absolute coverage
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Fiber and cable are present but geographically limited; DSL and fixed wireless remain common in outlying areas
  • Where fixed broadband is weak or costly, cellular plans substitute as primary home internet, pushing Putnam’s mobile-only share notably above the state average
• Public access and anchors
  • Public Wi‑Fi is available at the Eatonton‑Putnam County Library, schools, and select municipal facilities; these act as usage backstops for households without home internet
• Emergency and public-safety overlays
  • FirstNet (AT&T) presence supports prioritized coverage for responders; spillover benefits include improved rural coverage where new sites or sectors were added

Key ways Putnam County differs from Georgia overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: household smartphone availability trails the state by roughly 3–6 percentage points; individual smartphone use is 5–10 points lower than statewide norms
• Higher mobile-only reliance: about 5–10 points higher share of households using cellular as their sole home internet, reflecting infrastructure gaps and cost sensitivity
• Larger senior footprint: drives more basic-phone retention and a higher share of households with no internet subscription
• Greater rural coverage variation: strong corridor/city-node performance but more dead zones off-corridor; this volatility is less characteristic of Georgia’s urban/suburban counties
• Slower upgrade diffusion: 5G capacity upgrades concentrate on main routes first, with lagging improvements in sparsely populated tracts compared with metro Georgia

Actionable implications

• For carriers: incremental macro infill and small cells near lake communities and off-corridor clusters would convert a sizable mobile-only base into higher-ARPU multi-line and fixed wireless users
• For public sector: pairing fiber expansion with device/affordability programs targeted to seniors and low-income households would narrow the county–state gap in smartphone and broadband adoption
• For service design: plans optimized for hotspotting and fixed wireless access will see higher uptake than in metro Georgia, given the elevated mobile-only segment in Putnam County

Putnam County, GA social media snapshot (2024–2025)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈23,000; age 13+ ≈19,300
• Connectivity: ~79% of households have broadband; ~88% of adults own a smartphone

User stats

• Monthly social media users (13+): ≈16,600 (86% of 13+)
• Gender among users: 54% women, 46% men
• Age mix of users:
  • 13–17: 8% (≈1.3k)
  • 18–29: 16% (≈2.7k)
  • 30–44: 22% (≈3.7k)
  • 45–64: 31% (≈5.1k)
  • 65+: 23% (≈3.8k)

Most-used platforms in Putnam County (share of 13+ residents; approx. users)

• YouTube: 85% (≈16.4k)
• Facebook: 71% (≈13.7k)
• Instagram: 41% (≈7.9k)
• TikTok: 31% (≈6.0k)
• Pinterest: 33% (≈6.4k)
• Snapchat: 22% (≈4.2k)
• LinkedIn: 23% (≈4.4k)
• X (Twitter): 17% (≈3.3k)
• Reddit: 15% (≈2.9k)

Age and platform patterns

• Teens (13–17): Near-universal YouTube; heavy TikTok and Snapchat; Instagram strong; Facebook light
• 18–29: YouTube and Instagram lead; TikTok high; Snapchat moderate; Facebook secondary
• 30–44: Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram meaningful; Pinterest notable among women
• 45–64: Facebook first choice; YouTube high; Pinterest moderate; TikTok/Instagram lower but growing
• 65+: Facebook primary; YouTube strong; minimal use of TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat

Behavioral trends

• Community reliance on Facebook: Local news, schools, public safety, lost-and-found, yard sales, lake-life and HOA groups drive daily engagement
• Short‑form video growth: Reels/TikTok clips see rising reach; cross-posting to Facebook and Instagram is common; 45+ favor YouTube for how‑to, church streams, fishing/DIY content
• Marketplace and recommendations: Facebook Marketplace is a go-to for local buys; Pinterest used for home, garden, and lake property ideas
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for contacting local businesses and groups; WhatsApp marginal
• Seasonal and weekend surges: Summer lake season and fall sports drive weekend posting and video views; evening peak usage 7–9 pm; weather events spike real-time engagement
• Civic and public safety: County and regional agencies get widest local reach on Facebook; X is used for alerts but has limited resident penetration

Notes on method

• Figures are modeled local estimates based on the county’s age mix (ACS 2019–2023) and U.S. platform adoption rates and demographics (Pew Research Center, 2024). YouTube is counted as social per Pew’s classification.