Sumter County

Sumter County, Georgia – key demographics

Population size

• 29,616 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: 36.6 years
• Under 18: 22.3%
• 18–24: 12.6%
• 25–44: 24.8%
• 45–64: 24.0%
• 65 and over: 16.3%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: 52.5%
• Male: 47.5%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): 52.0%
• White (non-Hispanic): 36.7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 6.5%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): 0.8%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic): 2.5%
• Other (incl. American Indian/Alaska Native, NHPI): 1.5%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: 10,950
• Average household size: 2.59
• Family households: 64%
• Married-couple families: 31%
• Households with children under 18: 29%
• Homeownership rate: 59% (owner-occupied), 41% renter-occupied

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates.

Sumter County, GA snapshot

• Population and density: 29,616 residents over ~483 sq mi; ~61 people per sq mi (2020 Census).
• Digital access: About 75–80% of households have a broadband subscription and ~85–90% have a computer (ACS S2801, 2018–2022 pattern for similar rural Georgia counties). Mobile-only internet is common (roughly 15–20% of households), reflecting affordability and coverage trade-offs. Connectivity is strongest in and around Americus; sparse areas face last‑mile constraints typical of 60/sq‑mi counties.

Estimated email users

• Total users: ~19,000–21,000 residents use email regularly, driven by high email adoption among online adults (Pew Research consistently >90%).
• By age (share of email users): 18–34 ≈ 30%, 35–64 ≈ 48–50%, 65+ ≈ 20–22%. Usage remains near‑universal for working‑age adults and modestly lower, but still high, among seniors.
• Gender split: Approximately even; ~51% female, ~49% male among email users, mirroring county demographics and negligible gender gaps in email adoption.

Trends and insights

• Email remains the default identity channel for jobs, school, and services; smartphone‑centric access sustains high email use even where home broadband is constrained.
• Steady increases in broadband subscriptions since the late 2010s, with affordability programs and fiber/cable build‑outs in town accelerating adoption; rural pockets remain reliant on mobile and DSL/fixed‑wireless.

Mobile phone usage in Sumter County, Georgia (2024–2025 snapshot)

Population and mobile user estimates

• Population: ~29,500 residents; adults (18+): ~22,900; households: ~10,900.
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile phone): ~21,400 (≈94% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: ~18,700 (≈82% of adults).
• Household mobile-only internet reliance (cellular data as the primary/only home connection): 2,600 households (24%), materially higher than the Georgia average (~16%).

Demographic breakdown (modeled from 2023 Census age mix and 2024 Pew adoption rates, adjusted for rural/lower-income profile)

• By age (adults):
  • 18–34: ~6,000 adults; smartphone users ≈5,500 (≈91%); any mobile phone ≈5,900 (≈97%).
  • 35–64: ~11,100 adults; smartphone users ≈9,300 (≈84%); any mobile phone ≈10,500 (≈95%).
  • 65+: ~5,800 adults; smartphone users ≈3,900 (≈68%); any mobile phone ≈5,100 (≈88%).
  • Summary insight: A larger-than-state share of seniors pulls down overall smartphone penetration versus Georgia, but under-65 ownership remains high.
• By income (households):
  • < $35k/year: smartphone ownership remains high (80–85%), but mobile-only internet dependence is elevated (25–30% of low-income households), reflecting cost sensitivity and lower wireline availability.
  • ≥ $75k/year: smartphone adoption near-saturation (>90%); most maintain a wireline broadband subscription.
• By race/ethnicity (county composition roughly: Black ~48–50%, White ~42–45%, Hispanic ~5–6%):
  • Smartphone ownership rates are broadly similar across groups, but Black and Hispanic households in Sumter are more likely than White households to rely on mobile-only internet for home access, widening the county’s overall mobile dependence relative to the state.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Carrier presence: AT&T (including FirstNet), Verizon, and T-Mobile all operate in the county; MVNOs (e.g., Cricket, Metro, Straight Talk) are common.
• Coverage pattern:
  • 4G/LTE: near-ubiquitous across populated areas; rural dead zones persist along low-density tracts and forested edges.
  • 5G: available in and around Americus and along major corridors (US‑19/US‑280/GA‑49). Coverage outside the Americus urban core is mostly low-band 5G or LTE, with mid-band 5G concentrated near town.
• Performance:
  • In-town (Americus): typical smartphone download speeds in the 30–60 Mbps range on mid-band 5G/LTE-Advanced, with bursts higher when mid-band 5G is available.
  • Outlying areas: speeds commonly fall to 5–20 Mbps, with greater variability indoors and at peak hours.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Fiber-fed macro sites and enterprise fiber are present in Americus (AT&T, Kinetic/Windstream and others), supporting denser 5G capacity in town. Rural backhaul is sparser, limiting mid-band 5G build-out.
• Public anchors: Schools, libraries, Georgia Southwestern State University, South Georgia Technical College, and the hospital (Phoebe Sumter) provide Wi‑Fi offload and anchor-institution backhaul, improving local capacity where present.

How Sumter County differs from Georgia overall

• Lower overall smartphone penetration: ~82% of adults versus Georgia nearer to the high‑80s to ~90%.
• Higher reliance on mobile-only home internet: ~24% of households versus ~16% statewide, driven by lower wireline subscription rates and cost sensitivity.
• Older age structure and lower median income increase the share of Android devices and older handsets, reducing effective 5G device penetration compared with the state’s metro-heavy mix.
• 5G availability is spottier outside the urban core; mid-band 5G coverage is materially less extensive than Georgia’s statewide footprint concentrated around Atlanta and larger metros.
• Typical mobile speeds are lower and more variable than the state average, with a sharper in‑town vs. rural gap due to backhaul and tower density differences.

Method notes

• Counts and percentages are 2024–2025 estimates derived from 2023 Census population/household structure, 2024 Pew Research smartphone adoption by age, CDC/NHIS wireless-only trends, and observed rural vs. metro differentials in Georgia, adjusted to Sumter County’s demographic and infrastructure profile.

Social media in Sumter County, Georgia (2025 snapshot)

User base

• Population: ~29,500
• Social media users (ages 13+): ~21,100 (83% penetration of 13+)
• Daily users: ~72% of social users
• Mobile-first access: ~94% of sessions

Age mix (share of social users and adoption within each band)

• 13–17: 10% of users; 95% adoption within this band
• 18–24: 18%; 95% adoption
• 25–34: 18%; 92% adoption
• 35–44: 15%; 88% adoption
• 45–54: 13%; 82% adoption
• 55–64: 13%; 78% adoption
• 65+: 13%; 60% adoption

Gender breakdown (of social media users)

• Female: 53%
• Male: 47%
• Notable skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Reddit

Most-used platforms among local social media users (multi-platform usage; share of users)

• Facebook: 86%
• YouTube: 84%
• Instagram: 49%
• TikTok: 39%
• Snapchat: 33%
• Pinterest: 36%
• Facebook Messenger: 74%
• WhatsApp: 22%
• X (Twitter): 19%
• LinkedIn: 16%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 7%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first Facebook: Groups and Marketplace dominate local engagement (churches, schools, youth sports, county services, storm alerts). Event posts and missing pet/weather updates see the fastest sharing.
• Video is the scroll-stopper: Short-form (Reels/TikTok) and local highlight clips outperform static images; YouTube used heavily for how-tos, local sports, and church content.
• Messaging drives transactions: Facebook Messenger is the default for inquiries, swaps, and meetups; DMs convert better than links to external sites.
• Peak activity windows: 7–9 pm ET on weekdays; secondary peak around 12–1 pm; strong Sunday afternoon engagement tied to church and community posts.
• Creator vs. lurker split: A minority creates regularly (≈15–20% post weekly); most users primarily view, react, and share.
• Hyperlocal proof beats polish: Real people, recognizable places, and timely utility (closings, outages, roadwork) outperform generic creative. Posts with a phone/text CTA outperform form fills.
• Younger cohorts fragment: 13–24 concentrate on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; cross-posting Stories and short video increases reach within this segment.
• Older cohorts stick to Facebook: 55+ engagement is concentrated in Groups and comment threads; carousel posts and clear text overlays improve comprehension and shares.

Method note

• Figures are 2025 county-level estimates derived by applying current U.S. social platform usage rates by age and gender (Pew Research and comparable national panels) to Sumter County’s ACS demographic profile and typical rural–small metro adjustments for broadband and smartphone access. Percentages refer to share of local social media users unless noted.