Toombs County

Toombs County, Georgia — key demographics

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates). Figures rounded for clarity.

Population size

• Total population: 27,030 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18 to 64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (Hispanic can be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~59%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~29%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~11%
• Other races and multiracial combined: ~1%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~10,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~66% of households; married-couple families: ~44% of households
• Tenure: ~66% owner-occupied, ~34% renter-occupied

Insights

• Stable population around 27k with a balanced gender split.
• Working-age adults (60%) and a meaningful senior share (16%) suggest mixed labor force and healthcare/aging-service needs.
• Racial/ethnic makeup is majority White with a sizable Black population and a notable Hispanic community tied to regional agriculture and food-processing.
• Housing is predominantly owner-occupied, with household sizes typical of small-metro/rural Georgia.

Toombs County, GA snapshot

• Population and density: 27,030 residents (2020 Census) over ~364 land sq mi ≈ 74 people/sq mi. Activity centers: Vidalia and Lyons.
• Estimated email users: ~19,000 residents use email regularly (driven by high adult adoption; U.S. adult email usage ~90%+).
• Age profile of email users (est.): 18–29 ≈ 19%, 30–49 ≈ 36%, 50–64 ≈ 27%, 65+ ≈ 18%. Adoption is near-universal among working-age adults and strong, though slightly lower, among seniors.
• Gender split among users: roughly even, ≈51% women, 49% men, mirroring the local population.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Broadband subscription: about 75–80% of households; households with a computer/smartphone: roughly 88–92%.
  • Fixed broadband is strongest in Vidalia/Lyons (cable/fiber), while rural tracts rely more on DSL and fixed wireless; 4G/5G mobile coverage is countywide.
  • An estimated 15–20% of households are smartphone‑only for home internet, which supports email but can limit multi‑device use.
• Trends and insights: Broadband take‑up has risen markedly since 2017, narrowing the access gap; email remains the default digital identity and communication channel across all ages, with the fastest growth among 65+ as connectivity improves and healthcare, government, and retail services shift online.

Mobile phone usage in Toombs County, GA — snapshot and headline estimates

• Population baseline: 27,000 (2020 Census); roughly 10,200 households.
• Adult mobile users: approximately 18,600–19,200 (about 92% of adults, aligning with rural U.S. benchmarks).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 16,500–17,500 (about 83% of adults; rural adoption is lower than metro Georgia).
• Smartphone-dependent adults (no home broadband, rely mainly on mobile): about 4,000–4,800 (roughly 20–24% of adults), higher than Georgia’s statewide share.
• Households primarily using cellular data for internet: approximately 2,100–2,300 households (about 20–23% of households), notably higher than Georgia overall.
• Prepaid share: estimated 25–35% of active lines locally, higher than Georgia’s largely postpaid metro mix.

Demographic drivers and usage patterns

• Age profile: An older age mix than Georgia overall. Expect near-saturation smartphone ownership among 18–49 (95%+), a moderate step-down for ages 50–64 (80–85%), and the largest gap among 65+ (~60–65%). This age structure pulls overall county adoption a few points below the state rate and increases reliance on basic voice/SMS among seniors.
• Income and affordability: Median household income is materially below the Georgia median, with poverty rates higher than the state average. This drives:
  • Higher prepaid plan usage and MVNO adoption.
  • Greater smartphone dependence (mobile-only access) among cost-sensitive households.
• Race/ethnicity: Black and Hispanic residents (a meaningful share of the local population) typically show comparable or higher smartphone ownership and a higher likelihood of smartphone-only internet access than White residents, reflecting statewide/national patterns where mobile is used to bridge home broadband gaps.
• Education and employment: Lower four-year degree attainment than the state average correlates with more price-sensitive plan selection, more Android-device penetration, and slower upgrade cycles.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Cellular networks:
  • 4G LTE is effectively universal in and around Vidalia–Lyons and along major corridors (US-1 and US-280), with rural dead spots more likely on lightly traveled secondary roads and at county edges.
  • 5G low-band (coverage-first) is broadly available from all three national carriers across populated areas.
  • 5G mid-band capacity is concentrated in the Vidalia–Lyons urban core and primary corridors; performance is best in-town and attenuates in outlying areas. Expect typical rural 4G speeds of ~10–50 Mbps and mid-band 5G bursts of ~100–300 Mbps in the core.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Altamaha EMC (headquartered in Lyons) is actively expanding fiber (“Altamaha Fiber”), improving backhaul to towers and enabling more fixed-wireless and fiber-to-the-home pockets.
  • Spectrum (cable) serves Vidalia–Lyons; AT&T and Windstream/Kinetic provide DSL-to-fiber transitions in selected zones. Outside towns, fixed broadband availability drops, reinforcing mobile-only usage.
• Public and safety networks:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) coverage supports public-safety and emergency operations along major corridors and municipal areas.
  • Libraries and schools in Vidalia–Lyons offer Wi‑Fi that supplements mobile access for students and low-income residents.

How Toombs County differs from Georgia overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A distinctly larger share of households and adults rely primarily on smartphones/cellular data than the statewide average, reflecting lower fixed-broadband adoption outside the urban core.
• More prepaid and MVNO use: Cost considerations push a higher proportion of prepaid plans relative to the state’s metro-dominated, postpaid mix.
• Slower device turnovers: A higher share of older handsets (including LTE-only devices) remains in use compared with Georgia’s metro counties, tempering average 5G usage despite coverage gains.
• Coverage pattern: 5G low-band coverage is broad but mid-band capacity is meaningfully more concentrated in town centers than in metro Georgia, producing larger performance gaps between in-town and rural areas.
• Age-driven adoption gap: The county’s older age structure pulls overall smartphone penetration a few points below the statewide adult rate while boosting reliance on voice/SMS among seniors; at the same time, younger working households show heavy mobile video and app usage because cellular often outperforms available fixed options where they live.

Implications

• Network investments that extend mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul beyond Vidalia–Lyons will directly reduce the urban–rural performance gap and curb mobile congestion at peak times.
• Affordable, high-cap data plans and device financing programs are likely to see above-average uptake locally.
• Public–private coordination (Altamaha EMC fiber builds, anchor-institution Wi‑Fi, and FirstNet enhancements) yields outsized gains because mobile is the default broadband for many households.

Notes on methodology

• User counts are derived by applying current rural U.S./Georgia adoption benchmarks (Pew Research and ACS Computer and Internet Use) to Toombs County’s size and age structure. Ranges reflect known rural–metro deltas and recent 5G buildouts.

Social media in Toombs County, GA — short breakdown

Scope and sources

• County population: approximately 27,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate).
• Platform adoption rates: U.S. adult benchmarks from Pew Research Center, 2024. County-level platforms do not publish verified user counts; figures below localize national rates to Toombs County’s size and small‑town/rural profile.

User stats (adults 18+)

• Adults: ~21,000.
• Social media users (any platform): ~15,000 (applying ~72% U.S. adult social-media adoption).
• Multi‑daily users: ~10,000–11,000 (about half of adults use social media several times a day).
• Household access context: small‑town/rural Georgia sees strong mobile-first use; most usage concentrates on smartphones rather than desktops.

Most‑used platforms (share of adults; national rates, with rural weighting noted)

• YouTube: 83% of U.S. adults; expect 80–85% locally.
• Facebook: 68% of U.S. adults; tends to over‑index in rural areas → expect 70–78% locally (most dominant community platform).
• Instagram: 47% of U.S. adults; expect ~40–50% locally.
• TikTok: 33% of U.S. adults; expect ~30–40% locally (notably strong among teens/young adults).
• Snapchat: 30% of U.S. adults; expect ~25–35% locally (youth‑skewed).
• Pinterest: 35% of U.S. adults; expect ~30–40% locally (female‑skewed, DIY/food/garden heavy).
• WhatsApp: 26% of U.S. adults; usage concentrated among bilingual/multilingual households.
• X (Twitter): 22% of U.S. adults; expect lower local penetration and niche use (sports, news).
• LinkedIn: ~30% of U.S. adults; smaller local footprint (white‑collar/healthcare/education clusters). Note: Percentages reflect U.S. adult usage (Pew, 2024); local adjustments reflect observed rural U.S. patterns.

Age groups (behavioral focus)

• Teens/18–24: Video‑first. Heavy YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram for peers and creators. Light Facebook except for school/sports info.
• 25–44: Omnichannel. Facebook (Groups, Marketplace, events), Instagram (Stories/Reels), YouTube (how‑to, streaming), growing TikTok use for local recommendations and products.
• 45–64: Facebook‑centric (Groups for churches, schools, civic updates; Marketplace), YouTube (news/how‑to), some Pinterest. Instagram/TikTok used but secondary.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube dominate; messaging via Facebook Messenger; lower adoption of newer apps.

Gender breakdown (directional, based on national patterns)

• Women: Over‑index on Facebook (Groups, Marketplace), Instagram, and Pinterest; strong engagement with school, church, health, food, and local shopping content.
• Men: Over‑index on YouTube (sports, DIY, automotive, news), X (sports/news), and Reddit; use Facebook for Groups/Marketplace rather than publishing.

Behavioral trends in Toombs County–type markets

• Facebook is the community backbone: school athletics, churches, civic notices, local government updates, event promotion (e.g., festivals), and buy/sell via Marketplace.
• YouTube is the default video utility: tutorials (home, auto, farm/garden), local sports highlights, streaming news.
• Short‑form video growth: Reels/TikTok drive local discovery (restaurants, services, events) and product recommendations.
• Groups > Pages: Group posts see higher organic reach than Page posts; businesses succeed by participating in community groups and replying in comments.
• Messaging is integral: Facebook Messenger dominates; WhatsApp usage is higher among bilingual households and transplants with out‑of‑area family ties.
• Posting/consumption peaks: early morning (6:30–8:30 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes around local sports and events.
• Marketplace matters: high local activity for vehicles, tools, furnishings, and rentals—photos and fast responses materially improve outcomes.
• Trust is local: user‑generated content, neighbor recommendations, and recognizable community members outperform polished ads; local sponsorships (youth sports, schools, festivals) convert well.

Citations

• U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 population estimate (Toombs County, GA).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption by U.S. adults).