Twiggs County

Twiggs County, Georgia — key demographics

Population size

• 8,022 (2020 Census)
• ~7,900 (2023 population estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~62%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

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

• Black or African American: ~54%
• White (non-Hispanic): ~41%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~3%
• Two or more races and other: ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,170 (2020)
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~2,100 (about two-thirds of households)
• Owner-occupied housing: ~79%; renter-occupied: ~21%
• Median household income: ~$45,000–$48,000 (ACS 2019–2023)
• Poverty rate (persons): ~20%–23%

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

• County snapshot: ~8,000 residents (2023) across ~363 sq mi; population density ≈22 people per sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~5,900 residents (≈74% of the population).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • Under 18: 14%
  • 18–34: 22%
  • 35–54: 29%
  • 55–64: 16%
  • 65+: 19%
• Gender split of email users: ≈51% female, 49% male.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~70% of households maintain a home broadband subscription.
  • 80–85% of residents have a computer or smartphone; 12–18% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Connectivity is strongest around Jeffersonville and along the I‑16 corridor; more remote tracts have sparser fixed‑line options, increasing reliance on mobile data and public Wi‑Fi (library/school networks).
  • Fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts across rural Georgia are improving speeds and availability, lifting email engagement—especially among older adults and mobile‑only households.

Insights: Email reach is broad but constrained by uneven last‑mile broadband; mobile access is a key channel. Adults 35–54 form the largest share of email users, while 65+ adoption is rising as access improves. The county’s low density raises per‑mile infrastructure costs, reinforcing the urban‑edge versus interior access gap.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Twiggs County, Georgia

Context

• Rural county in central Georgia with a small, dispersed population and below‑state median income. These structural factors strongly shape mobile adoption, plan choice, and network performance relative to the Georgia average.

User estimates

• Adult mobile phone users: approximately 6,000–6,500 adults use a mobile phone (smartphone or basic), reflecting near‑universal phone ownership among adults typical of rural U.S. counties.
• Smartphone users: approximately 5,200–5,600 adults use a smartphone. This aligns with rural adoption rates that are a few points lower than Georgia’s urban/suburban average.
• Cellular‑only home internet households: materially higher share than the state average. A meaningful minority of Twiggs households rely primarily or exclusively on a mobile data plan for home internet, reflecting limited wireline options in outlying areas.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: Older population share is higher than Georgia overall. As a result, basic phones and lower‑cost Android devices are overrepresented among seniors versus the state pattern, and there is a slightly lower rate of app‑centric and video‑heavy use among 65+.
• Income: Median household income is below the state median. This correlates with:
  • Greater use of prepaid/MVNO plans (e.g., Straight Talk, Cricket, Metro by T‑Mobile) and smaller data buckets.
  • Slower device upgrade cycles; older handset mix reduces effective 5G utilization.
• Race/ethnicity: Non‑Hispanic Black residents make up a larger share of the county than the state average. By usage profile, this is associated locally with:
  • Higher social/video use on mobile relative to fixed broadband in households without reliable wireline service.
  • Family and multi‑line prepaid plans more common than single‑line postpaid.
• Household structure: More single‑provider households and multi‑generational plans per account than the state average, driven by cost sharing and coverage considerations.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage: 4G LTE is the primary dependable layer countywide, with 5G low‑band present along major corridors and near the county seat. Mid‑band 5G (e.g., C‑band/2.5 GHz) is spotty and largely propagates from neighboring metro cells; mmWave is effectively absent. Coverage gaps persist in low‑density forested and river‑adjacent tracts.
• Carriers:
  • AT&T and Verizon provide the most consistent rural coverage footprints and voice reliability.
  • T‑Mobile coverage has improved along Interstate 16 and in/near Jeffersonville but trails on rural road segments away from highways.
• Capacity/performance: Median download speeds in populated parts of the county are lower than Georgia’s median due to fewer sectors per site, older backhaul on legacy towers, and a higher share of users on low‑band 5G/LTE. Peak speeds are achievable near interstate‑adjacent sites and newer upgrades.
• Backhaul and fiber: Limited middle‑mile routes outside highway corridors constrain capacity upgrades. Fiber‑to‑the‑home is present only in select pockets; elsewhere, DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite remain common, which in turn elevates reliance on mobile data.
• Emergency coverage and resilience: Highway corridors are prioritized; off‑corridor sites see slower restoration after severe weather than urban Georgia, contributing to temporary communications gaps.

Trends that differ from Georgia’s state‑level pattern

• Adoption and device mix:
  • Smartphone adoption among adults is a few percentage points lower than the state average, and basic phones persist among older residents at higher rates than statewide.
  • Android share is higher; iOS share is lower than Georgia’s metro counties, reflecting price sensitivity and longer device lifecycles.
• Plan types and data use:
  • Prepaid/MVNO penetration is significantly higher than the state average; postpaid premium unlimited plans are less common.
  • Monthly per‑user mobile data consumption is lower on average than in metro Georgia, driven by smaller plan caps and older devices—yet a larger proportion of total household internet traffic is mobile because fixed broadband is less available.
• Network experience:
  • Fewer cell sites per square mile and limited mid‑band 5G yield lower median speeds and more variability, especially indoors and in wooded areas, compared with state medians.
  • Call setup success and voice reliability are competitive on AT&T/Verizon in covered areas, but dead zones are more prevalent off main roads than the state norm.
• Substitution effect:
  • A higher share of households use mobile data as their primary or fallback internet, leading to more hotspot use and plan throttling events than in metro Georgia.
• Upgrade cadence:
  • Slower rollout and uptake of mid‑band 5G handsets and plans compared with Atlanta and other urban markets; LTE remains the workhorse layer for most users.

Key takeaways

• Nearly all adults in Twiggs County have a mobile phone, and the majority use smartphones, but adoption, speeds, and 5G utilization trail the state average.
• Prepaid plans, Android devices, and cellular‑only home internet are meaningfully more common than statewide due to income, age mix, and infrastructure constraints.
• Coverage is reliable along I‑16 and town centers but remains uneven in sparsely populated tracts; network capacity improvements hinge on additional mid‑band 5G deployment and backhaul upgrades.

Twiggs County, GA — social media snapshot (estimated Q3 2025)

How many people use it

• Population: 8,000; ages 13–17 ~6–7% (500); adults 18+ 75–78% (6,000)
• Estimated social media users (13+): ~5,000
  • Adults 18+: ~4,400–4,700 users
  • Teens 13–17: ~450–500 users

Most‑used platforms in Twiggs County (share of local social media users, 13+)

• YouTube: ~84%
• Facebook: ~64%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~35%
• Snapchat: ~31%
• Pinterest: ~32% (skews female)
• LinkedIn: ~22% (concentrated among college‑educated and managers)
• X (Twitter): ~21%
• Reddit: ~21%
• WhatsApp: ~24% (lower than national urban averages)
• Nextdoor: ~8–10% (limited footprint)

Age‑group usage patterns (share of each age group using the platform)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~70%, Snapchat ~65%, Instagram ~60%, Facebook ~20%
• Young adults (18–29): YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~75–80%, Snapchat ~60–65%, TikTok ~60%, Facebook ~55%
• Adults (30–49): YouTube ~85–90%, Facebook ~70–75%, Instagram ~50%, TikTok ~35%, Pinterest ~40–45% (women), LinkedIn ~25%
• Adults (50–64): YouTube ~80%, Facebook ~70%, Instagram ~35%, Pinterest ~35–40%, TikTok ~20%
• Seniors (65+): Facebook ~60%, YouTube ~55–60%, Instagram ~20%, TikTok ~10–15%

Gender breakdown among local social media users

• Female: ~53–55% of users; higher engagement on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
• Male: ~45–47% of users; higher engagement on YouTube, Reddit, X

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups (churches, school sports, events), Marketplace (buy/sell/trade), and local alerts (weather, road closures).
• Video dominates: YouTube for DIY, home/auto repair, hunting/fishing, high‑school sports highlights; TikTok/Instagram Reels for short local content. Cross‑posting of vertical video is common.
• Messaging over public posting: Facebook Messenger for families and teams; Snapchat among teens/20‑somethings for daily communication. WhatsApp usage is niche.
• Peak activity windows: Evenings 6–10 pm on weekdays; weekend late mornings to early afternoons. School‑year spikes align with after‑school hours for teen‑focused platforms.
• Shopping and local commerce: Yard sales, seasonal services, and small‑business promos primarily run through Facebook Pages, Groups, and Marketplace; Instagram used for visuals but secondary for conversions in this market.
• News and information: High reliance on local Facebook Pages/Groups for community updates; YouTube used for tutorials and long‑form how‑to, TikTok/IG for quick tips and entertainment.
• Platform momentum: TikTok growing fastest among 18–34 and edging into 35–49; Facebook stable to slightly declining in under‑30s but strong in 30+; Instagram steady; X/Reddit remain niche.

Notes on method

• Statistics are modeled by applying current Pew Research Center platform‑usage rates (U.S. adults and teens, 2023–2024) to Twiggs County’s age structure from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023), with small adjustments for rural usage patterns. Figures reflect share of local social media users unless noted and will exceed 100% when totaled because people use multiple platforms.