Webster County

Webster County, Georgia — key demographics

Population

• Total: 2,348 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~51%
• White (non-Hispanic): ~42%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Other or two+ races (non-Hispanic): ~3–4% (2020 Census; Hispanic origin is an ethnicity and overlaps with race)

Households and housing

• Households: ~950; families: ~630 (2020 Census)
• Average household size: ~2.45; average family size: ~3.0 (ACS 2018–2022)
• Tenure: ~79% owner-occupied, ~21% renter-occupied (ACS 2018–2022)

Insights

• Very small, rural county with a stable-to-declining population level.
• Majority Black population with a sizable non-Hispanic White minority.
• Aging profile (about 1 in 5 residents are 65+).
• High owner-occupancy and relatively small household sizes.

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

• Scope: Webster County, Georgia (2020 Census pop. 2,348; land area ~209 sq mi; density ~11 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ~1,685 adult users. Method: ~1,830 adults (≈78% of population) × ~92% U.S. adult email adoption.
• Gender split (users): 51% female (860), 49% male (825) — email adoption is essentially parity by gender.
• Age distribution of email users (older-skewed rural mix):
  • 18–29: 14% (235)
  • 30–49: 32% (540)
  • 50–64: 27% (455)
  • 65+: 27% (455)
• Digital access and usage context (ACS/FCC-informed estimates for rural GA):
  • ~63% of households have a broadband subscription (vs ~84% statewide), indicating a notable subscription gap.
  • ~80% of households have a computer; smartphone-only internet reliance ~18%, reflecting mobile-first access where fixed options are limited.
  • 1–2 fixed broadband providers across much of the county; speeds and plans vary widely by location, with patchier service in the most sparsely populated areas.
• Insight: Email penetration among adults is high despite infrastructure constraints, but usage skews older and mobile-dependent. Low population density materially raises last‑mile costs, suppressing fiber/cable buildout and keeping subscription rates below Georgia’s average.

Mobile phone usage in Webster County, Georgia (2024 snapshot)

Baseline

• Population: 2,348 (2020 Census). Land area ~210 square miles; very low density compared with the Georgia average.

User estimates (modeled from Census age structure and recent Pew Research adoption rates for rural areas)

• Adults (18+): ≈1,807.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈1,520 (about 84% of adults, consistent with rural U.S. smartphone adoption).
• Adult basic-phone (non‑smartphone) users: ≈180 (about 10% of adults).
• Teens (13–17): ≈150; teen smartphone users: ≈140 (≈95% adoption).
• Total smartphone users (all ages): ≈1,660.
• Total mobile phone users (smartphone + basic phone): ≈1,860.
• Share of total residents with a smartphone: ≈71%.
• Share of total residents with any mobile phone: ≈79%.

How this differs from Georgia overall

• Smartphone penetration is lower. Statewide adult smartphone ownership is closer to 88–90%, which translates to roughly 75–76% of all Georgians carrying a smartphone; Webster County is about 5 percentage points lower (≈71%).
• A larger slice of users rely on basic phones, reflecting an older age mix and lower incomes than the state average.
• Mobile-only internet reliance is higher. A greater share of households depend on cellular data as their primary home connection than the Georgia average, driven by patchier fixed broadband. This increases sensitivity to signal quality, data caps, and price per GB.
• Usage is more voice/text-centric with lighter high-definition streaming and cloud gaming than metro Georgia, due to both data-plan economics and variable mid-band 5G capacity.
• Carrier concentration is higher. AT&T and Verizon have a clearer edge in outdoor coverage and reliability than T-Mobile in the county’s interior, whereas statewide competition is more balanced in metro areas.

Demographic drivers of usage

• Age: An older population mix (significantly above the Georgia median age) pulls down smartphone penetration and app intensity; basic‑phone and minimal‑data plans are more common among 65+ residents.
• Income and plan type: Lower median household income than the state average leads to higher prepaid share, more single‑line plans, and tighter data buckets.
• Commute and daytime mobility: Out‑commuting to nearby employment centers means peak load along outbound corridors in the morning and inbound in the evening rather than sustained in‑county mid‑day demand typical of larger Georgia counties.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage layers:
  • 4G LTE is the workhorse technology countywide on all three national carriers along primary routes.
  • Low‑band 5G (coverage-first spectrum) is present but behaves like “enhanced LTE” for many users; mid‑band 5G (capacity-first spectrum such as C‑band or n41) is spotty and primarily tied to state and U.S. routes and nearby towns outside the county.
• Site density and backhaul:
  • Macro‑tower density is sparse for the land area, which increases cell sizes and lowers edge-of-cell performance compared with state averages.
  • Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed and microwave-fed sites; capacity constraints during evening peaks are more common than in metro Georgia.
• Indoor experience:
  • Metal-roof homes and larger lots reduce indoor signal quality; Wi‑Fi calling materially improves reliability for many households.
• Fixed broadband context influencing mobile behavior:
  • DSL, satellite, and fixed wireless remain important in parts of the county; fiber availability is limited relative to Georgia’s metro counties.
  • As a result, more residents use smartphones/hotspots for homework, telehealth, and video calls, but at lower bitrates or off‑peak times.
• Public-safety and resiliency:
  • AT&T FirstNet coverage is present on primary macro sites; power resiliency and generator support vary by site, making mobile service more weather‑sensitive than in urban Georgia.
• Funding and upgrades:
  • The county is well‑positioned for state-administered BEAD and related rural broadband investments targeting unserved/underserved locations, which will indirectly improve mobile performance where carriers can add fiber backhaul or share new vertical assets.

Key implications and actionable insights

• Expect continued but incremental smartphone growth as mid‑band 5G reaches more corridors; biggest usage gains will come from improved capacity rather than raw coverage.
• Prepaid and value plans will remain overrepresented; zero‑rating of basic video and telehealth can materially shift adoption and usage.
• Operators that add even a small number of mid‑band 5G sectors or upgrade site backhaul will see outsized performance and customer‑experience gains relative to state averages, due to today’s low site density.
• Community investments that expand fiber to towers and anchor institutions will lift both fixed and mobile experiences and reduce the county’s mobile-only burden.

Sources and methods

• Population and age structure: 2020 U.S. Census.
• Smartphone adoption inputs: Pew Research Center (2021–2023) community-type smartphone ownership; teen smartphone adoption research for ages 13–17.
• State comparisons use Georgia-wide adoption patterns from the same sources plus industry reporting on carrier spectrum deployment. Figures for Webster County are modeled by applying rural adoption rates to the county’s population and age mix.

Social media usage in Webster County, GA (2024) Note: County-level social metrics aren’t directly published; figures below are 2024 model-based estimates for Webster County, derived from its ACS demographic profile and rural-Georgia adjustments to Pew Research Center and Edison Research platform-use rates.

Overall user stats

• Adults (18+) using any social media monthly: 81%
• Teens (13–17) using social monthly: 92%
• Daily social users among adults: 64%
• Average platforms per adult user: 2.6

Most-used platforms (adults, monthly reach)

• YouTube: 76%
• Facebook: 71%
• Facebook Messenger: 63%
• Instagram: 34%
• TikTok: 28%
• Pinterest: 24%
• Snapchat: 22%
• X (Twitter): 12%
• LinkedIn: 9%
• WhatsApp: 9%
• Reddit: 7%
• Nextdoor: 6%

Age-group breakdown (share using any social monthly; dominant platforms)

• 13–17: 92%; YouTube 90%, TikTok 72%, Snapchat 65%, Instagram 60%, Facebook 31%
• 18–29: 95%; YouTube 88%, Instagram 72%, TikTok 60%, Snapchat 58%, Facebook 54%
• 30–44: 89%; Facebook 76%, YouTube 82%, Instagram 48%, TikTok 32%, Pinterest 28%
• 45–64: 78%; Facebook 72%, YouTube 70%, Instagram 28%, TikTok 19%, Pinterest 26%
• 65+: 60%; Facebook 66%, YouTube 55%, Pinterest 22%, Instagram 15%, TikTok 9%

Gender breakdown (adults, monthly)

• Women: 83% use social; platform reach — Facebook 75%, YouTube 72%, Instagram 38%, Pinterest 36%, TikTok 31%
• Men: 79% use social; platform reach — YouTube 80%, Facebook 66%, Instagram 30%, TikTok 25%, X 14%, Reddit 12%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, county services, and Marketplace for local buying/selling.
• Local information flows through Facebook first; engagement spikes on weather alerts, school closures, road conditions, and community events.
• YouTube is practical and faith-oriented: DIY, farm/auto repair, hunting/fishing, and church services; short-form (Shorts) aids discovery, long-form for weekend viewing.
• Under-45s are video-first: Reels/TikTok drive local discovery (sports highlights, small-business promos); cross-posting between Instagram and TikTok is common.
• Messaging is centered on Facebook Messenger for family and group coordination; WhatsApp use is limited.
• Peak activity windows: 6–9 pm on weekdays and Sunday evenings; midday weekday posts perform well for reach; mobile dominates consumption.
• Advertising that performs best is hyper-local (event promos, limited-time offers, giveaways), uses short video, and references community institutions; older audiences respond to clear static posts with phone/contact info.

Sources: Pew Research Center (2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption and rural splits), Edison Research (The Infinite Dial 2024), U.S. Census Bureau ACS (Webster County demographics 2022). Figures are modeled to Webster County’s population profile.