Calhoun County

Here are recent, high-level demographics for Calhoun County, Mississippi.

Population size

• Total population: ~13,200 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

• White: ~63%
• Black or African American: ~33%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~2–3%
• Two or more races/other: ~2%

Households

• Total households: ~5,200
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Single-person households: ~27%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population, race/ethnicity) and ACS 5-year estimates (2018–2022) for age, gender, and household characteristics.

Calhoun County, MS email usage (estimates)

• Estimated users: ~10,000–11,000 residents use email at least monthly (roughly 80–85% of those age 13+; county pop ~13k).
• Age distribution (share using email):
  • 13–17: ~65–75%
  • 18–34: ~90–95%
  • 35–54: ~90–93%
  • 55–64: ~85–90%
  • 65+: ~70–80%
• Gender split: Approximately even; women likely ~51% of users, men ~49% (mirrors population; usage rates are similar by gender).
• Digital access trends:
  • ~80–85% of households have a computer; ~65–75% subscribe to home broadband.
  • 15–20% are smartphone‑only internet users, boosting email access among lower‑income and rural households.
  • Email use is highest where fixed broadband is available; older and lower‑income residents are more reliant on mobile data and have lower adoption.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Sparse rural county (~22 people per square mile across ~587 sq. mi.), which raises last‑mile costs and leaves patchy fixed service outside towns (Calhoun City, Bruce, Vardaman).
  • Mobile LTE/5G covers most corridors along state highways; off‑highway areas see slower speeds and higher latency, influencing heavier smartphone‑based email use.

Notes: Figures are derived by applying state/national email adoption and ACS broadband/computer ownership rates to local population estimates.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Calhoun County, Mississippi

Context

• Rural county of roughly 14,000 residents with an older age profile and lower median income than the Mississippi average. Fixed broadband options remain uneven outside town centers, which pushes more day‑to‑day connectivity onto mobile networks.

User estimates (order‑of‑magnitude, synthesized from ACS/Census, Pew, FCC/BEAM patterns)

• Mobile phone users: about 10,000–11,000 adult residents carry a mobile phone (roughly 92–95% of adults).
• Smartphone users: about 11,000–12,000 residents across all ages use a smartphone (around 78–83% of adults, plus most teens).
• Mobile‑only internet households: materially above the state rate. Expect roughly 30–35% of households to rely on smartphones/hotspots as their primary home internet (about 5–10 percentage points higher than Mississippi overall).
• Plan mix: prepaid and budget MVNO plans make up a larger share than statewide, driven by price sensitivity and credit constraints.
• Carrier mix (qualitative): AT&T and Verizon tend to be favored for coverage reliability outside town centers; T‑Mobile adoption is growing in towns where low‑band 5G has been lit, but coverage can be patchy between communities.

Demographic breakdown (how usage looks by group)

• Age
  • 13–24: Near‑universal smartphone use; heavy social/video, hotspotting for homework when home broadband is limited.
  • 25–44: High smartphone adoption; above‑average smartphone‑dependence for work‑adjacent tasks (scheduling, payments) due to fixed broadband gaps.
  • 45–64: High phone ownership; slightly lower smartphone rates than younger adults; increased use of Wi‑Fi calling to address indoor coverage.
  • 65+: Smartphone adoption materially below state average for this cohort; more basic/older Android devices; greater reliance on voice/text.
• Income/education
  • Lower‑income households show higher reliance on prepaid plans, data‑capped offerings, and mobile‑only internet, with device replacement cycles longer than state average.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Black households in the county are more likely to be smartphone‑dependent for internet access than white households, reflecting both affordability and wired‑broadband availability gaps. Hispanic/Latino residents (small but growing share) show high prepaid usage and hotspot reliance.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE is broadly available outdoors along main corridors and in towns; indoor coverage can be weak in dispersed or wooded areas.
  • 5G: Low‑band 5G is present mainly in and around town centers and along highways; mid‑band 5G capacity is limited outside those areas. Expect fallback to LTE between communities.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Lower average mobile speeds than urban MS counties, with noticeable evening slowdowns where sectors serve wide rural footprints.
• Towers and backhaul
  • Sites cluster near town centers and major road junctions; spacing between towers leaves pockets of marginal signal in low‑lying or more heavily forested areas.
• Alternatives and complements
  • Fixed broadband is inconsistent: fiber is available in some pockets (often via recent co‑op/BEAM‑funded builds), but many addresses remain on legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or lack wired service—driving higher mobile reliance.
  • Public Wi‑Fi via libraries, schools, and some municipal/civic venues is an important supplement for large downloads, telehealth, and homework.
  • Wi‑Fi calling and external antennas/hotspots are commonly used to mitigate indoor signal issues.

What differs from Mississippi overall (the key trends)

• Higher smartphone‑dependence for home internet than the state average.
• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration among older adults, driven by the county’s older age mix.
• Greater prevalence of prepaid/MVNO plans and longer device lifecycles.
• More uneven 5G experience: useful low‑band 5G in towns, more LTE in between, and fewer mid‑band capacity zones than in metro counties.
• Carrier choice skews more toward coverage reliability than price/features, increasing the share on AT&T/Verizon relative to T‑Mobile compared with urban counties.
• Heavier use of public Wi‑Fi and hotspots to bridge fixed‑broadband gaps.

Notes

• Figures are estimates synthesized from recent public data (Census/ACS, Pew Research on device ownership, FCC/BEAM broadband maps) and typical rural‑Mississippi network patterns through 2024. For planning, verify block‑level availability and coverage on the FCC National Broadband Map and the Mississippi BEAM portal.

Below is a concise, planning-oriented snapshot. Exact county-level social metrics aren’t publicly reported; figures are modeled from Pew Research (2024), rural/Deep South skews, and ACS demographics for Calhoun County.

Headline user stats (approx.)

• Population ~13K; adults ~10K
• Social media users (any platform, monthly): 8.5K–9.5K (≈65–72% of residents)
• Daily social users: 5.5K–6.5K

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated monthly reach)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 70–75% (community groups/Marketplace drive usage)
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 28–35%
• Snapchat: 20–25% overall; 60–75% among under‑30s
• Pinterest: 22–28% (women: ~30–40%)
• WhatsApp: 12–20%
• X (Twitter): 10–15%
• Reddit: 8–12%
• LinkedIn: 10–15%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age patterns (share using at least one platform regularly)

• Teens (13–17): 90%+; heavy YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram; light Facebook
• 18–29: 90%+; IG/TikTok/Snap lead; Facebook for local groups/events/Marketplace
• 30–49: 80–85%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; IG moderate; TikTok growing
• 50–64: 60–70%; Facebook primary; YouTube for news/how‑to
• 65+: 45–55%; Facebook if online; YouTube for church/music

Gender breakdown (of active social users, approx.)

• Female: ~55% overall; higher on Facebook Groups/Marketplace, Pinterest, Instagram
• Male: ~45%; higher on YouTube, Reddit, sports/outdoors pages

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the community hub: school sports, church announcements, obituaries, local events, severe‑weather updates; Marketplace is a major buy/sell channel.
• Video-first consumption: Reels/TikTok/Shorts rising; YouTube strong for how‑to, hunting/fishing, and church/live streams.
• Private messaging > public posting: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat group chats organize teams, churches, and small businesses.
• Timing: Usage peaks around 6–8 am, lunch (11:30 am–1 pm), and evenings 7–10 pm; weekends boost Marketplace and sports.
• Access: Smartphone‑dependent, with patchy home broadband outside town centers; lighter desktop use.
• Local business takeaways: Boosted Facebook posts/groups outperform other paid channels for reach; IG works for food/retail under‑40; TikTok builds awareness but responses often come via Messenger or phone. Authentic, local faces and UGC outperform polished ads.

Note: Treat figures as planning estimates; validate locally via Facebook group sizes, school/athletics pages, and page insights.