Hancock County

Key demographics – Hancock County, Mississippi (FIPS 28045)

Population

• Total population: 46,053 (2020 Census)
• Latest ACS estimate: ~47,300 (2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~42.5 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~50.6%
• Male: ~49.4%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; race alone unless noted; Hispanic is of any race)

• White: ~82–83%
• Black or African American: ~9–10%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.6%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~18,900
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~69%; married-couple families: ~48–49%
• Households with children under 18: ~26–27%
• Nonfamily households: ~31%; living alone: ~25–26%
• Housing units: ~24,700
• Tenure: ~76% owner-occupied; ~24% renter-occupied

Insights

• Population is modest and aging slightly faster than the state average, with about one in five residents 65+.
• Racial composition is predominantly White, with small Black and growing Hispanic populations.
• Household structure skews toward owner-occupied, married-couple family households, with relatively small average household size.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (PL 94-171); 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S0101, S1101, DP04).

Email usage in Hancock County, MS (pop. 46,000) is widespread. Estimated email users: ~35,000 residents. Method: ~35,400 adults (18+) with ~93% email adoption (32,900) plus ~2,100 teen users (13–17) at ~80% adoption.

Age distribution of email users (share of users, ≈ counts):

• 13–17: 6% (~2.1k)
• 18–34: 24% (~8.4k)
• 35–54: 31% (~10.9k)
• 55–64: 17% (~6.0k)
• 65+: 22% (~7.7k)

Gender split among users mirrors the population: ~51% female, ~49% male.

Digital access and devices (ACS-based county estimates, 2022–2023):

• Households with any internet subscription: ~83%
• Household broadband (cable/DSL/fiber/fixed wireless): ~77%
• Households with a computer (incl. smartphone/tablet): ~88–90%
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~12–16%
• Households with no internet: ~17–20%

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density: ~97 residents per square mile (coastal towns denser; interior more rural).
• Broadband subscriptions indicate strong coastal coverage, with expanding fiber from regional providers/electric-coop initiatives improving gigabit availability since 2021.
• Fixed wireless fills rural gaps; smartphone-only access remains a notable share, shaping mobile-first email behavior.

Implication: Email reach is effectively universal among adults; older cohorts are sizable but slightly less engaged than prime working-age users.

Mobile phone usage in Hancock County, Mississippi — 2024 snapshot

Core user estimates

• Population and households: Approximately 48,000 residents and about 19,000 households.
• Total smartphone users: About 35,000 residents use smartphones (roughly 73% of the total population; about 86% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: Approximately 32,000–34,000 adults.
• Feature-phone only: An estimated 2,500–3,000 adults (about 6–8% of adults) primarily use basic/feature phones.
• Households with a smartphone: Roughly 17,000–17,500 households (about 88–91%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (cellular data but no fixed home broadband): About 2,000–2,400 households (11–13%), notably lower than Mississippi statewide, where smartphone-only reliance is closer to 18–22%.

How Hancock County differs from the Mississippi state pattern

• Lower smartphone-only reliance: County residents are less likely to depend solely on mobile data for home internet than the state average, reflecting stronger cable and fiber availability in Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Diamondhead.
• Faster typical mobile speeds and broader 5G footprint: Populated areas of Hancock generally see higher median speeds and earlier mid-band 5G availability than many rural Mississippi counties, owing to coastal corridor investment along I‑10/US‑90 and proximity to the Gulfport–Biloxi and New Orleans metro networks.
• Higher multi-carrier coverage overlap: Populated corridors typically have at least two, and often three, operators delivering 5G, giving better redundancy than the Mississippi average.
• Smaller digital divide by age: Older adults in Hancock are somewhat more likely to have smartphones and fixed broadband than their statewide peers, narrowing the age-driven mobile-only gap common elsewhere in Mississippi.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-universal smartphone ownership (≈95%+), higher 5G usage, and a larger share of mobile-only home internet than other ages (≈18–22% of households in this group).
  • 35–64: High smartphone ownership (≈89–93%) with strong fixed-broadband adoption; heavier work and hotspot use, especially among commuters to Stennis and the Gulf Coast corridor.
  • 65+: Smartphone adoption around 75–80% locally (a bit higher than the Mississippi average for seniors), with lower mobile-only reliance (≈6–8%) due to better cable/fiber availability near population centers.
• Income
  • Under $35,000: Highest smartphone-only reliance (≈20–25% of households), but still below the state’s low-income mobile-only share, reflecting the local presence of discounted cable tiers and fixed-wireless options.
  • $35,000–$75,000: Broad smartphone adoption (≈90%+) and mixed plan types; hotspot use for backup during outages is common.
  • $75,000+: Near-universal smartphone ownership; very low mobile-only reliance due to widespread fixed broadband subscriptions.
• Race and ethnicity
  • White households (the local majority) show lower mobile-only reliance than the county average.
  • Black and Hispanic households are more likely to be mobile-only than White households; however, the gap is narrower than the statewide pattern because fixed broadband is more consistently available in the county’s populated tracts.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Operators: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and C Spire provide LTE; 5G service is present from at least two operators in and around Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead, and along I‑10.
• Coverage: LTE covers essentially all populated areas; 5G coverage is continuous along primary corridors and within towns, with patchier service in the county’s northern forests and wetlands.
• 5G quality tiers: Low-band 5G is widespread in populated areas; mid-band 5G (the main driver of higher speeds) is concentrated along I‑10/US‑90 and town centers.
• Typical speeds
  • Populated areas: Approximately 60–120 Mbps down, 10–20 Mbps up on mid-band 5G; 20–60 Mbps down on LTE or low-band 5G.
  • Rural north/interior: Approximately 10–25 Mbps down, 2–8 Mbps up where only LTE or low-band 5G is available.
• Backhaul and last-mile context: Cable (Sparklight) and telco fiber/FTTN (AT&T) are established in Bay St. Louis/Waveland/Diamondhead; C Spire and regional ISPs have added fiber in select neighborhoods; fixed-wireless providers serve outer areas. This fixed-network footprint reduces smartphone-only dependence versus the Mississippi average.
• Resiliency: Post-hurricane hardening and FirstNet Band 14 coverage improve reliability on major evacuation routes and around public-safety assets compared with many rural Mississippi counties.

Usage behaviors and implications

• Hotspot and backup use: Because fixed networks are relatively available, mobile data is often a backup during outages rather than the primary home connection, unlike large parts of rural Mississippi.
• Commuter-driven mobility: Daily travel along I‑10 and to Stennis/NASA facilities elevates demand for corridor coverage and mid-band capacity, supporting better-than-state-average speeds and multi-carrier overlap.
• Digital equity: While low-income and minority households still show higher mobile-only reliance, targeted fixed broadband availability in town centers has moderated the gap compared with the state overall.

Notes on estimation

• User and household figures are derived from 2023 Census population/household estimates for Hancock County, county-level device and subscription patterns from the American Community Survey (2018–2022), and 2023–2024 smartphone adoption baselines from national surveys applied to local demographics. Coverage and speed characterizations reflect the FCC’s reported deployments and carrier build-outs along the Gulf Coast corridor through 2024.

Hancock County, MS social media snapshot (2025)

Method note: There’s no public, county-specific survey of social media usage. Figures below are modeled from the county’s adult population (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 ACS, ≈36,000 adults 18+) and 2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption rates, adjusted for the county’s older-skewing age mix. Treat counts as best-available local estimates.

User base and most-used platforms (share of adults; estimated local users)

• YouTube: 80–85% (~29–31k)
• Facebook: 70–75% (~25–27k)
• Instagram: 40–45% (~14–16k)
• TikTok: 28–35% (~10–13k)
• Pinterest: 30–36% (~11–13k)
• Snapchat: 25–30% (~9–11k)
• X (Twitter): 20–25% (~7–9k)
• LinkedIn: 22–28% (~8–10k)
• WhatsApp: 18–25% (~6–9k)
• Reddit: 15–22% (~5–8k)
• Nextdoor: 8–12% (~3–4k)

Age-group patterns (share tendencies among each platform’s users)

• Facebook: Skews 35+, with strong engagement among 50–64 and solid use at 65+. Core hub for community info, schools, churches, and local gov.
• YouTube: Broadly used across all ages; how-to, weather, fishing/boating, local sports, and DIY content perform well.
• Instagram: Concentrated under 35, with growing 35–44 adoption; Stories/Reels drive discovery of local food, events, and small businesses.
• TikTok: Majority under 35; short-form video around coastal lifestyle, festivals, and local creators.
• Snapchat: Teens and 18–29 dominate; messaging-first behaviors.
• LinkedIn: Heaviest in 25–44 working professionals; smaller footprint relative to national metros.
• Pinterest: Strong among women 25–54 (home, recipes, crafts, coastal decor).
• Reddit/X: More male-leaning; news, sports, tech, and regional threads.

Gender breakdown (modeled from national skews)

• Facebook: ~55–60% women, ~40–45% men
• Instagram: ~52–55% women, ~45–48% men
• TikTok: ~58–62% women, ~38–42% men
• Pinterest: ~70–80% women
• Snapchat: ~55–60% women
• YouTube: ~48–55% men (close to even overall)
• X (Twitter): ~55–60% men
• Reddit: ~65–75% men
• LinkedIn: ~50–55% men

Behavioral trends observed in similar Gulf Coast/older-skewing counties, reflected locally

• Facebook Groups and Marketplace dominate: yard sales, lost-and-found pets, job posts, local buy/sell, school updates.
• Public safety and weather: Spikes in engagement during severe weather and hurricane season; residents follow county/city pages, emergency management, and local TV news (e.g., WLOX) for live updates.
• Event discovery: Facebook and Instagram are primary for festivals, art walks, parades, youth sports, and church/community events.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for longer local-interest content; Reels/TikTok for quick hits, restaurant highlights, coastal scenery, and small-business promos.
• Local news and civic info: Strong reliance on Facebook for municipal notices, utility updates, and road/bridge conditions; comment activity is high on local issues.
• Messaging is mobile-first: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are common for coordination among families and small businesses; WhatsApp use is present but secondary.
• Timing: Peak activity evenings (roughly 6–9 p.m.) and weekend mornings; rapid surges during breaking weather and school-related announcements.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 American Community Survey (population baseline); Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (platform adoption and demographic skews).