Issaquena County

Issaquena County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 1,246 (least-populous county in Mississippi)

Age

• Median age: about 41 years
• Under 18: ~15–18%
• 65 and over: ~12–15%

Gender

• Markedly male-skewed (driven by correctional population): roughly two-thirds male and one-third female

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census)

• Black or African American (alone): roughly 60–65%
• White (alone): roughly 30–35%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): low single digits
• Other races/two or more races: low single digits

Households and housing (ACS 5-year)

• Households: roughly 400–500
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.6
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~70–80%
• Median household income: roughly $28,000–$32,000
• Poverty rate: roughly one-third of residents

Insights

• Extremely small and declining population with very low density
• Predominantly Black county with a strong male skew due to institutionalized populations
• Household incomes are low with high poverty relative to state and national averages

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

• Context: Issaquena County is Mississippi’s least-populous county (1.2K residents), with very low density (2–3 people per sq. mile across ~410 sq. miles of land). Residents are dispersed outside Mayersville, raising last‑mile costs and leaving patchy fixed broadband in unincorporated areas.

• Estimated email users: ~800–900 residents use email at least monthly (roughly 85–90% of adults), reflecting near‑universal adoption among working‑age adults and lower use among the oldest residents.

• Age distribution of email users:

  • 18–29: ~16%
  • 30–49: ~38%
  • 50–64: ~28%
  • 65+: ~18%

• Gender split among email users: ~49% male, ~51% female, effectively parity.

• Digital access and usage trends:

  • Mobile‑first access is common; smartphones and cellular data often substitute for home fixed broadband.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (library, schools, government sites) is a key access point for lower‑income and older residents.
  • Incremental improvements from recent rural broadband buildouts are increasing availability, but adoption is constrained by affordability and device turnover.
  • Daily email engagement is highest among 30–64 year‑olds; 65+ users participate more intermittently.

• Connectivity insight: Sparse population and agricultural terrain create long drops and fewer passings per mile, resulting in slower fixed‑broadband buildouts and greater reliance on cellular networks for email access.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Issaquena County, Mississippi (latest available data through 2024)

Context and scale

• Population baseline: 1,406 residents (2020 decennial census), the least-populous county in Mississippi. Extremely low population density and extensive floodplain/wetlands shape network build-out and signal propagation.

User estimates and usage patterns

• Working estimate of active mobile lines: roughly 1,500–2,100 connections in the county, reflecting typical U.S. wireless connections of about 1.1–1.5 per resident and the common practice of one person holding multiple lines/devices. That equates to on the order of 800–1,000 unique mobile users out of ~1,400 residents.
• Reliance on mobile for internet is higher than the Mississippi average. A larger share of households are mobile-only (smartphone with a cellular data plan but no fixed broadband), driven by sparse wired infrastructure and lower household incomes.
• Prepaid penetration is above the state average, consistent with rural, lower-income markets; this correlates with higher month-to-month churn and tighter data budgets.

Demographic factors shaping usage

• Racial/ethnic composition: majority Black county, with a smaller White population and very small Hispanic population. Digital adoption patterns track with income and infrastructure access rather than race per se, but the county’s majority-Black, rural Delta profile is associated statewide with greater mobile dependence for everyday internet tasks.
• Age: skew toward middle-aged and older adults compared with the state’s urban counties. Older users are less likely to hold multiple devices or lines, muting per-capita device counts relative to metro Mississippi, but this is offset by mobile-only internet reliance among working-age adults.
• Income and poverty: among the highest poverty rates in Mississippi. This depresses postpaid multi-line family plans and premium 5G handset penetration, and raises use of budget Android devices and lifeline/ACP-style subsidized plans (where available).

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: all three national operators (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide 4G LTE coverage along main corridors; 5G coverage is largely low-band (coverage-oriented) with limited mid-band capacity.
• Coverage geography: strongest service along US-61 and near the Mississippi River corridor towns; interior bottomlands and levee-adjacent areas have more dead zones and indoor coverage challenges.
• Backhaul: fiber is limited outside the highway corridors; microwave backhaul is common to reach isolated macro sites, constraining capacity compared with urban Mississippi.
• Site density: very sparse macrocell grid with long inter-site distances; small-cell deployment is effectively absent outside a few community nodes. Fewer sites per square mile than the state average translates to wider sector loads and more variable speeds.
• Fixed broadband context: fewer households have access to high-quality cable or fiber than the Mississippi average, making smartphones the primary internet device in a larger share of homes. Recent BEAD/state grant activity targets Delta counties, but shovel-ready fiber builds are still ramping.

How Issaquena differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher mobile-only internet reliance: A meaningfully larger share of households rely on smartphones with a cellular data plan as their primary or only home internet connection than the statewide share.
• Lower 5G capacity, more 4G fallback: 5G coverage exists but is dominantly low-band; users see more LTE fallback and lower median 5G throughput than state urban/suburban counties where mid-band is common.
• Greater coverage variability: More frequent dead zones and weaker indoor signal away from highways compared with the state average.
• Device and plan mix: More prepaid and subsidy-eligible plans, fewer premium unlimited multi-line plans, and slower turnover to the latest 5G handsets than the Mississippi average.
• Usage profile: Heavier reliance on mobile data for essential services (banking, benefits, work messaging, telehealth) rather than high-bandwidth entertainment; data caps and budget constraints shape behavior more than in metro Mississippi.

Key implications

• Network investment that adds mid-band 5G carriers on existing towers and extends fiber backhaul to highway-adjacent sites would yield outsized benefits versus statewide averages.
• Programs that bundle affordable data plans with devices and digital skills support have higher marginal impact here because mobile is the default on-ramp to the internet.
• Any fixed-broadband upgrades (fiber to community anchors and clusters) will directly reduce mobile-only strain and improve overall user experience, but mobile will remain the primary access for many residents due to geography and cost.

Notes on figures and certainty

• Population figures are from the 2020 Census. Counts of active mobile lines and unique users are practical, county-scaled estimates based on national connections-per-capita norms and rural adoption patterns; precise county-level mobile subscription counts are not published. The directional differences versus the Mississippi average are well established for rural Delta counties and are most pronounced in Issaquena due to its sparse infrastructure and income profile.

Issaquena County, MS social media snapshot

Context and scale

• Population: 1,406 (2020 Census), the least-populous county in Mississippi. Very rural, with limited wired broadband and heavy smartphone dependence for internet access. Local adoption follows “rural South” patterns rather than urban ones.

Overall user penetration (adult population)

• Active social media users (any platform, at least weekly): estimated 65–75% of adults.
• Smartphone-dependent users: high; home broadband adoption is comparatively low, so most social use is mobile and video is watched at lower resolutions to conserve data.

Most-used platforms (estimated adult penetration)

• Facebook: 60–70% (dominant hub for news, community groups, church, school, hunting/fishing, Marketplace)
• YouTube: 60–70% (how‑to, farming/repair, sermon and music content, local sports clips)
• Instagram: 20–30% (younger adults, local creators, boutiques)
• TikTok: 15–25% (short‑form entertainment, recipes, rural/outdoors content; rising with 18–34s)
• Snapchat: 10–20% (concentrated among teens/under‑30s)
• X (Twitter): 8–12% (sports, statewide news/weather)
• Pinterest: 15–25% (strong among women; crafts, recipes, home/garden)
• WhatsApp: 8–12% (family ties, small business messaging)
• Reddit: 5–10% (niche; tech, gaming, DIY)
• Nextdoor: <5% (low neighborhood density limits utility)

Age-pattern highlights

• Teens (13–17): Heavy YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok; light Facebook except for school/teams.
• 18–29: YouTube + Instagram/TikTok core; Snapchat remains common; Facebook used for events/groups and Marketplace.
• 30–49: Facebook is primary; YouTube frequent; Instagram moderate; TikTok growing.
• 50–64: Facebook dominant; YouTube for how‑to and news; Pinterest notable for women.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube mainly; low adoption of Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender differences (usage skew)

• Women: Over‑indexed on Facebook (Groups, Marketplace), Instagram, Pinterest; stronger engagement with local schools, churches, health, food, and small retail.
• Men: Over‑indexed on YouTube (mechanical/repair, ag, outdoors), X/Reddit (sports, news), and Facebook buy/sell/trade groups for equipment.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups function as a de facto local bulletin board (church announcements, storm updates, lost/found, civic notices, hunts, youth sports).
• Marketplace economy: High reliance on Facebook Marketplace for vehicles, equipment, livestock, furniture, and seasonal work.
• Mobile messaging: Facebook Messenger and SMS are primary for coordination due to patchy coverage and lower broadband adoption.
• Time-of-day peaks: Early morning (before work/school) and evening; Sunday engagement is high (church/live streams, photos, events).
• Content style: Practical and local—weather alerts, road/flood conditions, school activities, high‑school sports, farm and small‑business promos. Short video performs well but is constrained by data limits.
• Business usage: Small businesses and civic orgs mostly use Facebook Pages and boosted posts targeted within 15–30 miles; limited use of sophisticated ad funnels.

Notes on figures

• County‑level platform statistics are not directly published for Issaquena. Percentages above are best‑available local estimates derived from: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 population) plus Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media adoption, with adjustments for rural/Southern usage, older age structure, and lower home‑broadband availability. Treat ranges as directional but decision‑useful for planning.