Jasper County

Jasper County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 16,367 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~16,000 (Census Bureau Vintage 2023), continuing gradual decline since 2010

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: <18: ~23%; 18–64: ~59%; 65+: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (percent of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~57%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~41%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each <1%

Household data

• Households: ~6,200
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~68% of households; average family size ~3.1
• Tenure: owner-occupied ~79%; renter-occupied ~21%
• Living arrangements (approx.): households with children under 18 ~28%; single-person households ~25%

Insights

• Small, rural county with slow population decline and an older-than-national median age.
• Racial composition is majority White with a substantial Black population; Hispanic share is small but growing modestly.
• Housing is predominantly owner-occupied, with relatively larger household and family sizes.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Vintage 2023 population estimates).

• Population and density: Jasper County has about 16.4K residents across ~676 sq mi—roughly 24 people per sq mi, making it sparsely populated and costly to serve with fixed networks.
• Estimated email users: ~11.7K adult email users (based on ~12.5K adults and ~92–93% U.S. adult email adoption).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29: ~19%; 30–49: ~37%; 50–64: ~27%; 65+: ~17%. Younger groups approach universal use; seniors participate at slightly lower rates but are still predominantly online via email.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring the county’s population and the near-parity of email adoption by gender.
• Digital access trends: Fixed broadband subscription is lower than U.S. average in rural Mississippi; expect roughly three-in-five Jasper County households to have a home broadband subscription, with a notable smartphone‑only segment relying on cellular data. Recent state and federal investments (including Mississippi’s ~$1.2B BEAD allocation, 2023) are accelerating fiber buildouts from small towns outward, improving speeds and reliability.
• Connectivity facts: Coverage and speeds are strongest in and around Bay Springs and Heidelberg and along major corridors; scattered pockets remain underserved due to low density and terrain, driving heavier mobile and public Wi‑Fi use at libraries and schools.

Mobile phone usage in Jasper County, Mississippi (2024 snapshot)

County profile (context for interpreting usage)

• Population: roughly 16–17 thousand; fully rural with two county seats (Bay Springs and Paulding).
• Demographics: majority Black and White population; older-than-state age profile and lower median income than the Mississippi average. These factors correlate with lower postpaid penetration, higher prepaid use, and greater reliance on smartphones as the primary internet connection.

User estimates and adoption

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 9,700–10,500 adults (about 78–85% of adults), below Mississippi’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (roughly mid-80s to near 90%).
• Total active mobile lines: about 12,000–14,000 (roughly 0.75–0.85 lines per resident), lower than Mississippi overall (about 0.95–1.05).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband at home): about 28–34% in Jasper, vs 22–25% statewide. This gap widened after the 2024 wind‑down of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which disproportionately affected rural and lower‑income homes.
• Plan mix: prepaid is the majority at about 58–65% of lines (vs 45–50% statewide). Postpaid family plans are less prevalent due to income volatility and credit constraints.
• Device upgrade cycle: longer than the state average; noticeable share of 4G‑only devices persists, slowing 5G uptake.

Demographic breakdown (how Jasper differs from statewide patterns)

• Age:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (94–97%), close to statewide levels.
  • 35–64: 84–89%, a few points below statewide.
  • 65+: 58–66%, materially below statewide (≈70%), with 10–15% of seniors still on basic/feature phones (vs 8–10% statewide).
• Income:
  • Under $35k household income: smartphone ownership 70–78%; smartphone‑only internet reliance 40–45% (well above statewide).
  • $35k–$75k: 80–88% ownership; smartphone‑only 25–30%.
  • $75k+: 90%+ ownership; most have both mobile and fixed broadband.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Smartphone ownership rates are near parity, but Black households in Jasper are more likely to be smartphone‑only for home internet (about 35–40%) than White households (about 22–26%), reflecting income and fixed‑line availability differences.
• Plan/use behavior:
  • Higher prepaid and MVNO usage than the state average.
  • Heavier use of SMS/Facebook Messenger; WhatsApp adoption below national norms.
  • Mobile hotspot use is common for homework and shift work, especially in households without fixed broadband.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Cellular coverage:
  • 4G LTE population coverage is high (≈96–99%), but with notable rural dead zones and indoor coverage challenges in pine forest and metal‑roof structures.
  • 5G population coverage is moderate (≈55–70%), concentrated along I‑59 near Heidelberg and in/around Bay Springs; interior areas rely more on LTE.
  • Typical performance: 10–40 Mbps down/2–8 Mbps up in town centers; 2–10 Mbps down with higher latency (40–70 ms) in remote areas. Statewide urban speeds commonly exceed 100 Mbps; Jasper’s interior speeds lag.
  • Capacity constraints appear during school dismissal, evenings, and storm‑related outages due to limited backhaul and fewer sites per square mile.
• Fixed broadband (shaping mobile dependence):
  • Cable and fiber footprints are limited outside town centers; DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite fill gaps.
  • Fiber availability remains well below state average (rough estimate 5–15% of addresses vs 35–45% statewide), reinforcing mobile‑only behavior.
  • State and federal buildouts (e.g., BEAD‑funded fiber) are slated for 2025–2028; impact will be uneven across the county.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • E911 and Wireless Emergency Alerts reach most residents; however, storm events can knock out power/backhaul to towers, causing localized service loss that’s more frequent than in urban Mississippi.

Usage trends diverging from Mississippi overall

• Higher reliance on smartphones as primary home internet (by roughly +6 to +10 percentage points).
• Lower 5G device penetration and slower upgrade cycles.
• Greater prepaid share and MVNO use; fewer postpaid family bundles.
• Larger town‑to‑rural performance gap, with pronounced highway‑corridor bias (best service along I‑59 and state highways).
• Post‑ACP affordability shock increased mobile substitution more in Jasper than statewide.

Implications and actionable insights

• Mobile is the default broadband in many Jasper households; plans that include generous hotspot allowances and reliable LTE fallback are particularly valued.
• Network investments with the highest impact: new or upgraded sites off the highway corridors, added mid‑band 5G carriers, fiberized backhaul, and backup power on rural towers.
• Digital equity efforts should prioritize device assistance and digital skills for seniors and low‑income users, alongside fixed‑line expansion, to close the county–state gap.

Jasper County, Mississippi — social media snapshot

Population baseline

• Total population: 16,367 (2020 Census)
• Adults (18+): ≈12,600
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈10,200 (≈81% of adults)

Most-used platforms among adults (county-level estimates; share of adults)

• YouTube: ≈78% (~9,800 people)
• Facebook: ≈69% (~8,700)
• Instagram: ≈40% (~5,000)
• TikTok: ≈31% (~3,900)
• Pinterest: ≈30% (~3,800)
• Snapchat: ≈26% (~3,300)
• X (Twitter): ≈12% (~1,500)
• Reddit: ≈12% (~1,500)
• WhatsApp: ≈11% (~1,400)
• LinkedIn: ≈9% (~1,100)
• Nextdoor: ≈4% (~500)

Age-group usage (share of each group using any social platform)

• 18–29: ≈95%
• 30–49: ≈90%
• 50–64: ≈77%
• 65+: ≈60% Platform skews by age
• 18–29: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat dominant; YouTube near-universal
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube core; Instagram and TikTok growing
• 50–64: Facebook first; YouTube second; some Pinterest
• 65+: Facebook heavily dominant; YouTube for news/how-tos

Gender breakdown

• County population is roughly balanced; social users skew slightly female: ≈53% women, 47% men
• Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and Reddit

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Facebook Groups (schools, churches, sports, yard sales) and local news pages drive daily engagement
• Marketplace-heavy: Facebook Marketplace is a primary venue for local buying/selling; higher response to listings than to brand pages
• Short-form video growth: Reels/Shorts/TikTok consumption is rising; creation is modest but reposting of local events is common
• Messaging-centric: Facebook Messenger is the default for contacting local businesses and community admins; WhatsApp use is limited
• Mobile-first: Most usage is smartphone-based; peak activity evenings/weekends; weather events and school schedules spike engagement
• Content style: Practical and local—announcements, lost-and-found, obituaries, sports highlights, local bargains; low appetite for polished brand creative without a clear local tie
• Trust dynamics: Word-of-mouth via group admins, church leaders, and school-affiliated pages outperforms generic ads; comments and shares matter more than likes
• Ads performance notes: Facebook lead-gen and boosted posts targeted to ZIPs around Bay Springs/Paulding perform best; LinkedIn and X have limited reach; Instagram Reels works for visually clear offers

Method and sources

• Counts and percentages are modeled from the 2020 Census population for Jasper County and Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. social media usage benchmarks, adjusted for rural Southern usage patterns. Figures are rounded to reflect local uncertainty while remaining decision-useful.