Jefferson Davis County

Key demographics: Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

• Population size:

  • 11,321 (2020 Census)
  • Down from 12,487 in 2010 (−9.3%), indicating sustained population decline

• Age:

  • Median age: ~41.7 years (ACS 2019–2023)
  • Under 18: ~23–24%
  • 65 and over: ~18–20%

• Gender:

  • Female: ~51–52%
  • Male: ~48–49%

• Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census):

  • Black or African American (alone): ~59%
  • White (alone): ~38%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0.2%
  • Asian (alone): ~0.2%
  • Two or more races: ~1–2%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2%

• Households (ACS 2019–2023):

  • Total households: ~4,300–4,400
  • Average household size: ~2.6
  • Family households: ~70% of all households
  • Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%; renter-occupied: ~20–25%

Insights:

• Majority-Black county with a small, aging population and a modest, continuing population decline since 2010.
• Household structure skews toward family households with relatively small average size and high homeownership typical of rural Mississippi.

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

• Local context: Jefferson Davis County, MS had 11,321 residents in 2020 across ~409 sq mi, about 28 people per sq mi (very rural), which raises last‑mile broadband costs and depresses at‑home connectivity.

• Estimated email users: ≈7,200 residents use email regularly (about 64% of the total population and ~83% of adults), modeled from rural internet adoption and Pew email usage rates.

• Age distribution of email use (adoption rates among adults):

  • 18–29: ~95%
  • 30–49: ~95%
  • 50–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~80% Younger adults are near‑universal users; adoption tapers with age but remains a strong majority among seniors.

• Gender split: Roughly even among users (≈51% female, 49% male), reflecting minimal gender differences in email adoption.

• Digital access trends:

  • Home broadband subscription rates are below state and national averages; smartphone‑only access is relatively common in lower‑income, rural households.
  • Connectivity is strongest in and near town centers (e.g., Prentiss/Bassfield) with weaker fixed options in outlying areas; public Wi‑Fi (schools/libraries) backstops access.
  • 2023–2025 state/federal broadband investments are expanding fiber and higher‑speed fixed wireless, trending email access upward even in remote blocks.

These estimates synthesize Census population/density with Pew/U.S. rural adoption patterns to reflect local conditions.

Mobile phone usage in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi — summary and county-vs-state differences

Context and population

• Population: 11,321 (2020 Decennial Census), a small, rural county with its seat in Prentiss.
• Demographics: The county is majority Black (roughly three-fifths Black and about two-fifths White), notably more Black than the Mississippi average (~38% Black statewide). Median household income and educational attainment are below the state average; the poverty rate is materially higher than the Mississippi average (Mississippi ~19% vs. high-20s in the county per recent ACS 5-year profiles).

Estimated mobile user base and reliance Method and sources used: 2020 Census population base for counts; adult share approximated from Mississippi’s age structure (76% of residents are 18+); smartphone ownership rates from Pew Research (2023) for rural adults (80%); wireless-only household share from CDC National Health Interview Survey for Mississippi (2023, Mississippi among the highest at roughly 70%+ adults living in wireless-only households).

• Adult population (18+), estimated: ~8,600.
• Smartphone users (18+): ~6,900 (≈80% of adults).
• Adults in wireless-only households (i.e., no landline): ~6,100–6,200 (applying Mississippi’s ~70%+ wireless-only share).
• Smartphone-only internet users: higher than the Mississippi average. Given the county’s lower fixed-broadband availability and higher poverty rate, a practical estimate is that around 20–25% of adults are smartphone-only internet users, versus a lower share statewide concentrated in metro counties.

Demographic patterns of use

• Age: Adoption is high among 18–49 (well over 85%), solid among 50–64 (80%), and materially lower for 65+ (65–70%). Because Jefferson Davis County skews older than the state’s metro counties, absolute numbers of older users are meaningful even with lower adoption rates.
• Income: With a higher share of low-income households, prepaid and budget plans are used more frequently than in Mississippi’s urban counties. Data-constrained plans and hotspotting for home use are common.
• Race: With a higher Black share than statewide, the county reflects national patterns where Black adults are at least as likely to own smartphones as White adults and more likely to be smartphone-dependent for home internet. That increases the role of mobile data in day-to-day connectivity relative to the Mississippi average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and C Spire operate in the region. 4G LTE is the baseline across populated areas, with 5G availability clustered near towns and along main corridors; coverage thins in sparsely populated, forested tracts.
• Performance: Typical rural LTE downlink speeds are in the tens of Mbps; 5G in-town can be substantially faster where mid-band is deployed, but capacity is uneven. Signal attenuation in pine forests and low tower density create dead zones off-corridor.
• Backhaul and fixed alternatives: Limited fiber-to-the-home and cable plant outside town limits increase household reliance on cellular for primary internet, especially where only DSL or fixed wireless is available. Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, civic buildings) and mobile hotspots fill gaps for homework and telehealth.
• Emergency and resilience: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage improvements benefit first responders, but single points of failure (power and backhaul) mean prolonged outages can degrade service countywide more than in metro counties.

How Jefferson Davis County differs from Mississippi overall

• More mobile-reliant for home internet: A larger share of adults are smartphone-only or primarily mobile for internet access due to sparser wired broadband, versus metro counties (Jackson area, Gulf Coast, DeSoto) that rely more on cable/fiber.
• Higher wireless-only households: Mississippi already has one of the nation’s highest wireless-only rates; Jefferson Davis County’s rural and low-income profile pushes that reliance above the statewide mix.
• Plan mix: Greater use of prepaid/value plans and hotspotting; shorter data allowances and stricter budgeting for data compared with the state’s metro consumers.
• Device mix and upgrade cycles: Slower upgrade cycles and lower 5G device penetration than the state average; more Android than iOS relative share compared with affluent areas.
• Coverage pattern: Wider LTE coverage than 5G outside towns; more pronounced dead zones than the statewide average, creating variability in speed and reliability by location and even by carrier.

Key takeaways

• Estimated ~6,900 adult smartphone users in a county of 11,321 residents, with more than 6,000 adults living in wireless-only households.
• Mobile phones are the primary or only internet pathway for a sizable share of residents, noticeably above the Mississippi average.
• Gaps in fixed broadband and uneven 5G coverage shape usage: prepaid plans, hotspotting, and public Wi‑Fi access points are disproportionately important in daily life, education, and telehealth compared with state-level patterns concentrated in urban counties.

Social media usage in Jefferson Davis County, MS (2024 snapshot)

Overall reach (modeled for a rural Mississippi county using U.S. Census ACS demographics and Pew Research Center 2024 social-media adoption by age, gender, and community type):

• Residents 13+: ~83–86% use at least one social platform monthly
• Adults 18+: ~80–84% use at least one platform monthly
• Teens 13–17: ~90–95% use at least one platform monthly

Most-used platforms among adults (18+), estimated penetration:

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~32%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~20%
• X (Twitter): ~18%
• LinkedIn: ~17%
• Reddit: ~14%
• Nextdoor: ~10%

Age-group profile of local social-media users (share of users and platform tendencies):

• 13–17: 9% of users; very high on YouTube (95%), Snapchat (75%), TikTok (70%), Instagram (65%); Facebook (35%)
• 18–29: 20% of users; Instagram (75%), YouTube (95%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (60%), Facebook (65%)
• 30–49: 35% of users; Facebook (78%), YouTube (90%), Instagram (50%), TikTok (~35%)
• 50–64: 23% of users; Facebook (75%), YouTube (80%), Instagram (35%), TikTok (~22%)
• 65+: 13% of users; Facebook (62%), YouTube (60%), Instagram (20%), TikTok (~10%)

Gender breakdown among adult social-media users (directional):

• Overall user mix: ~52% female, ~48% male
• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok (slightly)
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Twitter)
• Platform skews (adult users, approximate):
  • Facebook: women > men
  • Instagram: women > men
  • Pinterest: strongly women
  • YouTube: men > women
  • Reddit: men > women
  • X (Twitter): men > women
  • TikTok/Snapchat: near parity, slight female skew

Behavioral trends locally (rural South profile)

• Facebook is the community hub: church, school, and county updates flow through Pages/Groups; Marketplace is heavily used for vehicles, farm/ranch, and household goods
• Short-form video is rising quickly; Facebook Reels reaches 30+ audiences effectively, while TikTok is strongest among teens/younger adults
• Messaging is dominated by Facebook Messenger and SMS; WhatsApp is present but niche
• Peak activity: early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with weekend spikes around services, sports, and community events
• Trust and locality drive engagement: posts featuring recognizable places, local leaders, and events outperform generic creative; live streams (church, ballgames, civic meetings) draw sustained views
• Ad performance: mobile-first, geotargeted (10–25 miles), short caption + clear CTA, and compressed video work best; LinkedIn and X provide limited reach except for government/education audiences

Notes and sources

• Baseline population: Jefferson Davis County had 11,321 residents in 2020 (U.S. Census). Current usage figures are modeled from county demographics (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022) combined with Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2024 (including rural/age/gender cuts) and Pew teen social-media studies (2023–2024). Percentages reflect estimated adult penetration; teen rates reflect teen-specific research.