Lamar County

Key demographics — Lamar County, Mississippi (latest available U.S. Census Bureau estimates: 2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

• Population size: ≈67,000 residents
• Age:
  • Median age: ~36 years
  • Under 18: ~26%
  • 18–64: ~61%
  • 65 and over: ~13%
• Gender:
  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%
• Race and ethnicity:
  • White (alone): ~77%
  • Black or African American (alone): ~18%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
  • Asian (alone): ~1–2%
  • Two or more races/other: ~2–3%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~24,500
  • Average household size: ~2.7–2.8 persons
  • Family households: ~70–75% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~55–60% of households
  • Homeownership rate: ~75–80%

Notes: Figures are rounded for clarity and derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2019–2023 5-year).

• Population and density: Lamar County, MS has about 66,000 residents across roughly 497 sq mi (≈133 people per square mile).
• Estimated email users: ≈46,900 adult users (≈91–92% of ~51,200 adults), reflecting U.S. adult email adoption locally.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–29: ~11,200 users (≈95% of ~11,800 adults)
  • 30–49: ~15,700 users (≈96% of ~16,400 adults)
  • 50–64: ~11,800 users (≈92% of ~12,800 adults)
  • 65+: ~8,200 users (≈80% of ~10,200 adults)
• Gender split (email users): ≈23,800 female and ≈23,100 male; adoption rates are essentially equal by gender.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • ≈87% of households subscribe to broadband; ≈94% have a computer/smartphone (ACS-based estimate).
  • Smartphone-only internet reliance is ~15–20% of adults (Pew-based extrapolation), higher in rural fringes.
  • Cable and fiber are dense along the US‑98/Oak Grove–Purvis–Sumrall corridor; outer areas lean on DSL, fixed wireless, and ubiquitous satellite coverage.
• Insight: High suburban density near Hattiesburg supports strong email penetration and daily use, while rural last‑mile gaps modestly depress adoption among seniors and lower‑income households, making mobile-first access a consequential channel for communication.

Mobile phone usage in Lamar County, Mississippi — summary with county-specific estimates, demographics, and infrastructure, highlighting where local trends diverge from statewide patterns.

Population baseline and growth

• Population: 65,776 (2020 Decennial Census), up from 55,658 in 2010 (+18%). Mississippi overall grew minimally over the same period, so Lamar County is a growth outlier in the state.

User estimates (smartphones, 5G, and mobile-only internet)

• Smartphone users: Approximately 46,000–50,000 residents use a smartphone in Lamar County. This estimate applies typical U.S. adult/teen ownership rates to the county’s age structure and population.
• 5G-capable users: Roughly 30,000–37,000 of those smartphone users carry 5G-capable devices, reflecting current device mix penetration among U.S. smartphone owners in 2023–2025.
• Mobile-only home internet: Estimated 2,400–3,400 households rely primarily on cellular data at home (about 10–14% of households, assuming ~24–25k households in the county). This share is materially lower than the statewide rate, where cellular-only reliance is higher due to more sparse fixed broadband in many rural counties.

Demographic breakdown (key factors that influence mobile adoption and usage)

• Age: Lamar County skews slightly younger than Mississippi overall (more families with children, suburban growth around Hattiesburg), supporting higher smartphone and 5G device penetration and heavier app/social/video usage.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is majority White with a smaller share of Black residents than the state average and growing (but still modest) Hispanic/Latino representation. This mix, combined with higher suburban incomes, aligns with higher rates of device ownership and postpaid family plans relative to many rural Mississippi counties.
• Education and income: Higher educational attainment and median household income than the Mississippi average. This correlates with greater uptake of premium smartphones, multi-line postpaid plans, and in-home broadband—factors that reduce cellular-only dependence and increase Wi‑Fi offload.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county-specific points)

• Carrier presence and 5G:
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) operate robust LTE networks countywide with broad 5G coverage along the primary corridors.
  • Mid-band 5G is broadly available along US‑98 (Oak Grove/West Hattiesburg retail corridor) and near I‑59 interchanges (e.g., Purvis/West Hattiesburg), enabling typical 5G median speeds in the 100–300 Mbps range in covered zones with LTE fallback in outer rural tracts.
  • Verizon’s C‑band and T‑Mobile’s 2.5 GHz mid-band deployments are most evident in and around the Hattiesburg/Lamar activity centers; AT&T 5G (low- and mid-band) is present on primary travel routes and town centers.
• Tower and small-cell siting:
  • Macro sites are concentrated along US‑98, I‑59 edges, MS‑589, and around Purvis, Oak Grove/West Hattiesburg, and Sumrall. Retail nodes along US‑98 include small-cell/sector densification to handle heavy evening and weekend loads.
• Fiber and backhaul:
  • Fiber backhaul is prevalent along US‑98 and I‑59, supporting denser 5G sectors where demand is highest.
  • Fixed broadband options are stronger than in many Mississippi counties: AT&T Fiber and C Spire Fiber serve portions of suburban Lamar (Oak Grove/West Hattiesburg and selected neighborhoods), and the local electric cooperative’s fiber subsidiary (PearlComm Fiber via Pearl River Valley EPA territory) has expanded in outlying areas. This raises in-home broadband availability and reduces smartphone-only reliance.
• Public sector connectivity:
  • Schools and libraries have robust Wi‑Fi (E‑Rate supported), and AT&T FirstNet public-safety coverage improvements extend across the county, aiding resiliency during severe weather events.

How Lamar County differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher adoption and capability:
  • Higher smartphone and 5G device penetration than the state average, tied to younger families, higher incomes, and suburban settlement patterns.
• Better 5G availability and capacity:
  • Denser mid-band 5G coverage and fiber-fed sites along major corridors produce higher typical speeds and more consistent performance than many rural Mississippi counties.
• Lower cellular-only dependence:
  • Fixed broadband availability (fiber/cable/co‑op builds) is measurably better than in many parts of Mississippi, reducing the share of households that rely solely on mobile data plans for home internet.
• Usage profile:
  • More Wi‑Fi offload due to stronger in-home broadband, and heavier daytime demand peaks along US‑98 retail/employment centers, contrasting with the more uniform mobile-reliant usage patterns found in rural counties.

Actionable implications

• Network planning: Capacity investments (additional sectors, small cells) are best targeted to US‑98, Oak Grove/West Hattiesburg, and Purvis nodes, with coverage enhancements along MS‑589 and rural edges where LTE persists.
• Product mix: Family postpaid and premium device promotions resonate strongly in Lamar County; statewide, prepaid and smartphone-only plans have comparatively higher traction in rural counties.
• Digital inclusion: While the county’s mobile-only share is lower than Mississippi’s average, targeted subsidies or fixed-wireless builds in the rural west/northwest tracts can close remaining service gaps and curb LTE congestion from home-use spillover.

Social media usage in Lamar County, MS (2024 snapshot)

How to read this: County-level platform tracking isn’t published, so the percentages below use the latest U.S. adult adoption rates (Pew Research Center, 2024) as a reliable proxy for Lamar County’s adult population. Behavioral notes reflect observed patterns in suburban/rural Southern counties and local media habits.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults using each platform)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• Nextdoor: 19%

Age-group profile (who uses what)

• 18–29: Very high on YouTube; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are the day-to-day staples; Facebook is secondary.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook anchor daily use; Instagram is strong; TikTok has meaningful but not universal adoption; Snapchat tapers.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram is moderate; TikTok is niche; Pinterest is comparatively strong for this group.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube lead; other platforms are used by a minority.

Gender breakdown (platform skews)

• More women than men: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest (Pinterest skews heavily female).
• More men than women: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn.
• Net effect locally: Among active social-media users, expect a slight female majority overall, with pronounced female share on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat and a male tilt on Reddit/X/YouTube/LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends observed in counties like Lamar

• Facebook is the local utility: school, church, youth sports, civic updates, and Marketplace drive daily check-ins; Groups are central to neighborhood and buy/sell activity.
• Short-form video is rising fast: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive discovery for local food, boutiques, fitness, real estate, and events; cross-posting Reels to Facebook boosts reach among 30–49.
• YouTube is the “how-to” and entertainment backbone: DIY, outdoors (hunting/fishing), auto, home projects, and sermon/livestream content see durable engagement.
• Messaging layers matter: Facebook Messenger is the default for many; WhatsApp use exists but is smaller than Messenger in the region; Snapchat functions as a primary messaging tool for teens/20s.
• Local news consumption flows through Facebook: posts from area outlets, schools, first responders, and weather pages get outsized engagement during storms, closures, and elections.
• Commerce patterns: Facebook Marketplace is the first stop for resale; Instagram/TikTok power impulse buys for fashion/beauty and seasonal promotions; LinkedIn works for white‑collar recruitment but is niche overall.
• Timing: Evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekends are peak for community and shopping content; weekday lunch hours perform well for short-form video and news updates.
• Creative that wins: human faces, behind-the-scenes, local pride, youth sports highlights, before/after visuals, and clear offers (giveaways, limited-time promos) outperform generic brand posts.
• Platform pairing best practices: Facebook + Instagram for broad local reach; Instagram + TikTok for under-40 growth; Facebook + YouTube for 40+ and long-form; Nextdoor adds neighborhood-level relevance where adoption exists.

Sources: Pew Research Center, “Social Media Use in 2024” (U.S. adult platform adoption and age/gender skews). County demographics used for context from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (latest available).