Leflore County

Leflore County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 27,7xx (2023 Census estimate); 28,528 (2020 Census)
• 2010–2020 change: −11–12%; continued decline since 2020

Age

• Median age: ~36
• Under 18: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~15%

Gender

• Female: ~53–54% of population

Race/ethnicity (share of total)

• Black or African American: ~73–76%
• White: ~21–24%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1% or less

Households

• Total households: ~10.5–10.8k
• Persons per household (avg): ~2.55–2.60
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Married-couple households: ~25–30%
• Female householder, no spouse present: ~25–30%
• Homeownership rate: ~55–60%

Insights

• Majority-Black county with a sustained population decline.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the U.S. overall, with roughly one in six residents 65+.
• Household composition is weighted toward non–married-couple and female-headed households, with modest household size.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates Program). Exact figures vary by dataset/year; values above reflect the latest available ACS and PEP releases.

• Scope: Leflore County, Mississippi (pop. ≈28,000; ≈46 people per sq. mile; center: Greenwood).
• Estimated email users: ≈19,000 residents age 13+ (≈85% adoption among 13+), reflecting high email use among U.S. internet users adjusted for local broadband access.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: ~10%
  • 18–34: ~31%
  • 35–64: ~44%
  • 65+: ~15%
• Gender split of email users: ~54% female, ~46% male (tracks county demographics; email usage is similar by gender).
• Digital access and usage:
  • Households with any internet subscription: ~70%.
  • Fixed home broadband (cable/DSL/fiber) subscription: ~60%.
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ~20–25% (above national average), indicating reliance on mobile data for email.
  • Households without an internet subscription: ~30%, contributing to lower email adoption among seniors and in rural tracts.
• Connectivity and density facts:
  • Broadband availability and speeds are strongest in/around Greenwood; coverage thins in outlying rural blocks, where fixed options are limited and cellular is primary.
  • Rural density and poverty rates elevate affordability barriers, making public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools) and mobile plans key access points.

Figures combine Census/ACS demographics, FCC broadband availability patterns, and national email adoption benchmarks applied locally.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Leflore County, Mississippi (2023–2024)

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~27,500 residents; ~10,500–11,000 households.
• Active mobile subscriptions: ~35,000–36,000 lines in use in the county (derived from Mississippi’s statewide ~125–135 wireless subscriptions per 100 residents applied to Leflore’s population).
• Adult smartphone users: ~17,000–19,000 adults use a smartphone (estimate based on American Community Survey [ACS] smartphone-in-household rates for Delta counties and Pew smartphone adoption by income; see method notes).
• Smartphone households: roughly 9,000–9,500 of Leflore’s households include at least one smartphone.

Demographic patterns shaping usage

• Race/ethnicity: Majority Black (about three-quarters), well above the Mississippi average. This aligns with higher reliance on smartphones for internet access seen nationally among Black households at similar income levels.
• Income and poverty: Median household income is substantially below the state average, and the poverty rate is materially higher. Budget sensitivity increases use of prepaid plans, Lifeline participation, and “smartphone-only” internet access.
• Age mix: A relatively large share of under-35s in Greenwood and a meaningful 65+ share in rural tracts produce a split pattern—heavy mobile-first behavior among younger adults and text/voice-dominant or family-shared devices among older residents.

Digital access and mobile reliance (ACS 5-year patterns for the Mississippi Delta, with Leflore consistent or slightly more extreme)

• Any internet subscription at home: lower than the Mississippi average.
• Fixed broadband (cable/DSL/fiber) adoption: roughly 10 percentage points below the state rate.
• Cellular data plan at home: on par with the state or slightly higher.
• Cellular-only households (cellular data plan with no fixed broadband): materially higher than the state—roughly one-quarter to one-third of households versus the state’s mid-teens. This is the most important way Leflore differs from Mississippi overall.

Infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and C Spire operate in-county. Greenwood and the US‑82/US‑49E corridors anchor the grid of macro towers serving most residents.
• 4G LTE: Near-universal population coverage by at least one carrier; multi-carrier overlap is strongest in and around Greenwood.
• 5G: Present in Greenwood and along primary corridors. T-Mobile’s mid-band 2.5 GHz layer delivers the broadest 5G footprint; AT&T and Verizon primarily provide low-band 5G coverage with pockets of higher capacity. Outside towns, coverage shifts to lower-band spectrum with fewer sites, trading speed for reach.
• Backhaul and capacity: Where fiber-fed towers are present (notably in and around Greenwood), median speeds and consistency are higher; edge-of-county farm areas depend on longer tower spacing and show greater variability during peak hours.

How Leflore differs from the Mississippi state picture

• Higher mobile dependency: A significantly higher share of cellular-only households than the state average, reflecting lower fixed-broadband availability/affordability.
• Lower fixed broadband take-up: Cable/DSL/fiber adoption trails the state by roughly a full decile, pushing more day-to-day connectivity onto smartphones.
• Plan mix: A larger share of prepaid and Lifeline-supported lines than statewide averages, driven by income and eligibility patterns.
• Post-ACP shift: The wind-down of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024 has a bigger local impact than statewide averages, increasing pressure on mobile data plans as a primary connection for school, work, and telehealth.
• Coverage pattern: Despite generally adequate 4G/5G availability where people live, capacity is more uneven than the state average once you leave Greenwood and major highways, so experience diverges more sharply between town and rural tracts.

Practical implications

• Smartphone-first services matter: Public services, healthcare, schools, and employers should assume many residents rely solely on a smartphone/dataplan and design for low-bandwidth, mobile-friendly access.
• Off-peak engagement performs better: Time-sensitive applications (telehealth video, assignments, uploads) work more reliably off-peak or when users are in Greenwood or other strong-signal zones.
• Carrier diversity: Because performance varies by location, multi-carrier device fleets or eSIM options benefit organizations operating countywide.

Method notes and sources

• Population, households, income, and poverty from U.S. Census Bureau (Decennial Census and ACS 5-year through 2022/2023 estimates).
• Device and subscription patterns from ACS Table S2801 (Computer and Internet Use, 5-year; county-level) and Pew Research Center’s smartphone adoption by income and age to form user estimates.
• Wireless subscription density from CTIA’s annual industry survey (subscriptions per 100 residents at the state level, applied to county population).
• Coverage characteristics from FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024 filings) and operator public coverage maps; capacity observations reflect typical spectrum deployments in Mississippi (T-Mobile 2.5 GHz mid-band; AT&T/Verizon low-band with localized mid-band).

Leflore County, MS social media snapshot (modeled for 2025 using Pew Research Center 2024 US social media usage patterns, rural/southern skews, and Mississippi mobile-first adoption)

Overall usage

• Residents 13+ using any social platform monthly: 70–78%
• Daily users (any platform): 58–65%
• Mobile-first access: 90%+ of social activity occurs on smartphones

Most-used platforms (monthly reach among adults 18+; local estimate)

• YouTube: 75–85% (daily 45–55%)
• Facebook: 65–75% (daily 50–60%)
• Instagram: 35–45% (daily 25–30%)
• TikTok: 30–38% (daily 22–28%)
• Pinterest: 20–30% (daily 10–15%; majority female)
• Snapchat: 20–28% (daily 15–20%; strongest among teens/younger adults)
• X (Twitter): 12–18% (daily 6–10%; niche/local news)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (professional niche)

Age patterns (share using each platform monthly, local estimate)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 90%+, TikTok 70–80%, Instagram 65–75%, Snapchat 60–70%, Facebook ~20–30%
• Young adults (18–34): YouTube 85–90%, Instagram 60–70%, TikTok 50–60%, Facebook 45–55%, Snapchat 35–45%
• Mid-age (35–54): Facebook 70–80%, YouTube 75–85%, Instagram 35–45%, TikTok 25–35%
• Older adults (55+): Facebook 65–75%, YouTube 60–70%, Instagram 15–25%, TikTok ~10–20%

Gender breakdown (share of total social media users; local estimate)

• Women: 54–57% overall; over-index on Facebook and Pinterest, steady adoption of Instagram and TikTok
• Men: 43–46% overall; over-index on YouTube and X; slightly lower use of Pinterest/Instagram

Behavioral trends

• Community-centric: Heavy Facebook Groups and Pages for churches, schools, civic alerts, and local sports; strong Facebook Marketplace activity for person-to-person sales
• Video-first: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) drives discovery among under-35; long-form/live video on YouTube and Facebook for church services, local events, and sports highlights
• Mobile and off-peak usage: Peak activity before work/school (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend spikes around high school/college sports seasons
• Messaging overlay: Facebook Messenger is the default; Snapchat prevalent among teens/young adults; WhatsApp used within certain family/community networks but remains secondary
• Commerce and jobs: Local businesses favor boosted Facebook posts; Marketplace and Facebook Groups drive micro-commerce; Instagram and TikTok effective for hospitality, food, and style among 18–34; LinkedIn reach is niche
• Trust and information: Local news, weather, and public safety updates spread fastest on Facebook; X serves a smaller, news-oriented cohort

Notes on certainty

• Platform and demographic percentages are county-level estimates aligned to 2024–2025 rural US/Mississippi usage patterns and known platform skews; exact platform penetration can vary by neighborhood, bandwidth availability, and school-year cycles.