Madison County

Madison County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: ~113,000 (2023 estimate; up from ~109,000 in 2020)

Age

• Median age: ~38 years
• Under 18: ~26%
• 65 and over: ~14%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White (non-Hispanic): ~54–55%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~37%
• Asian (non-Hispanic): ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races/Other (non-Hispanic): ~1–2%

Household data

• Households: ~41,000
• Average household size: ~2.7 persons
• Family households: ~72% of households; married-couple families ~55–58%
• Homeownership rate: ~75–80%
• Housing units: ~44,000; vacancy rate ~5–7%

Insights

• One of Mississippi’s fastest-growing, highest-income, and highest-homeownership counties, with a sizable Black population and smaller but growing Hispanic and Asian populations.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Census; 2022–2023 ACS).

Madison County, MS email usage (estimates, 2025)

• Estimated users: 85,000–95,000 residents use email at least monthly, driven by high internet adoption in the Jackson metro suburbs (Ridgeland, Madison, Canton).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 6–8%
  • 18–29: 18–20%
  • 30–49: 36–40%
  • 50–64: 22–25%
  • 65+: 14–17%
• Gender split of users: roughly mirrors population, ~52% female, ~48% male.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is high for Mississippi, roughly upper‑80s to low‑90s percent, with strong fiber and cable coverage in urban/suburban tracts; smartphone‑only internet households are present but lower than the state average.
  • Seniors’ email adoption continues to rise, narrowing the gap with younger cohorts; mobile email engagement (via iOS/Android) is dominant.
  • Work and school domains (education, healthcare, professional services) drive weekday daytime peaks; retail/community newsletters and churches/local organizations sustain weekend usage.
• Local connectivity/density facts:
  • Population density ≈150 people per square mile overall; densest along the I‑55 corridor (Madison–Ridgeland) with multiple broadband options, including fiber.
  • Rural northern/southeastern pockets have fewer fixed options but broad 4G/5G coverage enables reliable mobile email access.

Mobile phone usage in Madison County, Mississippi — summary with estimates, demographics, and infrastructure, highlighting what differs from the state

Top-line differences versus Mississippi overall

• Higher adoption, more postpaid, and less “mobile-only” reliance: Madison County’s affluence and fiber/cable availability push smartphone and multi-device ownership above Mississippi averages and reduce the share of households that use a cellular plan as their only internet connection.
• Stronger mid-band 5G footprint and capacity: The I‑55 corridor (Ridgeland–Madison–Gluckstadt) has broad mid-band 5G from national carriers, driving higher real-world speeds and heavier mobile data use than the statewide norm.
• iOS skew and lower prepaid share: A more affluent, white-collar population tilts toward iOS and family postpaid plans, in contrast to Mississippi’s higher prepaid share.

User base and adoption (estimates grounded in ACS population structure and recent U.S. mobile adoption benchmarks)

• Population base: ~114,000 residents and ~42,000 households in 2023.
• Total mobile phone users (all ages): ~100,000–105,000 residents use a mobile phone of any kind.
• Smartphone users: ~92,000–98,000 residents.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular plan but no fixed home broadband): ~11–14% in Madison County versus ~24–28% statewide.
• Prepaid vs postpaid: Prepaid ~25–30% of lines in Madison County versus ~45–50% statewide.
• Platform mix: iOS ~55–60% in Madison County versus ~45–50% statewide.

Demographic breakdown and how it differs from Mississippi

• Age-based smartphone adoption
  • 13–17: ~95–98% in Madison County; slightly above statewide.
  • 18–34: ~97–99%; above statewide.
  • 35–54: ~95–98%; above statewide.
  • 55–64: ~88–92%; well above statewide.
  • 65+: 78–82%; markedly above statewide (62–68%).
• Income and education effects
  • Madison County has one of Mississippi’s highest median household incomes and much higher bachelor’s attainment, which correlates with:
    • More multi-line postpaid family plans and device financing.
    • Higher per-user device counts (smartphone + tablet + smartwatch).
    • Lower mobile-only home internet dependence than state averages.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Smartphone ownership is high across groups; the county’s higher broadband availability narrows the digital-reliance gap by race compared with the state, where mobile-only reliance is more common among lower-income and minority households.
• Workforce and usage patterns
  • A larger share of professional/remote and hybrid workers than the state average drives weekday, daytime mobile data use and hotspot usage above statewide norms, especially along I‑55 and major office/retail zones.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G coverage and capacity
  • AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon provide countywide LTE with extensive 5G along the I‑55 spine (Madison, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt) and major arterials. Mid-band 5G (e.g., C‑band or 2.5 GHz) is more prevalent than in many rural Mississippi counties, producing higher median speeds and capacity.
  • Constraints exist at the rural edges north and east of Canton and near protected corridors (e.g., Natchez Trace Parkway) where tower siting is limited, causing occasional low-band 5G/LTE fallback.
• Fixed broadband and backhaul
  • Dense fiber from C Spire Fiber and AT&T Fiber in neighborhoods and commercial districts, plus Comcast/Xfinity cable, improves mobile backhaul and reduces household reliance on cellular-only service.
  • Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home are available across much of the southern and central portions of the county; in Madison County they are often used as a complement or alternative to cable/fiber rather than as a last resort, unlike many rural Mississippi locales.
• Venues and corridors
  • Highest mobile traffic and small-cell densification occur in retail/office zones along I‑55, the Ridgeland/Madison commercial areas, and school/athletic campuses. Event-driven surges are typically mitigated better than in peer counties due to stronger mid-band 5G layers and fiber backhaul.

Usage and traffic characteristics

• Per-smartphone mobile data consumption: typically higher than the Mississippi average due to stronger 5G availability and more video streaming and hotspot use in white-collar workflows.
• Device ecosystem: Greater penetration of wearables and connected tablets than statewide, reflecting higher disposable income and employer device subsidies.

What this means in practice

• Madison County residents are more likely to have both fixed broadband and robust 5G service, use postpaid family plans, and carry multiple connected devices; they are less likely to rely solely on a cellular plan for home internet.
• The county’s mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul translate into better peak-time performance than the state average, with remaining coverage gaps mainly in protected or sparsely populated areas rather than broad swaths of the county.

Madison County, MS social media snapshot (estimated 2025)

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: 74% of adults
• Teen (13–17) social media use: 95%
• Daily use among adult users: ~70%

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult residents)

• YouTube: 82%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 46%
• Pinterest: 36%
• TikTok: 34%
• Snapchat: 31%
• LinkedIn: 32%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• Nextdoor: 18%

Age-group profile (share of each group using social media; top platforms)

• 13–17: 95% use; YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat dominate (short video and messaging-first behavior)
• 18–29: 98% use; YouTube (95%), Instagram (76%), Snapchat (65%), TikTok (62%); Facebook secondary
• 30–49: 88% use; Facebook (77%), YouTube (86%), Instagram (49%), TikTok (32%), LinkedIn (≈40%), Pinterest (≈43%)
• 50–64: 72% use; Facebook (73%), YouTube (78%), Pinterest (38%), Instagram (29%), Nextdoor (~20%)
• 65+: 58% use; Facebook (58%), YouTube (45%), Nextdoor (~18%), Instagram (15%)

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Overall social media use: Women 76%, Men 72%
• Platform skew:
  • Women: Facebook (74%), Instagram (50%), Pinterest (52%), TikTok (36%), Snapchat (34%)
  • Men: YouTube (87%), Facebook (65%), Instagram (41%), TikTok (32%), LinkedIn (36%), X (25%)

Behavioral trends in Madison County

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, neighborhoods; Marketplace is active for home, lawn, and family items.
• Short-form video drives discovery: Instagram Reels and TikTok are primary for local dining, boutiques, fitness, salons; geotags and local hashtags (e.g., Madison, Ridgeland, Canton) lift reach.
• Nextdoor usage is strong in subdivisions for HOA updates, contractor recommendations, lost/found pets, and public-safety notices.
• YouTube is the go-to for how‑to, home improvement, product research, and streaming local worship; mid-length tutorials and reviews perform best.
• LinkedIn over-indexes versus the Mississippi average due to the county’s professional workforce; effective for recruiting, B2B services, and local leadership content.
• Shopping and lead-gen: click-to-message ads and lead forms perform well for home services, healthcare, real estate, and education; Facebook/Instagram retargeting materially improves conversion.
• Content that overperforms: local family-friendly events, high school sports, weather and traffic updates, new restaurant openings, church/community service highlights.
• Posting windows with strongest engagement: weekday evenings 6:30–9:00 pm; lunch hour 12:00–1:00 pm; Saturday 9:00–11:00 am; Sunday 2:00–5:00 pm.

Method and sources

• Estimates reflect 2024–2025 Pew Research Center U.S. social media adoption rates by platform/age/gender, applied to Madison County’s age and household profile from recent U.S. Census/ACS data, with suburban platform skews (e.g., Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn) adjusted to align with local demographics. Percentages are per adult residents unless noted.