Scott County

Scott County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• 2024 population estimate: 27,990
• 2020 Census: 28,268
• 2020–2024 change: about -1%

Age

• Median age: 36.0 years
• Under 18: 27.2%
• 65 and over: 14.8%

Gender

• Female: 50.0%
• Male: 50.0%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone, not Hispanic: 55.9%
• Black or African American alone: 25.1%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 16.7%
• Two or more races: 1.6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.5%
• Asian alone: 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%

Household and housing

• Households: 9,420
• Persons per household (avg.): 3.0
• Family households: 73.5% of households
• Married-couple families: 49% of households
• Households with children under 18: 40%
• One-person households: 21%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 74%
• Housing units: 10,980

Insights

• Higher Hispanic share than the Mississippi average, reflecting poultry-processing workforce migration.
• Larger average household size and a slightly younger age profile than the state overall.

Sources

• US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024)
• US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP05, S1101, S2501)

Scott County, MS snapshot (2024):

• Population: ~28,300; land area ~603 sq mi; density ~47 people/sq mi. Largest towns along I‑20 (Forest, Morton) concentrate connectivity.
• Estimated email users: ~19,000 adults. Basis: ~21,000 adults in county with ~90% email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate counts): 18–34: 5,300 (28%); 35–54: 6,500 (34%); 55–64: 3,400 (18%); 65+: 3,800 (20%). Adoption is highest 25–54 (95%), strong 55–64 (90%), and somewhat lower 65+ (~80%), reflecting national patterns adjusted for local access.
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male; email usage is essentially even by gender.
• Digital access and trends: About 85% of households have a computer and ~72% subscribe to home broadband; an additional ~13% are smartphone‑only for internet. Home broadband subscriptions and average speeds have risen since 2019, driven by cable/fiber buildouts near the I‑20 corridor; rural areas remain more reliant on DSL/fixed wireless. Public anchors (schools, libraries) and carrier hotspots help fill gaps.
• Connectivity facts: Residential broadband is densest in Forest/Morton; coverage and adoption drop in outlying census blocks, consistent with the county’s low population density and dispersed housing.

Scott County, Mississippi — Mobile Phone Usage Summary (focus: county vs. statewide patterns)

Population context

• Population: 28,264 (2020 Census). Households: ~9,700–10,100 (ACS-based estimate).
• Socioeconomics: Median household income low-40Ks; poverty near one-in-four residents (both below Mississippi’s statewide medians), factors that correlate with heavier mobile-first internet reliance.
• Demographics (broad profile consistent with Census/ACS):
  • Age: ~25% under 18; ~15% 65+ (slightly younger profile than the state overall).
  • Race/ethnicity: Significant Black population and a notably large Hispanic/Latino community (approaching one in five residents), higher than the statewide Hispanic share. This mix tends to increase OTT messaging (e.g., WhatsApp) and international calling/texting behaviors.

User and household mobile adoption (estimates for 2023–2024, synthesized from ACS S2801 patterns, FCC availability data, and rural Mississippi benchmarks)

• Adult smartphone adoption: ~85–88% in Scott County vs. ~83–86% statewide. County is marginally more mobile-first despite lower incomes, reflecting limited wired options in parts of the county.
• Households with a cellular data plan (proxy for smartphone/hotspot service): ~70–75% in Scott vs. ~66–70% statewide.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no wired broadband): ~28–32% in Scott vs. ~22–26% statewide. This is the standout difference: Scott residents are meaningfully more likely than Mississippians overall to rely solely on mobile service for home internet.
• Any broadband subscription (wired, fixed wireless, or cellular): ~77–80% of households in Scott vs. ~80–84% statewide. The county’s broadband “coverage” rate is comparable, but composition skews more to cellular than wireline.
• Senior adoption: Smartphone uptake among 65+ lags the county average by ~20–25 percentage points, producing a pronounced intra-county digital divide where seniors on fixed incomes are more likely to maintain basic voice/text or shared data plans.

Usage patterns and plan mix (county tendencies vs. state)

• Heavier reliance on mobile hotspots and data add-ons for homework and shift work; hotspot use among households likely a few points higher than the state average.
• Greater prevalence of budget and prepaid plans than statewide, aligned with income and credit patterns; family/multiline discounts and bilingual customer support see above-average utilization.
• Messaging-heavy behavior (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger) is elevated relative to Mississippi overall due to the county’s Hispanic/Latino share and cross-border family networks.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is effectively countywide from national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) plus regional C Spire. Coverage is strongest in and around Forest and Morton and along the I‑20 corridor; patchier performance persists in low-density timber and agricultural areas.
• 5G footprint: Present along I‑20 and in primary population centers (Forest, Morton, Lake/Sebastopol areas) with lower land-area coverage elsewhere. Population coverage is materially lower than in Mississippi’s metro counties; many rural tracts remain 4G‑only.
• Performance profile:
  • Towns/corridor: Typical 5G median downloads ~50–150 Mbps; uploads ~8–25 Mbps.
  • Rural tracts: 4G downloads often ~5–25 Mbps; uploads ~2–8 Mbps, with occasional dead zones in the most sparsely populated areas.
• Backhaul and fiber: Interstate 20 hosts the main fiber routes, enabling denser 5G and better capacity near the corridor. Away from I‑20, more microwave backhaul segments persist, which constrains peak throughput and resilience.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable and fiber availability is concentrated in and near towns; many outlying areas rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite. This uneven wireline footprint is the primary driver of the county’s above-state mobile-only household rate.
• Public anchors: Schools, libraries, and public safety sites on fiber elevate local “islands” of capacity that indirectly improve nearby cellular performance where carriers leverage those routes for backhaul.

Key ways Scott County differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: Scott exceeds the state by roughly 5–8 percentage points in households that depend solely on cellular for home internet.
• More cellular data plan penetration: A larger share of households maintains cellular data plans (smartphone and/or hotspot) than the state average.
• Coverage asymmetry: Strong 5G on the I‑20 spine and in towns, but a faster drop-off to 4G in rural quadrants than is typical in metro counties; this widens the speed gap within the county.
• Demographic drivers: A younger working-age profile and a significantly larger Hispanic/Latino community shape plan selection (prepaid/multiline), app mix (OTT messaging), and international calling behaviors more than in the average Mississippi county.

Outlook (next 2–3 years)

• As BEAD/RDOF-funded fiber expands beyond the I‑20 corridor and towns, expect a gradual decline in mobile-only households, but from a higher starting point than the state.
• Carriers are likely to densify 5G mainly along the corridor and town centers first; rural tracts will benefit more slowly. In the interim, mobile hotspots will continue to bridge homework and telework needs, keeping cellular data consumption elevated relative to the statewide norm.

Social media usage in Scott County, Mississippi (2025 snapshot)

Audience size (definitive and estimated)

• Population: roughly 28,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2023 estimates)
• Adults (18+): ~21,000
• Estimated adult social media users: ~14,500–15,500 (applying Pew Research Center’s finding that about 7-in-10 U.S. adults use at least one social platform)

Most-used platforms (U.S. adult usage rates; best baseline for Scott County)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: 27%
• WhatsApp: 26%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22% Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024

Expected local rank and notes for Scott County

• Very high: Facebook, YouTube
  • Facebook likely over-indexes locally vs the national 68% due to rural and 35+ audiences; Groups and Marketplace are central.
  • YouTube is near-universal for music, how‑to, sports highlights, weather.
• Mid-tier: Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
  • Instagram strong with 18–34; Reels consumption rising across ages.
  • Pinterest skews female and performs well for recipes, home, crafts, events.
  • TikTok growing across 18–44; short local video performs.
• Niche/variable: Snapchat, WhatsApp, X, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • Snapchat concentrated among teens/young adults.
  • WhatsApp usage elevated among Hispanic residents and for family communications.
  • X (Twitter) and Reddit are smaller but active for sports, state news, storm tracking; LinkedIn lower in rural labor markets.

Age-group patterns (county implications)

• Teens/under-25: YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram; minimal Facebook posting but passive use for events.
• 25–44: Omnichannel; Instagram + Facebook core, TikTok for discovery; heavy use of Messenger/Stories/Reels.
• 45–64: Facebook is primary; YouTube for how‑to, church content, local sports; growing Reels/Shorts viewing.
• 65+: Facebook (Groups, events, Marketplace) and YouTube; simple, shareable posts perform best.

Gender breakdown (usage tendencies)

• Women: Heavier on Facebook and Pinterest; strong Instagram use; frequent engagement with community, school, church, food, health, and local retail content.
• Men: Heavier on YouTube, Reddit, and X; strong engagement with sports, automotive, outdoors, weather, and local news.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default across genders; WhatsApp more common in Spanish-speaking households.

Behavioral trends shaping performance

• Community first: Facebook Groups are the county’s “digital town squares” for announcements, lost-and-found, school sports, church events, and weather alerts.
• Marketplace-driven: Buy/sell/trade posts and local deals generate outsized reach on Facebook.
• Short-form video: Reels/Shorts/TikTok clips (15–45 seconds, captions-on, vertical) outperform static posts; local faces and recognizable places boost completion rates.
• Mobile-only usage: Many households are smartphone-first; keep file sizes small, text large, and links simple.
• Timing: Evenings (after 7 p.m.) and early mornings perform best; weekend mornings work well for events and retail.
• Language/access: A notable Hispanic community increases demand for bilingual (English/Spanish) posts and WhatsApp sharing.
• Weather and sports spikes: Severe-weather updates and high school sports produce reliable engagement surges.

How to translate the numbers into action locally

• Prioritize Facebook and YouTube for reach; use Instagram and TikTok for under‑40 engagement; add Pinterest for women-focused lifestyle content.
• Use Facebook Groups and short vertical video for discovery; cross-post Reels to Instagram and Facebook; clip longer YouTube videos into Shorts.
• Include clear, local cues (school names, landmarks, teams), practical info (dates, addresses, prices), and contact via Messenger/WhatsApp.
• Keep accessibility in mind: captions on, large text, and posts that work without sound.

Notes on methodology

• Platform percentages are from Pew Research Center’s “Social Media Use in 2024” (U.S. adults). Local user counts are derived by applying those adoption rates to Scott County’s estimated adult population to produce reasonable, county-scale estimates.