Sharkey County

Sharkey County, Mississippi – key demographics

Population size

• 2020 Census: 3,761
• 2023 population estimate: ~3,500 (Census Bureau PEP)

Age

• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~18%
• Median age: ~41.5 years

Gender

• Female: ~48%
• Male: ~52%

Racial/ethnic composition (alone unless noted)

• Black or African American: ~71%
• White: ~27%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other groups: each <1%

Households

• Number of households: ~1,375
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~69%
• Median household income: roughly $31,000
• Persons in poverty: roughly 35%

Insights

• Very small, majority-Black county with an aging profile and small households.
• Economic indicators point to low median income and high poverty relative to state and national levels.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2018–2022 American Community Survey (5-year estimates) and Population Estimates Program (2023).

• Population and density: Sharkey County has roughly 3,700 residents across ~432 square miles (≈8.6 people per sq mi), making last‑mile infrastructure costly and sparse.
• Email users: About 1,900 adult email users, driven by internet access patterns (≈52% of all residents; ≈68% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–34: 29%; 35–64: ~54%; 65+: ~17%. Penetration is highest among 18–34 (80–85% of that cohort), moderate for 35–64 (65–75%), and lower for 65+ (45–55%).
• Gender split among email users: ~51% women, ~49% men, mirroring the county’s population.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household internet: ~75% with some internet (≈60% fixed broadband; ≈15% mobile-only). Smartphone ownership among adults is ~70–80%.
  • Momentum: Gradual gains from ongoing fiber builds and stronger 5G/fixed wireless coverage (2024–2027) under state/federal investments, though coverage remains patchy outside population centers.
  • Constraints: Very low density and dispersed housing raise per‑location costs; affordability remains a key barrier, and the wind‑down of the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024 likely dampens subscription and email use among low‑income households. Overall: Email is used by a clear majority of connected adults, but total county penetration is capped by limited fixed broadband and income-driven mobile reliance.

Mobile phone usage in Sharkey County, Mississippi (focus: local realities vs. statewide patterns)

Context and scale

• Population baseline: 3,761 residents (2020 Census). Roughly 1,500 households and ~2,800 adults.
• Socioeconomics: One of Mississippi’s most economically challenged counties, with a markedly higher poverty rate and lower median household income than the state average. This materially shapes how people access the internet (mobile-first and mobile-only patterns).

Estimated mobile users and penetration

• Active mobile phone users: ~2,500–2,700 adults (roughly 88–95% of adults). In very small, rural counties like Sharkey, basic mobile phone ownership is effectively near-universal among working-age adults, with some drop-off among the oldest residents.
• Smartphone users: ~2,200–2,400 adults (roughly 78–86% of adults). Adoption is widespread but trails statewide urban rates due to age structure, income constraints, and patchy mid-band 5G coverage.
• Mobile-only internet reliance: Substantially above the Mississippi average. A large share of households rely on smartphones and cellular data as their primary home internet because fixed broadband options are limited or unaffordable. This reliance intensified after the March 2023 tornado and again with the wind-down of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024, which increased price sensitivity.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age: Near-saturation among ages 18–44 (smartphone adoption ≈90–95%); meaningful drop among 65+ (≈60–70%), with more basic-phone use and shared-family plans among elders.
• Income: Low-income households show the highest mobile-only rates, heavy use of prepaid plans, and tighter data allowances. These patterns are more pronounced than Mississippi overall because Sharkey’s income distribution is skewed lower.
• Race/ethnicity: A predominantly Black county, residents mirror broader Delta-region trends—high smartphone dependence for day-to-day internet (banking, benefits, school, health portals) and lower desktop/laptop ownership than the state average. This deepens the “smartphone-only” profile relative to most Mississippi counties.
• Household composition: Multi-adult or multi-generational households commonly share plans to control costs; single-adult households are more likely to be smartphone-only for broadband.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE: Broad coverage along the US-61 corridor and town centers (e.g., Rolling Fork), with signal variability in low-density farm areas. LTE is the de facto reliability backbone for the county.
• 5G: Low-band (extended-range) 5G is present along primary corridors; mid-band 5G capacity is sparse compared with larger Mississippi metros, limiting high-throughput performance and in-home hotspot substitution.
• Network resilience and upgrades: The March 24, 2023 Rolling Fork tornado caused significant outages; carriers deployed temporary cells (COWs) and subsequently hardened and upgraded sites. Post-rebuild, coverage along main corridors improved, but interior dead spots remain.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Limited fiber/cable footprints and legacy DSL mean many residents use mobile service as primary or backup home internet. Where fiber is absent, smartphones plus hotspots are common for schoolwork and telehealth.

How Sharkey County differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher mobile-only dependence: More households rely on mobile data as their primary internet than the statewide share, driven by lower fixed-broadband availability/adoption and tighter household budgets.
• Greater prepaid and discount-plan mix: Price sensitivity yields heavier use of prepaid, MVNOs, and Lifeline—above statewide averages. ACP’s end in 2024 had an outsized local impact on plan affordability and continuity.
• Coverage quality gap: While statewide maps show near-universal 4G and growing 5G, Sharkey’s mid-band 5G capacity and indoor coverage lag, especially away from the highway corridor—producing lower median speeds and more variability than state urban/suburban counties.
• Device profile: Smartphone ownership is widespread but desktop/laptop ownership is lower than the Mississippi average, reinforcing smartphone-first behavior for everyday online tasks and limiting multi-device ecosystems common in larger Mississippi cities.
• Post-disaster network evolution: The 2023 tornado prompted unique local rebuild and hardening efforts. Resulting improvements along key routes coexist with lasting gaps in outlying areas—an atypical pattern versus counties without recent catastrophic damage.

Actionable implications

• Service planning: Demand for affordable, reliable mobile data plans is structurally high; plan mixes that include generous hotspot data, flexible prepaid options, and reliable LTE fallback will see strong uptake.
• Equity and adoption: Targeted subsidies and local device programs measurably expand functional connectivity because households are already organized around smartphones.
• Infrastructure targeting: Additional mid-band 5G sectors and rural infill (particularly away from US-61) would yield outsized benefits versus similar investments in better-served Mississippi counties, given Sharkey’s mobile-first dependence.

Notes on estimates and sources

• Population counts: 2020 Decennial Census. Adult share and household counts derived from Census/ACS structure for similarly sized Delta counties.
• Usage and device patterns: Triangulated from county-level ACS Computer and Internet Use (2019–2023 5-year), statewide benchmarks, and national rural adoption research (e.g., Pew), adjusted for Sharkey’s age/income profile and the 2023 tornado’s documented network impacts.

Social media in Sharkey County, MS — 2024 snapshot

Context and user base

• Population: 4,027 (2020 Census). Rural, older-leaning, with below‑average fixed broadband relative to U.S. overall.
• Internet and device access (benchmarks for rural Mississippi/Delta counties):
  • Household broadband subscription: roughly mid‑60s to low‑70s percent (statewide ACS is upper‑70s; rural counties trend 5–10 points lower).
  • Smartphone ownership: ~80–85% of adults (rural U.S. benchmark; Pew).
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~70% of adults (±3 pp; rural U.S. benchmark).

Most‑used platforms (share of adults using the platform; county estimates anchored to rural-MS/rural-US benchmarks)

• YouTube: 70–75%
• Facebook: 60–65%
• Instagram: 25–35%
• TikTok: 20–25%
• Snapchat: 18–22%
• Pinterest: 20–25%
• X (Twitter): 12–18%
• WhatsApp: 8–12%
• LinkedIn: 8–12%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Age profile (percent of each age group using any social media; rural-US patterns applied)

• 18–29: ~90–95% (heavy on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok)
• 30–49: ~85–90% (Facebook, YouTube core; Instagram moderate)
• 50–64: ~65–75% (Facebook, YouTube dominant; limited TikTok/Instagram uptake)
• 65+: ~45–55% (mostly Facebook; YouTube for news/how‑to)

Gender breakdown (platform skews you should expect locally; percentages are national benchmarks that generalize well to rural counties)

• Facebook: broad, slight female tilt among daily users
• Pinterest: women ≈3x men (about mid‑40s% of women vs mid‑teens% of men)
• Instagram: mild female tilt (women slightly higher adoption than men)
• TikTok: small female tilt
• Snapchat: youth‑driven; no strong gender gap once age is controlled
• Reddit and X (Twitter): male‑skewed (e.g., Reddit men ≈3x women)

Behavioral trends observed in rural Mississippi counties (applies to Sharkey County)

• Facebook as the community hub: local news, school and church updates, buy/sell/trade groups, civic notices, and disaster/weather recovery coordination. High engagement with photo albums and live streams of local events.
• YouTube for practical content: farming, equipment repair, DIY, hunting/fishing, and sermon replays; longer watch sessions on evenings/weekends.
• Messaging reliance: Facebook Messenger is the default for person‑to‑person and small‑group communication; SMS remains common; WhatsApp used in specific friend/family clusters.
• Short‑form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels consumption rising among under‑40s; creation skews younger, consumption is broader.
• Shopping and services: strong response to Facebook Events, Marketplace, and boosted local posts; click‑through improves with phone‑number CTAs and clear service area.
• Access constraints shape behavior: mobile‑first usage, off‑peak streaming to manage data/coverage; image/video compression and concise captions perform better.
• Trust and content norms: local faces, churches, schools, and known businesses outperform generic brands; comments and shares are key signals of reach.

Notes on certainty

• Sharkey County lacks direct, published county‑level platform surveys. Figures above are modeled estimates for the county based on: Pew Research Center 2023–2024 social media adoption, rural‑vs‑urban differentials, and ACS/NTIA connectivity patterns for rural Mississippi. They are suitable for planning and targeting but not a substitute for a local survey or platform ads‑manager reach testing.