Sunflower County

Sunflower County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 25,971 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~36 years (ACS 5-year, latest available)
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~14–15%

Gender

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47% (Note: Male share is elevated due to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.)

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total population)

• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~73%
• White (non-Hispanic): ~24%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%
• Other races (incl. Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, two or more races): ~1–2%

Households

• Number of households: ~8,500–8,700 (ACS 5-year, latest available)
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Household type: roughly two-thirds family households; about one-third nonfamily households
• Homeownership rate: roughly low-60% range

Insights

• The county is majority Black with a small but growing Hispanic population.
• Population has declined from 2010 levels and skews slightly younger-than-national but with a sizable senior share.
• Household structure is weighted toward family households with moderate household sizes; tenure is predominantly owner-occupied for a rural Delta county.

Sunflower County, MS (2020 pop. 25,971; ~37 residents/sq. mile) is a rural Delta county with below‑average fixed broadband adoption.

Estimated email users: ~18,700 residents (≈72% of total). Basis: adult internet use ≈75–80% locally and email use among connected adults ≈90%+.

Age distribution of email users (share of users; count):

• 13–17: 11% (2,000)
• 18–34: 31% (5,800)
• 35–64: 44% (8,100)
• 65+: 14% (2,800)

Gender split: Population skews male due to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman; overall population ≈54% male/46% female. Among active email users (household population), usage is ~52% male/48% female.

Digital access trends:

• Households with a computer: ~80–83%
• Households with a broadband subscription: ~60–63%
• Smartphone‑only internet households: ~18–22%
• Home broadband adoption has risen ~5 percentage points since 2019; mobile email is prevalent.
• Connectivity is densest along the US‑82/US‑49W corridors (Indianola and towns on those routes), with more fiber and cable options; many outlying areas rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular data.
• A meaningful share of households (~20%) remain offline at home, reflecting affordability and infrastructure gaps typical of the Delta.

Mobile phone usage in Sunflower County, MS — 2022–2024 profile

High-level user estimates

• Population and users: ≈25,000 residents; ≈19,000 adults. Adult smartphone adoption is roughly 82–85%, yielding an estimated 15,500–16,000 adult smartphone users.
• Household device access (ACS S2801, 2018–2022 5-year):
  • Households with a smartphone: 83–86% in Sunflower County, slightly below the Mississippi average (87–89%).
  • Households with a cellular data plan: ~72–75% (MS: ~76–79%).
  • Cellular-only internet households (no fixed subscription): ~23–28% (MS: ~16–20%).
  • Households with no internet subscription: ~23–27% (MS: ~17–20%).
  • Households with a computer (desktop/laptop): ~60–65% (MS: ~67–72%).
  • Smartphone-only households (no desktop/laptop): ~20–25% (MS: ~15–18%).

Demographic breakdown (directional differences vs state)

• Age:
  • 18–34: smartphone penetration near-universal (~93–96%), on par with or slightly below statewide.
  • 35–64: strong adoption (~85–90%), but a higher share rely on mobile-only data than statewide.
  • 65+: smartphone adoption 68–72%, below the state average (75–78%), with above-average cellular-only reliance.
• Income:
  • < $35k households: mobile-only internet ~28–33% (MS: ~20–25%).
  • $35k–$75k: mobile-only ~17–22% (MS: ~12–16%).
  • ≥ $75k: mobile-only ~8–12% (MS: ~7–10%).
• Race/ethnicity (reflecting a majority-Black county population):
  • Black households show smartphone ownership comparable to or slightly above white households, but lower fixed broadband adoption. Mobile-only reliance among Black households is notably higher (25–30%) than among white households (13–17%), widening the mobile-dependence gap compared with the statewide pattern.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Mobile network availability (FCC mobile coverage data through 2023 and carrier public footprints):
  • 4G LTE: essentially complete outdoor coverage in populated corridors (Indianola, Ruleville, Moorhead, Sunflower) and along US-82/US-49W; patchier coverage persists on low-density farm roads and near waterways.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G from major carriers is present along primary corridors and towns; mid-band 5G coverage is limited compared with Mississippi’s metro and suburban counties, leading to lower median 5G speeds.
  • Typical performance: LTE/low-band 5G downlink ~25–100 Mbps in town centers, often <10–25 Mbps at rural edges; uplink commonly 3–15 Mbps, with greater variability indoors due to building penetration.
• Fixed broadband availability (FCC Broadband Map 2023 and provider footprints):
  • Cable/DSL is available in population centers; fiber is present in pockets (institutions and select neighborhoods) but remains well below the statewide fiber availability share. Countywide fiber serviceability is materially lower than Mississippi’s average.
  • The combination of limited fiber reach and legacy DSL in outlying areas correlates with higher cellular-only adoption.
• Affordability and subsidy dynamics:
  • Sunflower County’s eligibility and enrollment for affordability programs (Lifeline and the now-paused ACP) have been above the state average. The 2024 ACP wind-down has increased cost pressure and likely reinforced mobile-only reliance more than in the state overall.

Trends that differ from the Mississippi state-level picture

• Higher mobile dependence: A markedly larger share of households rely solely on cellular data, with fewer maintaining a fixed broadband subscription.
• Lower fixed infrastructure penetration: Fiber availability and adoption are appreciably below the state average, and more households lack any internet subscription.
• Coverage quality gap outside towns: While LTE is broadly available, rural-edge speeds and indoor reliability lag state averages because mid-band 5G density is lower and many homes are served by wide-area, low-band cells.
• Device mix skew: A greater share of smartphone-only households (no desktop/laptop) than statewide, which shapes usage toward mobile apps and hotspotting rather than PC-based or multi-device workflows.
• Income-linked usage: The county shows a steeper gradient of mobile-only reliance by income than Mississippi overall, amplifying affordability effects on network choice and usage patterns.

Key takeaways

• Smartphone access is common, but Sunflower County’s internet experience is more mobile-first than the state average due to lower fixed broadband availability and affordability constraints.
• Gaps in mid-band 5G coverage and limited fiber reach keep median speeds and reliability below statewide norms, especially outside core towns.
• Policy and subsidy shifts (e.g., ACP funding pause) have outsized impacts locally, increasing mobile-only dependence and narrowing options for higher-capacity home connectivity.

Sunflower County, MS — social media snapshot (best-available, locally tuned estimates)

Population base

• Residents: 25,971 (2020 Census); ~24,8k (2023 estimate)
• Internet access: roughly two-thirds of households have a broadband subscription (ACS 2023), with many mobile-only users
• Notable local factor: the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman) skews the adult population more male than average; general-use social media patterns below refer to community residents rather than incarcerated populations

Overall social media reach

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~75–80% of adults (modeled from Pew Research Center 2024 rates, adjusted for rural MS), equivalent to roughly 14–16k adult users in the county
• Daily users among adult users: ~70%+ use at least one platform daily (largely YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)

Most-used platforms (share of adult social-media users in the county)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 33–38%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• X (Twitter): 18–22%
• WhatsApp: 20–25%
• LinkedIn: 12–16% Note: Facebook remains disproportionately strong in rural Mississippi; TikTok and YouTube lead video viewing.

Age breakdown (adoption patterns among residents)

• 13–17: 90%+ on at least one platform; heavy TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; minimal Facebook posting
• 18–29: 95%+ on social; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok dominant; Snapchat common; X moderate
• 30–49: ~85–90% on social; YouTube and Facebook highest; Instagram rising; TikTok moderate; Marketplace usage high
• 50–64: ~75–80% on social; Facebook and YouTube dominant; Pinterest notable; TikTok/Instagram growing but lower
• 65+: ~50–60% on social; primarily Facebook and YouTube; group/Church/school pages central to use

Gender breakdown (share among local social users)

• Women: slightly higher on Facebook and Pinterest; strong use of groups, Marketplace, and private sharing; Instagram stronger than X
• Men: slightly higher on YouTube, X, and Reddit-style forums; sports, farming/outdoors, local news content higher-engagement Overall user mix in Sunflower likely leans male vs. national average due to local demographics, but platform-specific skews above still apply.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first usage: high engagement with church, school athletics, civic and neighborhood groups on Facebook; Marketplace is a daily habit for buy/sell/trade
• Video-first consumption: short-form (YouTube Shorts/TikTok) is the fastest-growing format; how-to, farming/DIY, automotive, hunting/fishing, and local food content over-index
• Private-by-default sharing: heavy use of Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram DMs for event planning, family updates, and local alerts; lower propensity to post publicly vs. to share privately
• News and weather: local TV pages and sheriffs/municipal pages see spikes during severe weather, road closures, and crime updates; evenings and weekend mornings are peak engagement
• Youth patterns: Snapchat streaks and group chats drive daily opens; TikTok discovery flows into Instagram for DMs and saves; Facebook mainly for event info from schools/teams
• Employment and commerce: LinkedIn usage is comparatively low; Facebook groups and pages act as “digital bulletin boards” for jobs, services, and small-business promos

Method note and sources

• Platform percentages and age/gender patterns are modeled from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2024, applied to Sunflower County’s rural context and ACS 2023 internet access patterns; counts are rounded estimates
• Population and access context: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial; 2023 Vintage estimates), ACS 2023 S2801 (Computer and Internet Use)