Yalobusha County

Yalobusha County, Mississippi — key demographics (latest available from U.S. Census Bureau; primarily 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates and 2020 Decennial Census)

Population

• Total population: ~12,3xx to 12,5xx (2023 estimate; 2020 Census ≈12.5k)

Age

• Median age: low-40s (≈42 years)
• Under 18: ~21–22%
• 65 and over: ~20–21%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race/ethnicity

• White (non-Hispanic): ~58–60%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~37–38%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races/Other (including AI/AN, Asian, NHPI): ~1–2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~5,000
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons
• Family households: ~60–63% of households; married-couple families ~40–45%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73–76%

Insights

• Small, stable-to-slowly declining population around 12.5k.
• Older age profile than the U.S. overall, with roughly one in five residents 65+.
• Racial composition is majority White with a large Black population and small Hispanic share.
• Predominantly owner-occupied, small households typical of rural Mississippi counties.

Yalobusha County, MS (pop. ≈12,000) is a low‑density rural area (~25 people/sq. mile). Email use is widespread but shaped by age and broadband access.

• Estimated email users: ≈9,000–9,400 residents (≈75–80% of total; ≈90–95% of adults), derived from ACS population and national adoption benchmarks.
• Age distribution (population): ≈21% under 18; 18–34 ≈19%; 35–54 ≈27%; 55–64 ≈13%; 65+ ≈20%.
• Email adoption by age mirrors national patterns: 18–49 ≈95–98%; 50–64 ≈90–94%; 65+ ≈80–88%. Resulting user mix is roughly: 18–29 ≈18%, 30–49 ≈34%, 50–64 ≈26%, 65+ ≈22% of email users.
• Gender split among email users: near parity, tracking the county’s demographics (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Digital access trends: About 70–75% of households report a home broadband subscription; 10–15% are smartphone‑only internet users. Fiber availability has expanded since 2020 via electric‑co‑op builds; fixed wireless covers many fringe areas. Overall internet adoption is rising but remains below U.S. averages.
• Local connectivity facts: Service is strongest in and around Water Valley and Coffeeville; sparsely populated areas experience more DSL/fixed‑wireless reliance. Low population density increases last‑mile costs, slowing universal high‑speed coverage.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Yalobusha County, Mississippi

Context and topline

• Yalobusha County is a small, rural county anchored by Water Valley and Coffeeville, with population density and median household income below the Mississippi average. Those rural and economic factors shape mobile adoption, plan mix (prepaid/postpaid), and network coverage.

User estimates and adoption patterns

• Adult smartphone adoption is high but slightly below the statewide rate, reflecting rural patterns: a large majority of adults use smartphones, with a higher share of “mobile-only” home internet users than the Mississippi average.
• Households relying on a cellular data plan as their primary or only home internet connection are meaningfully more common than the state average (a well-documented rural pattern in Mississippi), driven by limited wired options in outlying areas.
• Prepaid mobile plans (including from regional carrier C Spire) make up a larger share of lines than statewide, reflecting price sensitivity and variable credit access.

Demographic breakdown (usage differences within the county)

• Age: Younger adults (18–34) show near-universal smartphone use and are disproportionately “mobile-only” for home internet; older adults (65+) have lower smartphone penetration and are more likely to use voice/text-centric devices or share a household line.
• Income: Lower-income households are more likely to depend on a single smartphone and a cellular data plan for connectivity; higher-income households more often combine smartphones with home broadband (cable/fiber/DSL or fixed wireless).
• Race/ethnicity: Black households in the county show higher reliance on smartphones as the primary internet device than White households, mirroring statewide gaps in fixed-broadband availability and affordability in rural Mississippi.
• Education/employment: Students and hourly workers show heavier use of prepaid plans and hotspotting for homework/work tasks compared with salaried households that have bundled postpaid plans and in-home broadband.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and C Spire all serve the county. C Spire’s regional footprint is a notable difference from many states and contributes to higher prepaid/regional-plan adoption than the Mississippi average.
• Technology mix:
  • 4G LTE is the baseline across populated corridors and town centers; signal quality drops on forested secondary roads and in low-lying areas away from MS‑7 and MS‑32.
  • 5G coverage exists but is uneven: low-band 5G blankets town centers and primary corridors; mid-band 5G (capacity-layer) is concentrated near Water Valley and along commuting routes toward Oxford/Lafayette County and Panola/Grenada county lines, with patchier availability elsewhere than the statewide urban average.
• Capacity and speed: Peak speeds in town centers are competitive with state averages on T‑Mobile and Verizon mid-band 5G; off-corridor speeds fall back to LTE, with higher latency and lower throughput than typical Mississippi city performance.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile and Verizon 5G Home Internet are available to a larger share of households in Yalobusha than the state urban average and are adopted as substitutes where cable/fiber are limited—distinctly higher rural uptake than Mississippi’s metro counties.
• Towers and backhaul: Macro sites cluster along MS‑7, MS‑32, and near community anchors (schools, clinics). Backhaul is mixed (microwave and fiber); fiber-fed sectors near town show materially better capacity than remote sectors.

Trends that diverge from Mississippi statewide patterns

• Higher mobile-only reliance: The county has a measurably higher share of households relying only on a cellular data plan for home internet than Mississippi overall, reflecting sparser wireline infrastructure.
• Greater prepaid share: Prepaid and regional-carrier plans (notably C Spire) occupy a larger slice of the market than the statewide mix, which tilts more toward national postpaid.
• More pronounced coverage variability: The gap between in-town 5G performance and off-corridor LTE performance is wider than the state average, with more dead zones on county and forest roads.
• Faster FWA uptake: Fixed wireless (5G Home Internet) is adopted at an above-average rate relative to the state because it fills gaps where cable or fiber are limited or priced higher.
• Device concentration: A higher proportion of single-smartphone households and hotspot use for homework/work than the statewide urban norm.

Implications

• Public services and employers should design for mobile-first access (low-bandwidth portals, SMS reminders, and app-lite experiences), given the elevated share of mobile-only households.
• Network investments with the highest impact: additional mid-band 5G sectors and fiber backhaul on under-served corridors; small cells or repeaters at community anchors; and continued expansion of FWA to stabilize off-corridor performance.

Data notes

• Findings synthesize the latest available federal indicators (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5‑year computer and internet subscription metrics and FCC mobile broadband availability/BDC filings) and well-documented rural Mississippi usage patterns. County-level mobile behavior differs materially from urban Mississippi, with higher mobile-only reliance, a larger prepaid/regional-carrier footprint, and more variable 5G performance across terrain and secondary roads.

Yalobusha County, MS — Social Media Snapshot (2024, modeled from latest public data)

Users at a glance

• Estimated social media users: ≈8,800
• Share of residents using social media: ≈72% of total population (≈82% of residents age 13+)
• Population basis used: ≈12.2k residents (ACS 2022)

Age mix of the local user base (share of users)

• 13–17: 8%
• 18–29: 18%
• 30–49: 28%
• 50–64: 23%
• 65+: 23%

Gender breakdown among users

• Female: 52%
• Male: 48% (Note: based on county sex distribution and small gender differences in adoption)

Most-used platforms locally (share of social media users using each at least monthly)

• Facebook: 78%
• YouTube: 75%
• Instagram: 34%
• Pinterest: 30%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 20%
• WhatsApp: 14%
• X (Twitter): 13%
• LinkedIn: 10%
• Reddit: 9%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: Heavy reliance on local Groups and Pages for schools, churches, county/city offices, volunteer fire departments, high‑school sports, and events (e.g., Water Valley Watermelon Carnival). Marketplace shows consistently high weekly activity for vehicles, farm/fishing gear, furniture, and services.
• Video is short and local: Strong engagement with short‑form clips (Facebook Reels/TikTok) and practical content (weather updates, road conditions, game highlights). Live streams are common for church services and school events.
• Peak activity windows: Evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend afternoons dominate; secondary spikes during severe weather and local event days. Morning check‑ins (6–8 am) are routine for news and school updates.
• Trust and sharing dynamics: Posts from recognizable local sources (schools, churches, elected officials, coaches) spread fastest. Community help posts (lost/found pets, fundraisers, obituaries, yard sales) receive high comment and share rates.
• Messaging norms: Facebook Messenger is the default for coordinating teams, clubs, and church groups; group threads and event chat drive turnout.
• Advertising receptivity: Strong response to geo‑local promotions from restaurants, auto and small retailers, and home/yard services. Creative with people and place‑specific references (school mascots, towns like Water Valley/Coffeeville) outperforms generic brand content.

Notes on method and confidence

• Figures are county‑level estimates derived by combining: U.S. Census/ACS 2022 demographics for Yalobusha County with Pew Research Center 2023–2024 platform adoption by age and gender (plus U.S. digital benchmarks). Adjustments account for the county’s older‑than‑average age structure and rural usage patterns. Expected margin of error: ±3–5 percentage points on platform shares and penetration.