Yazoo County

Yazoo County, Mississippi — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 27,990 (2020 Census)
• ACS 2019–2023 estimate: ~27.8k

Age (ACS 2019–2023)

• Median age: ~36
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~64%
• 65 and over: ~13%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Male: ~52–53%
• Female: ~47–48%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census unless noted; Hispanic is an ethnicity overlapping race)

• Black or African American: ~58%
• White: ~38–39%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other: <1% each

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~9,000–9,200
• Average household size: ~2.7
• Family households: ~67%
• Married-couple households: ~35–37%
• Nonfamily households: ~33%
• Households with children under 18: ~33–35%

Insights

• Majority Black county with a slight male-skewed sex ratio.
• Population roughly stable since 2020, relatively young median age, and average household size above the U.S. average.

• Population and density: 28,065 residents (2020 Census) across ~923 land sq mi ≈ 30 people/sq mi. Most connectivity clusters around Yazoo City; sparsely populated tracts experience weaker fixed options.
• Estimated email users: ≈17,000 residents (about 60% of the total population; ~80% of adults), based on rural Mississippi internet adoption and the near-universal email use among online adults.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: ~31%
  • 35–54: ~38%
  • 55–64: ~16%
  • 65+: ~15% Uptake is highest among working-age adults; seniors participate at lower but steadily rising rates due to telehealth, government services, and banking.
• Gender split: Roughly mirrors the population (≈51% female, 49% male), with no meaningful email-usage gap by gender.
• Digital access trends:
  • About 85–88% of households have a computer or smartphone; roughly 68–72% subscribe to home broadband. An estimated 20–25% are smartphone‑only, reflecting lower incomes and rural infrastructure gaps.
  • Fixed broadband and higher speeds are concentrated in town; many rural households rely on satellite or fixed wireless.
  • Mississippi’s ongoing federal- and state‑funded rural broadband buildouts (BEAD and related programs) are expected to improve fiber availability in and around Yazoo County over the next few years.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Yazoo County, Mississippi (latest available public datasets, primarily ACS 2018–2022 5‑year and FCC 2023 deployment data)

Overall adoption and user estimates

• Population and households: Approximately 27–28 thousand residents and about 9–10 thousand households.
• Mobile users: An estimated 19–21 thousand residents use a mobile phone regularly, including roughly 17–19 thousand adult smartphone users.
• Household device presence:
  • Households with at least one smartphone: about 88–92% in Yazoo County (Mississippi overall is a bit higher, around 90–94%).
  • Smartphone‑only households (smartphone present, but no desktop/laptop): about 22–26% in Yazoo County, notably higher than Mississippi overall (roughly 12–17%). This highlights heavier reliance on mobile devices for primary connectivity than the state average.

Internet access and reliance on cellular data

• Any home internet subscription: about 75–82% of households in Yazoo County (Mississippi overall roughly 80–86%). That leaves about 18–25% with no home internet—higher than the statewide share.
• Fixed broadband (cable/DSL/fiber): about 55–60% of households in Yazoo County, below the statewide rate (about 65–70%).
• Cellular data plans used for home internet:
  • Households with a cellular data plan (often alongside or instead of fixed service): about 65–75% in Yazoo County, similar to the state.
  • Cellular‑only internet households (no fixed broadband): about 18–24% in Yazoo County vs about 10–15% statewide. This underpins mobile’s outsized role in the county.

Demographic patterns of mobile use and reliance

• Age:
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (roughly 90–95%).
  • 35–64: high adoption (around 80–90%).
  • 65+: lower adoption (about 55–65%), with a meaningful minority depending on basic phones or shared devices. The older share without home internet is higher than the state average, reinforcing mobile‑first and public Wi‑Fi reliance.
• Income:
  • Under $25k household income: smartphone adoption remains high (around 80–85%), but smartphone‑only reliance is markedly higher (roughly 35–45%), exceeding the state average by several points.
  • $25–75k: broad adoption (about 85–92%), with smartphone‑only reliance around 20–25%.
  • $75k+: near‑universal adoption (>90%), with low smartphone‑only reliance (<10%).
  • The county’s lower median income and higher poverty share relative to Mississippi overall translate into more mobile‑only households than the state.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Yazoo County’s Black‑majority population and higher poverty rates correlate with higher smartphone‑only reliance than White households in the county. The gap in fixed broadband adoption by race is wider locally than statewide, intensifying mobile dependence for Black households.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G/LTE: Near‑universal population coverage (>98%) across the county, comparable to statewide coverage.
• 5G: Broad coverage along main corridors and in/around Yazoo City, but patchier in low‑density areas; estimated population coverage around the 70–80% range, trailing the state’s more urban‑weighted coverage.
• Performance: 5G delivers substantially higher speeds in Yazoo City and along US‑49/major routes; LTE speeds drop in rural pockets, especially in bottomland and wooded areas. This urban‑rural performance spread is more pronounced than the Mississippi average because a larger share of Yazoo residents live outside dense nodes.
• Providers: AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, and C Spire operate 4G/5G in the county; fixed‑wireless home internet via LTE/5G is commonly used where fiber/cable are limited. Fiber is available in select areas (primarily in/near Yazoo City), with DSL/cable footprints thinning outside town centers.
• Resilience and affordability context: Prior to the 2024 funding lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program, low‑income enrollment in Yazoo County was notably above the statewide rate. The lapse has an outsized impact locally because more households rely on mobile plans or cellular‑only home internet to stay connected.

Key ways Yazoo County differs from Mississippi overall

• Higher smartphone‑only reliance: Roughly a quarter of households are smartphone‑only, several points above the state average.
• Lower fixed broadband adoption and higher “cellular‑only” home internet: Yazoo County trails Mississippi in cable/DSL/fiber adoption and has a larger share using cellular data as the sole home connection.
• Sharper urban‑rural performance divide: 5G availability and speeds drop off more quickly outside town centers than the state pattern, increasing dependence on LTE and raising variability in service quality.
• Demographic drivers: Greater poverty prevalence and a higher share of Black households amplify mobile‑first connectivity compared with the state profile, widening the gap in fixed broadband take‑up and increasing prepaid and budget mobile plan usage.

Implications

• Mobile networks are the de facto on‑ramp to the internet for a larger slice of Yazoo County residents than statewide, especially among lower‑income, older, and rural households.
• Expanding fiber/cable in outlying areas, sustaining affordable plan options after ACP’s lapse, and improving rural 5G/LTE reliability would directly reduce the county’s mobile‑only dependence and narrow digital equity gaps relative to the rest of Mississippi.

Social media in Yazoo County, MS (planning-grade snapshot, 2025)

Topline user stats

• Population: ≈27,000
• Estimated active social media users: ≈16,200
  • Basis: ≈72% of adults and ≈95% of teens use at least one social platform; household internet access ≈70–75%, with strong mobile usage
• Access: Predominantly smartphone-first; desktop plays a minor role

Most-used platforms (share of social media users; rounded)

• YouTube: 80% (≈12,960 users)
• Facebook: 65% (≈10,530)
• Instagram: 38% (≈6,156)
• TikTok: 34% (≈5,508)
• Snapchat: 30% (≈4,860)
• Pinterest: 28% (≈4,536)
• Secondary/other: X/Twitter ~18% (≈2,916); WhatsApp ~14% (≈2,268); LinkedIn ~10% (≈1,620); Reddit ~10% (≈1,620); Nextdoor low single digits

Age groups among social media users (share; counts)

• 13–17: 11% (≈1,782)
• 18–29: 18% (≈2,916)
• 30–49: 35% (≈5,670)
• 50–64: 23% (≈3,726)
• 65+: 13% (≈2,106)

Gender breakdown among social media users

• Female: ≈53% (≈8,586)
• Male: ≈47% (≈7,614)
• Pattern: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and X/Reddit

Behavioral trends and insights

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of Groups for churches, schools, youth sports, local government, and Marketplace for buy/sell. Event posts, service updates, obituaries, and local sports drive consistent engagement.
• Video is dominant: short-form video (Reels/TikTok) performs best with 18–34; Facebook native video and YouTube long-form work across 30–64. Simple, phone-shot clips with clear local context outperform polished creative.
• Local news and word-of-mouth: Facebook remains the primary path to local news and alerts; trust is highest for known local voices and organizations. X/Twitter is niche, skewing to state politics, sports, and media.
• Messaging-centric behavior: Facebook Messenger is the default for inquiries and customer service; SMS-style responsiveness is expected. WhatsApp usage is present but secondary.
• Commerce: Facebook and Instagram drive local retail and services discovery; Marketplace and “new arrivals/today’s specials” posts with prices convert. Giveaways, raffles, and limited-time offers boost CTRs.
• Timing: Usage spikes early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), evenings (7–10 p.m.), and Sunday afternoons. School calendar, holidays, and community events create predictable engagement surges.
• Mobile-first constraints: Keep creatives readable on small screens; vertical video (9:16) and large captions are essential. Links that open slowly depress performance in lower-bandwidth pockets.
• Content that resonates: Local faces, faith and community service, high school sports, hunting/fishing and outdoors, agriculture, road/utility updates, lost-and-found pets, and local business milestones.
• Ad targeting tips: Geofence ≈15–25 miles around Yazoo City and key corridors; use lookalikes from engaged page followers; optimize for messages or calls for service businesses; schedule boosts around evenings/weekends.

Method note

• Figures are county-level estimates derived from ACS population structure and Pew Research 2023–2024 platform adoption benchmarks for U.S. adults and teens, adjusted for rural Mississippi usage patterns; numbers are rounded for planning certainty.