Duplin County

Population

• Total population: ~48.5–49k (2023 estimate); 2020 Census: ~50k

Age

• Under 18: ~23–24%
• 65 and over: ~18–19%
• Median age: ~40 years

Gender

• Female: ~49–50%
• Male: ~50–51%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~58–60%
• Black or African American alone: ~25–27%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~22–25%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~52–55%

Households

• Number of households: ~19k
• Average persons per household: ~2.7–2.8
• Housing units: ~22–24k
• Homeownership rate: roughly two-thirds

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year; QuickFacts 2023 population estimate).

Duplin County, NC snapshot (estimates)

• Population and density: ~49–51k residents; about 60 people per square mile (largely rural).
• Internet access: About 70–75% of households report a broadband subscription; roughly 85–90% have a computer or smartphone (ACS-based rural NC benchmarks). Mobile-only internet is common in lower-density areas.
• Estimated email users: 30k–35k adult residents likely use email; adding teens (school accounts) raises total several thousand more.
• Age pattern:
  • 18–34: very high email use (≈95%+ among connected).
  • 35–64: high (≈90%+).
  • 65+: lower (≈70–80%), with gaps wider where home broadband is absent.
• Gender split: Roughly even; small differences tend to reflect age, income, and occupation more than gender.
• Digital access trends: Gradual gains from ongoing state/federal investments (e.g., NC GREAT grants, BEAD) and new fiber builds; remaining pockets lack reliable fixed broadband. Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, municipal sites) and smartphone data help bridge gaps.
• Local connectivity context: Service is strongest in/near towns like Kenansville, Warsaw, and Beulaville, with weaker options in remote farmland where long last‑mile runs make buildouts costly. Cellular coverage is generally better along main corridors than in sparsely populated areas.

Below is a practical, decision-ready snapshot of mobile phone usage in Duplin County, NC. Figures are best-guess ranges synthesized from recent statewide/rural trends and Duplin’s demographics and infrastructure; they are intended as planning estimates, not point counts.

Top-line estimates for Duplin County

• Population context: roughly 48–52k residents; ~38–41k adults (18+).
• Smartphone users: 30–35k adults (about 80–85% adoption). This trails urban NC and is close to, or slightly below, the statewide average due to older age mix and lower incomes.
• Active mobile lines: 45–60k total lines (includes teens, second lines, hotspots, ag/enterprise devices).
• Mobile-only home internet households: 22–30% of households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet (statewide is closer to mid–teens to low–20s). This is one of the clearest differences from the North Carolina average.
• Prepaid share: materially higher than the NC average, likely 5–10 percentage points above metro counties (cost sensitivity, credit constraints, seasonal workforce).

Demographic usage patterns (how Duplin differs from NC overall)

• Age:
  • 18–34: Near-universal smartphone use; heavy app/social messaging (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger). Similar to state.
  • 35–64: High adoption; above-average reliance on family plans and hotspot/tethering for home connectivity.
  • 65+: Lower smartphone adoption than state (estimated 60–70%, roughly 5–10 points below NC overall). More basic phones remain in circulation; upgrade cycles longer.
• Income and education:
  • Lower median income drives higher prepaid adoption, Android share, and device life >3 years. Mobile-only internet is significantly more common than statewide.
• Race/ethnicity and language:
  • A large Hispanic/Latino community (well above the NC average) increases use of cross-border messaging (WhatsApp) and Spanish-language customer support/plan options. Family/group plans and shared data are more prevalent. This segment contributes to seasonal swings in subscriber counts during agricultural peaks.
• Household composition:
  • Multi-line households (smartphones plus hotspots/CPE for homework and work) are more common than in suburban/urban NC due to limited wired broadband options outside towns.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes (local realities vs. statewide)

• Coverage pattern:
  • All three national carriers serve the county; dependable coverage clusters along I-40 and primary corridors (e.g., Wallace, Warsaw, Beulaville, Kenansville). Away from highways and town centers, signal quality and indoor penetration drop more than is typical in metro NC.
• 5G specifics:
  • Low-band 5G is broadly present; mid-band 5G capacity (the main driver of faster speeds) is concentrated near towns and along I-40. Expect lower median 5G speeds and more variability than the NC metro average due to band mix and sparser backhaul.
  • mmWave 5G is effectively absent (typical for rural NC), unlike select urban NC hotspots.
• Backhaul and capacity:
  • Some towers rely on microwave or limited fiber backhaul, making peak-time congestion more pronounced than statewide urban areas. Performance can dip during evening hours and during school-year peaks.
• Wireline context (why mobile substitution is high):
  • Cable/fiber availability is good in a few municipalities but drops quickly in rural areas. DSL/legacy copper remain in pockets with limited performance. This gap drives higher uptake of mobile hotspots and fixed wireless access (FWA).
• Fixed wireless options:
  • 4G/5G home internet (FWA) is available around the larger towns and corridors; it offloads some households from pure handset tethering but remains patchy in farmlands—again, a wider urban-rural gap than NC’s average.
• Public and anchor connectivity:
  • Libraries, schools, and clinics in towns serve as Wi‑Fi offload hubs more than in metro NC. Healthcare and public safety facilities are fiber‑anchored, but last‑mile rural residents still lean on cellular.
• Resilience:
  • Storm/hurricane risk is higher than the NC average inland; temporary cellular outages and backhaul cuts have outsized impact where there’s no wired redundancy. Generators and COWs/COLTs may be needed post-storm.

Behavioral and device trends distinct from NC average

• Higher mobile-only households and hotspot use for homework, telehealth, and small-business tasks.
• Longer device replacement cycles; budget Android handsets more common; accessory purchases (signal boosters, high‑gain antennas for FWA CPE) used to compensate for weak indoor coverage in metal-roof homes and farm structures.
• Seasonal spikes in activations and data consumption linked to agriculture workforce cycles—less visible in most NC metros.
• Customer service and plan selection skew toward value/prepaid and Spanish-language offerings.

What this means for planning and outreach

• Network investment that adds mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul to non-corridor sites will yield outsized gains versus the NC average.
• Digital inclusion efforts should prioritize device literacy for 65+ residents and affordable unlimited/prepaid plans with hotspot data for students and farm households.
• Emergency preparedness should emphasize multi-carrier redundancy and community Wi‑Fi hubs due to higher storm vulnerability and sparse wired alternatives.

Data notes and confidence

• Figures are expressed as ranges to avoid false precision. They reflect rural NC patterns, ACS/Pew-style adoption baselines, and Duplin’s known demographics and geography. For programmatic use, validate against the latest ACS 1‑year county tables (internet subscription by type), FCC Broadband and MCM coverage maps, and carrier FWA availability checkers.

Below is a concise, county-specific snapshot built from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media patterns, rural-vs-urban differentials, and Duplin County’s age/gender profile (ACS). Exact platform counts aren’t published at the county level, so treat figures as best-fit estimates.

Quick user stats (Duplin County, NC)

• Population: ~50,000 residents; largely rural; sizable Hispanic/Latino community.
• Internet/smartphone access: Majority mobile-first; home broadband is common but patchy in some areas.
• Estimated social media users (age 13+): 28,000–32,000 (roughly 70–75% penetration of 13+).
• Gender (overall user base): ~51–52% women, ~48–49% men (mirrors county population).

Most‑used platforms (share of 13+ using each, est.)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 20–25% overall; 70–80% among teens
• Pinterest: 20–25% (skews female)
• WhatsApp: 15–20% overall; higher among Hispanic/Latino residents (35–45%)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (concentrated 25–44, college-educated)
• X/Twitter: 8–12%
• Nextdoor: 1–3%

Age-group patterns (est. penetration and top platforms)

• Teens (13–17): 90–95%+ use at least one platform. Top: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube; Instagram strong; Facebook limited.
• 18–24: ~90%+. Top: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube; Snapchat common; Facebook moderate.
• 25–34: 85–90%. Top: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube; TikTok growing.
• 35–54: 75–80%. Top: Facebook, YouTube; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising from a lower base.
• 55+: 55–65%. Top: Facebook and YouTube; some WhatsApp/Messenger; TikTok adoption growing but still modest.

Gender notes by platform (directional)

• Facebook: slight female lean (≈53/47).
• Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest: female-leaning (Pinterest most pronounced).
• YouTube, LinkedIn: slight male tilt.
• Snapchat: roughly balanced.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural NC counties (likely in Duplin)

• Community-first Facebook usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Messenger for churches, schools, youth sports, town updates, storm info, and buy/sell/Marketplace.
• Video-forward consumption: Short vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) performs best; live streams for local sports, church, auctions.
• Mobile-first habits: Content viewed on phones; shorter copy, subtitles on videos, and lightweight file sizes matter due to spotty broadband.
• Local commerce: Facebook Marketplace and group recommendations drive small business discovery (food trucks, contractors, farm and lawn equipment, events).
• Bilingual communication: WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger common in Hispanic/Latino networks; Spanish or bilingual posts boost reach.
• Trust and influencers: Engagement rises with known community figures (pastors, coaches, teachers) and local pages.
• Timing: Strong engagement early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (12–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekends—especially Sunday—see elevated community activity.

Notes and method

• Figures are modeled from Pew’s national/rural social platform usage (2023–2024) adjusted to Duplin’s age/gender mix and rural context; county-level platform stats are not officially published.