Florence County

Key demographics — Florence County, South Carolina (most recent Census/ACS estimates)

• Population

  • Total: ~138,000 (2023 estimate)

• Age

  • Median age: ~39.5 years
  • Under 18: ~24%
  • 65 and over: ~18%

• Gender

  • Female: ~52.5%
  • Male: ~47.5%

• Race/ethnicity (percent of total)

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~50%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~43%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
  • Asian: ~1%
  • Other (including American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): <1%

• Households

  • Total households: ~52,000
  • Persons per household (avg.): ~2.6
  • Family households: ~64% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~40%
  • Households with children under 18: ~30%
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~67%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2023 1-year where available; 2019–2023 5-year for stability) and Census Bureau QuickFacts for Florence County, SC.

Florence County, SC — email usage snapshot (estimates)

• Estimated email users: ~105,000 people. Basis: ~137k residents; ~78% adults; ~92% of adults and ~70% of teens use email (Pew/ACS patterns).
• Age mix of email users:
  • 13–17: ~6%
  • 18–34: ~28%
  • 35–54: ~32%
  • 55–64: ~15%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split among users: roughly 53% female, 47% male (mirrors county population).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: ~80–85%.
  • Smartphone-only internet access: ~15–20% of households.
  • No home internet: ~10–15% (higher in lower-income and rural areas).
  • Strong mobile coverage along I‑95 and I‑20 corridors; rural pockets outside Florence city experience more variable speeds/latency.
  • Public Wi‑Fi commonly available at libraries and municipal buildings; ongoing state/federal grants are expanding fiber to unserved blocks.
• Local density/connectivity context: 137k residents over ~800 sq. miles (170 people/sq. mile); population concentrated in and around the City of Florence, aiding network build‑out, with sparser southern/eastern areas costlier to serve.

Notes: Figures are modeled from ACS population/broadband indicators, FCC availability summaries, and Pew email/internet adoption rates; treat as approximations.

Mobile phone usage in Florence County, South Carolina — 2025 snapshot

Key takeaways vs statewide

• Higher smartphone-only dependence: A larger share of households rely on a mobile phone as their primary internet connection than the South Carolina average, driven by rural pockets and income mix.
• More prepaid and Android usage: Prepaid plans and Android devices are more common than statewide, reflecting price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier choices.
• Uneven 5G experience: Strong 5G along the I‑95/I‑20 corridor and in the City of Florence, but more low‑band 5G/LTE in outlying towns; fixed wireless access (FWA) is being adopted faster than the state average where cable/fiber is limited.

User estimates

• Population context: Florence County ~135–140K residents; mixed urban–rural with Florence, Lake City, Timmonsville, Pamplico, and Johnsonville.
• Smartphone users: Approximately 95K–105K residents use smartphones (combining adult adoption rates typical of the Southeast with very high teen adoption).
• Smartphone-only internet households: Roughly 6K–9K households likely rely on a smartphone or mobile hotspot for home internet, a share moderately above the state average.
• Prepaid penetration: Materially higher than the statewide share, aided by competitive prepaid/MVNO offers on Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile networks and by household budget constraints.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Age: Adults 18–49 show near‑universal smartphone ownership; the 65+ group is growing in adoption but lags the state’s larger metro counties. Senior users more often keep older devices and lower‑cost plans, impacting 5G usage.
• Race/ethnicity: With a sizable Black population, smartphone‑dependent internet access is more common (a national pattern seen in Pew data) than in whiter suburban counties; this amplifies mobile data demand even where home broadband is present.
• Income and education: Median income and bachelor’s degree attainment trail major SC metros. Correlates include higher prepaid share, greater Android skew, and more reliance on unlimited plans and FWA for home connectivity.
• Urban–rural split: City of Florence users see higher 5G mid‑band availability and faster average speeds; rural communities (e.g., Pamplico area) report more signal variability and continued LTE fallback indoors.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: All three national carriers cover the county. The densest site grid follows I‑95/I‑20, US‑52, and the City of Florence; signal quality drops faster off the highway grid in the southeast and far western tracts.
• 5G profile:
  • T‑Mobile: Broad countywide 5G with mid‑band capacity concentrated in Florence and along main corridors; rural areas often run on low‑band 5G/LTE.
  • Verizon: Strong highway/city coverage; mid‑band 5G has expanded around Florence proper and logistics/retail zones; rural LTE still common indoors.
  • AT&T: Reliable voice/LTE footprint; mid‑band 5G present in the city and key corridors, with more low‑band in smaller towns.
• Fixed Wireless Access (home internet over 5G): Adoption above SC average in rural tracts due to patchy cable/fiber availability and competitive pricing from Verizon and T‑Mobile; this increases evening mobile network load.
• Wireline backdrop that influences mobile use:
  • City of Florence: Cable (Spectrum) is widespread; pockets of AT&T fiber exist or are expanding. These areas offload a lot of mobile data to Wi‑Fi.
  • Rural tracts: Co‑op and independent providers (e.g., FTC) and BEAD-funded projects are extending fiber, but gaps remain; where wireline is limited, households lean on smartphones and hotspots.
• Capacity hot spots and dead zones:
  • Strong: Civic/retail corridors (West Florence, Magnolia Mall area), hospital campuses, airport vicinity, and interstates.
  • Challenging: Low-density areas southeast of Florence and edges near county lines where terrain and tree cover reduce indoor signal; metal-roof structures exacerbate LTE/low‑band 5G indoor weakness.

How Florence County differs from the South Carolina average

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A meaningfully larger slice of households use smartphones/FWA as primary internet compared to suburban counties near Columbia, Charleston, or Greenville.
• Carrier mix: Verizon and AT&T hold a stronger rural share due to legacy coverage; T‑Mobile has gained quickly with mid‑band 5G in and around Florence city. Net result: fewer carrier-switching barriers in the city than in outlying areas.
• Device and plan choices: More prepaid/MVNO and Android use than in higher‑income metro counties; average device replacement cycle is longer, which tempers mid‑band 5G uptake.
• Network load patterns: Evening congestion is more pronounced in rural sectors because FWA and hotspot use substitute for home broadband; urban Florence offloads more to home Wi‑Fi.

Implications for planning and outreach

• Customer acquisition: Prepaid and budget-friendly postpaid family plans resonate; emphasize coverage credibility for rural users and mid‑band 5G speeds for city users.
• Infrastructure ROI: Additional mid‑band sectors and small cells around high-traffic retail/medical corridors will yield outsized benefits; targeted rural infill sites or repeater solutions can noticeably improve indoor experience.
• Digital equity: As BEAD/SC Office of Broadband fiber builds land in rural tracts, expect gradual reductions in smartphone-only households over the next 2–3 years—shifting some mobile load to Wi‑Fi but not reducing handset counts.

Notes on sources and method

• Estimates synthesize 2020–2024 public datasets (Census/ACS device and subscription indicators, Pew Research mobile adoption), state broadband program disclosures, carrier coverage materials, and known regional market patterns. County-level figures should be treated as directional ranges rather than precise counts.

Social media usage in Florence County, SC (2025 snapshot)

How to read this: County-level platform stats aren’t directly published. Figures below are estimates built from Pew Research’s 2024 U.S. platform adoption rates, adjusted for Florence County’s older-leaning age mix and urban/rural profile, plus ACS population structure. Use for planning, not auditing.

Headline user stats

• Population: ~138,000 residents; ~106,000 adults (18+)
• Estimated social media users: 90,000–100,000 total (about 80–85% of adults; teens are near-universal users)
• Daily usage: Most adult users check at least one platform daily; Facebook and YouTube dominate daily reach

Most‑used platforms (share of adults who use)

• YouTube: 78–85%
• Facebook: 70–75% (skews slightly higher locally vs U.S. average)
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 25–33%
• Snapchat: 20–28%
• Pinterest: 30–38% (strong among women, parents, hobbyists)
• LinkedIn: 22–28% (professional/healthcare/education pockets)
• X (Twitter): 18–24%
• Reddit: 12–18%
• WhatsApp: 12–18%
• Nextdoor: 12–20% (varies by neighborhood density)

Age patterns (share within each group using each platform; ranges reflect local variation)

• Teens (13–17): 95%+ on at least one site; YouTube 95%+; Instagram 70–80%; TikTok 70–80%; Snapchat 60–70%; Facebook <40%
• 18–29: 95%+ overall; Instagram 70–80%; TikTok 60–70%; Snapchat 55–65%; Facebook 55–65%; X 25–35%
• 30–49: 90%+ overall; Facebook 70–80%; YouTube 90%+; Instagram 45–55%; TikTok 30–40%; LinkedIn 30–40%
• 50–64: 75–85% overall; Facebook 70–75%; YouTube 70–80%; Instagram 30–40%; TikTok 20–30%
• 65+: 55–65% overall; Facebook 55–65%; YouTube 50–60%; Instagram 15–25%; TikTok 10–15%

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; moderate on TikTok/Snapchat; lower on Reddit/X
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X, LinkedIn; moderate on Facebook/Instagram; lower on Pinterest

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first on Facebook: Heavy reliance on Groups for neighborhoods, schools, churches, youth sports, and civic updates; Marketplace is a primary local classifieds channel.
• Local news and alerts: High engagement with area media, public agencies, utilities, and school districts on Facebook and YouTube.
• Short-form video growth: Reels/TikTok/Shorts drive discovery for local food, events, small retail, and high school sports highlights; DIY/home projects perform well on YouTube.
• Private sharing: Messenger group chats are ubiquitous; SMS and iMessage groups remain key; WhatsApp pockets exist (family/international ties).
• Mobile-first behavior: High reliance on smartphones; vertical video and text-over-video outperform; concise captions and clear CTAs matter.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (6–9 p.m.) and weekend mornings; lunchtime spikes on workdays.
• What converts: Giveaways, coupons, and community tie-ins; trust is boosted by recognizable local people, churches, schools, and service businesses; reviews and UGC influence choices for healthcare, auto, home services.
• Cross-platform habits: Most adults use Facebook plus one visual/video platform (YouTube for how-to; Instagram/TikTok for discovery).

Notes and method

• Built from Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. platform adoption, adjusted to Florence County’s slightly older age profile and mixed urban/rural density; teen usage mirrors national patterns.
• For campaign planning, validate with platform ad tools (reach estimates by ZIP/county) and local page insights to refine these ranges.