Williamsburg County

Williamsburg County, South Carolina — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population size

• 30,200 (2023 population estimate; U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18 to 64: ~56%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47%

Racial/ethnic composition

• Black or African American (alone): ~65%
• White (alone): ~30%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: each <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~12,200
• Persons per household: ~2.55
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple families: ~30% of households
• Households with own children under 18: ~26%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74% (renter-occupied ~26%)

Insights

• Continued population decline from 2010 to 2023 (roughly low double-digit percent decrease)
• Older age profile with about one in five residents 65+
• Predominantly Black county; small but growing Hispanic population
• High owner-occupancy and smaller household size typical of rural South Carolina

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (2023) and American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). Figures rounded for clarity.

Email usage in Williamsburg County, South Carolina

• Estimated adult email users: ~18,600 in 2024. Method: adult population x local internet adoption, with ~95% of internet users using email (Pew Research).
• Age mix of email users (estimated): 18–29: 16%; 30–49: 31%; 50–64: 28%; 65+: 25% (older adults slightly less likely to use email, but participation remains high).
• Gender split: ~53% female, 47% male among email users, mirroring county demographics.
• Digital access and devices (ACS 2018–2022, Williamsburg County):
  • 69% of households have a broadband subscription.
  • ~84% have a computer or smartphone.
  • ~12% are mobile-only internet households.
  • ~20% have no home internet subscription.
  • Email is predominantly accessed on mobile among lower-income and mobile-only households.
• Local connectivity/density facts:
  • Population: 31,026; land area ~934 sq mi; density ~33 people/sq mi (2020 Census) — a sparsely populated, nonmetropolitan rural county.
  • Fiber expansion by state-backed programs and local providers has accelerated since 2021, improving coverage near towns like Kingstree, while some outlying areas still lack consistent high-speed options, shaping email use patterns and reliability.

Sources: U.S. Census 2020; ACS 2018–2022; Pew Research Center (email adoption).

Mobile phone usage in Williamsburg County, South Carolina: summary with local estimates, demographics, and infrastructure, emphasizing where the county diverges from state trends.

User estimates

• Population and base: Approximately 31,000 residents (2020 Census), about 24,000 adults (18+), roughly 12,000 households.
• Mobile phone users (any cell phone): 22,500–23,500 adults (about 94–98% of adults), broadly in line with national norms despite rurality.
• Smartphone users: 19,000–21,000 adults (about 80–88% of adults), a few points below typical statewide urbanized areas.
• Smartphone-dependent for internet (no home broadband): 6,000–7,500 adults (about 25–32% of adults), noticeably above the South Carolina average (roughly 15–20%). This reflects lower fixed-broadband availability and affordability in the county’s rural tracts.
• Household connectivity mix (modeled from ACS-style patterns in similar rural SC counties):
  • Households with any broadband subscription: roughly 60–70% (vs statewide ~80–85%).
  • Households with a cellular data plan: roughly 60–70% (some overlap with fixed broadband).
  • Households with no internet subscription: roughly 22–28% (vs statewide ~12–15%).
  • “Mobile-only” households (cellular data but no fixed broadband): roughly 18–25%, significantly above the statewide share.

Demographic breakdown of usage patterns

• Race/ethnicity (county context): Majority-Black county (about two-thirds Black, roughly one-third White/other). Smartphone ownership among Black adults is broadly comparable to White adults, but smartphone-only internet use is higher among Black residents due to lower fixed broadband adoption in rural and lower-income tracts. This elevates the share of mobile-reliant users relative to the state.
• Age:
  • 65+ share is higher than the state average, contributing to a small but meaningful cohort using basic/feature phones or limited-data smartphones. Estimated smartphone adoption among seniors is in the 60–70% range locally (vs ~75%+ in more urban SC areas).
  • Working-age adults (25–64) show high smartphone adoption (90%+), with elevated reliance on unlimited or prepaid plans for primary internet access.
• Income and education:
  • Median household income is materially below the state median, and poverty rates are higher. As a result, prepaid plans and budget Android devices are more prevalent than in urban SC counties.
  • Smartphone-only reliance is concentrated among households under ~$35,000 income and among renters, consistent with rural affordability constraints.
• Home vs mobile dependence:
  • Where cable/fiber is absent, mobile hotspots and phone tethering are common for work, school, and telehealth, leading to higher peak-time congestion than in urban areas.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage footprint:
  • Major carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide near-continuous 4G LTE along primary corridors and in towns; coverage thins in forested and agricultural areas between towns, producing dead zones indoors and in low-lying terrain. Overall outdoor coverage claims are stronger than practical indoor experience in dispersed parts of the county.
• 5G availability and performance:
  • Low-band 5G layers are broadly available where LTE exists, offering incremental improvements.
  • Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated around population centers (e.g., near Kingstree and along main highways), with far less reach in outlying communities; speeds and capacity trail metro South Carolina due to sparser site density.
• Site density and backhaul:
  • Macrocell spacing is wider than state norms; fewer sites per square mile translates to lower median speeds and more variable indoor service. Microwave backhaul is still used in pockets, which can constrain peak capacity compared with fiber-fed sites.
• Fixed-broadband interplay:
  • Cable and fiber footprints are limited outside town centers, leaving many households to rely on LTE/5G for home internet. Where new fiber builds occur, mobile-only reliance drops, but upgrades are uneven across census blocks.
• Public-safety and resilience:
  • Tornado and hurricane-season power disruptions expose coverage gaps away from highway corridors; residents often depend on vehicle charging and hotspotting until grid restoration.

How Williamsburg County differs from state-level trends

• Higher smartphone-only and mobile-reliant population share than South Carolina overall, driven by affordability and fixed-broadband gaps.
• Lower fixed-broadband subscription rate and higher “no-internet” household share than the state average.
• Older age structure and lower incomes modestly depress smartphone adoption among seniors and raise prepaid usage versus urban SC counties.
• Sparser tower density and more microwave backhaul lead to slower typical speeds and more indoor dead zones than commonly experienced in metro areas of the state.
• When fixed networks expand (new fiber/cable segments), the county exhibits sharper reductions in mobile-only dependence than seen in already well-served urban counties, indicating strong pent-up demand for fixed service.

Bottom line

• Nearly all adults in Williamsburg County use a mobile phone, and most use smartphones, but a substantially larger share than the state average rely on those phones as their primary or only internet connection. Coverage is broad along main roads and towns, yet performance and indoor reliability lag state norms because of sparse site density and uneven mid-band 5G reach. Income, age, and majority-Black rural demographics intersect with infrastructure gaps to produce distinctly higher mobile dependence than the South Carolina average.

Social media usage in Williamsburg County, South Carolina (2024–2025 snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~30,100; adults (18+): ~23,200
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~17,700 (≈76% of adults)
• Device mix: Predominantly mobile (>90% of usage), with pockets of limited home broadband increasing reliance on cellular data

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults; counts rounded)

• YouTube: 78% (18,100 adults)
• Facebook: 63% (14,600)
• Instagram: 40% (9,300)
• Pinterest: 30% (7,000)
• TikTok: 28% (6,500)
• WhatsApp: 22% (5,100)
• Snapchat: 22% (5,100)
• X (Twitter): 18% (4,200) Note: Platform audiences overlap; totals exceed unique users.

Age breakdown (any social media)

• 18–24: ~95% use (≈2,600 users)
• 25–34: ~90% (≈3,300)
• 35–44: ~86% (≈3,100)
• 45–54: ~78% (≈2,800)
• 55–64: ~70% (≈3,000)
• 65+: ~55% (≈3,000) Platform tendencies by age:
• 18–29: Heavy on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook secondary
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram strong; TikTok/WhatsApp growing
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest and Messenger usage notable
• 65+: Facebook first; YouTube second; lighter Instagram/TikTok adoption

Gender breakdown (adult users)

• Overall users: ~54% women, ~46% men
• Skews by platform:
  • More women: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
  • More men: YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the daily hub for local news, church/school updates, county services, and buy/sell/community groups; comments and shares drive reach more than link clicks
• Short-form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) dominates discovery; 15–60 second clips of community events, youth sports, faith-based content, hunting/fishing, food, and small business promos perform best
• Messaging (Facebook Messenger; some WhatsApp) underpins coordination for churches, family networks, and community groups
• Peak activity: Evenings (6–10 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons; weekday morning spikes around school/work commutes
• Trust flows through neighbor and church networks; micro-creators and local admins matter more than large influencers
• Marketplace and local service searches frequently start in Facebook groups before Google; responses favor vendors with visible community ties and recent video posts
• Mobile-first behavior means concise captions, subtitles-on video, and vertically formatted content outperform; connectivity constraints favor compressed video and photo carousels

Methodology note

• Figures are county-level estimates modeled from 2023 American Community Survey demographics and 2024 Pew Research Center U.S. platform adoption by age/rural status, adjusted for rural broadband patterns; rounded to the nearest ~100 users.