Most socially connected counties in Alabama

In today’s digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.

While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.

A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.

Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Alabama using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.

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#20. Calhoun County and Talladega County

– Calhoun County population: 116,429
– Talladega County population: 81,132
– Social connectedness index: 2,826,951

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#19. Coffee County and Geneva County

– Coffee County population: 55,643
– Geneva County population: 26,988
– Social connectedness index: 3,233,864

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#18. Jackson County and DeKalb County

– Jackson County population: 53,467
– DeKalb County population: 72,569
– Social connectedness index: 3,299,101

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#17. Elmore County and Autauga County

– Elmore County population: 90,441
– Autauga County population: 60,342
– Social connectedness index: 3,482,146

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#16. Tuscaloosa County and Pickens County

– Tuscaloosa County population: 237,373
– Pickens County population: 18,688
– Social connectedness index: 4,078,016

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#15. Lawrence County and Morgan County

– Lawrence County population: 33,502
– Morgan County population: 125,133
– Social connectedness index: 4,916,280

Jennifer Kinkead McNutt // Shutterstock

#14. Winston County and Marion County

– Winston County population: 23,611
– Marion County population: 29,244
– Social connectedness index: 5,786,860

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#13. Randolph County and Clay County

– Randolph County population: 22,786
– Clay County population: 14,111
– Social connectedness index: 5,916,602

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#12. Houston County and Henry County

– Houston County population: 108,462
– Henry County population: 17,899
– Social connectedness index: 6,462,101

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#11. Colbert County and Lauderdale County

– Colbert County population: 58,361
– Lauderdale County population: 96,814
– Social connectedness index: 6,769,337

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#10. Pike County and Crenshaw County

– Pike County population: 33,137
– Crenshaw County population: 13,101
– Social connectedness index: 7,150,767

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#9. Bullock County and Macon County

– Bullock County population: 9,897
– Macon County population: 18,370
– Social connectedness index: 7,482,503

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#8. Washington County and Choctaw County

– Washington County population: 15,022
– Choctaw County population: 12,252
– Social connectedness index: 10,468,645

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#7. Fayette County and Lamar County

– Fayette County population: 15,967
– Lamar County population: 13,661
– Social connectedness index: 11,840,628

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#6. Tallapoosa County and Coosa County

– Tallapoosa County population: 40,677
– Coosa County population: 10,268
– Social connectedness index: 13,516,303

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#5. Clarke County and Wilcox County

– Clarke County population: 22,337
– Wilcox County population: 9,944
– Social connectedness index: 14,724,845

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#4. Monroe County and Conecuh County

– Monroe County population: 19,229
– Conecuh County population: 11,174
– Social connectedness index: 15,166,783

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#3. Sumter County and Greene County

– Sumter County population: 11,727
– Greene County population: 7,341
– Social connectedness index: 15,587,305

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#2. Lowndes County and Butler County

– Lowndes County population: 9,717
– Butler County population: 18,382
– Social connectedness index: 15,782,799

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#1. Perry County and Hale County

– Perry County population: 7,738
– Hale County population: 14,888
– Social connectedness index: 16,056,224

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.

This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.