n 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.
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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 Florida 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. Hernando County and Pasco County
- Hernando County population: 212,807
- Pasco County population: 632,996
- Social connectedness index: 241,418
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#19. Volusia County and Flagler County
- Volusia County population: 590,357
- Flagler County population: 131,439
- Social connectedness index: 286,136
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#18. Clay County and Duval County
- Clay County population: 232,439
- Duval County population: 1,030,822
- Social connectedness index: 289,188
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#17. Manatee County and Sarasota County
- Manatee County population: 441,095
- Sarasota County population: 469,013
- Social connectedness index: 375,051
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#16. St. Johns County and Putnam County
- St. Johns County population: 320,110
- Putnam County population: 75,955
- Social connectedness index: 430,618
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#15. Okeechobee County and Highlands County
- Okeechobee County population: 41,427
- Highlands County population: 107,614
- Social connectedness index: 466,571
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#14. St. Lucie County and Martin County
- St. Lucie County population: 373,586
- Martin County population: 163,315
- Social connectedness index: 500,738
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#13. Taylor County and Wakulla County
- Taylor County population: 21,582
- Wakulla County population: 36,449
- Social connectedness index: 708,557
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#12. Alachua County and Levy County
- Alachua County population: 285,994
- Levy County population: 46,545
- Social connectedness index: 731,365
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#11. Walton County and Okaloosa County
- Walton County population: 86,354
- Okaloosa County population: 218,464
- Social connectedness index: 846,755
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#10. Hardee County and DeSoto County
- Hardee County population: 25,760
- DeSoto County population: 35,979
- Social connectedness index: 1,789,562
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#9. Leon County and Gadsden County
- Leon County population: 296,913
- Gadsden County population: 43,833
- Social connectedness index: 2,609,808
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#8. Franklin County and Gulf County
- Franklin County population: 12,594
- Gulf County population: 15,693
- Social connectedness index: 4,573,602
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#7. Madison County and Jefferson County
- Madison County population: 18,519
- Jefferson County population: 15,450
- Social connectedness index: 4,724,183
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#6. Lafayette County and Suwannee County
- Lafayette County population: 8,078
- Suwannee County population: 46,130
- Social connectedness index: 6,540,643
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#5. Glades County and Hendry County
- Glades County population: 12,786
- Hendry County population: 43,333
- Social connectedness index: 6,763,440
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#4. Gilchrist County and Dixie County
- Gilchrist County population: 19,587
- Dixie County population: 17,465
- Social connectedness index: 7,324,679
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#3. Holmes County and Washington County
- Holmes County population: 19,944
- Washington County population: 25,602
- Social connectedness index: 8,096,132
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#2. Union County and Bradford County
- Union County population: 15,532
- Bradford County population: 27,858
- Social connectedness index: 10,047,539
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#1. Liberty County and Calhoun County
- Liberty County population: 7,706
- Calhoun County population: 13,470
- Social connectedness index: 22,534,213
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.