Pasquotank County

Pasquotank County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population size

• 40,568 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~37 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~52–53%
• Male: ~47–48%

Race and Hispanic origin (race alone unless noted; 2020 Census/ACS)

• White: ~60%
• Black or African American: ~34%
• Asian: ~1.5–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.7%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~5–6%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~56–57%

Households and housing (ACS 5-year)

• Households: ~14,700
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~66% of households; married-couple families ~44%
• One-person households: ~27%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~58%
• Housing units: ~17,800

Insights

• The county skews slightly female and relatively young, with roughly one in six residents age 65+.
• A large Black population (about one-third) makes the county more racially diverse than the state average.
• Household size is modest (about 2.4–2.5), with a majority of family households and an ownership rate near 58%.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Demographic Profile/PL 94-171) and American Community Survey 5-year estimates (latest available).

Pasquotank County, NC has about 41,000 residents and roughly 180 people per square mile, concentrated around Elizabeth City.

Estimated email users

• Adults (18+): ~32,000. Email adoption ≈92% of adults ⇒ ~29,000 adult email users.

By age (estimated users)

• 18–34: ~8,600
• 35–64: ~14,000
• 65+: ~6,600 Pattern: near-universal among working-age adults, modestly lower among seniors.

Gender split

• Mirrors population: ~52% female, ~48% male among email users.

Digital access and connectivity

• About 85% of households subscribe to broadband; ~90% have a computer at home.
• Mobile-only internet households are roughly 10–12%, indicating some reliance on smartphones for email.
• Fixed broadband coverage is high, with the vast majority of serviceable locations having at least one 100/20 Mbps option; subscription gaps persist more than availability gaps.
• Libraries and schools in Elizabeth City help bridge access for lower-income residents, but rural fringes see higher latency and more satellite/DSL reliance.

Insights

• Practical email reach among adults is ~70% of total population and ~90% of adults.
• Email engagement is strongest in 18–64, with seniors the main growth headroom.
• Connectivity constraints are driven more by adoption/affordability than by network reach.

Mobile phone usage in Pasquotank County, NC — 2025 snapshot with county-vs-state contrasts

Measured baseline

• Population: 40,661 (2020 Census). The county is anchored by Elizabeth City and is more urban than many neighboring Albemarle-region counties, but still has appreciable rural territory.
• Demography (context for usage): The county has a substantially higher share of Black residents and a lower share of Hispanic residents than North Carolina overall, and a younger profile around the Elizabeth City university and Coast Guard facilities. These traits are consistently associated (nationally and in NC) with higher smartphone dependence and higher mobile-first internet use.

Modeled user estimates (2025)

• Active mobile connections (SIMs): ≈50,000
  • Method: Apply the U.S. average of ~1.2 wireless connections per resident to the county’s 40,661 residents. This captures phones, tablets, watches, hotspots, and IoT lines.
• Adult smartphone users: ≈26,500
  • Method: Apply Pew’s recent adult smartphone ownership rate (~85%) to the county’s adult population scale (using the 2020 Census base). Result aligns with similarly sized NC counties.
• Smartphone-only internet users (adults who rely on a smartphone for home internet): ≈6,300
  • Method: Apply the current national/NC adult smartphone-only rate (~20%) to the county’s adult scale. County traits (younger, lower fixed-broadband take-up outside the city) suggest this is slightly above the NC average.
• Plan mix: Prepaid lines ≈30% of consumer handsets; Postpaid ≈70%
  • Rationale: Counties with younger and lower-to-moderate income profiles skew higher-prepaid than the NC statewide mix.
• Platform mix: Android ≈60–65% of handsets; iOS ≈35–40%
  • Rationale: In NC, Android share is higher in non-metro/rural counties and where prepaid is more prevalent.

Demographic breakdown of mobile use (insights anchored to county traits)

• Age: 18–29 segment is outsized relative to the state (university presence), driving above-average app-based communications, video, and social usage, with higher willingness to use 5G home internet as a substitute for cable/DSL.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s larger Black population (vs NC average) corresponds to a higher share of smartphone-dependent adults and higher use of unlimited prepaid plans, mirroring statewide and national demographic usage patterns. Hispanic share is smaller than the state average, so Spanish-language carrier and device marketing is less prominent than in large NC metros.
• Income and plan type: More price-sensitive adoption (prepaid, MVNOs) than the NC average; slightly longer device replacement cycles; greater incidence of multi-line family discounts to manage cost.
• Urban vs rural: Inside Elizabeth City and along US-17, usage includes heavier 5G data consumption and greater uptake of 5G home internet; outlying townships exhibit higher smartphone-only reliance due to patchier wired broadband options.

Digital infrastructure snapshot

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: Countywide baseline coverage from all three national carriers, with occasional weak-indoor zones in low-density areas and metal-roof buildings.
  • 5G: Low-band 5G is broadly present; mid-band 5G (e.g., n41/C-Band) is concentrated in and around Elizabeth City and along the US-17 corridor, tapering in more rural sections.
• Capacity and speeds
  • Best median speeds and lowest latency occur in the city core and along primary highways where sectors have mid-band overlays and better backhaul. Secondary roads and low-density waterfront/wetland areas rely more on LTE/low-band 5G, with lower peak throughput.
• Backhaul and redundancy
  • Fiber backhaul follows primary transport routes into Elizabeth City; outside the core, a mix of fiber spurs and licensed microwave links serves macro sites. Route diversity is improving but remains thinner than in NC’s metros, which can elevate outage impact during storms.
• 5G home internet and fixed wireless
  • 5G home internet offers are available in and around Elizabeth City and are a meaningful substitute where cable/fiber is unavailable or costly, contributing to higher mobile-first/only behavior than the NC average.
• Public-safety and anchor institutions
  • The Coast Guard base, hospital, and university campuses act as anchor sites, pulling multi-carrier upgrades and densification (small cells, sector splits) in their vicinity.

How Pasquotank differs from North Carolina overall

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: The share of adults relying on smartphones for home internet is meaningfully above the NC average, driven by a younger population slice, more prepaid adoption, and less universal wired-broadband coverage outside the city.
• More prepaid and Android: Plan and device mix tilts more toward prepaid/MVNO and Android than the statewide profile.
• Greater city–rural performance gap: The step-down from city/highway mid-band 5G to rural low-band/LTE is more pronounced than in the Triangle/Triad/Charlotte metros, yielding a wider spread in typical speeds.
• Strong anchor-driven demand spikes: Daytime demand around the base, hospital, and university is a bigger share of total county traffic than in most NC counties, prompting localized capacity investments rather than uniform countywide densification.

Key takeaways

• Expect about 26,500 adult smartphone users and roughly 50,000 active mobile connections in the county in 2025, with around one in five adults being smartphone-only for home internet.
• Usage patterns skew younger, more prepaid, and more Android than the NC average, with robust 5G in and around Elizabeth City and practical but thinner capacity in rural stretches.
• The county’s mobile experience is shaped by targeted mid-band 5G upgrades along the US-17/Elizabeth City spine, continued reliance on LTE/low-band 5G in outlying areas, and growing adoption of 5G home internet as a wireline substitute.

Social media usage in Pasquotank County, North Carolina (2025 snapshot)

How many people use social media

• Population baseline: ≈41,000 residents (ACS 2023). Estimated ages 13+: ≈34,700.
• Active social media users: ≈29,000 people 13+ (≈84% of 13+, ≈71% of total population). Basis: Pew Research Center 2024 adult adoption (83%) plus Pew 2023 teen adoption (95%).

Most-used platforms in the county (share of residents 13+, with modeled local user counts)

• YouTube: 84% (~29,000)
• Facebook: 65% (~22,700)
• Instagram: 50% (~17,500)
• TikTok: 36% (~12,300)
• Pinterest: 32% (~11,200)
• Snapchat: 32% (~11,200)
• LinkedIn: 28% (~9,600)
• X (Twitter): 20% (~7,100)
• Reddit: 20% (~7,100)
• WhatsApp: 20% (~6,700) Note: Individuals use multiple platforms; counts are not mutually exclusive. Estimates apply national platform adoption (Pew 2024 for adults; Pew 2023 for teens) to local population structure (ACS 2023).

Age profile and platform tendencies

• Teens (13–17): Very high usage; YouTube (93%), TikTok (67%), Snapchat (60%), Instagram (62%). Facebook is comparatively low among teens.
• Young adults (18–29): Heaviest multi-platform use; YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), TikTok (62%), Snapchat (65%), Facebook (~70%).
• Adults 30–49: Broad mix; YouTube (92%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (62%), TikTok (39%). Snapchat falls off sharply.
• Adults 50–64: YouTube (83%) and Facebook (73%) dominate; Instagram (34%), TikTok (15%) secondary.
• 65+: Facebook (50%) and YouTube (61%) are primary; limited use of newer platforms.

Gender breakdown (modeled)

• Overall social media audience: ≈54% female, ≈46% male.
• Skews by platform: Pinterest and Instagram skew female; Reddit and X skew male; Facebook and YouTube are near gender-balanced.

Behavioral trends observed in similar counties and consistent with local context

• Community and commerce: Facebook Groups and Marketplace are the default for local news, school updates, yard sales, job posts, events, and storm/disruption info. Nextdoor is used for neighborhood-level safety and city-services chatter.
• Short-form discovery: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive discovery for restaurants, events, waterfront/outdoors content, and small businesses; campus life (ECSU, COA) boosts 18–24 engagement.
• Video habits: YouTube is the go-to for DIY, home projects, fishing/outdoors, and how-to content; strong connected-TV viewing in the evenings.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the primary local DM channel; WhatsApp is a niche but present.
• Timing: Engagement peaks early morning (commute window), lunch, and especially evenings/weekends; weather events and school announcements create sharp, short-lived spikes.
• Creative that performs: Short video (10–30s), clear local cues (Elizabeth City landmarks, Albemarle Sound), community involvement, and tangible offers (coupons, same-week events) outperform generic creative.
• Paid efficiency: Hyperlocal geotargeting (Elizabeth City/27909 and adjacent ZIPs), lookalikes from engaged page/video audiences, and boosting high-performing Reels typically yields the best reach-per-dollar.

Method and sources

• Population and age base: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023 (Pasquotank County).
• Platform adoption rates: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults) and Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (U.S. teens).
• Local estimates are derived by applying national age-specific adoption rates to Pasquotank’s population structure to produce county-level estimates.