Rockingham County

Rockingham County, North Carolina — Key Demographics

Population

• Total population: ~90.7k (2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~45 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin (ACS 2019–2023, share of total population)

• White alone: ~74%
• Black or African American alone: ~19%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.8%
• Asian alone: ~0.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7–8%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~67%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~36.9k
• Persons per household: ~2.36
• Family households: ~64–66% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~73%
• Total housing units: ~41k

Insights

• Stable-to-slightly declining population with an older age profile than the U.S. overall.
• Majority non-Hispanic White with a sizable Black population and a growing Hispanic/Latino community.
• Smaller household size and higher homeownership than national averages, indicating a largely owner-occupied, family-oriented housing market.

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

Rockingham County, NC snapshot

• Population: ≈91,000; density ≈160 people/sq mi (U.S. Census 2023).
• Connectivity: ≈80% of households have a broadband subscription; ≈87% have a computer; ≈13% are smartphone‑only households (ACS 2022). FCC broadband maps (2023–2024) show most locations served ≥100/20 Mbps, with remaining gaps concentrated in rural areas; multiple fiber builds have been funded since 2022 via NC GREAT grants.

Estimated email users

• Total users: ≈66,000 countywide. Method: Adults 18+ ≈71,900; 93% use the internet and 92% of internet users use email ⇒ ≈85.6% of adults ≈61,500 users; add teens 13–17 (≈5,500) with ≈90% email use ⇒ ≈4,900 users (Pew Research Center, 2021–2024).

Age distribution (penetration among each group, applied locally)

• 18–29: ≈97% use email
• 30–49: ≈96%
• 50–64: ≈94%
• 65+: ≈85%

Gender split

• Population: ≈51% female, 49% male (Census).
• Email users mirror the population (gender differences in email adoption are negligible in recent Pew data).

Digital access trends

• Email adoption is near‑universal among connected adults; usage intensity skews older for formal communications.
• Broadband subscription trails the NC average, but fiber expansions and fixed‑wireless fill rural gaps, improving reliability and speeds year over year.

Mobile phone usage in Rockingham County, North Carolina — 2024 snapshot

Executive summary

• Estimated smartphone users: about 62,000–66,000 residents, reflecting slightly lower per-capita adoption than North Carolina overall once the county’s older age profile is factored in.
• Mobile-only internet dependence: meaningfully higher than the state average, with several thousand households relying primarily on cellular data at home due to patchy wired broadband in rural areas.
• 5G availability: present in and around Eden, Reidsville, Madison/Mayodan, and along the US 29/I‑785 and US 220/I‑73 corridors; outside towns, coverage leans on low-band 5G and LTE with fewer mid-band deployments than typical in North Carolina’s metro counties.

Definitive context and baseline

• Population: 91,096 (2020 Census), with a notably older age structure than the state; the 65+ share is materially higher than North Carolina’s average.
• Settlement pattern: small cities (Eden, Reidsville) and dispersed rural communities; density is well below statewide urban counties.
• Income: median household income is below the North Carolina median, contributing to greater price sensitivity in mobile plans and devices.

User estimates and how they differ from statewide patterns

• Smartphone users: approximately 62,000–66,000 residents use a smartphone in Rockingham County. This estimate is derived by applying age-adjusted adoption rates (high among teens and working-age adults; lower among seniors) to the 2020 population. The resulting countywide per-capita smartphone penetration trails the statewide level by a few points, primarily because Rockingham has a larger 65+ population segment, which is consistently the lowest-adopting cohort.
• Mobile-only home internet: several thousand households rely primarily on cellular data plans for home internet. This share is higher than the North Carolina average, reflecting more limited wired broadband choices in parts of the county.
• Plan mix: prepaid and MVNO usage is measurably higher than in metro NC counties, consistent with lower median incomes and a higher prevalence of credit-averse or cost-optimizing consumers.
• Usage profile: compared with state averages, Rockingham shows a greater reliance on voice/SMS coverage continuity and basic app usage in rural areas, and less emphasis on ultra-high-throughput 5G applications outside town centers.

Demographic breakdown shaping mobile adoption

• Age: an older-than-state age profile depresses overall smartphone and 5G handset penetration relative to North Carolina’s average. Younger residents (teens and 18–34) are near-universal adopters and drive most mobile video and social traffic.
• Income: lower-than-state median incomes correlate with longer device replacement cycles and higher uptake of budget plans and MVNOs.
• Geography: rural households, especially outside the main corridors and towns, show higher smartphone dependence and hotspot use due to limited wired options.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Technologies in market: all three national carriers provide 4G LTE countywide coverage along primary corridors and in towns. 5G is available from major carriers in population centers and along US 29/I‑785 and US 220/I‑73; outside these areas, coverage is predominantly LTE/low-band 5G.
• Mid-band 5G: mid-band deployments (e.g., C-band, n41) are concentrated in Eden/Reidsville and along primary routes; rural mid-band density is lower than typical in NC’s metro counties, so average 5G speeds are correspondingly lower.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): 5G/LTE home internet offerings are available in and around the towns and some nearby ZIPs; uptake is increasing in locations where cable or fiber is absent or costly.
• Wired backstop: cable (HFC) serves the cities and larger towns; outside them, legacy DSL and coax footprints thin out. State grant programs (e.g., GREAT and ARPA-funded builds) are in progress to extend fiber, but as of 2024, rural coverage gaps persist more than in urban NC counties.
• Public safety and resilience: AT&T FirstNet operates countywide; backup power and redundancy on rural towers are improving but remain more variable than in metro North Carolina, making ice-storm and severe-weather outages more impactful away from towns.

Key ways Rockingham County diverges from state-level trends

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration driven by a larger senior population share.
• Higher reliance on mobile-only internet at home due to sparser wired broadband in rural tracts.
• Slower and sparser mid-band 5G buildout outside towns, producing lower median 5G speeds than in North Carolina’s metro counties.
• Higher prevalence of prepaid/MVNO plans and longer device replacement cycles tied to income and credit profiles.
• Network planning and user behavior place greater emphasis on coverage continuity and reliability over peak throughput outside urbanized areas.

Notes on methods and sources

• Population and age structure are from the 2020 Census (definitive). Mobile adoption figures are modeled from age-specific adoption patterns observed in federal and reputable national surveys (e.g., ACS computer/Internet-use tables and Pew Research) applied to Rockingham’s age mix. Infrastructure points synthesize FCC carrier coverage disclosures, state broadband program updates, and publicly reported carrier deployments as of 2023–2024.

Rockingham County, NC — Social Media Usage Snapshot (2024 estimates)

User base

• Population: ~90,600; adults (18+): ~72,000
• Adult social media users: ~58,000 (≈80% adoption)
• Average platforms used per person: ~2–3

Most-used platforms (share of adult social media users)

• YouTube: 79%
• Facebook: 76%
• Instagram: 36%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 21%
• LinkedIn: 16%
• X (Twitter): 12%
• Reddit: 10%
• Nextdoor: 8%

Age profile of users (share of all social media users)

• 18–29: 18% (heavy on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; YouTube near-universal)
• 30–49: 32% (Facebook, YouTube dominant; Instagram and TikTok secondary)
• 50–64: 27% (Facebook, YouTube core; Instagram modest)
• 65+: 23% (Facebook primary; YouTube for news/how‑to; limited Instagram/TikTok)

Gender breakdown (of users)

• Women: ~54% (higher use of Facebook, Instagram)
• Men: ~46% (higher use of YouTube, Reddit)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the community hub: High engagement with local news, schools, churches, civic groups, Marketplace, and yard-sale/buy-sell groups; Facebook Events drive attendance for local happenings.
• Video-first consumption: Short-form video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) outperforms static posts for reach; how‑to, local sports highlights, and event recaps perform well on YouTube and Facebook.
• Practical, local utility: Users prioritize local impact—road closures, weather, school updates, and small-business promotions; word-of-mouth via shares is a key amplifier.
• Commerce and fundraising: Marketplace listings, church/booster fundraisers, and local service promos get above-average interaction, especially with clear pricing and pickup info.
• Messaging for coordination: Facebook Messenger and SMS group chats are common for churches, youth sports, and community organizing.
• Timing: Evenings and weekend mornings see the highest engagement; weekday mid‑day posts also perform reliably for quick updates.
• Trust and news: Older cohorts lean on Facebook pages/groups for local news; younger cohorts rely more on creator/peer content and short-form video.

Method note

• Figures are 2024 county-level estimates derived by applying recent Pew Research Center platform adoption rates (with rural adjustments) to Rockingham County’s age/sex composition from the American Community Survey. Numbers are rounded to reflect estimation.