Albemarle County

Here are the latest high-level demographics for Albemarle County, Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 1-year unless noted). Figures rounded for readability.

• Population: ~116,000
• Age:
  • Median age: ~40
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 65 and over: ~18%
• Sex:
  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%
• Race/ethnicity (alone or in combination; Hispanic can be of any race):
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~76%
  • Black or African American: ~9%
  • Asian: ~7%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~7%
  • Two or more races: ~4%
  • Other (including American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): ~1%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~46,000
  • Average household size: ~2.4 persons
  • Family households: ~58% of households
  • Homeownership rate: ~65%

Notes: ACS figures are estimates with margins of error; for precise point estimates/MOEs, consult the ACS tables (e.g., DP05, S0101, S1101) for Albemarle County, VA.

Albemarle County, VA snapshot (estimates)

• Population and density: ~112–115k residents; ~150 people per square mile (urban ring around Charlottesville, rural elsewhere).
• Estimated email users: 85–95k residents (applying ~90% adoption among ages 13+ to local population).
• Age pattern:
  • 13–17: ~80–90% use email (school-driven).
  • 18–29: ~95%+.
  • 30–64: ~95%+.
  • 65+: ~80–90%, rising as smartphone use grows.
• Gender split: Near parity; women and men each roughly ~50% of users; usage gap negligible.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscriptions: ~85–90%; another ~10–15% rely primarily on smartphones.
  • Strongest fixed-broadband coverage in the urbanized areas near Charlottesville; remaining gaps in southern/western rural pockets.
  • Ongoing fiber buildouts (e.g., Albemarle Broadband Authority partnerships, Firefly/CVEC, other ISPs) since 2021 have extended gigabit service to thousands of previously unserved addresses, improving speeds and reliability.
  • Public access via libraries, schools, and UVA adds resilient connectivity options.

Notes: Figures are derived by applying Virginia/U.S. email and internet adoption rates to Albemarle’s population and settlement pattern; actual counts vary by neighborhood and provider availability.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Albemarle County, VA

Headline takeaways

• High but uneven adoption: Overall mobile use is comparable to Virginia’s average in the suburban/urban-ring areas, but rural and mountainous western tracts lag more than the statewide pattern.
• Strong 5G along corridors, weaker in the west: 5G is widely available along US‑29, I‑64, and growth areas (Hollymead, Pantops, Crozet), but low‑band 5G/4G or gaps remain in parts of the Blue Ridge foothills where tower siting is constrained.
• County demographics push in two directions versus Virginia overall: Higher education/income levels raise smartphone adoption and device counts, while an older age profile and rural geography temper it.

User estimates (order‑of‑magnitude, based on ACS-style household internet variables, Pew adoption by age, and county population)

• Population base: ~114,000 residents.
• Individuals with a mobile phone: roughly 90,000–100,000 (about 80–88% of total population). Adult ownership is likely 88–92%; youth ownership brings the total into the low‑ to mid‑80% of all residents.
• Households with a cellular data plan (proxy from ACS “cellular data plan”): approximately 70–80% of ~45,000 households (about 31,000–36,000 households). Expect the suburban/urban ring to be at the top of this range; rural tracts at the bottom.
• Mobile‑only internet households (no wireline broadband): roughly 9–13% countywide, with notable tract‑level pockets exceeding 20% in rural areas. Virginia statewide is typically a few points higher in urban cores but more uniform than Albemarle’s corridor‑vs‑mountain split.

Demographic breakdown (relative patterns versus Virginia)

• Age
  • 18–44: Near‑universal smartphone ownership (>95%), similar to the state.
  • 45–64: High ownership (~90%+), close to state average.
  • 65+: Lower but rising (~75–85%); Albemarle’s slightly older age profile means this group weighs more in the county total than at the state level, contributing to more variation by tract.
• Income
  • $100k+: Near‑universal smartphone ownership; higher prevalence of multiple lines/devices and 5G plans in the northern urban ring.
  • <$35k: Greater likelihood of mobile‑only internet. Albemarle’s overall affluence keeps countywide mobile‑only share a bit below the state average, but rural low‑income pockets are more dependent on cellular than urban Virginia.
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is less diverse than Virginia overall. Where Black and Hispanic households are concentrated, mobile‑only dependence tends to be higher (mirroring state/national patterns), but these groups are a smaller share of Albemarle’s population, so they influence the county total less than at the state level.
• Education
  • Above‑average bachelor’s+ attainment supports higher smartphone and 5G plan uptake and more hotspots/tablets per household than the Virginia average.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and performance
  • 4G LTE: Strong in the Charlottesville urban ring and along primary corridors; thinning coverage and occasional dead zones in the western/southwestern foothills and scenic byways.
  • 5G: Mid‑band 5G from all national carriers is common along US‑29, I‑64, and growth areas (Hollymead, Rio/29, Pantops, Crozet). Rural areas rely on low‑band 5G or LTE; some pockets still have weak service.
  • Network load is corridor‑centric; peak congestion aligns with commuter flows/events along US‑29 and I‑64 more than the statewide pattern, which is driven by larger metros.
• Build constraints and siting
  • Tower siting is more restrictive than in many Virginia localities due to mountain/historic overlays and scenic viewshed policies, contributing to uneven rural coverage compared with the state’s average rural county.
  • Small‑cell densification appears primarily in the urban ring; less so elsewhere than in Virginia’s big metros.
• Substitutes and complements
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home are available in portions of the urban ring; they help offload mobile dependence where wireline is weak. Rural low‑band FWA exists but can be capacity‑constrained.
  • Wireline competition: Comcast serves much of the urban ring; fiber expansions and county‑backed projects (e.g., partnerships with regional electric cooperatives and the Albemarle broadband initiatives) are actively reducing unserved areas. This localized fiber buildout is stronger than in many Virginia rural counties and is likely to reduce mobile‑only dependence over the next 2–3 years.
  • Public Wi‑Fi: Libraries, schools, and civic sites provide offload points; usage spikes are more localized than in Virginia’s large urban systems.

How Albemarle differs most from the Virginia average

• A sharper corridor‑versus‑rural divide in both coverage and adoption than the statewide pattern.
• Slightly lower countywide reliance on mobile‑only internet than the Virginia average, but with more pronounced rural pockets of high dependence.
• Faster 5G adoption and device multiplicity in educated, higher‑income suburban tracts than typical Virginia suburban areas, counterbalanced by siting‑limited rural zones that underperform the state on coverage and speeds.
• Local fiber initiatives are relatively active, suggesting a quicker decline in mobile‑only reliance than the state trend in the near term.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Estimates synthesize recent ACS household internet indicators, Pew smartphone adoption by age, known carrier 5G rollouts (C‑band and mid‑band), and Albemarle’s demographic profile. Exact figures vary by census tract and carrier; treat ranges as planning‑grade.

Below is a concise, locality‑informed snapshot for Albemarle County, VA. Because platform-by-county data are rarely published, figures are modeled from Albemarle’s demographics (ACS/Census) and recent U.S./Virginia social media benchmarks (Pew Research Center, DataReportal). Treat percentages as best‑fit estimates.

Overall user stats (13+)

• Population: ~115,000
• Estimated social media users (13+): 80,000–85,000
• Adults (18+) using social media: ~73,000–77,000 (≈80–85% of adults)
• Teen users (13–17): ~7,000–8,000 (≈90–95% of teens)

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

• 13–17: ~8–10% (heavy daily use; TikTok/Snap/YouTube dominant)
• 18–24: ~10–12% (UVA influence; Instagram/TikTok/YouTube)
• 25–34: ~14–16% (Instagram/YouTube; Facebook for groups/Marketplace)
• 35–54: ~32–36% (Facebook/YouTube core; Instagram rising)
• 55–64: ~12–14% (Facebook/YouTube primary)
• 65+: ~12–16% (Facebook/YouTube; low but growing on Instagram)

Gender breakdown (of users)

• Female: ~53–55%
• Male: ~45–47% Notes: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X.

Most-used platforms (adult usage; overlapping; ranges reflect local adjustment of national rates)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 62–68% (very strong 35+; groups and Marketplace)
• Instagram: 45–50% (18–34 core; events/food)
• TikTok: 28–34% (skews 13–29; short-form local discovery)
• Pinterest: 28–35% (female 25–44)
• LinkedIn: 28–34% (education/health/government workforce)
• Snapchat: 22–28% (teens/college-aged)
• WhatsApp: 20–28% (international ties, family groups)
• X/Twitter: 18–22% (news, UVA/athletics, politics)
• Reddit: 15–20% (male 18–34, tech/gaming)
• Nextdoor: ~15–20% of adults active (or ~20–25% of households)

Behavioral trends to know

• Hyperlocal info flows through Facebook Groups and Nextdoor: school updates, road/wildlife/utility notices, lost-and-found, recommendations.
• Marketplace is a major channel for resale and service discovery; response rates are high for clear photos, price transparency, and local pickup.
• Video-first consumption: Reels/Shorts/TikTok drive event and dining discovery; short, captioned, place-tagged clips outperform.
• Trusted messengers: Local creators, neighborhood admins, and UVA-affiliated accounts carry outsized influence; comments are a key validation signal.
• Messaging is customer service: Facebook/Instagram DMs and text-like replies often convert faster than email/phone.
• Timing: Evenings and weekends see higher engagement; weather events and local elections spike Facebook/X activity.
• Content that performs: Parks/trails, wineries/breweries, family activities, high school/UVA sports, real estate/home projects, seasonal events.
• Ads:
  • Facebook/Instagram: best reach for 30–65+, events, services, retail.
  • TikTok/Instagram Reels: awareness among 16–34 for F&B, entertainment, lifestyle.
  • LinkedIn: recruiting and B2B (education, healthcare, government, tech).
  • Nextdoor: home services and safety/recall notices.

Sources (for benchmarking and modeling): Pew Research Center Social Media Use (2023–2024), DataReportal USA (2024), U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (Albemarle County), platform investor/user reports.