Dickenson County

Here are the latest high-level demographics for Dickenson County, Virginia.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5‑year estimates)

Population

• Total population: 14,124 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~14,000

Age

• Median age: ~46 years (ACS)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 65 and over: ~24%

Sex

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS)

• White alone: ~97%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.3–0.4%
• Asian alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~1–2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~96–97%

Households (ACS)

• Number of households: ~5,700
• Average household size: ~2.3 persons
• Family households: ~60–65% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~24–25%

Summary of email usage in Dickenson County, Virginia (estimates)

• Population baseline: ~14,000 residents; adult share ~78%.
• Estimated email users: 8,500–9,500 residents. Method: adult internet adoption in rural areas (80–85%) × near‑universal email use among internet users (≈90–95%), plus some teen users.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~22%
  • 30–49: ~34%
  • 50–64: ~28%
  • 65+: ~16% Older adults participate widely but are slightly less likely to use email daily than younger adults.
• Gender split: roughly even (≈50% female, 50% male), mirroring national patterns.
• Digital access trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is lower than the Virginia average; approximate local subscription rate ~70–75%.
  • Smartphone‑only internet access is comparatively common (~15–20%), reflecting affordability and availability constraints.
  • Libraries, schools, and public Wi‑Fi are important access points; fiber coverage is expanding but uneven.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Low population density (~40 people per square mile) and mountainous terrain increase last‑mile costs and slow build‑out.
  • Better connectivity clusters in and near towns and along main corridors; hollows/remote areas often rely on legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.

Notes: Figures are synthesized from U.S. Census/ACS rural benchmarks and national email-usage research (e.g., Pew) scaled to county size.

Mobile phone usage in Dickenson County, VA (2025 snapshot)

Overall user estimates

• Population base: ~14,100 residents (2020 Census), roughly 11–12k adults.
• Estimated smartphone users: 9,000–10,000 adults (about 78–85% of adults), below Virginia’s ~89–91% adult smartphone ownership.
• Households relying on mobile as primary internet (smartphone or hotspot, no wired broadband): estimated 25–30% of households, notably higher than Virginia’s ~15–18%.
• Plan mix: prepaid and budget MVNOs are used more than statewide averages; family plans anchored to Verizon/AT&T are common given coverage.

Demographic nuances shaping usage

• Age: A larger senior share than Virginia overall. Estimated smartphone adoption: 18–49: 90–95%; 50–64: ~75–85%; 65+: ~55–65% (all lower than state averages for the older brackets).
• Income: Lower median household income and higher poverty rates than the state drive price sensitivity, longer device refresh cycles (often 3–4 years), and greater reliance on Android mid‑range devices.
• Household connectivity: Above‑average share of “mobile‑only” homes because wired broadband is less available/affordable in parts of the county.
• Work patterns: Outdoor, shift, and field‑based jobs increase reliance on voice/text coverage along primary corridors and job sites; Wi‑Fi calling is frequently used at home in weak‑signal areas.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Terrain effect: Mountainous topography and narrow valleys create coverage shadowing. Service is strongest in and around towns (Clintwood, Haysi, Clinchco) and along primary state routes; hollows and ridge‑shielded areas see gaps.
• Carrier presence: Verizon and AT&T generally provide the most reliable footprint; T‑Mobile coverage is improving but remains spottier in valleys than the statewide picture. Many residents select plans based on coverage first, price second.
• Network generations:
  • 4G LTE is the workhorse across the county.
  • Low‑band 5G is present along main corridors and town centers but is patchier than in most of Virginia; mid‑band 5G (C‑band or 2.5 GHz) is limited.
  • Practical experience: more call/text reliability issues and in‑building signal weakness than the state average; Wi‑Fi calling is a common workaround.
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Fiber investment has accelerated since 2020 through state grants (e.g., VATI) and utility/middle‑mile partnerships in the Cumberland Plateau region, improving some tower backhaul and home fiber availability.
  • Nonetheless, several macro sites still depend on constrained backhaul or microwave hops, limiting peak speeds and capacity compared with Virginia’s metro corridors.
• Public safety and resilience: Rural power and weather events can disrupt service; generator‑backed sites ease, but do not eliminate, outage risk. First responder coverage has improved with recent rural buildouts but remains more variable than the state average in hollows.

Performance (typical user experience)

• Speeds: LTE commonly 5–50 Mbps; low‑band 5G often 20–100 Mbps where available, with wide variance by location and time. These ranges trail median speeds seen in Virginia’s urban/suburban markets.
• Latency: Often 40–80 ms on LTE/low‑band 5G, higher under congestion or microwave‑backhauled sites.
• Indoor coverage: Weaker than state average in many homes and small businesses situated in valleys; signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling are prevalent.

How Dickenson County differs from Virginia overall (key trends)

• Higher dependence on mobile as the primary home internet, driven by patchy wired broadband and affordability constraints.
• Lower overall smartphone adoption among older adults; more pronounced digital divide by age and income.
• Slower and less consistent 5G experience; limited mid‑band 5G coverage relative to state averages.
• Greater coverage gaps due to terrain; reliability is more location‑dependent.
• Higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans and longer device lifecycles; slightly higher Android share than the state average.
• Carrier choice skews more heavily toward Verizon/AT&T for coverage reasons; T‑Mobile market share is lower than in Virginia’s metros.

Notes on methodology

• User counts and adoption are estimates derived from the 2020 Census population base, rural adoption patterns from national surveys, and typical rural Virginia differentials versus statewide figures. Local conditions vary road‑by‑road; for siting or service planning, verify against current FCC coverage maps, carrier tools, and Cumberland Plateau regional broadband updates.

Here’s a concise, locally tuned snapshot of social media use in Dickenson County, VA. Figures are estimates derived from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 social media data (with a rural adjustment) applied to county demographics from the U.S. Census/ACS. County-specific platform measurements aren’t published, so treat these as best-fit ranges.

At a glance

• Population: ~14,000; adults (18+): ~10,800–11,200
• Adults using any social media: ~68–74% → ~7,300–8,300 people
• Teens (13–17): ~800–900; on social media: ~90–95%

Most-used platforms (adults; share of all adults)

• YouTube: 72–80%
• Facebook: 62–70%
• Instagram: 32–40%
• TikTok: 26–34%
• Snapchat: 20–28%
• Pinterest: 22–30% (skews female)
• X/Twitter: 10–15% (skews male)
• Reddit: 9–13% (skews male)
• LinkedIn: 12–17% (lower than urban VA)
• Nextdoor: 3–6% (low rural adoption)

Age patterns

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 90–95%; TikTok 60–70%; Snapchat 55–65%; Instagram 55–60%; Facebook 20–30%
• 18–29: YouTube ~95%; Instagram 70–80%; Snapchat 60–70%; TikTok 55–65%; Facebook 50–60%
• 30–49: Facebook 70–80%; YouTube 85–90%; Instagram 45–55%; TikTok 30–40%
• 50–64: Facebook 75–85%; YouTube 65–75%; Instagram 25–35%; TikTok 15–25%
• 65+: Facebook 60–70%; YouTube 50–60%; Instagram 10–20%

Gender differences (directional)

• Women higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (Pinterest especially; roughly 3–4x men)
• Men higher on YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter
• TikTok and Snapchat are closer to gender-neutral locally

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell/trade groups, school/sports updates, church and event info, lost-and-found pets, road and weather alerts. FB Messenger is a primary communication tool.
• Local information spikes engagement: posts from county/sheriff/schools/VDOT, severe weather, closures, and high school sports highlights.
• Small businesses lean on Facebook Pages and boosted posts; Instagram is secondary for visual businesses; TikTok use is growing among boutiques, salons, and creators.
• Content format: short vertical video performs best; live streams during community events and storms draw high real-time engagement.
• Access habits: smartphone-first; some upload timing shaped by patchy home broadband—peaks morning (6–8 a.m.) and evening (7–10 p.m.), plus Sunday nights.
• Culture: practical, community-first tone; strong norms in local groups (no-drama rules, quick moderation); political spikes near elections.

Notes on method

• Estimates are modeled from national/rural usage patterns (Pew) scaled to local population (ACS/Census). Overlap across platforms is expected; ranges reflect uncertainty and rural variance.