Franklin County

Franklin County, Virginia — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; primarily 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; figures rounded)

• Population: ~55,000 residents (2023 estimate)
• Age:
  • Median age: ~48 years
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 18–64: ~57%
  • 65 and over: ~23%
• Gender: ~50–51% female; ~49–50% male
• Race/ethnicity:
  • White: ~88–90%
  • Black or African American: ~6–7%
  • Two or more races: ~3–4%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2–3%
  • Asian: ~0.3–0.5%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2–0.3%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~22,000–22,500
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~70% (married-couple ~55–60%)
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80–82%
  • Median household income: ~$60k–$65k
  • Poverty rate: ~11–13%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5-year) and 2020 Decennial Census. Figures rounded for readability.

Franklin County, VA snapshot (rural; ≈55,000 residents; ~80 people per sq. mile)

Estimated email users

• 40,000–45,000 residents. Assumes ~80–85% of residents are adults and ~85–90% of adults use email (based on national usage in similar rural areas).

Age distribution of email users (approx.)

• 18–34: 22–25%
• 35–54: 35–40%
• 55–64: 15–18%
• 65+: 20–25% Older adults are slightly less likely to use email, but adoption continues to rise.

Gender split

• Roughly even among users (≈49% male, 51% female), mirroring the county’s population.

Digital access and connectivity trends

• Household internet subscription: roughly 75–85%, lower than Virginia’s urban areas but improving as new fiber projects come online.
• Access patterns: Cable/fiber concentrated around Rocky Mount and Smith Mountain Lake; many outlying areas rely on DSL or fixed wireless.
• Mobile-only internet users: about 10–20% of households; 4G/5G strongest along US-220 and VA-122 corridors.
• Speeds and reliability vary widely; sub-100 Mbps service remains common outside fiber/cable footprints.

Notes: Figures are estimates derived from U.S. Census/ACS patterns for rural Virginia and national email adoption benchmarks; local surveys may refine them.

Below is a county-level snapshot built from recent federal datasets (ACS 2018–2022, FCC 2024 broadband maps) and rural wireless market patterns. Figures are estimates with ranges to reflect county-level margins of error; use them as planning guides and verify with the latest ACS table S2801 and FCC map for decisions.

Big picture: how Franklin County differs from Virginia overall

• Older, more rural, and lower-income than the state average, which depresses smartphone penetration and fixed-broadband take-up while raising “mobile-only” internet reliance.
• 5G mid-band coverage is concentrated along main corridors and population clusters; gaps persist in hilly/valley terrain compared with Virginia’s largely ubiquitous urban/suburban 5G.
• Seasonal surges around Smith Mountain Lake create peak-period congestion not seen in most of the state.

User estimates (2025 snapshot)

• Population and households: ~54–57k residents; ~22–23k households.
• Residents using a mobile phone (any kind): ~47–50k (roughly 85–90% of residents), slightly below Virginia’s ~92–95%.
• Smartphone users: ~39–43k (about 75–80% of residents; ~83–88% of adults), versus Virginia at roughly 85–90% of residents.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed home broadband): ~18–22% of households, notably higher than Virginia’s ~11–13%.
• Prepaid share: higher than state average (qualitatively), reflecting income and credit profiles; device upgrade cycles tend to be longer than in metro Virginia.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 65+: Larger share than state (≈24–26% of county vs ≈16–18% VA). Smartphone adoption in this group trails the state by ~5–10 percentage points; more basic-phone and voice/SMS reliance.
  • 18–44: Adoption close to statewide norms (>90% smartphone), but absolute numbers are smaller due to population mix.
  • Teens (13–17): High smartphone use (>85%), though more likely to share plans/hotspots due to fixed broadband gaps.
• Income/education
  • Median household income below the Virginia median; correlates with more prepaid plans, fewer premium devices, and heavier hotspot use for homework and work-from-home in limited-broadband areas.
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is majority White with smaller Black and Hispanic/Latino populations than Virginia overall. Digital divide is driven more by age, terrain, and income than by race compared with state patterns.
• Geography
  • Strongest mobile experience along US-220 (Rocky Mount–Roanoke axis), VA-122/VA-40, and around Westlake/Smith Mountain Lake; weaker coverage and lower speeds in Ferrum, Callaway, Snow Creek, and other hollows and ridgelines.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and technology
  • 4G LTE is broadly available but with rural dead zones in valleys/foothills; indoor coverage can be inconsistent away from highways.
  • 5G low-band is increasingly present countywide outdoors; mid-band 5G (100–300 Mbps class) is concentrated along US-220, Rocky Mount, and Smith Mountain Lake activity centers; mmWave is minimal to none.
• Carrier landscape
  • Verizon and AT&T generally provide the most reliable rural coverage; T-Mobile has improved along primary corridors but remains patchier off-route. MVNO performance tracks the host network and can be deprioritized during congestion.
  • FirstNet (AT&T) supports public safety; its buildouts typically improve AT&T rural coverage and capacity along priority routes.
• Capacity and backhaul
  • Fewer macro sites per square mile than state urban areas; limited small-cell/densification outside town centers.
  • Some towers rely on microwave backhaul; fiber-fed sites cluster near major roads and lake communities. Capacity strains appear during peak tourist seasons and summer weekends.
• Fixed broadband interplay
  • Household broadband subscription is lower than the state (roughly mid/high-70s% in county vs mid/high-80s% in VA), pushing more households to rely on mobile hotspots.
  • Ongoing fiber and BEAD-funded projects are narrowing gaps but have not eliminated rural pockets with limited fixed service—sustaining higher mobile-only reliance than statewide.

Trends that diverge from the Virginia average

• Adoption: Overall mobile and smartphone penetration are a bit lower due to older age structure and income; mobile-only households are meaningfully higher.
• Performance: Greater variability in speeds and reliability by micro-geography; more pronounced differences between corridor/lake areas and hollows.
• Seasonality: Noticeable demand spikes around Smith Mountain Lake; congestion patterns are more seasonal than in most Virginia metros.
• Network evolution: Slower small-cell densification and fewer mid-band 5G sectors than urban/suburban Virginia; upgrades tend to follow highways and population clusters first.
• Plan mix: Higher prepaid share and longer device replacement cycles than the state norm.

Data notes and sources

• Estimates align with: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (table S2801, device ownership and internet subscription), FCC National Broadband Map (2024) for availability, and typical rural Virginia wireless buildout patterns. For precise planning, confirm with the latest ACS 5-year release, FCC map layers, and carrier coverage tools/drive tests.

Note: Franklin County does not publish platform-by-platform user counts. Figures below are estimates based on Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media benchmarks, adjusted for rural areas, and applied to Franklin County’s population (~56,000; ~46,000 adults). Treat as directional.

Topline user stats

• Estimated total social media users (13+): 34,000–38,000
  • Adults (18+): ~32,000–35,000 users (≈70–75% of adults)
  • Teens (13–17): ~2,700–3,000 users (≈90–95% of teens)

Most-used platforms (estimated adult reach; percent of adults who use the platform)

• YouTube: 75–80% (~34k–37k adults)
• Facebook: 65–70% (~30k–32k)
• Instagram: 35–45% (~16k–21k)
• TikTok: 25–35% (~11k–16k)
• Snapchat: 20–30% (~9k–14k)
• Pinterest: 25–35% (~11k–16k; strongly female)
• WhatsApp: 15–20% (~7k–9k)
• X (Twitter): 15–20% (~7k–9k)
• LinkedIn: 15–25% (~7k–11k; lower in rural areas/blue-collar sectors)
• Nextdoor: 5–10% (~2k–5k; tends to be modest outside dense suburbs)

Teens (13–17) platform use (share of teens)

• YouTube ~90–95%
• TikTok ~60–70%
• Snapchat ~55–65%
• Instagram ~50–60%
• Facebook ~20–30%

Age-group patterns (approximate adoption by platform)

• 18–29: Very high on YouTube (90%+), Instagram (70–80%), Snapchat (60%+), TikTok (60%+), Facebook (~60–70%)
• 30–49: YouTube (85–90%), Facebook (75–80%), Instagram (45–55%), TikTok (35–45%), Snapchat (~25–35%)
• 50–64: Facebook (70–75%), YouTube (75–85%), Instagram (25–35%), TikTok (15–25%)
• 65+: Facebook (55–65%), YouTube (50–60%), Instagram (10–20%), TikTok (5–15%)

Gender breakdown (directional, based on national skews applied locally)

• Overall adult social users: roughly balanced, slight female tilt (≈52% women / 48% men)
• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X
• Rough platform skews:
  • Facebook and Pinterest: majority female audiences locally
  • YouTube, Reddit, X: male-leaning
  • Instagram and TikTok: near even, slight female lean

Behavioral trends in Franklin County (rural/suburban, lake-and-town mix)

• Facebook is the community backbone: heavy use of local Groups (schools, youth sports, churches, town and county info, Smith Mountain Lake communities), Marketplace, and event discovery.
• Video-first consumption rising: short-form clips (Reels/TikTok) from local businesses, realtors, restaurants, tourism, and lake recreation perform well; cross-posting IG Reels to FB gets reach with 30+ audiences.
• Local news and alerts: residents follow county services, volunteer fire/EMS, weather/emergency pages; engagement spikes during storms, school closings, and elections.
• Commerce: robust use of Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell/trade groups for farm, outdoors, tools, boats, and yard equipment; service pros rely on FB pages and recommendations.
• Messaging > public posting: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are primary for inquiries and customer service; WhatsApp used in certain work crews and transplants.
• Teens and young adults: Snapchat for close-friend messaging; TikTok/YouTube for entertainment and creator content; Instagram for aesthetics/events. Limited teen Facebook use except for groups or family.
• Older adults (50+): rely on Facebook for community, obituaries, local businesses, and civic info; YouTube for how-to, DIY, and faith content.
• Timing: engagement peaks early morning (6:30–8:30 a.m.), lunch (noon–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–9 p.m.). Weekend spikes tied to lake season and local events.
• Seasonality: summer uptick around Smith Mountain Lake (tourism, rentals, boating); fall sports, holidays, and severe-weather periods drive surges.
• Trust and verification: high trust in known local pages/groups; rumor/misinformation can travel fast—clear visuals, names/faces, and local references improve credibility and sharing.

How to validate locally

• Check platform ad tools (Facebook/Instagram Ads Manager, TikTok Ads, Snapchat Ads) for Franklin County reach estimates.
• Compare with page insights of major local entities (county government, schools, public safety, large churches, and Smith Mountain Lake groups) to refine audience splits.