Isle of Wight County

Isle of Wight County, Virginia — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 38,606 (2020 Census)
• 2023 population estimate: about 40,000 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 5-year)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (2020 Census; alone unless noted; Hispanic can be any race)

• White: ~67%
• Black or African American: ~26%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Asian: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~3%

Households and housing (ACS 5-year)

• Households: ~15,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~70% (majority married-couple)
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80%+
• Housing units: ~16,000+

Insights

• Suburban/rural county with steady growth since 2020.
• Older-than-national age profile (median age mid-40s) and high owner-occupancy signal stability.
• Racial composition is majority White with a sizable Black community and small but growing Hispanic population.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census, American Community Survey (5-year), and population estimates.

• Scope: Isle of Wight County, Virginia (2020 Census pop. 38,606; land ~316 sq mi; density ~122 people/sq mi).

• Internet and device access (ACS 2018–2022 5‑year):

  • ~94% of households have a computer; ~88–90% have a broadband subscription.
  • ~9% are smartphone‑only households (no home broadband).
  • Digital access is strongest in/around Smithfield and Windsor; rural tracts lag but mobile coverage mitigates gaps.

• Estimated email users:

  • Adults ≈78% of population (~30,000). Applying county internet adoption and near‑universal email use among internet users (Pew): ≈25,000 adult email users.

• Age distribution of email users (estimate, applying local age mix and national adoption by age):

  • 18–34: ~22%
  • 35–64: ~55%
  • 65+: ~23%
  • Teens use email far less than adults; inclusion would not materially change totals.

• Gender split:

  • County population is roughly balanced; email users ≈51% female, 49% male.

• Trends and insights:

  • High household connectivity with steady broadband growth; smartphone‑reliant households persist in rural areas.
  • Commuter ties to Hampton Roads support strong daytime connectivity and mobile usage.
  • Local density and settlement along US‑17/US‑258 corridors correlates with higher fixed broadband subscription rates and faster speeds.

Mobile phone usage in Isle of Wight County, Virginia — summary with county-specific estimates, demographics, infrastructure, and how trends differ from statewide

Scope and baselines

• Population and households: Approximately 40,000 residents and about 15,500 households (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimates; derived household count using average household size ~2.6).
• Context: Suburban–rural county within the Hampton Roads metro, older than Virginia overall and less densely built than the state average.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone owners: 27,000–28,000 adults (approximately 84–86% of the adult population).
• Teen smartphone owners (ages 13–17): ~2,400–2,600 users (about 90–95% of teens).
• Total smartphone users (13+): roughly 30,000 (about three-quarters of the total population).
• Total active cellular subscriptions (phones, tablets, wearables, hotspots): about 44,000–48,000 lines (using ~1.1–1.2 wireless subscriptions per capita typical for the U.S./Virginia).
• Households primarily relying on cellular data for home internet (“cellular-only”): about 1,300–1,800 households (roughly 8–12% of households).

Demographic breakdown (ownership/use patterns)

• By age (estimates based on Pew adoption rates applied to local age mix):
  • 18–29: ~97% smartphone ownership; ~4,600–4,800 users.
  • 30–49: ~94–96%; ~9,700–10,100 users.
  • 50–64: ~83–88%; ~7,300–7,700 users.
  • 65+: ~65–72%; ~4,900–5,400 users.
• By income and education:
  • Higher-income households (common in commuter areas like Carrollton and Smithfield) show near-saturation smartphone ownership and higher multi-line/device penetration (smartwatch, tablet lines).
  • Lower-income and more rural southern tracts exhibit higher smartphone-dependency for internet access (greater likelihood to rely on cellular data plans rather than fixed broadband).
• By race/ethnicity:
  • County composition skews roughly two-thirds White and roughly one-quarter Black with small Hispanic/Latino and other groups; smartphone ownership is broadly high across groups, but smartphone-dependency for primary internet access tends to be higher among Black and Hispanic residents, consistent with national patterns.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE: Effectively universal outdoor coverage in populated areas from all three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon).
• 5G:
  • Low-band 5G is broadly available countywide.
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., n41 for T‑Mobile, C‑band for Verizon/AT&T) is concentrated in higher-density corridors and population centers (e.g., Smithfield–Carrollton, U.S. 17/Route 10, U.S. 258/U.S. 460), with sparser mid-band reach in the county’s interior agricultural areas.
• Capacity and performance:
  • Commute-driven demand spikes toward the James River Bridge/US‑17 and Route 10 corridors during peak hours, with typical suburban speeds on mid-band 5G and lower rural throughputs on low-band 5G/LTE.
  • Indoor coverage challenges persist in some newer, energy-efficient constructions and heavily wooded/low-lying areas; most carriers mitigate with VoLTE/VoNR, Wi‑Fi Calling, and limited small-cell deployments near denser nodes.
• Public safety and resilience:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) and Verizon Frontline serve public safety; macro towers are the primary layer with limited small-cell presence outside town centers.

How Isle of Wight differs from Virginia overall

• Slightly older population than the state average leads to:
  • Overall adult smartphone ownership a few percentage points lower than Virginia’s statewide rate.
  • A larger absolute number and share of non‑adopting seniors compared with urban counties (e.g., NOVA, Richmond).
• More smartphone-dependent households in rural tracts:
  • Cellular-only home internet is modestly higher than the statewide average, reflecting patchier fixed-broadband availability in the county’s southern interior compared with urbanized Virginia localities.
• 5G mid-band density is thinner than in the state’s urban cores:
  • Mid-band 5G coverage and small-cell density lag Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Virginia Beach/Norfolk, so peak and indoor speeds are more variable outside the main corridors and town centers.
• Device mix:
  • A higher share of single-line households than in major metros, but above-average uptake of secondary devices (wearables/tablets) in commuter suburbs near Smithfield–Carrollton.

Implications and insights

• Coverage is broadly adequate for voice, messaging, and typical app use countywide; the best 5G performance clusters along main corridors and population centers.
• The main gaps versus statewide norms are adoption among seniors and mid-band 5G capacity in low-density zones, which in turn raises smartphone-dependency for home internet where fixed broadband is weaker.
• Commuting patterns to Hampton Roads create predictable peak-load windows; enterprises and public agencies should account for time‑of‑day variability in throughput for field staff.

Sources and methods

• Population/households: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 vintage estimates and ACS averages for household size.
• Smartphone ownership by age: Pew Research Center (2023–2024 device ownership trends) applied to county age mix to produce user estimates.
• Subscriptions per capita: CTIA annual survey benchmarks for U.S./Virginia wireless lines.
• Coverage characterization: FCC Broadband Data Collection mobile maps (2024) and carrier public 5G buildout disclosures for Hampton Roads; generalized to the county’s settlement pattern.

Social media usage in Isle of Wight County, VA — 2025 snapshot

Overall adoption

• Estimated share of adults using at least one social platform: 80–84%

Most‑used platforms among adults (estimated share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 63–68%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 33–38%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• LinkedIn: 25–30%
• X (Twitter): 20–25%
• Nextdoor: 15–20%
• Reddit: 18–22%

Age profile (share of adults in each group using any social platform; platform tendencies)

• 18–29: 93–97%; heavy on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; short‑form video first
• 30–49: 85–90%; Facebook + Instagram + YouTube; Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Reels/Shorts common
• 50–64: 72–78%; Facebook and YouTube core; Pinterest for home/recipes; LinkedIn among professionals
• 65+: 45–52%; Facebook primary; YouTube for how‑to/local news; light but rising TikTok use

Gender patterns (local skews mirror U.S. norms)

• Facebook: women higher by ~10 percentage points; hub for schools, churches, community groups
• Pinterest: strong female skew
• Instagram: slight female lead
• LinkedIn and Reddit: skew male
• YouTube and TikTok: near gender parity

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Community and civic info concentrates in Facebook Groups and Nextdoor (county alerts, schools, utilities, Smithfield/Windsor events)
• Local commerce gravitates to Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell groups; strong seasonal spikes (spring home projects, back‑to‑school, holidays)
• Short‑form video (Reels, Shorts, TikTok) drives discovery and conversions for restaurants, events, home services, and local retail
• Peak engagement windows: weekday early morning, lunch, and evening; weekend midday for family and event content
• Messaging behavior: Facebook Messenger is default; WhatsApp pockets among families/trades; DMs frequently used for customer service and bookings
• Older homeowners engage with service/health content; younger adults respond to deals, experiences, and creator‑led recommendations

Method note

• Figures are modeled local estimates for 2025 by applying recent U.S. platform adoption rates (e.g., Pew Research Center 2024) to the county’s age profile and suburban/rural usage patterns; rankings and ranges align with platform ad‑reach indicators for similar Hampton Roads counties.