James City County

James City County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: ~82,000
• 2020 Census: 78,254

Age

• Under 18: ~18%
• 65 and over: ~26%
• Median age: mid‑40s

Gender

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~79%
• Black or African American alone: ~13%
• Asian alone: ~4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~7%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~74%

Households and housing

• Households: ~34,000
• Persons per household: ~2.3
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~79%
• Housing units: ~37,000
• Median gross rent: ~$1,450

Notes and sources

• Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau: 2023 Population Estimates Program and 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5-year), and 2020 Decennial Census (P.L. 94-171). QuickFacts: James City County, Virginia.

• Population and density: 78,254 residents (2020 Census) over ~143 sq mi; ≈548 people/sq mi. Gender: ≈52% female, 48% male.
• Digital access (ACS 2018–2022): ≈95% of households have a computer; ≈92% have a broadband internet subscription (cable/DSL/fiber/cellular). Smartphone in household: ≈90%. Households without any internet: ≈7–8%.
• Estimated email users (adults 18+): Adults are 80% of residents (62.6k). Applying Pew’s finding that ≈92% of U.S. adults use email yields ≈57–58k adult email users in James City County. Gender split among adult email users mirrors population: 52% female (30k), 48% male (27k).
• Age distribution and email adoption:
  • 18–34: 18% of population (14k); email use ≈90% ⇒ ~12.5–13k users.
  • 35–64: 36% (28k); email use ≈92% ⇒ ~25.5–26k users.
  • 65+: 26% (20k); email use ≈85% ⇒ ~17k users.
• Trends and connectivity insights: High household broadband and device ownership support near‑universal adult email adoption. The densely populated Williamsburg–I‑64 corridor benefits from broad cable/fiber availability, while outer, less‑dense areas rely more on cellular broadband. Overall digital access indicators are stronger than national averages, supporting robust email reach across working‑age and retiree populations.

Mobile phone usage in James City County, Virginia — key findings and estimates

Headline figures

• Estimated smartphone users: about 65,000 people in James City County use a smartphone on a regular basis.
• Adult smartphone penetration: 90–92% of adults (slightly below Virginia’s ~93–94% due to the county’s older age profile).
• Wireless-only households (no landline): estimated 60–65% in the county versus roughly 70% statewide, reflecting the larger 65+ population locally.

How these estimates were derived

• Method blends recent Pew Research smartphone adoption rates by age group with the county’s age distribution from recent American Community Survey (ACS) releases. Using typical brackets and local age mix:
  • 18–34: ~98% adoption
  • 35–54: ~96%
  • 55–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~75–80%
  • Teens (13–17): ~95%
• Applying those rates to James City County’s age structure (notably a higher 65+ share than Virginia overall) yields roughly 60,000 adult smartphone users, plus approximately 5,000 teen users, for a total near 65,000.

Demographic breakdown and what differs from the state

• Age-driven differences
  • James City County has a substantially older population than the Virginia average (median age in the upper 40s; roughly 1 in 4 to nearly 1 in 3 residents are 65+ versus closer to 1 in 6 statewide).
  • Result: individual smartphone adoption is 1–3 percentage points lower than Virginia overall because the 65+ cohort adopts at lower rates. However, overall household smartphone availability remains high due to income and education levels.
• Income and education
  • The county’s median household income outpaces the state average, and bachelor’s-or-higher attainment is also higher. In practice this:
    • Raises 5G-capable handset penetration and keeps overall smartphone adoption high among working-age adults (mid to upper 90% for $75k+ households).
    • Lowers reliance on smartphones as the only internet connection compared with the state; more households also maintain robust home broadband.
• Race/ethnicity patterns
  • Within-county gaps in smartphone ownership are narrower than gaps in home broadband. Mobile phone access is broadly high across groups, while “smartphone-only” internet reliance is more concentrated among lower-income households.

Usage patterns and behavior

• BYOD and multi-line prevalence are high among working-age professionals; retirees frequently keep a landline or VoIP in addition to mobile, pulling down the wireless-only rate relative to Virginia.
• Tourism and events (Williamsburg area) produce pronounced peak-load periods for cellular networks, influencing carrier capacity planning more than in many Virginia counties of similar size.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile networks
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) operate countywide. Low-band 5G covers most populated areas; mid-band 5G is concentrated along the I‑64/Route 199 corridors and commercial clusters (Lightfoot, Norge/Toano, New Town/Monticello corridor, Grove/Greenmount Industrial Park, and around Jamestown/Route 5).
  • Typical real-world speeds (directional ranges): LTE 25–80 Mbps, low-band 5G 50–150 Mbps, mid-band 5G 200–400+ Mbps in strong-signal areas. Millimeter-wave is limited to a few dense retail or venue spots, not broadly deployed.
  • Known weak or variable areas: low-lying tidal zones and heavily forested stretches near the Chickahominy River and Skiffe’s Creek; portions of the Colonial Parkway corridor have coverage constraints due to federal parkland siting limitations on towers.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • The I‑64 spine and major arterials benefit from stronger backhaul, multiple colocated macro sites, and small cells in retail zones, yielding better peak-period performance than rural interior roads.
• Home and community broadband context (affects mobile reliance)
  • Cable (DOCSIS 3.1) covers the vast majority of residences, supporting high in-home Wi‑Fi offload. Fiber-to-the-home is present in limited pockets; remaining unserved or underserved clusters have been the focus of state-aided expansion projects in recent years.
  • 5G fixed wireless (T‑Mobile, Verizon) is available in much of the county as an alternative where cable/fiber are absent or cost-prohibitive.

Trends that diverge from Virginia overall

• Slightly lower individual smartphone adoption but similar household smartphone availability: the county’s older age mix nudges individual adoption down modestly versus the state, yet higher incomes mean most households still have modern smartphones.
• Lower wireless-only share: more residents keep a landline or VoIP alongside mobile, producing a wireless-only household rate several points below the Virginia average.
• Earlier 5G handset uptake among working-age adults: affluence and education drive faster upgrade cycles than many Virginia counties outside Northern Virginia and the urban Hampton Roads core.
• Peak-load sensitivity due to tourism: capacity enhancements are focused around travel corridors and attractions; weekday daytime loads are steadier than student-heavy markets, while weekend/holiday peaks are sharper than the state average.
• Fixed wireless as a gap-filler, not a primary: compared with rural Virginia, take-up of 5G home internet is more targeted to fringe areas, because cable coverage is widespread and performant inside the developed core.

What to watch next

• Continued mid-band 5G densification along secondary arterials (Jamestown Road/Route 5, Richmond Road/Route 60 west of Lightfoot, and Croaker/Toano) to smooth out peak tourism demand.
• Completion of remaining last-mile builds to eliminate unserved pockets, further reducing smartphone-only internet reliance among lower-income residents and seniors.

James City County, VA — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Overall penetration and activity

• Adults using any social platform (excluding YouTube): 68–72% of adults
• YouTube usage: 74–79% of adults
• Daily social users: 58–63% of adults (≈85–90% of social users)
• Device mix among users: predominantly mobile-first (≈85–90%), with desktop use skewing older

Gender breakdown (share of social media users)

• Female: 54–56%
• Male: 44–46%

Age mix among local social media users

• 18–24: 8–9%
• 25–34: 13–15%
• 35–44: 18–20%
• 45–54: 18–19%
• 55–64: 20–22%
• 65+: 17–19% Interpretation: Usage skews older than the U.S. average; 55+ accounts for roughly two in five local social users.

Most-used platforms in the county (share of adult population)

• YouTube: 74–79%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 35–40%
• Pinterest: 36–41%
• LinkedIn: 31–36%
• TikTok: 23–27%
• Snapchat: 16–20%
• Nextdoor: 24–30% of adults; 35–45% of households active
• X (Twitter): 12–16%
• Reddit: 11–14%

Behavioral trends and content preferences

• Community-first behavior: Heavy participation in Facebook Groups and Nextdoor for HOA updates, county services, schools, parks and recreation, and buy/sell/trade. Public-service posts, safety alerts, and local events outperform generic brand content.
• Older-skew engagement: Facebook and YouTube are the workhorses for news, how‑tos, local government updates, and faith/community organizations. Pinterest performs strongly among women for home, garden, recipes, and crafts.
• Young-adult pockets: Instagram and TikTok drive discovery for dining, entertainment, fitness, and seasonal activities; short-form video and Reels perform best.
• Professional and civic: Above-average LinkedIn activity aligned with high educational attainment; effective for recruiting, B2B, healthcare, and public-sector messaging.
• Timing: Peak engagement typically evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mid‑day; weekday lunchtime spikes for Facebook and Nextdoor.
• Creative notes: Real local imagery, event-driven posts, and utility content (road closures, openings, weather) consistently lift reach and sharing; polished ads without local cues underperform.

Method in brief: Estimates reflect 2023–2024 American Community Survey age/sex composition for James City County combined with 2024 Pew Research U.S. platform adoption rates and adjusted upward/downward for local age and education skews; Nextdoor household activity inferred from suburban adoption patterns.