King William County

King William County, Virginia — demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; figures rounded)

• Population: 18,200
• Age
  • Median age: 41.9
  • Under 18: 22%
  • 18–64: 60%
  • 65 and over: 18%
• Sex
  • Male: 49.3%
  • Female: 50.7%
• Race/ethnicity
  • White (non-Hispanic): 78.4%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): 14.0%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): 4.3%
  • Two or more races (non-Hispanic): 2.6%
  • Asian (non-Hispanic): 0.5%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): 0.2%
• Households
  • Total households: 6,950
  • Average household size: 2.59
  • Family households: 73%
  • Married-couple families: 57%
  • Households with children under 18: 29%
  • Nonfamily households: 27%
  • Average family size: 3.07

Insight: The county has grown modestly since 2010 and is older, more owner-occupied, and less racially/ethnically diverse than Virginia overall.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 (5-year); 2020 Decennial Census (context).

King William County, VA (population ≈18,500) has about 14,200 email users (≈77% of residents; ≈92% of adults). Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 7%; 18–34: 25%; 35–54: 37%; 55+: 31%. Gender split among users mirrors the population: ≈51% female, 49% male.

Digital access: Approximately 86% of households subscribe to home broadband; about 11% are smartphone‑only internet users. County population density is roughly 66 people per square mile, reflecting rural settlement that historically limited last‑mile connectivity. Fiber-to-the-home buildouts funded through Virginia’s VATI and led locally by All Points Broadband are expanding coverage across the Middle Peninsula, accelerating migration from DSL/fixed‑wireless to fiber and improving reliability and speeds. Mobile 4G/5G coverage is solid along primary corridors (e.g., US‑360), with spottier service in outlying areas steadily improving as new towers and fiber backhaul come online.

Usage insights: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults and increasingly common among residents 55+, who benefit from expanding fiber access. Business, school, and government communications in the county are predominantly email‑centric, and uptake will rise further as remaining unserved homes are connected.

Summary of mobile phone usage in King William County, Virginia

Population baseline

• Residents: approximately 18,200 (2023 estimate), about 7,100 households and roughly 14,200 adults (18+)

User estimates

• Adults with any mobile phone: about 13,500 (≈95% of adults)
• Adult smartphone users: about 11,900 (≈84% of adults)
• Teen smartphone users (ages 13–17): about 1,100 (≈90% of teens)
• Total mobile phone users (adults plus teens): approximately 14,600
• Total smartphone users (adults plus teens): approximately 13,000

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–29: near-universal smartphone ownership (>95%)
  • 30–49: very high smartphone ownership (~93–95%)
  • 50–64: solid smartphone ownership (~85–88%)
  • 65+: lower smartphone ownership in-county (70%) than Virginia overall (78%), reflecting an older median age and rural device preferences
• Income and access
  • Smartphone-only internet households (smartphone but no wired home broadband): about 22% of households in King William County (≈1,550), higher than Virginia’s average (~17–18%)
  • Households using cellular/fixed wireless as primary home internet (LTE/5G home internet or hotspots): roughly 14% of households (≈1,000), above the statewide share, driven by limited wired options outside the main corridors
• Plan type and spending
  • Prepaid plan usage is notably higher than the statewide mix, reflecting price sensitivity and coverage-driven carrier switching in rural zones
  • Average monthly mobile data use per smartphone is elevated (roughly 25–40 GB) compared with urban Virginia, because a subset of households rely on mobile for home connectivity
• Work and mobility
  • High out‑of‑county commuting concentrates peak network load along US‑360 (Aylett/Central Garage corridor) and VA‑30/33 (to West Point) in AM/PM peaks

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Coverage and performance
  • 4G LTE: near‑universal along primary roads; indoor coverage gaps persist in low‑lying and wooded interior areas near the Mattaponi and Pamunkey river valleys and on secondary roads
  • 5G availability: roughly two‑thirds of residents have outdoor 5G at their home location (≈65–75%), versus about 90% statewide; 5G is strongest along US‑360 (Aylett to the county line), around the King William Courthouse area, and near West Point
  • Typical speeds: mid‑band 5G delivers roughly 100–300 Mbps on covered corridors; LTE ranges from 5–40 Mbps, with the low end common indoors and in interior rural areas
• Carriers
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent rural coverage; both support low‑band 5G, with Verizon C‑band present along main corridors
  • T‑Mobile’s mid‑band 5G is competitive along US‑360 and near West Point but falls back to LTE in interior sectors
  • Public‑safety and priority service: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 operates on main travel corridors and around civic anchors
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Ongoing universal fiber build led by All Points Broadband with Dominion Energy middle‑mile is extending fiber deeper into the county (2022–2025), improving options for wired households and enabling higher‑capacity backhaul for nearby cellular sites as segments light up
• Public and community access
  • Libraries (Pamunkey Regional Library branches, including King William and West Point), schools, and county buildings provide free Wi‑Fi and device charging that supplement mobile service for residents with limited home broadband

How King William County differs from Virginia overall

• Lower 5G coverage and greater reliance on LTE, creating wider performance variability than in metro/suburban Virginia
• Higher share of smartphone‑only and mobile‑primary households, reflecting sparser cable/fiber in interior areas
• Slightly lower smartphone adoption among seniors and modestly higher use of prepaid plans, consistent with rural cost sensitivity and coverage‑testing behavior
• Greater dependence on fixed wireless and mobile hotspots for home connectivity relative to the statewide norm

Key takeaways

• Approximately 14,600 residents use mobile phones, with about 13,000 smartphone users; usage is nearly universal among working‑age adults, with a senior adoption gap versus the state
• 5G coverage is meaningfully behind Virginia’s statewide availability, concentrated on the US‑360 and West Point corridors; LTE remains the workhorse in much of the county
• A higher‑than‑average share of households rely on smartphones or mobile/fixed‑wireless in lieu of wired broadband; the ongoing fiber build is the single most important lever to narrow these gaps and should also improve cellular performance as backhaul improves

Social media usage in King William County, VA (2024–2025)

User stats

• Residents ≈ 18–19k; adults (18+) ≈ 14k.
• Active social media users (18+): ≈ 11–12k (about 80–85% of adults).
• Typical user is on multiple platforms; YouTube and Facebook are near-universal among local users.

Most‑used platforms among adults (approx. share)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~70% (rural/older skew likely lifts it a few points above the U.S. average of 68%)
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• WhatsApp: ~25–30%
• Pinterest: ~35% (notably higher among women)
• LinkedIn: ~30% (primarily working-age professionals)
• X (Twitter): ~20–22%
• Reddit: ~20–22%
• Nextdoor: ~15–20% (higher in subdivisions; lower in dispersed rural areas)

Age-group patterns (shares using each platform)

• 18–29: YouTube ~90%+; Instagram and Snapchat ~60–75%; TikTok ~55–65%; Facebook ~30–40%.
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%; Facebook ~65–75%; Instagram ~45–55%; TikTok ~35–45%; Snapchat ~20–30%.
• 50–64: YouTube ~80%+; Facebook ~65–70%; Instagram ~25–35%; TikTok ~20–30%.
• 65+: YouTube ~45–55%; Facebook ~60%; Instagram ~10–20%; TikTok ~8–12%.

Gender breakdown

• Women over-index on Facebook and Instagram by roughly 3–8 percentage points; Pinterest usage among women is about 2x men.
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X by roughly 5–10 percentage points.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook Groups are the backbone for local information: county services, public safety/weather alerts, school and youth sports, yard sales/marketplace, and road conditions.
• Video-first consumption: short-form vertical video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) consistently drives reach and reshares; live video performs well for meetings, games, and events.
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat underpin day-to-day coordination; WhatsApp is common for family/work groups.
• Community commerce: strong engagement with local buy/sell/trade and service referrals; clear “what/where/how to buy” posts outperform generic promotions.
• Timing: engagement peaks evenings (after 6 p.m.) and weekends; midday spikes occur during weather events, school announcements, and traffic incidents.
• Cross-posting works best when content is reformatted natively (e.g., Reels/TikTok/Shorts); link-only posts underperform.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are best-available local estimates produced by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform adoption rates by age and gender to King William County’s demographic profile (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS). County-level platform measurements are rarely published; expect ±2–5 percentage-point variance by neighborhood.