Loudoun County

Key demographics – Loudoun County, Virginia

Population size

• 444,700 (July 1, 2023 estimate, U.S. Census Bureau PEP)
• +5.6% since the 2020 Census (420,959)

Age

• Under 5: 6.9%
• Under 18: 27.5%
• 65 and over: 12.3% (ACS 2019–2023)

Gender

• Female: ~49.9%
• Male: ~50.1% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: ~52%
• Asian: ~27%
• Black or African American: ~7%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~14–15%
• Two or more races: ~5–6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1% (ACS 2019–2023; note Hispanic is an ethnicity and overlaps with race categories)

Households and housing

• Households: ~142,700
• Persons per household: ~3.0
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%
• Median household income (in 2023 dollars): ≈ $171,000
• Median value of owner-occupied home: ≈ $708,000
• Median gross rent: ≈ $2,250 (ACS 2019–2023)

Insights

• Fast-growing, younger, family-oriented population (over one-quarter under 18, larger household size).
• Among the highest U.S. median household incomes and high homeownership.
• Racially and ethnically diverse, with one of Virginia’s highest shares of Asian residents and a sizable Hispanic population.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2023) and QuickFacts/ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for Loudoun County, VA.

Loudoun County, VA (U.S. Census 2023 est. ≈444,000; density ≈850 people/sq mi)

Estimated email users (13+): ≈335,000 (about 75% of residents), derived from near‑universal adult adoption and high broadband access.

Age distribution of email users (approx. share of users):

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–34: 28%
• 35–54: 41%
• 55–64: 13%
• 65+: 12%

Gender split among users: ≈50.5% female, 49.5% male (mirrors population).

Digital access and usage:

• ACS 2022: 96% of households have a broadband subscription; 98% have a computer.
• High-income, highly educated workforce supports multi-device access; email is embedded in work and school communications.
• ACS 2022: about one‑third of workers worked from home, reinforcing daily email reliance for collaboration and scheduling.

Connectivity and local density facts:

• Loudoun hosts the world’s largest concentration of data centers in “Data Center Alley” (Ashburn); commonly cited as carrying roughly 70% of global internet traffic.
• Extensive regional fiber and competitive gigabit offerings yield robust residential and business connectivity.

Insight: With near-saturation broadband, heavy telework, and a large 35–54 cohort, email engagement in Loudoun is broad-based and work-centric, with strong participation even among seniors due to excellent digital infrastructure.

Mobile phone usage in Loudoun County, VA — summary, estimates, and how it differs from statewide patterns

Executive snapshot

• Loudoun remains one of the youngest, most affluent, and best-connected counties in the U.S. These factors translate into above-average smartphone ownership, multi-device households, and early 5G adoption compared with Virginia overall.
• County population is roughly mid-400,000s (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimates). Median household income is about $170,000 (ACS 2022), the highest in Virginia, and a majority of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Broadband availability and fiber backhaul are exceptionally strong in the east due to the “Data Center Alley” footprint around Ashburn.

User estimates (people and lines)

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 300,000–325,000 unique adult users in the county. This reflects applying 2023 Pew Research smartphone ownership rates to Loudoun’s adult population profile, adjusting upward for Loudoun’s higher income and education.
• Total unique mobile users (adults plus teens): roughly 340,000–365,000 people carry a personal mobile phone. Loudoun’s large share of families and high teen smartphone access push this higher than the state average on a per-capita basis.
• Active mobile connections (phones, tablets, wearables, hotspots, IoT): on the order of 650,000–750,000 lines in service countywide, reflecting more devices per person than the statewide norm in a high-income, tech-forward market.

Demographic factors shaping usage (Loudoun vs Virginia)

• Age structure: Loudoun skews family-heavy, with a larger share under 18 and sizable 35–54 cohorts. This increases family plan penetration, multi-line accounts, and teen device adoption. Virginia overall has an older age profile, which depresses smartphone and 5G-device penetration relative to Loudoun.
• Income and education: With median household income around $170k and a majority of adults holding a bachelor’s degree+, Loudoun residents over-index on premium postpaid plans, 5G-capable devices, and add-on lines (watches/tablets). Statewide, lower-income areas show higher prepaid share and slower device refresh cycles.
• Platform mix and device refresh: Affluent suburban markets consistently show higher iOS share and faster upgrade cadence; Loudoun follows this pattern more strongly than Virginia overall.

Observed usage patterns and behavior

• Higher data consumption per line than the statewide average, driven by remote/hybrid work, streaming, and heavy app usage.
• Family plans with 4–6+ lines are more common; multi-device bundles (phones + watches + tablets) are notably above the state average.
• International travel from Dulles access correlates with higher roaming add-ons and eSIM adoption than typical for Virginia.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Fiber backhaul and core internet infrastructure: Ashburn’s “Data Center Alley” provides dense long-haul and metro fiber. This underpins strong 4G/5G capacity east of Leesburg and accelerates small-cell deployments.
• 5G footprint: All three national carriers provide countywide 4G LTE and broad 5G coverage, with mid-band 5G (e.g., C-band, 2.5 GHz) widely deployed along the Dulles Greenway/Route 7 corridor, Ashburn, Sterling, and Leesburg. mmWave nodes are present in dense commercial zones. Western Loudoun’s rural terrain still sees pockets of LTE/low-band 5G predominance.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): 5G home internet is available, but take-up is constrained in eastern Loudoun by abundant fiber (e.g., Verizon Fios) and cable. In western Loudoun, FWA and WISPs play a more important role where wired options thin out.
• Public assets and small cells: Municipal rights-of-way host growing numbers of small cells along major arterials and town centers. Dense fiber plant facilitates rapid carrier upgrades relative to the Virginia average.

How Loudoun differs from Virginia overall — key trends

• Higher smartphone and 5G device penetration, particularly among families and high-income professionals.
• More lines per household (phones plus wearables/tablets), and lower reliance on prepaid service.
• Faster device upgrade cycles and higher iOS share than the state average.
• Better median mobile speeds and capacity in the east due to dense small-cell and fiber backhaul; the performance gap between eastern and western Loudoun is narrower than the urban–rural gap seen across much of Virginia.
• Lower reliance on mobile-only internet for home use in the east (fiber and gigabit cable are widely available), whereas Virginia statewide sees higher mobile-only dependence in rural localities.

Definitive statistics (context)

• Median household income: roughly $170,000 (ACS 2022), highest in Virginia.
• Home broadband subscription: materially above the Virginia average (ACS Computer & Internet Use data), with eastern Loudoun approaching near-universal fixed broadband adoption.
• Population growth remains among the fastest in Virginia (Census Bureau intercensal estimates), supporting continued network densification investment.

Method and sources (for transparency)

• Population, age, income, and broadband context: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022–2023).
• Smartphone ownership baselines and demographic gradients: Pew Research Center (2023) and industry benchmarks.
• Network and spectrum context: FCC deployments and public carrier disclosures for C-band/3.45 GHz/2.5 GHz in Northern Virginia.
• Infrastructure context: Loudoun County Economic Development and regional industry reporting on fiber and data center concentration in Ashburn.

These inputs were synthesized to produce the user estimates above. The figures are designed to be decision-ready while reflecting Loudoun’s materially different profile from Virginia as a whole.

Social media usage in Loudoun County, VA (2025 snapshot)

County profile

• Affluent, highly educated, suburban Washington, DC market with strong broadband and smartphone penetration. Skews family-oriented with a large share of school-aged children and working-age parents.

User stats

• Estimated adult social media users: 280,000–310,000 (roughly 82–88% of adults).
• Gender: approximately 50% women, 50% men.
• Age structure (population): under 18 ≈ 26%; 18–34 ≈ 23%; 35–54 ≈ 34%; 55+ ≈ 17%.

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

• YouTube: 85–88%
• Facebook: 70–74%
• Instagram: 52–58%
• LinkedIn: 40–46% (elevated vs. U.S. average due to higher education/income)
• Pinterest: 34–39% (female skew)
• TikTok: 34–40%
• Snapchat: 28–34% (concentrated under 30)
• WhatsApp: 24–30% (strong among immigrant and multilingual households)
• Nextdoor: 24–30% (homeowner and neighborhood use)
• X (Twitter): 20–25%
• Reddit: 20–24%

Age-group usage tendencies

• Teens (13–17): YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat heavy; Instagram common; light Facebook.
• 18–34: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok core; Snapchat secondary; LinkedIn strong among college-educated.
• 35–54: Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram rising; Nextdoor for local updates; LinkedIn widely used.
• 55+: Facebook and YouTube primary; Nextdoor for neighborhood info; Pinterest for hobbies; lower TikTok/Snapchat.

Gender breakdown by platform

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Nextdoor.
• Men over-index on Reddit, X, and some YouTube categories (tech/gaming).
• LinkedIn usage is balanced but higher overall than U.S. average given local professional mix.

Behavioral trends

• Community-centric usage: High engagement with school, youth sports, HOA, and parent groups on Facebook and Nextdoor; strong followership of county government, schools, and public safety pages.
• Professional networking: Above-average LinkedIn activity (tech, data centers, government contracting, policy). Thought-leadership posts and hiring updates perform well midweek.
• Messaging and diaspora networks: WhatsApp common for family, cultural, and community coordination; some WeChat and Telegram within specific communities.
• Content format: Short-form video (Reels, Shorts, TikTok) performs best for events, openings, and local “what to do” content; photo carousels for real estate and community highlights.
• Timing: Weekday engagement peaks around 7–9 a.m., 12–1 p.m., and 7:30–10 p.m. Eastern; weekends favor late morning to early afternoon family planning content.
• Geo-behavior: Strong concentration of local interest around Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, and fast-growing suburbs; hyperlocal promotions and school-linked causes drive above-average click-through and sharing.
• Purchase path: Residents respond to reviews and neighborhood recommendations; measurable lift from geo-targeted ads paired with retargeting and creator-led “local guide” content.

Notes on figures

• Percentages are modeled local estimates for 2025, derived by applying recent U.S. platform adoption (e.g., Pew Research Center 2024) to Loudoun’s age, income, and education profile (ACS), with suburban-homeowner adjustments for Nextdoor and professional mix adjustments for LinkedIn.