Louisa County

Louisa County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: 39,600 (approx.)
• 2020 Census: 37,596
• Growth since 2020: about +5%

Age

• Median age: ~44.5 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total population)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~76%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~16%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2–3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~0.5%
• Other (including American Indian/Alaska Native, NHPI, some other race): <1%

Households

• Total households: ~14,800
• Average household size: ~2.6 persons
• Family households: ~70–72% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~22%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~80%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Population Estimates Program, July 1, 2023; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates). Figures rounded for clarity.

Email usage in Louisa County, VA (estimates based on 2020 Census demographics and national email adoption)

• Estimated users: ~30,000–31,000 residents age 13+ (about 78–80% of total population; county pop ~38–39k).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~8%
  • 18–29: ~17%
  • 30–49: ~32%
  • 50–64: ~23%
  • 65+: ~20% Adoption is near‑universal under 65 and modestly lower among seniors.
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male among users, mirroring the county’s population; usage differences by gender are negligible.
• Digital access trends:
  • Home broadband subscription is in the mid‑80s percent of households; most homes have a computer and smartphones.
  • Smartphone‑only internet users are roughly 15–20% of adults.
  • Fiber-to-the-home coverage is expanding via rural electric co‑op builds; cable broadband serves towns and lake communities, improving speeds but leaving some rural gaps.
• Local density/connectivity context: ~38–39k people across ~500 square miles (≈75 people per sq mi), a low-density profile that increases last‑mile costs and explains phased fiber rollouts and continued reliance on cellular for access.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Louisa County, Virginia

Baseline and user estimates

• Population anchor: 37,596 residents (2020 Census). Adult share is higher than the Virginia average due to an older age structure.
• Estimated unique mobile phone users (any cellphone): ~30,000–32,000 residents.
• Estimated smartphone users: ~26,000–28,000 residents.
• Mobile-only home internet households (no fixed broadband, rely on smartphone/hotspot): about 14–17% of households in Louisa vs roughly 10–12% statewide, reflecting the county’s more rural profile and historically limited fixed broadband.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age:
  • 65+ make up a larger share of the population than statewide and have lower smartphone adoption than younger adults; they account for roughly 12–16% of county smartphone users (lower share than their population share).
  • Ages 30–49 are the single largest block of smartphone users (about one-third), with near-saturation ownership and high data usage from commuting and family connectivity.
• Income and plan type:
  • Lower-income households are more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet and to use prepaid/MVNO plans. This segment is a few percentage points larger in Louisa than statewide, pushing up mobile-only reliance.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Black and Hispanic residents in the county show higher smartphone dependency (smartphone as primary internet device) than White residents, mirroring national patterns. Because these communities also face higher likelihood of limited fixed-service options in rural tracts, they represent a disproportionate share of mobile-only households relative to their population share.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carrier footprint:
  • 4G LTE from the national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) is broadly available across populated corridors and towns (Louisa, Mineral, Zion Crossroads).
  • 5G coverage is strongest along the I-64 corridor and primary routes (US-33, US-522), with mid-band deployments concentrated near Zion Crossroads and other higher-traffic nodes; outside corridors, service often falls back to LTE.
• Performance variation:
  • Known weaker areas include parts of the Lake Anna shoreline, low-lying forested roads, and sparsely populated northern/eastern tracts where tower spacing is wider. Seasonal congestion occurs around Lake Anna recreation areas and major events.
• Backhaul and buildouts:
  • Ongoing county and regional partnerships (e.g., VATI-funded and utility-cooperative fiber projects with providers such as Firefly/REC/All Points Broadband) have expanded fiber backhaul to rural zones since 2021. This supports both fixed broadband availability and better cellular capacity as carriers light up upgraded microwave/fiber backhaul to towers.
• Emergency and public-safety communications:
  • The county’s E-911 and first-responder systems benefit from added tower sites and microwave/fiber links; these upgrades indirectly improve commercial carrier siting and coverage where co-located.

How Louisa differs from Virginia overall

• Higher reliance on mobile as primary internet: Louisa’s mobile-only household share runs several points above the state average due to rural topology, income mix, and historical fixed-service gaps.
• More LTE fallback, less uniform 5G: Virginia’s metro regions see dense mid-band 5G; Louisa’s 5G is corridor-centric with more LTE outside highways, producing wider speed variability.
• Older age structure dampens top-line smartphone penetration: Overall smartphone penetration is slightly lower than the state because the county skews older, though younger cohorts are near-saturated.
• Greater prepaid/MVNO share: Cost-sensitive users and patchy fixed options increase prepaid adoption and hotspot use compared with statewide norms.
• Usage patterns: Hotspot and data offloading are more common for schoolwork and telework in areas awaiting fiber, and traffic spikes around Lake Anna’s seasonal tourism are more pronounced than typical statewide recreational areas outside peak-season metros.

Implications

• As fiber reaches remaining unserved areas (2025–2026 timelines for major builds), mobile-only household share should decline and median mobile speeds should rise as towers gain fiber backhaul.
• Carriers that extend mid-band 5G beyond the I-64 corridor into residential clusters and lake communities will see outsized improvements in user experience relative to urban Virginia, where incremental gains are smaller due to existing density.
• Targeted tower infill around lake-adjacent neighborhoods and low-lying rural roads would close the most persistent dead zones and bring county performance closer to state averages.

Social media usage in Louisa County, VA (2024 snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Population baseline: roughly 40,000 residents; about 33–35k are age 13+.
• Active social media users (13+): 27,000–30,000 (penetration ~80–85% of 13+).
• Age tilt: older than the U.S. average; users 50+ comprise ~38–42% of the local social audience; ages 13–24 ~18–22%.
• Gender: overall social audience ≈51% female, 49% male.

Most‑used platforms (share of residents 13+ using the platform; 2024 est.)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 60–65% (70–80% among adults 30+)
• Instagram: 35–40%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30% (concentrated in 13–24)
• Pinterest: 25–30% (female‑skew)
• X (Twitter): 12–18%
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (commuters/professionals)

Age‑group patterns (local usage aligned to national rates, adjusted for Louisa’s rural/older mix)

• Ages 13–17: YouTube ~90–95%; TikTok ~65–70%; Snapchat ~55–60%; Instagram ~55–60%; Facebook ≤35%.
• Ages 18–24: YouTube ~90%+; Instagram ~70–75%; Snapchat ~60–65%; TikTok ~55–60%; Facebook ~35–45%.
• Ages 25–34: YouTube ~85–90%; Facebook/Instagram ~55–60%; TikTok ~45–50%.
• Ages 35–49: YouTube ~80–85%; Facebook ~65–75%; Instagram ~40–50%; TikTok ~25–35%.
• Ages 50–64: Facebook ~70–75%; YouTube ~65–70%; Instagram ~25–35%; TikTok ~18–25%.
• Ages 65+: Facebook ~58–65%; YouTube ~45–55%; Instagram ~12–20%; TikTok ~8–15%.

Gender breakdown by platform (share of local users on each platform)

• Facebook: 55–60% female
• Instagram: 54–58% female
• TikTok: 52–56% female
• Pinterest: 70–80% female
• YouTube: 55–60% male
• Reddit: 65–75% male
• X (Twitter): 55–65% male

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the community backbone: high engagement with County/Schools/Sheriff posts, storm and outage updates, local events, yard‑sale and buy/sell groups, and Facebook Marketplace (farm equipment, vehicles, lake/boating gear).
• Seasonal patterns around Lake Anna: summer spikes in Instagram and Facebook Events; short‑term rental content and marina/restaurant posts see elevated reach.
• Short‑form video growth: Reels and TikTok drive discovery for local eateries, wineries, realtors, contractors; creator base is smaller than metro areas but view‑through is strong.
• Messaging as a service channel: Facebook Messenger is widely used by small businesses for quotes, appointments, and customer support.
• Nextdoor is patchy: usage concentrates in denser lake‑area subdivisions; elsewhere, Facebook Groups substitute for neighborhood networks.
• Ad performance: Lower CPMs than Richmond/Charlottesville metros; geotargeting along I‑64/US‑33/VA‑208 and around the lake yields efficient reach; older skew favors Facebook feed/Groups over TikTok/Snapchat for conversions.

Notes on method and sources

• Figures are 2024 modeled local estimates derived from U.S. Census Bureau ACS population structure and Pew Research Center platform‑adoption rates (with rural and age adjustments), plus commonly observed platform skews (Meta, TikTok, and other ad‑platform audience benchmarks).