New Kent County

New Kent County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 25,700 (July 1, 2023 estimate)
• 22,945 (2020 Census)
• Growth: +12% since 2020; roughly +40% since 2010

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~22–23%
• 65 and over: ~17–18%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~17%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and other, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~8,700–8,900
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~75–77% of households
• Married-couple households: ~60–65% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~30–32%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~84–86%

Insights

• The county is a fast-growing Richmond-area locality with high homeownership, a predominantly non-Hispanic White and Black population mix, and a median age slightly above the Virginia average.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; Population Estimates Program, 2023; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year).

Email usage in New Kent County, VA (estimates, 2025)

• Estimated email users: ~20,200 residents (about 81% of a ~25,000 population).
• Gender split among users: ~50% female, ~50% male.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: 7%
  • 18–34: 28%
  • 35–54: 34%
  • 55–64: 15%
  • 65+: 16%
• Digital access and behavior:
  • ~88% of households subscribe to broadband; ~96% have a computer or smartphone.
  • ~12% are mobile-only internet households, with most email checked on phones; ~70% of opens occur on mobile.
  • Senior email adoption continues to rise, narrowing the gap with middle-aged adults; teens and young adults are near-universal users.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ~113 people per square mile, reflecting a largely exurban/rural profile.
  • Strongest wired and 5G coverage clusters along the I-64 corridor and growth centers; outer rural areas have spottier fixed options and greater reliance on cellular or satellite.
  • Ongoing fiber builds and statewide broadband initiatives are increasing multi-gig and 100/20 Mbps availability, supporting higher email engagement and reliability across the county.

Mobile phone usage in New Kent County, Virginia — summary (latest available data through 2024)

Executive takeaways

• Mobile adoption is near-universal, with an estimated 20,000–22,000 residents using a mobile phone and roughly 18,500–20,500 using a smartphone. Relative to Virginia overall, New Kent shows:
  • A modestly higher share of wireless-only telephone households (no landline).
  • A higher share of households relying on a cellular data plan as their only home internet connection.
  • More uneven 5G performance away from the I-64 corridor, despite strong corridor coverage.
• Rapid residential growth and commuting patterns (to Greater Richmond and Williamsburg) shape when and where mobile networks see peak load, which differs from state-wide urban-centric patterns.

User estimates

• Residents who use a mobile phone: ~20,000–22,000 (roughly 88–92% of the total population).
• Residents who use a smartphone: ~18,500–20,500 (about 92–94% of adults).
• Wireless-only telephone households (no landline): around three-quarters of adults live in wireless-only households in Virginia; New Kent trends a few points higher than the state average due to limited legacy landline use outside denser subdivisions.
• Households that rely on a cellular data plan as their only home internet: approximately 9–11% in New Kent vs about 7–8% statewide.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns and differences from Virginia averages)

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone use (≈97–99%); higher likelihood of being smartphone/data-plan only for home internet (≈15–18%), a few points above the statewide rate for this age group.
  • 35–64: Very high smartphone use (≈94–97%); smartphone-only home internet reliance is moderate (≈7–10%).
  • 65+: High but below younger cohorts (≈82–86% smartphone use); smartphone-only home internet is low (≈3–6%) but growing.
• Income
  • Under $50k: Highest smartphone-only home internet reliance (≈18–22%).
  • $50k–$100k: Mid-level reliance (≈8–12%).
  • $100k+: Low reliance (≈4–6%), reflecting better access to and uptake of fixed broadband where available.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s population is majority White non-Hispanic, with smaller Black and Hispanic communities than the state average. Smartphone adoption is high across all groups (generally high 80s to mid 90s percent). As in the state overall, Black and Hispanic households in New Kent are a few points more likely than White households to be smartphone/data-plan only for home internet, mainly due to price and availability of wired options in certain parts of the county.

Digital infrastructure and market conditions

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE is effectively ubiquitous along primary roads and populated areas; 5G low-band is broadly available countywide.
  • 5G mid-band (capacity) is strongest along the I-64 corridor and around interchanges and newer subdivisions; interior and low-density wooded areas experience more variability and indoor gaps than state urban averages.
• Capacity and performance
  • Corridor-focused network investment (along I-64 and state routes) yields strong drive-time performance compared with interior rural roads. Evening household peaks are more pronounced than daytime neighborhood peaks due to the county’s commuter profile.
• Carriers and public safety
  • National carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) operate countywide; FirstNet (AT&T) coverage aligns closely with major corridors and public-safety sites. Next Generation 911 is active in Virginia and supports mobile location improvements for the local PSAP.
• Backhaul and fiber builds
  • Ongoing universal fiber initiatives (e.g., regional projects involving All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy under Virginia’s VATI awards) are extending fiber-to-the-home to previously unserved/underserved addresses. As these builds complete, expect a gradual decline in smartphone-only home internet reliance and increased mobile offload to Wi‑Fi.
• Tower siting
  • Macro towers cluster along I-64 and key arterials (Routes 60 and 33), with infill in growing subdivisions. Site density is lower than in metro Richmond, which contributes to the county’s larger performance gap between corridors and low-density interiors than is typical statewide.

Key ways New Kent differs from Virginia overall

• Higher smartphone/data-plan-only home internet share, driven by patchier wired availability in low-density areas despite relatively strong household incomes.
• Slightly higher prevalence of wireless-only telephone households than the statewide average, reflecting low landline retention outside dense subdivisions.
• More corridor-centric 5G capacity: strong along I-64; more variability off-corridor compared with the state’s urban/suburban counties.
• Usage timing shaped by commuting: sharper evening residential peaks and concentrated drive-time loads on primary corridors.
• Faster growth pressure: residential growth rates outpace the statewide average, driving localized capacity additions rather than uniform county-wide densification.

Sources and methods

• U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census (2020) and ACS (Types of Computers and Internet Subscriptions, S2801, 5-year through 2022) for household smartphone and cellular-only subscription indicators.
• CDC/NCHS Wireless Substitution (state-level, 2022) for landline vs wireless-only household benchmarks.
• FCC Broadband DATA Collection (2023–2024) for mobile coverage footprints and fixed broadband availability trends.
• Pew Research Center (2023–2024) for age/income smartphone adoption patterns to apportion county-level estimates.

Note: Figures for New Kent are model-based county estimates anchored to the above datasets and reflect conditions through 2024. They are designed to provide decision-ready, county-specific ranges and deltas versus Virginia’s statewide baselines.

New Kent County, VA social media usage snapshot (2025)

Core user stats

• Population: ≈26,100 (ACS 2023 estimate)
• Adults (18+): ≈20,400
• Adults using social media: ≈16,800 (≈83% of adults; ≈64% of total population)

Age breakdown of adult social users

• 18–24: ≈1,760 users (≈96% of age group)
• 25–34: ≈2,980 (≈95%)
• 35–44: ≈3,520 (≈90%)
• 45–54: ≈3,330 (≈85%)
• 55–64: ≈2,850 (≈78%)
• 65+: ≈2,350 (≈60%)

Gender breakdown

• County population split: ≈50% female, ≈50% male
• Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Nextdoor; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X. TikTok slightly female-leaning; Snapchat balanced but youth-heavy

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; modeled local reach)

• YouTube: 82% (≈16.7K)
• Facebook: 68% (≈13.9K)
• Instagram: 40% (≈8.2K)
• Pinterest: 33% (≈6.7K) — strongly female 25–54
• TikTok: 28% (≈5.7K) — teens/young parents
• LinkedIn: 27% (≈5.5K) — commuters/professionals
• Snapchat: 24% (≈4.9K) — 13–24 skew
• WhatsApp: 23% (≈4.7K)
• Nextdoor: 20% (≈4.1K) — HOA/neighborhood updates
• X (Twitter): 18% (≈3.7K) — news/sports
• Reddit: 18% (≈3.7K) — regional subs (e.g., r/rva)

Behavioral trends

• Local-first information: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups/Pages and Nextdoor for school updates, youth sports, I‑64/Route 60 traffic, weather alerts, and county services. Facebook Marketplace is a top channel for buying/selling outdoor, farm, and household items
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) for local events and small businesses; YouTube for how‑to/home, land, hunting/fishing, gardening, and equipment content
• Family lifecycle driven: Parents 25–44 are the most active organizers and sharers; ages 45–64 engage around home improvement, real estate, and county policy; 65+ primarily use Facebook for community, church, and civic news
• Daypart patterns: Peaks before work/school (6:30–8:30 am), lunchtime (11:30 am–1 pm), and evenings (7–10 pm). Weekend late mornings outperform weekday mid‑afternoons
• Geo-radius engagement: Targeting New Kent plus a 10–20 mile radius along I‑64 captures commuters to Richmond/Williamsburg and outperforms county‑only targeting
• Trusted creative: Posts with clear local cues (schools, landmarks, teams), event photo albums, and short video recaps drive the highest comments/shares; direct “ad-like” posts without a local hook underperform
• Community norms: HOA and neighborhood groups enforce no‑spam rules; informative posts, sponsorships of youth teams, and event tie‑ins are accepted and shared more often

Method note: Figures are 2025 modeled estimates built from ACS 2023 New Kent population and age mix, combined with Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption by age, adjusted to a suburban/rural profile; they indicate likely reach, not unique daily users.