Page County

Key demographics for Page County, Virginia

Population

• Total population: 23,709 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~23,5k (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~45.5 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Age distribution: under 18 ~20%; 65 and over ~24% (ACS 2018–2022)

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5% (ACS 2018–2022)

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race; ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone: ~92%
• Black or African American alone: ~3%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: ~0.4%
• Asian alone: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~9.4k
• Persons per household: ~2.49
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~76%

Notes and sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program/QuickFacts). Percentages rounded.

• County context: Page County, VA has 23,709 residents (2020 Census) over 311 sq mi, about 76 people per sq mi. Largest towns: Luray, Stanley, Shenandoah.
• Digital access: About 78–80% of households have a broadband subscription and 90% have a computer (ACS 2018–2022, S2801). Roughly 13–15% are smartphone‑only internet households. Connectivity is strongest in town centers and weaker in mountainous hollows and river bends, which depresses home broadband adoption relative to the Virginia average (86%).
• Estimated email users: ~16,500 adults (about 87% of the 18+ population), derived from age‑specific email adoption benchmarks (Pew Research) adjusted for rural access.
• Age distribution of email users (approx.): 18–29: 2.6k; 30–49: 5.2k; 50–64: 4.5k; 65+: 4.2k.
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring the population; no meaningful gender gap in email use (Pew).
• Trends and insights: Email access is growing with ongoing fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts; mobile email is common given smartphone‑only households. Seniors’ email adoption continues to rise but lags younger cohorts, and underconnected pockets persist outside town centers, shaping outreach and service delivery strategies.

Page County, VA mobile phone usage snapshot (2024)

Headline user estimates

• Residents: 23,709 (2020 Census)
• Residents 12+ (proxy for potential mobile users): ~20,000–20,500
• People using a cellphone of any kind: ~19,000–20,000 (assumes 95–97% adoption among ages 12+, consistent with Pew Research)
• Smartphone users: ~16,500–18,500 (assumes rural smartphone adoption of ~82–88% among ages 12+; Pew finds 90% nationally with a modest rural gap)
• Basic/feature phone users: ~1,500–3,000 (residual of total cellphone users minus smartphone users)
• Prepaid share: roughly 28–32% of mobile users (higher than metro Virginia; aligns with national trends of greater prepaid use in lower-density, lower-income areas)
• Mobile-only internet reliance: mid–high teens percentage of households, above the statewide average (Virginia households with broadband subscriptions are typically several points higher than rural counties per ACS; mobile-only reliance rises where wired options are sparse)

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Older population mix: Page County’s share of adults 65+ is materially higher than Virginia’s. Smartphone adoption among seniors remains lower than for working-age adults, so the county’s overall smartphone rate falls below the state average. Expect roughly 70–75% smartphone adoption among 65+ versus ~90%+ among adults under 50.
• Income and plan mix: Median household income is well below Virginia’s statewide median, which correlates with greater prepaid adoption, slower upgrade cycles, and a higher share of budget Android devices.
• Youth usage: Teen smartphone penetration is very high (nationally ~95%), so teens in the county are predominantly on smartphones; the usage gap concentrates among older adults.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Terrain-driven variability: The Blue Ridge and Massanutten ranges and the presence of Shenandoah National Park create shadow zones and dead spots, especially in hollows, ridge backslopes, and interior park areas (e.g., portions of Skyline Drive). Coverage is strongest in and between the main towns and along US‑340 and US‑211 corridors.
• 5G footprint: Low-band 5G is present along primary corridors and in population centers; mid-band 5G (which enables higher speeds) is more limited and localized. Indoor coverage quality drops off quickly outside town centers due to terrain and distance to sites.
• Capacity vs. reach: Sites serving long valleys carry large coverage footprints but fewer sectors and less backhaul capacity than urban Virginia cells, leading to slower median speeds at peak times even where signal bars are “good.”
• Wired backhaul constraints: Fewer fiber routes and smaller exchange areas limit both fixed broadband options and the amount of carrier backhaul available to towers. This reinforces reliance on low-band spectrum for reach rather than dense site grids for capacity.
• Redundancy and outages: Single-site dependency in some valleys means a fiber cut or site outage can black out sizeable areas—risks that are much lower in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, where site density and backhaul diversity are greater.

How Page County differs from Virginia overall

• Adoption: Total cellphone usage is near-universal, but smartphone penetration is several points lower than the state average because of an older age mix and income effects. Expect a wider basic/feature-phone niche than in metro Virginia.
• Plan mix: Prepaid and budget plans represent a larger share of lines than statewide, with more month-to-month churn and hotspot add-ons used to substitute for limited wired broadband.
• Mobile-only households: A higher fraction of households rely primarily on cellular data for home internet than the Virginia average, reflecting gaps in affordable wired broadband and the cost of satellite service in remote locations.
• 5G experience: Coverage is more about breadth than depth—good reach on low-band 5G, but fewer mid-band 5G cells and less carrier aggregation than in urban corridors, so real-world speeds and indoor performance lag state metros.
• Reliability: Greater susceptibility to terrain-induced dead zones and single-point failures; emergency and outdoor-recreation areas (parklands) have notably less dependable service than typical Virginia localities.

Method notes and sources

• Population: U.S. Census 2020 (Page County, VA: 23,709)
• Adoption baselines: Pew Research Center (2023–2024) for national cellphone and smartphone ownership; rural-urban adoption gaps applied to county estimates
• Infrastructure characteristics: FCC National Broadband Map and carrier-disclosed coverage patterns (2024) for rural Virginia; terrain and settlement geography specific to Page County and Shenandoah National Park

These estimates combine hard counts (Census) with well-established national and rural adoption rates to yield county-level figures and highlight how Page County’s older, lower-density, mountainous profile drives usage and infrastructure outcomes that differ from Virginia’s statewide picture.

Page County, VA social media snapshot (2025)

At-a-glance user stats (adults 18+)

• Use at least one social platform: 74%
• Usage by age:
  • 18–29: 92%
  • 30–49: 86%
  • 50–64: 74%
  • 65+: 57%
• Usage by gender:
  • Women: 76%
  • Men: 72%

Most-used platforms among adults (share of residents 18+ using each platform at least monthly; modeled for a rural, older-leaning county)

• YouTube: 80%
• Facebook: 72%
• Instagram: 38%
• Pinterest: 34%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 22%
• LinkedIn: 17%
• X (Twitter): 16%
• Reddit: 16%
• WhatsApp: 12%
• Nextdoor: 9%

Age-group platform tendencies (highest to lower adoption in each bracket)

• 18–29: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook
• 30–49: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest
• 50–64: Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok
• 65+: Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Nextdoor

Gender tendencies

• Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest (Facebook’s local groups/Marketplace; Pinterest for home, crafts, recipes).
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (news, sports, DIY, tech).
• Instagram usage is gender-balanced; TikTok leans slightly female in 18–34.

Behavioral trends in Page County

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of local groups, churches, schools, and Marketplace; most posts are local info, recommendations, and buy/sell.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for DIY, outdoor, auto, and local sports highlights; Facebook Reels for short local content. Strong evening and weekend viewing.
• Younger adults are visually driven: Instagram for travel/outdoors; TikTok for humor, food, and local attractions; cross-posting to Facebook is common.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp usage is modest and concentrated in specific friend/family networks.
• “Lurkers” outnumber frequent posters: high scrolling, lower posting; comments spike around local news, schools, weather, and county services.
• Seasonal content matters: spring/fall peaks tied to Shenandoah NP, Skyline Drive foliage, Luray Caverns tourism; summer outdoor and festival content performs well.
• Trust and creative: authentic, locally shot photos/videos and recognizable community voices outperform polished, generic creative.
• Practical interests dominate: hunting/fishing, farming, home repair, yard/land management, church and youth sports updates drive engagement.

Notes on method

• Figures are modeled for Page County using Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform adoption rates, rural/age adjustments, and the county’s older-leaning demographics from recent ACS/Census profiles. Platform shares reflect likely monthly use by adults in a rural Virginia county; exact county-level platform penetration is not directly published.