Petersburg City County

Petersburg city, Virginia (county-equivalent)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates

• Total population: ~33.6K
• Age
  • Median age: ~38.4 years
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 18–24: ~10%
  • 25–44: ~29%
  • 45–64: ~24%
  • 65 and over: ~17%
• Sex
  • Female: ~54–55%
  • Male: ~45–46%
• Race and Hispanic origin (shares sum ~100)
  • Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~75%
  • White, non-Hispanic: ~17%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
  • Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~2%
  • Other (incl. American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander), non-Hispanic: <1%
• Households
  • Total households: ~13.5K
  • Average household size: ~2.3
  • Family households: ~57%
    • Married-couple families: ~23%
    • Female householder, no spouse present: ~31%
  • Households with children under 18: ~29%

Notes: Figures are ACS estimates and may not sum perfectly due to rounding.

Petersburg City County (Petersburg, VA) email usage snapshot

• Population and density: ~33,500 residents in ~23 sq mi (≈1,450 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈24,200 adult users. Basis: ~26,000 adults (≈78% of population) × ~92% U.S. adult email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–34: ≈8,900
  • 35–64: ≈11,500
  • 65+: ≈3,800 (Applies national email adoption rates that exceed 90% for non-seniors and ~85% for 65+ to Petersburg’s adult mix.)
• Gender split (estimated): Female ≈12,900; Male ≈11,000 (Petersburg skews ~54% female; email adoption is similar by gender nationally).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Computer access: ~86–89% of households have a computer.
  • Home broadband subscription: ~73–76% (below Virginia’s ~85%+), indicating an adoption gap rather than sheer availability.
  • Smartphone-only internet: ~16–20% of households, signaling mobile-dependent email access.
  • No home internet: ~10–12% of households, concentrated in lower-income tracts, which dampens consistent email use.
• Connectivity context: As an urban independent city with relatively high density and proximity to I‑95/I‑85 corridors, residents have multiple fixed and mobile options; the primary constraints are affordability and digital literacy rather than network reach.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (latest available), Pew Research Center on email adoption.

Mobile phone usage in Petersburg City (independent city), Virginia—summary with local estimates, demographics, and infrastructure, highlighting how the city differs from statewide patterns.

Headline takeaways

• Petersburg has high smartphone access but significantly higher dependence on smartphones as the primary internet connection than Virginia overall. Fixed home broadband adoption lags the state, and mobile performance is modestly slower than statewide medians.
• These gaps are most pronounced among lower-income, renter, and Black households and older adults, reinforcing a mobile-first (and in many cases mobile-only) usage pattern.

User estimates (latest available public datasets; rounded)

• Population and households: ~33,000 residents and ~13,000–14,000 households.
• Households with at least one smartphone: roughly 90–92% (Virginia: ~94–95%).
• Smartphone-only internet users (households relying on cellular/mobile data with no fixed home broadband): approximately 20–25% (Virginia: ~12–15%).
• Households with any fixed home broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, or fixed wireless): roughly 72–76% (Virginia: ~88–90%).
• Households with no internet subscription at all: about 18–22% (Virginia: ~8–10%). What this means locally: Despite near-ubiquitous smartphone access, a notably larger share of Petersburg households rely on mobile phones as their only connection, and a materially higher share have no internet service.

Demographic breakdown (who is more likely to be mobile-first/mobile-only)

• Income: Households under $35,000 are far more likely to be smartphone-only (often 35–45% in this bracket locally), reflecting cost-sensitive substitution away from home broadband.
• Housing: Renters have substantially higher mobile-only rates than homeowners, aligning with higher residential mobility and upfront costs of wired installs.
• Race/ethnicity: Black households comprise the city’s majority and, consistent with national/Virginia patterns in similar communities, show higher smartphone-only dependence than White households in the city.
• Age: 18–34-year-olds have near-universal smartphone access; adults 65+ show lower smartphone adoption and are overrepresented among households with no internet or voice-only mobile plans.
• Family/education: Households with school-age children often use mobile hotspots or 5G home internet as a budget alternative to cable/fiber, a pattern more common than statewide.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Cellular networks: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon provide 4G LTE across the city with low-band 5G widely present; mid-band 5G (e.g., C-band and n41) is available along major corridors (I-95/I-85) and central areas but is less consistently strong indoors in older brick structures and larger multifamily buildings.
• Typical mobile performance: Median smartphone download speeds in Petersburg are consistently below statewide medians, with more variability by neighborhood. Expect mid-band 5G areas to support strong app usage and video, but indoor speeds frequently fall back to LTE or low-band 5G, especially in historic housing stock.
• 5G home internet: T-Mobile and Verizon 5G fixed wireless are available across sizable portions of the city and are being adopted as lower-cost home internet. This modality plays an outsized role locally compared with Virginia overall, especially after the wind-down of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024.
• Wired broadband: Cable (DOCSIS) is the dominant fixed option in most neighborhoods; fiber-to-the-home availability is more limited than statewide averages. Where fiber is absent or expensive, residents lean on smartphones or 5G home internet.
• Public connectivity: Libraries, schools, and municipal/community centers provide important Wi‑Fi access points. Usage of public Wi‑Fi for homework and telehealth is higher than the Virginia average.
• Coverage pain points: Indoor penetration issues in older masonry buildings; occasional capacity constraints near apartment clusters; patchier mid-band 5G away from highways and commercial corridors.

How Petersburg differs from Virginia overall

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: By roughly 8–12 percentage points over the state, reflecting income, housing, and infrastructure differences.
• Lower fixed broadband take-up: By roughly 12–16 percentage points versus Virginia, raising the stakes for mobile reliability and data affordability.
• More variability in speeds: Median mobile speeds lag statewide figures, and indoor performance issues are more common due to building materials and older housing.
• Heavier use of fixed wireless/5G home internet: A larger share of households treat mobile networks as a primary home connection relative to the state.

Implications for stakeholders

• Residents: Dependence on mobile data plans makes affordability and data caps pivotal; Wi‑Fi offload and ACP alternatives now matter more post-2024.
• Schools and healthcare: Elevated need for device loaner programs, hotspot provisioning, and mobile-friendly portals for homework and telehealth.
• Providers and planners: Highest impact from expanding mid-band 5G capacity, improving in‑building coverage solutions, and accelerating fiber buildouts in multi-dwelling units and underserved blocks.
• Businesses and workforce: Strong demand for reliable app-based services, mobile payments, and SMS-first engagement; logistics and service workers rely heavily on smartphone navigation and scheduling.

Numbers above reflect consolidated estimates from recent ACS “Computer and Internet Use” data, statewide benchmarks, FCC coverage data, and industry performance reporting; they are stated to illustrate Petersburg-specific conditions and differences from Virginia’s averages.

Social media usage in Petersburg City County, VA (2025 snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Estimated social media users: ≈23,000 residents (≈81% of residents age 13+; ≈69% of total population)
• Primary device: ≈95% access mainly via smartphone
• Typical daily use: ~2–2.5 hours, in line with U.S. averages

Age mix of users (share of local social users)

• 13–17: 8%
• 18–24: 14%
• 25–34: 21%
• 35–44: 17%
• 45–54: 15%
• 55–64: 14%
• 65+: 12%

Gender breakdown

• Women: 55%
• Men: 45% Note: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on X/Twitter and Reddit.

Most-used platforms (share of local social users; monthly)

• YouTube: 81%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 36%
• Pinterest: 33%
• Snapchat: 29%
• X/Twitter: 24%
• WhatsApp: 23%
• LinkedIn: 18%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 11%
• Facebook Messenger: 62% (messaging)

Behavioral trends and local nuances

• Video-first consumption: Short-form video (YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok) dominates reach and engagement, especially among users under 45.
• Facebook as the community hub: Heavy use of Groups and Pages for city updates, schools, churches, neighborhood watches, events, and Marketplace buying/selling.
• Evening peaks: Engagement concentrates 7–10 p.m. on weekdays; weekend late-morning and evening spikes are common.
• Mobile-local behavior: High smartphone dependence favors vertical video, Stories, DMs, and tap-to-call/tap-for-directions actions for local businesses.
• Youth/college pull: Proximity to Virginia State University boosts Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat usage, driving trends in music, food, fashion, and local events.
• Commerce and discovery: Facebook/Instagram drive local discovery; Marketplace and Shop tabs are frequently used for price checking and secondhand goods.
• Civic and news: Local news, weather, and public-safety updates primarily circulate via Facebook; shares and comments spike around city services and school topics.
• Multi-platform overlap: Typical active users maintain 3–4 platforms; cross-posted short videos perform best when tailored per platform norms.

Method note: Figures are modeled estimates for Petersburg City County as of 2025, derived from recent U.S. platform adoption benchmarks and local demographics; values are rounded.