Prince Edward County

Prince Edward County, Virginia – key demographics (most recent Census/ACS data)

Population size

• Total population: 21,849 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~21,5K (Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~32 years
• Distribution: under 18 (15%), 18–24 (24%), 25–44 (23%), 45–64 (22%), 65+ (16%)

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census; race alone, Hispanic may be any race)

• White: ~56–57%
• Black or African American: ~36%
• Asian: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0–1%
• Two or more races/Other: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%

Households and housing

• Households: ~7,7K
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~57–60% of households
• Married-couple families: ~38–40%
• Households with children under 18: ~24–26%
• One-person households: ~28–30%
• Households with someone 65+: ~23–25%
• Homeownership rate: ~63–65%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• The county’s age structure skews younger than many rural Virginia counties due to university presence, reflected in a larger 18–24 cohort and a median age near 32.
• Racial composition is more balanced than the state average, with a comparatively high Black share and a modest but growing multiracial/Hispanic share.
• Household structure is mixed: a majority of family households with a sizable share of single-person and renter households consistent with a college-centered housing market.

• Scope: Prince Edward County, VA (population ≈22,000; land area ≈350 sq mi; density ≈62 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: 17,000–18,000 residents (about 88–92% of people age 13+).
• Age distribution and email penetration:
  • 18–24: ≈20% of residents (college-heavy); email use ~98–99%.
  • 25–44: ≈24%; email use ~96–98%.
  • 45–64: ≈24%; email use ~90–94%.
  • 65+: ≈18%; email use ~75–82%.
• Gender split among residents: ≈51% female, 49% male; email usage is near-parity (difference ≤2 percentage points).
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 4 in 5 households have a home broadband subscription; roughly 15–20% are smartphone-only or lack home broadband.
  • Fixed broadband is strongest in and around Farmville and along US‑460/US‑15 corridors; rural tracts have fewer providers and lower speeds.
  • Fiber availability has expanded since 2021 through VATI-funded builds (notably Kinex) and regional projects, increasing gigabit coverage and reducing unserved locations.
  • Mobile coverage is broadly available along primary corridors; signal quality drops in low-density southern/eastern areas.
• Insight: The county’s unusually large 18–24 population (Longwood University, Hampden‑Sydney College) drives very high email adoption overall despite lingering rural broadband gaps.

Mobile phone usage in Prince Edward County, Virginia — 2024 snapshot

Key user estimates

• Population base: roughly 21–22 thousand residents and about 8–8.5 thousand households.
• Total mobile phone users: approximately 18–19 thousand residents use a mobile phone.
• Smartphone users: approximately 16–17 thousand residents (about 75–80% of the total population; 87–90% of adults). This reflects the county’s blended profile of an older rural population and a large 18–24 cohort tied to Longwood University and Hampden–Sydney College.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Age
  • 18–24: near-saturation smartphone use (≈95–97%), buoyed by university students; significantly higher than the statewide average for the same age group because the cohort is a larger slice of the county than in Virginia overall.
  • 25–44: very high smartphone use (≈93–96%), comparable to the state.
  • 45–64: high use (≈80–88%), a few points below Virginia’s urban corridors.
  • 65+: moderate use (≈60–70%), below the statewide average, reflecting a larger rural senior share outside the campus area.
• Income and device dependence
  • Higher smartphone dependence among lower-income households than the state average. A notably larger share of households rely primarily or exclusively on smartphones/cellular data for home internet compared with Virginia overall.
  • Prepaid and budget plans have a larger footprint than in metro Virginia, reflecting price sensitivity and variable coverage by carrier.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s higher share of Black residents than the Virginia average aligns with higher smartphone dependence for home internet (a statewide pattern that is more pronounced locally because fixed-broadband adoption is lower in rural blocks).

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network mix
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide 4G LTE across populated corridors; 5G coverage is strongest in and around Farmville and along US-460/US-15, with LTE-only pockets in outlying areas.
  • Mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated near town centers; many rural zones remain coverage- or capacity-constrained, especially indoors.
• Backhaul and towers
  • Dozens of macro cell sites cluster along major road corridors and around campus areas, with sparser placement toward the county’s edges. Fiber backhaul is present along key routes and supports 5G upgrades where available, but not uniformly.
• Performance and reliability
  • Median download speeds in Farmville-area 5G zones are typically strong for standard consumer use; speeds step down to LTE levels in rural sectors, where signal quality and indoor penetration vary widely by carrier and terrain.
  • Emergency and public-safety coverage relies on the same macro grid; FirstNet (AT&T) presence improves resiliency near civic and campus anchors but does not eliminate rural dead zones.

How Prince Edward County differs from Virginia statewide

• Higher smartphone dependence for home internet: A larger share of households are cellular-only or mobile-first for broadband, driven by patchier wired options and cost sensitivity. This contrasts with Virginia’s metro regions, where fixed fiber/cable dominates.
• More coverage variability: Residents experience bigger performance gaps between town centers and outlying areas than the statewide norm, with more frequent transitions between 5G, LTE, and fringe service.
• Student-driven peak usage: The county’s outsized 18–24 population increases mobile data use (video, social, campus apps) during the academic year, a seasonal pattern less visible at the state level.
• Slightly lower senior smartphone adoption: The rural senior cohort pulls down overall smartphone penetration relative to Virginia’s urban/suburban averages.
• Greater prepaid/discount-plan penetration: Price-sensitive segments and variable signal quality lead to higher uptake of prepaid and MVNO offerings than in metro Virginia.

Bottom-line insights

• The county’s mobile landscape is bifurcated: near-urban 5G experiences in and around Farmville, and LTE-reliant, coverage-variable experiences in rural tracts.
• Smartphones are the primary on-ramp to the internet for many households, more so than Virginia overall, underscoring the importance of reliable macro coverage and affordable mobile data plans.
• Infrastructure upgrades that extend mid-band 5G and improve indoor coverage outside Farmville would yield outsized benefits compared with similar investments in already well-served Virginia metros.

Prince Edward County, VA — social media snapshot (2025)

Population base and access

• Population: approximately 21.7k residents (US Census Bureau 2023 estimate)
• Adults (18+): roughly 16.5–17.5k
• Broadband access: about 75–82% of households have a broadband subscription (ACS 5-year)
• Result: an estimated 11.5–13.0k adult social media users locally (≈68–75% of adults), consistent with rural Virginia and national usage patterns

Age mix and gender

• Age skew: larger 18–24 cohort than a typical rural county due to Longwood University and Hampden–Sydney College; this meaningfully lifts Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat use
• Estimated share of social media users by age:
  • 13–17: 6–8% (mostly Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok via mobile)
  • 18–24: 22–28% (heaviest multi-platform use; video-first)
  • 25–34: 16–20%
  • 35–44: 14–17%
  • 45–64: 18–22%
  • 65+: 10–13%
• Gender among social users: women ≈52–54%, men ≈46–48% (women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit/X)

Most-used platforms (share of adult social media users, local estimates)

• YouTube: 80–85% (cross-age utility; how‑tos, sports highlights, local events)
• Facebook: 70–78% (community groups, events, marketplace; strongest 35+)
• Instagram: 45–55% overall; 75–85% for 18–24
• TikTok: 35–45% overall; 70–80% for 18–24
• Snapchat: 30–40% overall; 70–80% for 18–24
• Pinterest: 25–35% (women 25–54, home/DIY/recipes)
• X (Twitter): 15–20% (news/sports; university and local government accounts)
• LinkedIn: 15–25% (faculty/staff, healthcare, education, public sector)
• Nextdoor: 8–15% (neighborhood-level updates; strongest in Farmville areas)

Behavioral trends

• Community-first engagement: Facebook Groups (yard sale, lost & found, local alerts), school updates, church and civic organizations drive outsized reach and comments
• Campus effect: semester cycles create spikes in Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat activity; athletics, move‑in, homecoming, and graduation content performs exceptionally
• Short-form video wins: Reels/TikTok/Shorts outperform static posts among under‑35; practical, local “how‑to” and place-based video also performs with 35+
• Events and deals: event flyers, limited‑time offers, and seasonal activities see high share rates in the 5–15 mile radius around Farmville
• Messaging over comments: younger users shift conversations to Instagram DMs/Snapchat; older users comment publicly on Facebook
• Best posting windows: weekdays 6–9 pm; weekends late morning to early afternoon; announcements and time-sensitive posts do best same-day in the early evening
• Cross-county spillover: content regularly reaches adjacent Cumberland, Buckingham, Amelia, Nottoway, and Appomattox audiences via shared groups and commuting patterns

What to prioritize

• Anchor on Facebook for broad reach and community trust; pair with Instagram/TikTok for 18–34 reach
• Lead with short vertical video for awareness; use Facebook Events and Groups for conversion (attendance, sign-ups)
• Use local faces and places; mention Farmville and campus touchpoints to boost relevance
• Combine organic posts with small paid boosts targeting a 10–20 mile radius for reliable reach

Notes on methodology and sources

• Counts and percentages are derived from the US Census Bureau (ACS 2022–2023) for population/broadband baselines and Pew Research Center 2024/2025 social media adoption by age and platform, adjusted for Prince Edward County’s college-influenced age structure and rural context. Where county-specific platform splits are not directly published, figures are modeled to local demographics and typical rural Virginia usage patterns.