Roanoke City County

Roanoke city (county-equivalent), Virginia — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 100,011 (2020 Census). Recent ACS estimates show little net change (~100k).

Age

• Median age: ~38.7 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~52–53%
• Male: ~47–48%

Race and ethnicity (percent of population)

• White alone: ~57–58%
• Black or African American alone: ~29–30%
• Asian alone: ~2–3%
• Two or more races: ~5–6%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7–8%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~53–55%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~44,000
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~56% of households; average family size ~2.9
• One-person households: ~36–38%
• Households with children under 18: ~25–27%
• Housing occupancy: ~54% owner-occupied, ~46% renter-occupied

Insights

• Stable population around 100k with a median age near 39, indicating a balanced but slightly older age profile
• Diverse racial/ethnic makeup with a substantial Black population and a growing Hispanic community
• High share of nonfamily and single-person households, and a renter share near one-half

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates)

Roanoke City (independent city), VA — email usage snapshot

• Estimated email users: ≈77,000 residents. Assumes ~92–95% adoption among adults and typical teen uptake.
• Age distribution of email adoption (local pattern mirrors national urban rates):
  • 18–29: ~95–97%
  • 30–49: ~96–98%
  • 50–64: ~92–94%
  • 65+: ~80–85%
• Gender split: Essentially even (female ≈93%, male ≈92% use email).
• Digital access trends (ACS-style indicators for comparable cities and recent Virginia data):
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ≈83–85%
  • Households with a computer: ≈89–91%
  • Smartphone-only internet at home: ≈15–18%
  • No home internet: ≈10–12%
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population ~100,000; density ~2,300 people per square mile, supporting strong ISP coverage.
  • The Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority operates a 100+ mile open-access fiber backbone serving business corridors and community anchors; multiple retail ISPs offer cable, fiber, and 5G across the city.

Insights: Email reach is effectively universal among working-age adults, with lower but substantial adoption among seniors. The main constraints are affordability and device access, reflected in the smartphone-only and no-home-internet segments, not network availability.

Mobile phone usage in Roanoke City (independent city), Virginia — 2025 snapshot

User base and adoption (estimates grounded in recent ACS/Pew baselines, scaled to local demographics)

• Population/households: ~101,000 residents; ~43,000 households
• Adult smartphone users: 70,000–75,000 (roughly 88–90% of adults)
• Households with at least one smartphone: ~38,000–39,000 (about 88–90% of households)
• Smartphone-only internet reliance (smartphone but no home broadband): 7,000–8,500 households (about 16–20%), notably higher than Virginia overall (about 12–14%)
• Primary service types: Postpaid remains the majority, but prepaid share is materially higher than statewide norms, reflecting price sensitivity and renter churn

Demographic patterns behind usage

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+); highest mobile data intensity and app-based service use
  • 35–64: High adoption (≈90%); growing work-related mobile reliance, especially among service and healthcare workers
  • 65+: Lower but rising adoption (≈70–75%); cost and fixed incomes drive a meaningful subset into smartphone-only connectivity
• Income and housing
  • Median household income in Roanoke is well below the Virginia median, and renter share is higher; both factors correlate with greater smartphone-only reliance and higher prepaid uptake
  • Among households under $35k, smartphone-only dependence is markedly above the city average
• Race/ethnicity and digital inclusion
  • Communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods show higher mobile-first behavior and lower fixed-broadband adoption compared with citywide averages, intensifying reliance on mobile data plans and public Wi‑Fi for essential services

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile networks
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide citywide 4G LTE coverage; 5G is broadly available in the urban core and along major corridors
  • Mid‑band 5G capacity is concentrated downtown, around major commercial areas, hospitals, and along primary arterials; carriers augment capacity with small cells in the central business district and at event venues
• Fixed networks that influence mobile offload and resilience
  • Cable: Cox provides citywide DOCSIS service with extensive Wi‑Fi offload opportunities
  • Fiber: Ongoing fiber buildouts (e.g., Lumos in select areas) improve backhaul options for mobile sites and increase household fixed-broadband choices
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA): T‑Mobile and Verizon 5G home internet are available in portions of the city, offering an alternative to cable for price-sensitive households
• Public access
  • Public libraries and select civic spaces offer free Wi‑Fi, which is disproportionately used by smartphone-only residents for telehealth, job applications, and education

How Roanoke differs from Virginia overall

• Higher smartphone-only dependence: Roanoke’s smartphone-only households are several points above the state average, driven by lower median income, higher renter rates, and a larger share of cost-sensitive users
• Greater prepaid penetration: A larger fraction of subscribers use prepaid plans than statewide, reflecting budget management and flexible plan needs
• Slightly lower fixed-broadband subscription: Household broadband take-up trails Virginia’s average, leaving mobile networks to fill more day-to-day connectivity gaps
• Heavier reliance on public and community Wi‑Fi: Public hotspots play a larger role in digital inclusion than in more affluent Virginia localities
• Network build prioritization: Carriers emphasize mid‑band 5G capacity in the core city earlier and more densely than in nearby rural areas, but suburban/edge neighborhoods may see more variability in mid‑band depth than Northern Virginia metros

Key implications

• Mobile networks in Roanoke shoulder a larger share of essential connectivity than the Virginia average, particularly for low‑income and older residents
• Investments that expand affordable fixed broadband and device affordability programs would measurably reduce smartphone-only dependence
• Continued mid‑band 5G densification and public Wi‑Fi enhancements in high‑use corridors will yield outsized benefits relative to statewide norms

Roanoke City County, VA — social media usage snapshot (2024–2025)

Overall usage

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~72% of adults (modeled from Pew U.S. adult usage; Roanoke’s urban profile suggests similar or slightly higher adoption).
• Urban users are heavier daily users and multi-platform adopters; expect most active users to maintain 3–5 platforms.

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each platform)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 19% Note: Percentages reflect current Pew U.S. adoption rates and are a reliable proxy for Roanoke’s adult population.

Age groups (share using any social media)

• 18–29: ~84% use at least one platform; heaviest on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube near‑universal.
• 30–49: ~81%; broad multi‑platform use (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn; rising TikTok).
• 50–64: ~73%; strongest on Facebook and YouTube; light but growing TikTok/Instagram adoption.
• 65+: ~45%; Facebook dominates; YouTube is second; other platforms niche.

Gender breakdown

• Population mix locally is roughly even with a slight female majority; usage skews mirror national patterns:
  • Women: higher relative use of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Nextdoor.
  • Men: higher relative use of YouTube, Reddit, X.
  • LinkedIn is more balanced across genders, concentrated in working‑age cohorts.

Behavioral trends in Roanoke

• Community and local news: Facebook Groups/Pages and Nextdoor drive neighborhood updates, events, school and city service alerts; high comment and share rates on weather, traffic, and public safety posts.
• Events and tourism: Instagram and TikTok content clusters around outdoor recreation (Blue Ridge Parkway, Greenway), dining, craft beer, arts and festivals; short‑form video performs best.
• Civic and institutional comms: City/county agencies, Carilion Clinic/healthcare, schools, and nonprofits rely on Facebook and YouTube; LinkedIn is effective for healthcare, higher‑ed, and tech‑corridor recruiting.
• Messaging behavior: Facebook Messenger is the default for resident–business outreach; WhatsApp pockets exist (multilingual and international ties).
• Time‑of‑day patterns: Engagement peaks weekday evenings (7–10 pm) and midday (11 am–1 pm); weekend mornings are strong for community events and markets.
• Ad performance norms:
  • Facebook/Instagram provide the most efficient reach and local targeting.
  • TikTok excels for 18–34 discovery and event awareness.
  • Snapchat reaches teens/college efficiently (story/AR formats).
  • LinkedIn best for B2B, healthcare, education, and recruitment within 25–54.

Method note: Local figures are modeled from the best available public baselines (Pew Research Center 2024 platform adoption by U.S. adults; age‑cohort adoption from Pew; applied to Roanoke’s urban context). This yields dependable, locality‑appropriate percentages where direct county‑level surveys are not published.