Russell County

Key demographics for Russell County, Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau; population from 2020 Census, other metrics from ACS 2019–2023 5-year unless noted):

• Population size

  • 25,781 (2020 Census)

• Age

  • Median age: ~46 years
  • Under 18: ~20%
  • 18–64: ~59%
  • 65 and over: ~21%

• Gender

  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%

• Race/ethnicity

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~95%
  • Black or African American: ~1–2%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0–1%
  • Asian: ~0–1%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–2%

• Households

  • Total households: ~10.5k
  • Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
  • Family households: ~65% of households
  • Married-couple households: ~50% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~24–25%
  • One-person households: ~29–30%
  • 65+ living alone: ~13%

Insights: Russell County is small, older-skewing, and predominantly non-Hispanic White, with modest household sizes and a majority of family/married-couple households.

Russell County, VA snapshot (2024 est.)

• Population and density: 25,800 residents across ~477 sq mi (54 people/sq mi; low-density, mountainous terrain typical of Southwest Virginia).
• Estimated email users: ~18,600 residents age 15+ (driven by high email adoption among internet users).
• Age distribution of email users: 15–24: 16%; 25–44: 30%; 45–64: 33%; 65+: 21% (older cohorts show lower adoption but are steadily increasing).
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male, broadly matching the county’s population balance.
• Digital access and connectivity:
  • Households with any internet subscription: ~82%.
  • Households with a broadband subscription (cable, fiber, DSL, or cellular data plan): ~73% (ACS 2018–2022).
  • Smartphone-only internet households: ~11%; households with no internet: ~18%.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (schools, libraries) remains an important access channel for students and lower-income residents.
  • Fiber and upgraded cable footprints are expanding from town centers, but dispersed settlement patterns and terrain continue to limit high-speed coverage in outlying areas.

Insights: Email reaches a clear majority of teens through seniors, with strongest engagement in working-age groups. Improving last‑mile broadband and reducing smartphone‑only reliance will further raise email usage among older and remote households.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Russell County, Virginia

Key takeaways (how Russell County differs from Virginia overall)

• Smartphone penetration is high but below the statewide average, primarily due to an older age profile and lower median income than Virginia overall.
• A larger share of households depend on cellular data as their primary or fallback internet option compared with the state, reflecting more limited wireline broadband in outlying areas.
• 5G is present but uneven outside towns and highway corridors; LTE remains the de facto baseline. Multi-carrier overlap thins quickly off-corridor due to mountainous terrain.

User estimates

• Population base used: approximately 25,400 residents (ACS 2023).
• Adults (18+): approximately 20,300.
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 17,100.
  • Method: applying an 84% smartphone-ownership rate typical of rural U.S. adults (Pew Research) to the adult population.
• Teens (13–17) with smartphones: approximately 1,350.
  • Method: ~1,500 teens in this age band with ~90% smartphone ownership.
• Total estimated smartphone users (13+): approximately 18,450.
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile, including basic phones): approximately 18,700.
  • Method: applying ~92% adult mobile-phone ownership in rural areas (smartphones plus remaining feature phones) to adults.
• Mobile-only internet households: approximately 1,400 (about 13% of roughly 11,000 households).
  • Method: applying a typical rural share using cellular data at home (with or without other subscriptions) that is several points higher than the statewide average; this reflects observed rural reliance on mobile where wireline options are limited.

Demographic breakdown driving usage

• Age: A larger 65+ share than the Virginia average pulls down overall smartphone adoption. Seniors adopt smartphones at materially lower rates than 25–64-year-olds, so a greater senior share means:
  • A higher proportion of basic/flip phones within the remaining non-smartphone users.
  • Lower per-capita mobile data consumption than state averages.
• Working-age adults (25–64) are the core of smartphone use and drive most app/data-heavy behavior; this group is smaller as a share of the population than in Virginia overall, which dampens aggregate mobile data demand.
• Income and education: Lower median household income and lower bachelor’s attainment than state averages correlate with:
  • Greater price sensitivity (e.g., use of prepaid/MVNO plans and budget devices).
  • Higher incidence of sharing/family plans and hotspotting for home connectivity.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage pattern:
  • LTE from the three national carriers is typical in and around population centers (e.g., Lebanon, Honaker, Castlewood, the St. Paul corridor) and along primary routes (US‑19/58 Alt). Coverage drops in hollows and ridge-shadowed areas.
  • 5G is present in town centers and along the main corridors but remains intermittent or absent in sparsely populated valleys; LTE is the default outside these areas.
• Terrain effects:
  • Steep relief produces localized dead zones and rapid signal variability. Users commonly rely on Wi‑Fi calling or signal boosters in fringe areas.
• Capacity and backhaul:
  • Low-band spectrum (700/850 MHz) underpins most wide-area coverage. Capacity layers (PCS/AWS and mid-band 5G where available) are concentrated near towns and highways. Off-corridor sectors may face capacity constraints during events but are otherwise lightly loaded relative to urban Virginia.
• Redundancy/overlap:
  • Two-carrier overlap is common in towns and along highways; three-carrier overlap diminishes off-corridor, unlike much of suburban Virginia where three-carrier 5G/LTE overlap is routine.
• Public safety and resiliency:
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) coverage is generally available in population centers and along key routes; mountainous microterrain still creates coverage challenges for handhelds away from roads.
• Home internet interplay:
  • Where fiber/coax is limited, residents substitute with mobile hotspots or fixed wireless (LTE/5G) more than the Virginia average, reinforcing higher cellular-data dependence for homework, telehealth, and streaming.

What’s most different from the state level

• Adoption: Adult smartphone ownership sits a few points below Virginia’s statewide rate (which tracks near 90%); Russell County’s older age profile is the main gap driver.
• Access: LTE is widespread but with more pronounced dead zones; 5G availability and multi-carrier overlap are materially less consistent than in suburban/urban Virginia.
• Reliance: A noticeably higher share of households use cellular data for home connectivity compared with the state, reflecting infrastructure and income differences.
• Plan mix: Budget-conscious plan selection (prepaid/MVNO, light unlimited tiers) is more common than in higher-income parts of Virginia, influencing device turnover and average data use.

Assumptions, methods, and reference points

• Population and household counts: ACS 2023 estimates and typical household size for rural Virginia yield ~25,400 people and ~11,000 households.
• Smartphone and mobile ownership rates: Pew Research Center’s most recent mobile device adoption figures for rural adults (smartphone 84%; overall mobile ~92%) and common survey findings for teens (90% with smartphones).
• Mobile-only internet share: Benchmarked to rural U.S. ACS/NHIS patterns showing higher reliance on cellular at home than state averages, applied conservatively to Russell County’s household count.
• Coverage characteristics reflect FCC mobile coverage filings and widely observed carrier deployment strategies in mountainous Appalachia (low-band coverage dominance; mid-band 5G concentrated near towns/highways).

Russell County, VA — social media snapshot (2025 estimates based on U.S. Census and Pew Research Center rural-U.S. usage patterns)

User base

• Population: ~25,800 residents; adults (18+): ~20,100
• Adult social media users: ~14,500 (about 72% of adults)
• Teens (13–17): ~1,500 social media users (very high adoption among teens)

Most‑used platforms (share of adult residents using each; users overlap)

• YouTube: ~80–83%
• Facebook: ~68–72%
• Instagram: ~35–45%
• TikTok: ~28–35%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• WhatsApp: ~24–30%
• X (Twitter): ~18–22%
• LinkedIn: ~20–30%
• Reddit: ~15–22%

Age patterns (adult adoption rates)

• 18–29: ~90% use social media; heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; Facebook secondary
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook + YouTube dominant, Instagram rising; TikTok meaningful
• 50–64: ~70–75%; Facebook and YouTube core; Pinterest usage notable (especially women)
• 65+: ~45–50%; Facebook is primary; YouTube for news/how‑to; limited Instagram/TikTok

Gender breakdown (patterns typical of rural U.S., applied locally)

• Overall adoption is roughly balanced by gender
• Women over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over‑index on YouTube, Reddit, and X
• TikTok and Instagram lean slightly female; Snapchat skews younger rather than by gender

Behavioral trends in the county

• Facebook is the community hub: high engagement in local groups (schools, churches, youth sports), Marketplace, and local news/alerts
• Video consumption is entrenched: YouTube for how‑to, hunting/outdoors, equipment repair; short‑form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) growing among under‑35 and local small businesses
• Messaging > public posting for coordination: Facebook Messenger and SMS/WhatsApp for family, team, and event logistics
• Mobile‑first usage: evening peaks (7–10 p.m.) and midday checks; older adults engage more with links and local-service posts than national brands
• Local commerce: service providers and crafters rely on Facebook groups/Marketplace; LinkedIn plays a minor role compared with Facebook pages/groups for hiring

Method and sources

• Counts are derived by applying Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. adult and rural-urban platform adoption rates to Russell County’s population structure (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2022). Figures are estimates and reflect overlapping platform use.