Scott County

Scott County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 21,576 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2019–2023)

• Median age: 47.8 years
• Under 18: 18.5%
• 18 to 64: 56.6%
• 65 and over: 24.9%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: 50.7%
• Male: 49.3%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: 95.9%
• Black or African American alone: 1.1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%
• Asian alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 2.2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.1%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: 9,500 (approx.)
• Average household size: 2.30
• Family households: ~62% of households; married-couple families: ~49% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~23%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~14%

Insights

• Older age profile than the U.S. overall, with one in four residents 65+.
• Small, predominantly White population with low Hispanic share.
• Household sizes are modest and a majority are family households.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Scott County, VA email usage (estimates, 2024)

• Estimated email users: ~16,400 adults (≈76% of total population ≈21,500; based on adult share and national email adoption by age).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~2,700 (17%)
  • 30–49: ~4,800 (29%)
  • 50–64: ~4,500 (27%)
  • 65+: ~4,300 (26%) Notes: Penetration assumed ~97% (18–49), ~94% (50–64), ~85% (65+), reflecting Pew usage patterns.
• Gender split: ~51% female, ~49% male, mirroring county demographics; email usage is essentially parity by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • ~73% of households have a home broadband subscription; ~24% have no internet subscription (ACS 2018–2022).
  • Computer access in households is 80–85%; smartphone access is widespread, with a growing smartphone-only segment (15–20%).
  • Rural adoption gaps persist: older and lower-income households are less likely to subscribe even where service is available.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈40 people per square mile (sparsely populated Appalachia).
  • Fiber and cable are concentrated along primary corridors (e.g., US‑23); outlying hollows rely more on DSL/fixed wireless/satellite, contributing to lower adoption despite improving coverage through cooperative fiber buildouts.

Mobile phone usage in Scott County, Virginia — 2025 snapshot

Headline estimates (modeled from 2020–2023 Census/ACS demographics, Pew adoption rates, and FCC availability data)

• Total population used for estimates: ~21,300
• Estimated mobile phone users (any cellphone): ~17,300 people (≈81% of the total population; ≈95% of adults under 65 and ≈85% of seniors)
• Estimated smartphone users: ~14,700 people (≈69% of the total population; ≈88–92% of adults under 50, ≈80% of those 50–64, ≈58–60% of those 65+)
• Households relying on mobile/cellular data as their primary home internet (“mobile-only”): ~1,800–2,000 households (roughly 18–22% of households)

Demographic breakdown of usage (how Scott County differs from Virginia statewide)

• Older population structure: About a quarter of residents are 65+ (vs ~16% statewide), pulling down overall smartphone penetration. Smartphone ownership among seniors in-county is roughly 58–60% versus ~70% among Virginia seniors.
• Income and device reliance: Lower median household income than the state translates to higher dependence on smartphones as the primary internet device and a higher share of mobile-only households (≈18–22% in Scott County vs ≈10–12% statewide).
• Modeled user counts by age band
  • Teens (12–17): ~1,250 mobile users, ~1,200 smartphone users
  • 18–34: ~3,750 mobile users, ~3,500 smartphone users
  • 35–49: ~3,550 mobile users, ~3,350 smartphone users
  • 50–64: ~4,250 mobile users, ~3,600 smartphone users
  • 65+: ~4,500 mobile users, ~3,100 smartphone users
• Resulting county-to-state contrasts
  • Overall smartphone penetration is lower by ~5–8 percentage points than Virginia’s average
  • Mobile-only internet reliance is higher by ~6–10 percentage points
  • Seniors represent a larger share of all phone users than in the state average, and a larger slice of non-smartphone (feature phone) users

Digital infrastructure points (coverage, capacity, and access)

• Terrain-driven coverage gaps: The ridge-and-valley topography produces signal shadows away from highways and town centers. 4G LTE covers the vast majority of residents along US‑23/US‑58 and in/around Gate City, but land-area coverage remains patchier than state averages.
• 5G availability: Population coverage is materially below the statewide norm. Estimated 5G population coverage in Scott County is roughly 55–70% (primarily low-band with some mid-band along major corridors), vs >85% statewide. mmWave is effectively absent.
• Network performance: Average downlink speeds trend 20–40% lower than the Virginia average due to sparser site density and challenging terrain; upload performance is more constrained in valleys and hollows.
• Carrier footprint: Verizon and AT&T provide the broadest legacy LTE footprints; T‑Mobile has expanded 5G along US‑23 and near the Tennessee border. Cross‑border signal from the Kingsport, TN market is common in Gate City and south/east-facing elevations, affecting network selection and roaming behavior.
• Public safety and resiliency: AT&T’s FirstNet presence supports emergency services; power-backup and backhaul constraints in remote areas can still cause longer restoration times than in urban Virginia during severe weather.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Scott County Telephone Cooperative (and other regional providers) have built out fiber in and around denser pockets, but many outlying roads still rely on DSL or fixed wireless. This incomplete wired footprint is a key driver of the county’s higher mobile-only household rate. T‑Mobile and Verizon fixed-wireless home internet are increasingly available along main corridors and near towns but remain inconsistent in remote hollows.

Usage patterns and trends distinct from the state

• Higher dependence on mobile for home connectivity: Residents are more likely than the average Virginian to use a smartphone or cellular hotspot as their primary household internet, particularly among lower-income and senior households.
• Device mix and upgrade cycles: A meaningfully larger share of feature phones (flip/keyboard) persists among seniors; smartphone replacement cycles run longer than the state average, which dampens the pace of 5G feature adoption.
• Gradual 5G uptake: 5G subscriber share is rising as mid-band expands along the US‑23/US‑58 corridors, but overall 5G usage lags the state due to coverage gaps, older devices, and the county’s age profile.
• Outlook 2025–2028: Expect incremental declines in mobile-only reliance where BEAD/fiber builds reach new roads, offset by continued gains in fixed‑wireless availability along corridors. Net effect is a slow, steady rise in smartphone and 5G usage but a persistent gap versus statewide figures.

Method notes

• User estimates are derived by applying recent Pew Research smartphone and cellphone ownership rates by age, adjusted modestly for rural/low‑income effects, to Scott County’s age structure and household counts from recent ACS/Census releases; cellular‑only household reliance is inferred from ACS S2801 patterns for rural Virginia counties and FCC mobile/fixed availability in the Lenowisco region. These yield defensible point estimates consistent with observed rural Appalachian trends.

Scott County, Virginia social media snapshot (2025, best-available local estimates modeled from U.S. Census/ACS and Pew Research Center rural-United States platform usage)

Headline user stats

• Adult population (18+): ≈17,500
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈13,500 (77% of adults)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of all adults; multi-platform overlap)

• YouTube: 74% (≈13,000)
• Facebook: 70% (≈12,300)
• Instagram: 38% (≈6,700)
• Pinterest: 32% (≈5,600)
• TikTok: 28% (≈4,900)
• Snapchat: 20% (≈3,500)
• WhatsApp: 16% (≈2,800)
• X (Twitter): 15% (≈2,600)
• LinkedIn: 14% (≈2,500)
• Reddit: 12% (≈2,100)

Age-group usage

• 18–29: 96% use at least one platform. Top: YouTube (95%), Instagram (75%), Snapchat (60%), TikTok (60%), Facebook (~60%).
• 30–49: 88% on at least one. Top: YouTube (88%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (50%), TikTok (30%), Pinterest (~35%).
• 50–64: 75% on at least one. Top: Facebook (74%), YouTube (72%), Pinterest (32%), Instagram (33%), TikTok (~18%).
• 65+: 56% on at least one. Top: Facebook (58%), YouTube (60%), Pinterest (24%), Instagram (15%), TikTok (~8%).

Gender breakdown

• Share of social media users: women ~54% (≈7.3K), men ~46% (≈6.2K).
• Platform skews:
  • Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok (Pinterest users ≈75% women).
  • Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X, LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups for churches, youth sports, school notices, local events; Marketplace is a daily habit.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how-tos, music, local sports; Reels/Shorts/TikTok for quick news, weather, outdoors, DIY, auto, gardening.
• Messaging consolidation: Facebook Messenger dominates one-to-one; WhatsApp usage smaller and clustered in family/work groups.
• Participation style: more sharing/commenting than original posting among 40+; under 30s favor Stories/Reels/Snaps with lighter public posting.
• Local news and weather drive spikes: regional TV stations/meteorologists and county pages get high engagement during severe weather, road closures, and school schedule changes.
• Timing: engagement peaks mornings (6–9 a.m.) and evenings (6–10 p.m.); Sunday midday is strong for church/community updates.
• Commerce: strong response to local promotions—food specials, auto services, yard sales, festivals, seasonal jobs; event RSVPs primarily via Facebook.
• Cross-posting: small businesses post to Facebook + Instagram; longer form video lives on YouTube; TikTok used for reach among under-40.
• Privacy and trust: content from known local people, churches, schools, and county offices is shared more; skepticism toward anonymous pages and national political content.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Decennial Census; ACS 5-year for population structure.
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024: platform penetration by age, gender, and rurality. Percentages above scale those benchmarks to Scott County’s adult population to produce county-level estimates.