Stafford County

Stafford County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 156,927 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~36 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~28%
• 65 and over: ~10%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~61%
• Black or African American: ~18%
• Asian: ~6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1%
• Some other race: ~3%
• Two or more races: ~11%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~13%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~52,000
• Average household size: ~3.0
• Family households: ~78% of households
• Married-couple households: ~62% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~44%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77%

Notes: Population counts are from the 2020 Census; age, household structure, and tenure are from the ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates. Figures rounded for clarity.

Stafford County, VA (2020 population 156,927; ~269 sq mi land; ~583 people/mi²) has an estimated ~120,000 email users (≈77% of all residents; ≈90% of those age 13+), derived from nationally observed email adoption applied to the county’s youthful age mix.

Estimated age distribution of email users:

• 13–17: ~6.7%
• 18–29: ~18.8%
• 30–49: ~45.6%
• 50–64: ~18.6%
• 65+: ~10.3%

Gender split among email users is effectively even (≈50% women, 50% men), reflecting negligible gender differences in email adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• Household broadband subscription is high (roughly low‑90s percent), and computer/smartphone access is widespread (mid‑ to high‑90s percent of households), consistent with ACS “Computer and Internet Use” patterns for affluent Northern Virginia suburbs.
• Fixed broadband is strongest along the I‑95/US‑1 corridor and denser subdivisions; rural western tracts show lower adoption and fewer fiber options.
• 5G mobile coverage is broad, and average fixed speeds in populated areas commonly exceed 100 Mbps, supporting heavy email and telework use.
• Adoption has trended upward since 2018, with fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts reducing remaining gaps.

Overall, email usage in Stafford is near‑universal among working‑age adults and robust among older adults, anchored by strong broadband and mobile connectivity.

Mobile phone usage in Stafford County, VA — 2024 snapshot

Topline usage and user estimates

• Population and households: ~165,000 residents and ~55,000 households (2023 Census vintage estimate scale).
• Active mobile connections: ~230,000–240,000 connections (about 1.4 per capita, consistent with CTIA national connection density), reflecting phones, tablets, watches, hotspots, and IoT.
• Smartphone users (ages 13+): ~125,000–130,000.
  • 18–64: ~102,000 smartphone users (≈96% adoption in this cohort).
  • 65+: ~14,000–15,000 smartphone users (≈80% adoption; higher than typical for Virginia due to income/education mix and family support).
  • Teens 13–17: ~10,000–11,000 smartphone users (≈90–95% adoption).
• 5G-capable devices: ~100,000–105,000 in active use (roughly 80% of smartphones in use).
• Mobile-only internet households (no wireline broadband at home, rely on mobile data plans): ~3,500–4,000 households (≈6–8% of households), below Virginia’s statewide share (≈10–12%).

Demographic patterns

• Younger, family-oriented profile: A larger share of residents are under 40 than the Virginia average, driving near-saturation smartphone ownership for working-age adults and very high teen adoption.
• Higher incomes, more lines per household: Median household income well above the Virginia median translates to:
  • More multi-line family plans and device stacking (phone + watch + tablet).
  • Faster upgrade cycles, accelerating 5G device penetration and eSIM uptake.
• Military and federal workforce footprint: Proximity to Marine Corps Base Quantico and the I-95 federal commute corridor increases BYOD usage, work-issued lines, and hotspot use during travel.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage: All three national operators (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide LTE and extensive 5G, with strongest performance along I‑95, US‑1, Route 610 (Garrisonville), and major commercial hubs. Outdoor coverage is broadly robust; indoor performance varies in exurban west-of-I‑95 pockets where homes are dispersed or heavily wooded.
• 5G layers:
  • Mid-band 5G (e.g., C-band and 2.5 GHz) is present along primary corridors and population centers, delivering step-change capacity and typical median speeds well into the 100+ Mbps range where mid-band is active.
  • Low-band 5G extends reach and improves reliability but at LTE-like speeds in fringe areas.
• Small cells and densification: Denser site grids and small cells are concentrated near retail corridors, schools, and high-traffic nodes to handle commuter peaks and event loads.
• Redundancy and priority services: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage and carrier priority services benefit public safety users; federal/military demand drives additional hardening and overlapping coverage near the Quantico border.

How Stafford differs from Virginia overall

• Higher adoption and device density:
  • Adult smartphone adoption in Stafford is several points above the statewide average due to younger age structure and higher incomes.
  • Connections per resident trend above statewide norms, reflecting more wearables/tablets per user and greater use of secondary data devices for commuting.
• Faster 5G uptake:
  • A larger share of active devices are 5G-capable versus statewide, driven by faster upgrade cycles and employer-provided lines.
• Lower reliance on mobile-only home internet:
  • Mobile-only households are meaningfully lower than the Virginia average because cable and fiber availability is relatively strong in the populated east-of-I‑95 corridor; cellular is more often a complement than a substitute.
• Peak-load characteristics:
  • Commuter-heavy patterns produce distinct AM/PM peaks on I‑95/US‑1 sectors, with capacity-focused builds and small-cell deployments more prominent than in many non-NOVA counties.
• Smaller rural “last-mile” pockets:
  • While Stafford has exurban areas with tougher indoor coverage, these pockets are smaller and closer to highway-fed macro sites than in rural Virginia counties, resulting in fewer persistent coverage gaps and higher overall reliability.

Practical implications

• Marketing and network planning: Emphasize multi-line family and premium unlimited tiers, along with bundled device plans (watches/tablets). Continue mid-band 5G infill west of I‑95 to bolster indoor performance.
• Public sector and enterprise: Maintain priority services and hardening near public safety and federal facilities; commuter corridor capacity remains a top ROI area.
• Digital equity: Target the remaining mobile-only and weak-indoor pockets with fixed wireless access (FWA) and fiber extensions; uptake will likely be strong where wireline options are limited.

Stafford County, VA social media snapshot (2025)

How many people use social media

• Overall penetration: Approximately 82–85% of residents age 13+ use at least one social platform monthly, consistent with national suburban patterns.
• Adults (18+): About 80–83% use at least one social platform; teens (13–17): roughly 90–95% use at least one.

Age groups (share using any social platform; local estimates aligned to Pew Research Center 2024)

• Teens 13–17: 90–95%
• 18–29: ~95%
• 30–49: ~85–90%
• 50–64: ~70–75%
• 65+: ~45–55%

Gender breakdown

• Overall user mix mirrors county demographics: roughly 50% women, 50% men among social media users.
• Platform skews (national patterns applied locally):
  • More women: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (Pinterest users are predominantly female).
  • More men: Reddit, X (Twitter), to a lesser extent YouTube.
  • Broadly balanced: TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, LinkedIn.

Most-used platforms among adults (18+) in Stafford County (estimated local adoption; Pew 2024 national usage applied to county)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• LinkedIn: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~21%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~21%

Teens’ most-used platforms (13–17) locally reflect Pew teen patterns

• YouTube: ~95%
• TikTok: ~60–70%
• Snapchat: ~55–65%
• Instagram: ~60–65%
• Facebook: under one-third
• X (Twitter) and Reddit: lower-teens to ~20%

Behavioral trends observed in similar suburban, commuter-heavy counties (applicable to Stafford)

• Community-first on Facebook: Heavy use of local Groups (schools, youth sports, HOAs, buy/sell/Marketplace). Events and school/traffic updates drive spikes.
• Video-forward consumption: Short-form video (Reels, TikToks, Shorts) outperforms static posts; YouTube remains the how‑to, product research, and cord‑cutting hub.
• Family and youth activities drive engagement: Parents (30–49) are highly active on Facebook and Instagram; teens cluster on Snapchat and TikTok for messaging and short video.
• Workforce tilt to LinkedIn: Strong presence tied to federal, defense, IT, and Quantico–NoVA commuters; effective for recruiting and B2B thought leadership.
• Messaging > public posting: DMs (Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat) and group chats handle coordination; public comments skew to announcements and recommendations.
• Local buying behavior: Facebook Marketplace and local groups are primary for resale and services; Instagram/TikTok are discovery channels for restaurants, fitness, and local retail.
• Timing: Engagement peaks in early morning (commute scroll), lunch, and evenings (8–10 pm); weekends favor events, family activities, and local dining content.
• Trust and relevance: Neighborhood-specific posts, school information, traffic/weather alerts, and locally produced videos outperform generic content.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are localized estimates derived from Stafford County’s demographic profile (ACS) with platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use findings; teen figures reflect recent Pew teen surveys. Percentages indicate share of adults (or teens) who use each platform.