Surry County

Surry County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 6,561 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: approximately 6.5k (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~50 years (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)
• Under 18: ~17%
• 18 to 64: ~58%
• 65 and older: ~25%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~51%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~41–42%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Households

• Total households: ~2,700 (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)
• Average household size: ~2.3
• Family households: ~68% of households
• Married-couple families: ~50% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~32%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~75–80%; renter-occupied: ~20–25%

Insights

• Small, slowly declining population with an older age profile compared with the U.S. overall.
• Racial composition is roughly balanced between White and Black residents, with small Hispanic and multiracial populations.
• Household structure skews toward family and owner-occupied households, typical of rural Virginia counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program)

Surry County, VA context

• Population: 6,561 (2020 Census); density ≈24 people/sq mi (very rural).

Email usage (estimated from Census age mix and Pew email-adoption rates)

• Estimated users: ≈5,300 residents (≈81% of all residents; ≈92% of adults).
• By age (share of email users): 13–17: 6%; 18–34: 21%; 35–64: 46%; 65+: 27%.
• Gender split among users: ≈51% female, 49% male (mirrors local demographics).

Digital access and connectivity

• Households with a broadband Internet subscription: ≈83% (ACS 2018–2022), leaving ≈17% without a subscription.
• Rural density and dispersed settlement patterns raise last‑mile costs; fiber and cable are present near population clusters, with DSL and fixed wireless filling gaps.
• Mobile networks cover primary corridors; smartphone access helps sustain email use among households without wired broadband.

Insights

• Despite low density, email is near-universal among working-age adults and strong among seniors, supported by mobile connectivity.
• The main constraint is subscription, not availability in populated areas; targeted last‑mile and affordability programs would meaningfully raise adoption among the remaining ~17% of households.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Surry County, Virginia (distinct from statewide trends)

Context and scale

• Population base: ≈6.5k residents (2020 Census), small, rural, low-density county centered on the Town of Surry, with primary corridors along VA-10 and VA-31 and the Jamestown–Scotland Ferry.
• Demographics skew older than Virginia overall, with a larger share of residents age 65+, and a comparatively high share of Black residents relative to the statewide average. Median household income is below the Virginia median, consistent with rural counties.

User estimates (adults)

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 4,300–4,700 residents (roughly 80–87% of adults), reflecting slightly lower adoption than Virginia’s statewide adult smartphone adoption (upper 80s to ~90%).
• Smartphone-only (mobile-dependent) internet users: meaningfully higher share than Virginia overall, driven by patchier fixed-broadband options and lower incomes. Expect a low-teens percentage of households relying primarily on mobile data for home internet, notably above the state average.
• Prepaid share: higher than the state average, reflecting cost sensitivity and plan flexibility in rural markets; expect prepaid lines to represent a notably larger slice of active lines than in Virginia’s urban/suburban areas.

Who uses what (demographic patterns)

• Age: Seniors (65+) are a larger slice of Surry’s population and adopt smartphones at lower rates than younger adults, pulling down overall smartphone penetration versus the state. Working-age adults (25–64) exhibit high smartphone adoption, broadly in line with statewide levels.
• Income: Lower-income households show higher rates of smartphone dependence for internet access and higher use of prepaid plans than the Virginia average.
• Race: Given Surry’s sizable Black population share (higher than the statewide share), county-level smartphone dependence is elevated; Black adults in national and Virginia data show higher likelihood of being smartphone-only internet users compared with White adults.
• Households with children: Teen smartphone penetration is high and comparable to statewide norms; households with school-age children are more likely to maintain robust mobile plans for hotspotting due to variable fixed-broadband quality.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Cellular networks:
  • 4G LTE: Broad outdoor coverage from the national carriers (AT&T and Verizon) along main corridors and population centers; indoor coverage is reliable in town centers but can be inconsistent in wooded and low-lying areas.
  • 5G: Present but uneven. Low-band 5G covers main travel corridors and town centers; mid-band 5G is limited and primarily along VA-10/31 and near the ferry approach. This contrasts with Virginia’s wide 5G population coverage in metro regions.
  • Tower density: Sparse relative to Virginia’s urban/suburban counties, creating more dead zones between highways and along river/forest tracts; this materially differs from the statewide experience.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Fiber is limited outside cores/anchor institutions; cable coverage is patchy; DSL and fixed wireless fill some gaps. As a result, substitution with mobile hotspots is common, unlike most of Virginia’s metro counties.
  • County broadband subscription rates lag the state average; smartphone-only homes form a larger component of “connected” households than statewide.
• Performance:
  • Download speeds on 4G/low-band 5G are serviceable for typical use but fall behind Virginia’s metro averages, especially indoors or off-corridor.
  • Mid-band 5G capacity improvements are localized; video and hotspot performance can degrade at the edges of coverage or under load.

How Surry County differs from Virginia overall

• Adoption: Adult smartphone adoption is several points lower than the state average because of the county’s older age structure and income mix.
• Dependence: A higher share of residents rely primarily on smartphones/mobile plans for home internet, unlike Virginia’s metro regions where fixed broadband dominates.
• Plans: Prepaid penetration is higher; multi-line postpaid family plans remain common but have a smaller share than in higher-income areas.
• Coverage and experience: 5G is available but not as pervasive or as fast as in Northern Virginia, Richmond, or Hampton Roads cores. Coverage gaps between corridors are more common than the statewide norm.
• Equity: Digital access disparities by age and income are more pronounced locally than statewide; targeted improvements (mid-band 5G infill, additional towers, and last-mile fiber) would yield outsized gains.

Methodological notes (for clarity)

• Figures synthesize the 2020 Census, ACS 5-year profiles through 2022, FCC Broadband Data Collection through 2023–2024, and statewide/national adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research) to produce county-level planning estimates. Margins of error are larger in small rural counties; the estimates above are conservative and emphasize differences from statewide patterns.

Surry County, VA social media snapshot (2025, best-available county estimates)

Population baseline

• Residents: ~6,500
• Residents aged 13+: ~5,400
• Active social media users: 3,600–4,000 (55–62% of total population; 70–76% of residents 13+)

Age mix of social media users

• 13–17: 6–8%
• 18–24: 8–10%
• 25–34: 13–15%
• 35–54: 32–36%
• 55–64: 18–20%
• 65+: 18–21%

Gender breakdown of social media users

• Female: 52–54%
• Male: 46–48%

Most-used platforms (share of social media users)

• Facebook: 78–82%
• YouTube: 76–80%
• Instagram: 32–38%
• TikTok: 26–31%
• Pinterest: 24–28%
• Snapchat: 20–24%
• LinkedIn: 16–20%
• X (Twitter): 11–14%
• Nextdoor: 10–13%
• Reddit: 10–12%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and Pages for local news, schools, churches, civic and emergency updates, and buy/sell/trade. Event-driven spikes around county meetings, school announcements, and weather.
• Marketplace and groups: Facebook Marketplace and local swap groups are key for practical transactions; engagement skews to adults 35–64.
• Video habits: YouTube is a go-to for how-to/DIY, home maintenance, outdoor/recreation (hunting, fishing), and local sports highlights; TikTok/shorts consumption is concentrated among under-35s but spreading to 35–44.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger dominates peer-to-peer; WhatsApp usage is modest. Older residents favor private group chats over public posting.
• Posting vs. lurking: A minority of users create most local content; many residents primarily consume and react rather than post, especially 55+.
• Timing: Engagement clusters in evenings (6–9 pm) and weekends; daytime peaks align with school and county announcements.
• Platform skews: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, X, and Reddit. Instagram/TikTok are strongest among 13–34; Facebook remains universal across ages, including 55+.
• Business and government use: Local businesses and agencies prioritize Facebook, with light cross-posting to Instagram; X usage is limited and news-oriented.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are county-level estimates derived from the county’s age/gender structure (U.S. Census/ACS), Virginia/rural adoption patterns, and 2024–2025 national platform usage benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research Center). County-specific platform censuses are not published; ranges reflect uncertainty appropriate to a small rural population.