Tazewell County

Tazewell County, Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 40,429 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2010: -10.3% (2010: 45,078)

Age

• Median age: ~46 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~20–21%
• 65 and over: ~21–22%

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~91–92%
• Black or African American alone: ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian alone: ~0.3–0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.2–0.4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1.5–2%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~16.8–17.0k
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~65–67% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~23–25%
• Nonfamily households: ~33–35%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~73–75%

Insights

• Shrinking and aging population relative to 2010
• Predominantly White, with small Black and Hispanic communities
• Smaller household sizes and a majority of family households, typical of rural Appalachia

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

Tazewell County, VA (pop. ~40,000; ~77 residents per sq. mile) shows strong but uneven email adoption tied to connectivity.

Estimated email users: ≈31,000 residents (about 77% of the population), reflecting household broadband subscription around 73% and near‑universal email use among internet users.

Age distribution of email use (share within each age group):

• 13–17: ~80%
• 18–29: ~95%
• 30–49: ~95%
• 50–64: ~89%
• 65+: ~74% Given Tazewell’s older age profile (roughly one-quarter 65+), overall penetration is slightly below urban Virginia.

Gender split: Approximately even; email users are ~50% female, ~50% male.

Digital access and trends:

• ~73% of households have a broadband subscription and adoption continues to rise.
• Cable/fiber is concentrated in and around Tazewell, Richlands, Bluefield, and Cedar Bluff; outlying valleys rely more on DSL, fixed‑wireless, or satellite.
• Mobile data coverage is strongest along US‑460 and US‑19 corridors; public Wi‑Fi from libraries and schools remains an important access bridge for lower‑income households.

Overall, email remains a near‑universal digital touchpoint for connected residents, with the main constraint being last‑mile broadband gaps rather than willingness to use email.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Tazewell County, Virginia (distinct from statewide patterns)

User estimates and adoption

• Population and households (2023 est.): 39,300 residents; about 16,700 households.
• Households with a smartphone: 86% (≈14,400 households). Virginia overall is higher at roughly 91–92%.
• Adults with a smartphone: about 26,000 residents (≈84% of adults), compared with roughly 90%+ statewide.
• Households with a cellular data plan (for a smartphone or other mobile device): 73% (≈12,200 households), below Virginia’s ~80%.
• Households with fixed home broadband (cable/fiber/DSL): 69% (≈11,600 households), well below Virginia’s ~83%.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan but no fixed home broadband): 17% (≈2,800 households), about double the statewide share (~8%).
• Households with no internet subscription of any kind: 19% (≈3,200 households), nearly triple the statewide rate (~7%).

Demographic context driving usage

• Older population: About 23% of residents are 65+, versus ~16% statewide. This skews overall smartphone adoption and app usage downward and increases reliance on voice/SMS.
• Income and education: Median household income is in the mid-$40,000s (well below Virginia’s ~$90,000), and bachelor’s degree attainment is roughly in the mid-teens percent (vs ~41% statewide). Lower income and education correlate with:
  • Higher likelihood of mobile-only connectivity to manage costs.
  • Greater use of budget plans and MVNOs, and slower device replacement cycles.
• Rural settlement pattern: A dispersed, mountainous geography raises coverage and indoor-signal challenges and increases dependence on Wi‑Fi calling where available.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage pattern: 4G LTE is the baseline across most populated corridors (e.g., US‑19/US‑460 and the towns of Tazewell, Richlands, and the Virginia side of Bluefield). 5G service is present in and around population centers and along primary highways, but LTE‑only pockets remain common in hollows and ridgelines. This contrasts with Virginia’s metro areas, where contiguous 5G coverage is the norm.
• Network capacity and speeds: Median mobile download performance in the county trails Virginia’s urban corridors. Users typically experience moderate speeds suitable for messaging, browsing, maps, and SD/HD streaming, with greater variability at peak hours. By comparison, statewide medians in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are substantially higher and more consistent.
• Tower siting and terrain effects: Fewer macro sites per square mile and complex terrain create shadow zones and building‑penetration issues. Residents frequently rely on in‑home Wi‑Fi and Wi‑Fi calling to stabilize voice quality.
• Ongoing buildouts: Recent rural coverage expansions (including public-safety and rural broadband initiatives) have improved main‑corridor reliability but have not eliminated interior dead zones. Fixed broadband grants in the region indirectly reduce mobile network load via Wi‑Fi offload as new fiber and cable pass more homes.

How Tazewell County differs from Virginia overall

• Lower adoption: Smartphone and mobile‑data plan adoption are several points below the state average.
• Higher mobile-only reliance: The share of households using cellular as their sole internet connection is roughly twice the statewide rate, reflecting cost sensitivity and limited fixed-broadband reach in outlying areas.
• Larger unserved segment: Nearly one in five households lacks any internet subscription, a rate far above the state average.
• Coverage quality and 5G availability: 5G is more fragmented and heavily corridor‑based; LTE remains the fallback in many valleys, unlike the broader, denser 5G footprints in metro Virginia.
• Usage profile: Older demographics and tighter budgets yield more conservative data use, a higher mix of voice/SMS, and slower device turnover compared with higher‑income, younger state metros.

Key implications

• Service strategies that bundle affordable mobile plans with home Wi‑Fi options (or fixed‑wireless/fiber where available) will see strong uptake.
• Enhancing indoor coverage (Wi‑Fi calling defaults, signal boosters, small cells) materially improves user experience given terrain and housing stock.
• Continued investment in backhaul and additional sites along secondary roads and valley communities will close the largest experience gap with statewide norms.

Tazewell County, VA — Social media usage snapshot (modeled from the county’s age/sex profile and 2024 Pew Research platform adoption rates; population baseline: 40,429, U.S. Census 2020)

Overall penetration

• Adults using at least one social platform: ~80% of adults (rural U.S. benchmark; applied locally)
• Teens (13–17) using at least one platform: ~95% (national benchmark; applied locally)
• Net effect: The county skews slightly older than the U.S., so overall usage is high but weighted toward Facebook and YouTube.

Most‑used platforms locally (adult users; modeled share of adult residents)

• YouTube: ~80%
• Facebook: ~70%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~25%
• Pinterest: ~28%
• X (Twitter): ~15%
• LinkedIn: ~12%
• Reddit: ~12%

Age‑group profile (platform adoption tendencies shaping local reach)

• Teens 13–17: Very high on YouTube (95%), TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%), Instagram (59); Facebook low. Content: school sports, local events, trends.
• 18–29: YouTube ~90%+, Instagram ~75%+, Snapchat/TikTok ~60%+, Facebook ~55–60%. Heavy Stories/short‑form video; local nightlife, jobs, and bargains.
• 30–49: YouTube ~90%, Facebook ~75%, Instagram ~50%, TikTok ~40%. Parents and working professionals; event info, marketplace, services.
• 50–64: Facebook ~70%+, YouTube ~80%, Instagram ~30%, TikTok ~20%+. Info, community groups, local news, health and home projects.
• 65+: Facebook ~60%+, YouTube ~60%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~10%. Community updates, church and civic groups, safety/weather alerts.

Gender breakdown (overall social media users; mirrors county demographics and platform skews)

• Approx. 52% female, 48% male among local social media users
• Women over‑indexed on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men over‑indexed on YouTube, Reddit, X

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Appalachian counties and expected locally

• Facebook Groups are the community hub: high engagement with local news, road/weather alerts, church and civic updates, high‑school sports, yard‑sale/marketplace posts
• Short‑form video is the primary discovery format (Reels/TikTok), but YouTube is dominant for how‑to, repairs, outdoors (fishing, hunting), and product research
• Messaging drives conversion: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs commonly used for quotes, appointments, and local sales
• Posting windows with strongest engagement: evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; local event content spikes Thurs–Sun
• Trust is local: posts from known people, local businesses, schools, and governments outperform national sources; “neighbor‑to‑neighbor” recommendations matter
• Practical, time‑sensitive content wins: closings, jobs, giveaways, HS athletics, and utility/outage info see above‑average shares and comments

Source notes

• Population baseline: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Tazewell County, VA)
• Platform adoption and age splits: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use 2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023
• Figures above are modeled local estimates created by applying Pew age/sex adoption rates to Tazewell’s demographic structure; they align with rural U.S. usage patterns in Southwest Virginia.