Washington County

Washington County, Virginia — Key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 53,935 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~46.5 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~19%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~51.4%
• Male: ~48.6% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023; race alone unless noted; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~91.6%
• Black or African American: ~3.4%
• Two or more races: ~3.1%
• Asian: ~0.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~1.8%

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~22,900
• Average household size: ~2.33
• Family households: ~64% (married-couple families ~49%)
• Nonfamily households: ~36%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76%
• Households with children under 18: ~25%

Insights

• Older-than-national age profile with roughly one in five residents 65+
• Small, predominantly owner-occupied households
• Racially homogeneous county with a very small Hispanic/Latino share

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, households).

Washington County, VA has about 54,000 residents (≈95 people per square mile). Estimated adult email users: ~35,000 (≈80% of all residents), derived from local internet adoption and U.S. email-usage norms.

Age distribution of adult email users reflects the county’s older profile: 18–29: 16%; 30–49: 28%; 50–64: 31%; 65+: 25%. Usage rates by age are high—roughly 95% (18–29), 96% (30–49), 93% (50–64), and 85% (65+). Gender split among users tracks population: ~51% female, 49% male.

Digital access: about 81% of households subscribe to home broadband and ~89% have a computer or smartphone; roughly 16% are smartphone‑only. Home broadband take‑up has risen ~4–5 percentage points since 2018 as new fiber builds came online.

Connectivity facts: denser coverage and faster service cluster along the I‑81/US‑11 corridor and in Abingdon (cable/fiber commonly 100–300 Mbps). Outlying rural areas rely more on DSL or fixed wireless, with lower speeds and spottier mobile reception; public libraries and schools offer free Wi‑Fi to bridge gaps. Estimates informed by ACS and Pew.

Washington County, Virginia — Mobile Phone Usage Summary (latest available public data, primarily ACS 2018–2022 5‑year and FCC coverage filings)

Overall scale and user estimates

• Population: ~54,000; households: ~23,000.
• Smartphone presence at the household level: ~90% of households have at least one smartphone (≈20,700 households).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈38,000–39,000 residents (roughly 86–88% of adults), lower than the Virginia statewide benchmark (≈90–92%).
• Households with a cellular data plan (for smartphones or other mobile devices): ~80–82% locally vs ~86–88% statewide.
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan with no fixed home internet): ~12–14% locally vs ~6–8% statewide.
• Households with no home internet of any kind: ~13–15% locally vs ~7–9% statewide.

Demographic patterns driving usage (county vs Virginia)

• Age: Washington County’s older age profile depresses smartphone adoption among seniors. Estimated smartphone adoption among 65+ households sits around the low 70s percent locally, versus the mid‑80s percent statewide. Younger adults (18–34) are near parity with the state (mid‑90s percent).
• Income: Lower‑income households rely more on mobile‑only access. In Washington County, mobile‑only internet is roughly twice as common among households under ~$35k as among higher‑income households, a wider gap than the statewide pattern.
• Geography: Residents outside the I‑81 corridor (ridgetop/valley terrain) show higher rates of mobile‑only connectivity and non‑subscription (no internet) than those in and around Abingdon and the Bristol border, diverging more sharply from state averages that are anchored by metro areas.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available across the I‑81 corridor; 5G service from Verizon, AT&T, and T‑Mobile is established in and around Abingdon and major travel corridors, with patchier 5G depth in outlying hollows and ridge‑shadowed areas. Coverage reliability drops on secondary roads and in valleys, which correlates with higher mobile‑only reliance but inconsistent speeds.
• Capacity and speeds: Mid‑band 5G capacity is concentrated along I‑81 and town centers. Outside those zones, many users fall back to LTE with variable performance, which affects the viability of using cellular as a full fixed‑internet substitute.
• Fixed broadband context (drives mobile dependence): Cable and fiber are available in town centers and selected subdivisions; DSL and fixed‑wireless/satellite fill rural gaps. Countywide fixed broadband availability is materially below the Virginia average, and adoption lags accordingly—key reasons for higher mobile‑only and no‑internet rates.
• Emergency and redundancy behavior: Reported power and backhaul disruptions during storms push a subset of rural households to maintain multiple SIM options or rely on vehicle‑based hotspots, a pattern less common in Virginia’s metro regions.

How Washington County differs from Virginia overall

• Higher reliance on cellular as the primary connection: Mobile‑only internet households are roughly double the statewide share.
• Larger no‑internet segment: The county’s non‑subscription share is about 1.5–2x the state average, concentrated among older and rural households.
• Slightly lower smartphone penetration: Household smartphone presence and adult ownership trail the state by a few percentage points, largely explained by the older age structure.
• Greater urban‑rural split: Performance and 5G depth are strong along I‑81/Abingdon but drop more sharply with distance than typical in Virginia’s suburban/metro counties.
• More price‑sensitive plans: A higher share of cost‑conscious plans and hotspot usage accompanies lower fixed‑broadband availability, a pattern less pronounced statewide.

Key takeaways

• Around 9 in 10 Washington County households have smartphones, but more residents depend on cellular as their only home internet than is typical in Virginia.
• Gaps in fixed broadband availability and the county’s older age profile jointly explain lower overall adoption and higher mobile‑only usage.
• 5G has arrived along primary corridors, but geographic and topographic constraints keep rural coverage and capacity below statewide norms, reinforcing the county’s distinct mobile usage pattern.

Social media usage in Washington County, Virginia (2025)

How this was built: County demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023) combined with Pew Research Center 2024 platform adoption by age and rurality to produce county-level estimates. County agencies do not publish platform counts, so platform percentages below are modeled estimates, not platform-reported totals.

At-a-glance user base

• Population: ~54,000 residents; adults 18+: ~81% of population
• Households with broadband internet subscription: ~84–87%
• Adult smartphone ownership: ~86–90%
• Share using social media
  • Adults (18+): ~65–70%
  • Teens (13–17): ~92–97%

Age groups (share who use any social media, by age)

• 13–17: 92–97% (heavy daily use; video- and chat-first)
• 18–29: 84–90% (multi-platform; video and messaging dominant)
• 30–49: 78–83% (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; marketplace and groups)
• 50–64: 66–72% (Facebook and YouTube core)
• 65+: 48–56% (Facebook primary; YouTube for how-to/news)

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: roughly mirrors population (about 51–52% women, 48–49% men)
• Platform skew among adult users
  • More women: Pinterest (strong female majority), Facebook (slight), Instagram (slight), TikTok (moderate), Snapchat (slight)
  • More men: YouTube (slight), Reddit (clear), X/Twitter (moderate), LinkedIn (slight)

Most-used platforms (adults 18+, estimated share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: ~78–80%
• Facebook: ~63–66%
• Instagram: ~40–44%
• Pinterest: ~30–34%
• TikTok: ~27–30%
• Snapchat: ~22–25%
• X (Twitter): ~17–20%
• Reddit: ~16–19%
• LinkedIn: ~20–24%
• Messaging layer: Facebook Messenger is widespread; WhatsApp is niche; Snapchat messaging is heavy among teens/20s

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural/suburban Virginia counties and consistent with local patterns

• Facebook is the default community hub: high engagement in local groups (schools, churches, youth sports, civic alerts) and heavy use of Marketplace for person-to-person sales.
• YouTube is the go-to for practical content: how-to, auto repair, home improvement, small farm/outdoor, and local music/culture; high watch time on connected TVs.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels drive discovery; TikTok trends that perform locally include outdoors/Appalachian culture, local food, DIY, and events in Abingdon/Barter Theatre area and along the I‑81 corridor.
• Younger cohorts split attention: 13–24 rely on Snapchat for daily messaging and TikTok for entertainment; Instagram is the public-facing profile.
• Posting windows: engagement tends to peak before work (6:30–8:00 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.), and evenings (7:00–9:30 p.m.); weekends favor events and marketplace listings.
• Trust and tone: word-of-mouth and local admins (group moderators, school pages, church leaders) strongly shape reach; overtly political content triggers faster moderation and fragmentation across groups.
• Commerce: local businesses lean on Facebook/Instagram for promotions and events; YouTube and Reels for product demos; geofenced ads around Abingdon retail nodes and I‑81 exits perform efficiently.
• Customer service shifts into DMs: Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are common service channels; prompt responses materially improve local reputation.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates (population, age structure, broadband subscription)
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (adult platform adoption, daily use, rural/urban differences)
• Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (teen platform adoption)