Waynesboro City County

Waynesboro city, Virginia (independent city; county-equivalent)

Population

• Total: 22,196 (2020 Decennial Census)
• Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census

Age (ACS 2018–2022, 5-year)

• Median age: 40.3 years
• Under 18: 22.7%
• 18 to 64: 58.6%
• 65 and over: 18.7%

Sex (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: 52.1%
• Male: 47.9%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: 74.7%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 8.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 9.2%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 5.0%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 1.2%
• Other (AIAN, NHPI, some other), non-Hispanic: 1.0%

Households and housing (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: 9,566
• Average household size: 2.36
• Family households: 57.4% of households; average family size: 2.95
• Married-couple households: 36.4% of all households
• Households with children under 18: 27.2%
• Nonfamily households: 42.6%; living alone: 35.2%; age 65+ living alone: 13.8%
• Tenure: Owner-occupied 58.6%; renter-occupied 41.4%

Key takeaways

• Small independent city of just over 22k residents with a slightly older median age than the U.S. overall
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with notable Black and growing Hispanic populations
• Majority owner-occupied housing but a substantial renter share and many single-person households

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (table sets covering age/sex, race/ethnicity, and household/tenure)

Waynesboro city, VA (pop. ≈22.5k; density ≈1,450 people/sq. mi.) — Email usage snapshot (2024, modeled from ACS internet/computer access and national email-adoption benchmarks):

• Estimated email users: ≈17,000–18,500 residents (≈75–82% of total; ≈88–92% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (driven by the city’s age mix and typical adoption):
  • 13–24: ≈15–18%
  • 25–44: ≈32–35%
  • 45–64: ≈28–31%
  • 65+: ≈18–22%
• Gender split among email users: roughly balanced, ≈51% female / 49% male, mirroring local demographics.
• Digital access and devices:
  • Households with a computer: ≈91–93%
  • Households with an internet subscription: ≈84–87%
  • Households with fixed broadband (cable/fiber/DSL): ≈80–85%
  • Smartphone-only (no home broadband): ≈10–14% of households
• Connectivity facts and trends:
  • Citywide fixed broadband availability is high; most addresses have 100+ Mbps options via cable/fiber, supporting strong email adoption and reliability.
  • Subscription gaps correlate with lower income and renter households, indicating a persistent but narrowing digital divide.
  • Mobile network quality (4G/5G) reduces access friction for younger users and smartphone-only homes, sustaining high email reach across working-age groups.

Mobile phone usage in Waynesboro City (independent city), Virginia — 2025 snapshot

Quick profile and context

• Population: 22,196 (2020 Census). Adult share is high and the 65+ cohort is larger than the state average.
• Median household income: roughly mid-$50,000s, well below the Virginia median (≈$87,000, ACS 2022).
• Poverty: mid-teens percentage, above the state average (≈10–11%).
• Education: bachelor’s degree or higher among adults is around low-20s percent, notably below Virginia’s ≈41%.
• Takeaway: lower income/education and a larger senior share correlate with heavier reliance on smartphones as a primary internet device and slightly lower at-home broadband adoption.

User estimates and adoption

• Estimated smartphone users: ≈18,000 residents. This reflects applying contemporary adult smartphone adoption rates (≈90%+ among adults; very high among teens) to Waynesboro’s population structure.
• Estimated total mobile users (including basic phone users): ≈19,000 residents.
• Household-level device and subscription profile (ACS 5-year patterns for small Virginia cities of similar size; aligned to Waynesboro’s socioeconomic mix):
  • Households with a smartphone: ≈90–92% (Virginia: ≈92–93%).
  • Households with home broadband: ≈78–80% (Virginia: ≈85–87%).
  • Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband): ≈20–22% (Virginia: ≈13–15%).
• Practical implication: Many Waynesboro homes lean on mobile data plans to meet primary internet needs more than the state overall, with a modestly lower rate of fixed broadband subscriptions.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • Seniors (65+): Larger share than the state average; smartphone ownership is lower than among younger adults but rising steadily. Seniors here are more likely to use voice/SMS and essential apps and less likely to maintain both mobile and fixed broadband, reinforcing smartphone-only reliance for a subset.
  • Youth/young adults: Very high smartphone adoption (near-universal among teens). Higher utilization of unlimited plans and app-centric communications; this group disproportionately drives mobile data usage.
• Income
  • Lower-income households: Elevated dependence on prepaid and value MVNOs, higher incidence of smartphone-only home internet, and greater sensitivity to plan pricing and promotions. The end of ACP subsidies in 2024 likely increased mobile-only reliance and price churn locally more than statewide.
• Race/ethnicity
  • With higher-than-state-average poverty exposure among minority households, smartphone-only connectivity is comparatively common in these groups, aligning with national patterns.
• Education
  • Lower rates of bachelor’s attainment correlate with a smaller share of telework and less need for high-capacity fixed connections; mobile plans carry more of the connectivity burden day-to-day.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile networks
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) operate 4G LTE and 5G in the city. T‑Mobile’s mid‑band 5G typically has the broadest in‑city footprint; Verizon’s C‑Band is strong along I‑64/US‑250 and denser corridors; AT&T 5G is present but more variable at the edges.
  • Coverage is solid across the urban grid; performance tails off toward the Blue Ridge foothills and rural fringes, where bands step down to LTE and capacity drops.
  • Capacity improvements over 2022–2024 included new 5G sectors and backhaul upgrades on macro sites along the I‑64 corridor and commercial arteries.
• Fixed broadband and fiber backhaul
  • Cable broadband is widely available; recent fiber builds (e.g., Lumos/Glo Fiber expansions) have increased address-level fiber availability since 2021. This fiber presence also improves mobile backhaul reliability and peak throughput.
  • Fixed wireless access (FWA) via 5G (Verizon, T‑Mobile) is broadly marketed in the city and is a meaningful alternative where cable/fiber pricing or credit checks are barriers.
• Public/digital access points
  • Library and downtown Wi‑Fi complement personal mobile access; they’re more utilized here than statewide averages due to the higher smartphone-only share.

Trends that differ from Virginia overall

• Higher smartphone-only reliance: Waynesboro’s smartphone-only household rate (≈20–22%) is notably above Virginia’s ≈13–15%, reflecting affordability constraints and a practical preference for mobile-first connectivity.
• Lower fixed broadband subscription: Home broadband take-up sits a few points below the state, despite recent fiber expansions, because mobile plans and 5G FWA are “good enough” for many households given price sensitivity.
• Plan mix skews prepaid/value: A larger share of users on prepaid and MVNO offerings than the state average, with frequent switching in response to promotions.
• Network experience variance: Within-city 5G experience is competitive, but edge-area coverage drops to LTE more often than in Northern Virginia metros; this gap narrows slowly as carriers densify along main corridors.
• Use cases: Less telework and fewer multi-device households than the state average keep per-household fixed bandwidth needs lower; smartphones are the primary device for a larger slice of residents, particularly for entertainment, messaging, and commerce.

Key takeaways for stakeholders

• Mobile is the primary on-ramp to the internet for a sizable minority of Waynesboro households; pricing, prepaid availability, and reliable mid-band 5G capacity matter more here than in higher-income Virginia metros.
• Continued fiber buildouts plus competitive 5G FWA offer a path to reduce the smartphone-only share, but adoption will hinge on total cost of ownership and simple onboarding.
• Addressing edge-area coverage and ensuring resilient backhaul on peak corridors (I‑64/US‑250) will yield outsized quality-of-experience gains compared with statewide priorities that emphasize dense urban infill.

Waynesboro City (independent city, county‑equivalent), Virginia — social media snapshot

User base

• Population: ≈23,000 residents (2023 estimate).
• Estimated social media users: 16,000–18,500 residents (roughly 70–80% of the total population), based on U.S. social media penetration applied to the local age mix (DataReportal 2024; Pew Research Center 2023).

Age profile (share of people in each age band using at least one social platform; U.S. benchmarks applied locally)

• Teens (13–17): ≈95% use social media (Pew 2022 Teens & Tech).
• 18–29: ≈84–95%.
• 30–49: ≈80–85%.
• 50–64: ≈70–75%.
• 65+: ≈45–55%. Implication for Waynesboro: Older-skewing households mean strong Facebook and YouTube adoption among 45+, with fast-growing TikTok/Instagram use in 18–34.

Gender

• City population skews slightly female (~52–53%); the active social audience locally is likely ≈53% female, 47% male, reflecting U.S. usage patterns where women over‑index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and men on LinkedIn, Reddit, X (Pew 2023).

Most‑used platforms among adults (expected local reach using U.S. adoption rates as proxies)

• YouTube: ~83% of adults
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35% (female‑heavy)
• LinkedIn: ~30% (concentrated among college‑educated/white‑collar workers; commuters to Staunton/Charlottesville)
• TikTok: ~33% (majority of 18–34; growing 35–44)
• Snapchat: ~27% (teens/young adults)
• X (Twitter): ~22% (news/politics/sports niche) Community platforms
• Facebook Groups are the dominant local forum (neighborhoods, buy/sell/trade, schools, youth sports, events). Nextdoor usage exists but remains secondary in small metros; most “neighborhood chatter” happens in Facebook Groups.

Behavioral trends

• Content that drives engagement: local news (schools, roadwork, weather), youth/high‑school sports highlights, local festivals and parks & rec updates, small‑business promos, lost/found pets, and storm/emergency notices. Photos and short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) outperform text.
• When people engage: morning (7–9 a.m. commute/school drop‑off), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evening prime time (7–10 p.m.). Weekends lift event and family content; weekdays lift civic updates and school notices.
• Messaging and sharing: private sharing is heavy via Facebook Messenger (all ages) and Snapchat (teens/20s). Many residents learn about events in private group chats even when discovery starts in public posts.
• Device usage: overwhelmingly mobile‑first for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube splits mobile/CTV, with CTV strongest for households 35+.
• Ads/organic dynamics: Facebook remains the most efficient paid reach tool for local businesses (radius/ZIP 22980 targeting, lookalikes from page engagers). TikTok/Instagram Reels excel for awareness among 18–34; YouTube pre‑roll effective for broad reach and CTV households.
• Community responsiveness: spikes in engagement during weather events, school closures, public safety notices, municipal hearings, and new restaurant/store openings. Local influencers are often niche (youth sports parents, outdoor/Blue Ridge content, food pages).

Notes on sources

• Platform adoption percentages: Pew Research Center Social Media Use (2023) and Pew Teens (2022); U.S. social penetration: DataReportal (2024). Figures are applied as locality proxies and align with observed patterns in small Virginia cities of similar size and age mix.