Wise County

Wise County, Virginia (excludes the independent City of Norton)

Population size

• 36,130 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~19%

Gender

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48% (ACS 2018–2022; elevated male share reflects presence of state correctional facilities)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2018–2022)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~92%
• Black or African American: ~4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%

Household data (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~14,500–15,000
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Housing tenure: ~72% owner-occupied, ~28% renter-occupied
• Median household income: roughly $43,000–$45,000
• Poverty rate (all people): ~22–24%

Insights

• The county has declined in population since 2010 and is older than the U.S. median.
• High owner-occupancy and comparatively low incomes/above-average poverty are characteristic of the region.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

• Population and density: Wise County, VA has roughly 36,000 residents, with about 90 people per square mile (rural, mountainous terrain).
• Estimated email users: ≈26,500 adult users. Method: ~28,800 adults in the county × ~92% adult email adoption.
• Age distribution of email users (approx.): 18–29: 18% (4,800 users); 30–49: 30% (8,000); 50–64: 27% (7,200); 65+: 25% (6,500). Adoption is near-universal among under-50 adults and modestly lower among seniors.
• Gender split: Email users mirror the county’s population, ~50% female and ~50% male.
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 78% of households have a broadband subscription; roughly 17–20% lack a home internet subscription.
  • Smartphone-only internet access is common (≈10–12%), supporting email use despite limited fixed broadband.
  • Broadband adoption trails the Virginia average by roughly 8–12 percentage points, reflecting rural density and challenging topography that increase last‑mile costs.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, UVA‑Wise campus) and growing 4G/5G coverage help fill gaps; fixed fiber and cable are concentrated in towns, with slower DSL/wireless in outlying hollows. Insights: Email is effectively universal among working-age residents; connectivity constraints primarily affect older and remote households, pushing mobile-first email usage.

Wise County, VA mobile phone landscape (2023–2025 best-available picture)

Overall usage and adoption

• Population and households: About 35,500 residents and roughly 14,300 households (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimates).
• Adult smartphone ownership: ~84% of adults use a smartphone (local estimate benchmarked to ACS S2801 and Pew rural adoption trends), vs ~90% statewide in Virginia.
• Active mobile lines: ~118 mobile subscriptions per 100 residents (in line with U.S. and Virginia penetration), indicating multi‑device and multi‑SIM use even in a rural market.
• Smartphone‑only access: ~22% of households rely primarily on a smartphone data plan for home internet (vs ~12% statewide), reflecting higher mobile substitution where fixed broadband is sparse or unaffordable.
• Households with a cellular data plan (any device): ~72–75% (vs ~80%+ statewide).
• Fixed broadband subscription: ~70–73% of households (vs ~84–86% statewide), with mobile filling the access gap.

Demographic patterns (local estimates, ACS/Pew aligned)

• Age:
  • 18–34: ~96% smartphone adoption; high 5G use where available (university and town centers).
  • 35–64: ~88% adoption; frequent hotspotting and bundle plans.
  • 65+: ~70% adoption; higher prevalence of talk/text and basic data plans, increased reliance on Wi‑Fi calling in fringe‑coverage areas.
• Income:
  • < $35k: ~78% smartphone adoption; ~35% smartphone‑only internet reliance due to affordability, prepaid/MVNO plans common.
  • $35k–$75k: ~88% adoption; mixed fixed‑mobile use.

  • $75k: ~94% adoption; fixed broadband + 5G as secondary/backup connection.

• Students and campus effect: UVA Wise (≈1,700–2,000 students) drives dense mobile usage and strong 5G/wireless capacity around Wise/Norton, raising local daytime network loads and speeds relative to outlying areas.
• Race/ethnicity: County is majority White non‑Hispanic; among smaller Black and Hispanic populations, smartphone‑only reliance is higher than the county average, consistent with national affordability patterns.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage:
  • 4G LTE: Near‑universal population coverage outdoors along primary corridors (US‑23; towns of Wise, Norton, Coeburn, Big Stone Gap, Appalachia), with terrain‑limited gaps in hollows and ridge shadowing (e.g., remote pockets near Pound/Keokee).
  • 5G: ~70–80% population coverage concentrated in towns, campuses, and highways; materially lower geographic coverage than the Virginia average (Virginia’s populous regions exceed 90–95% pop coverage).
• Carriers and networks:
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the broadest geographic reach; AT&T’s FirstNet Band 14 improves public‑safety and rural coverage. Verizon mid‑band 5G (C‑band) and AT&T 5G+ appear along the US‑23 corridor and town centers.
  • T‑Mobile’s extended‑range 600 MHz 5G offers wide area reach; faster mid‑band (2.5 GHz) is mostly in/near towns, tapering in mountainous terrain.
• Speeds and latency (typical user experience):
  • In‑town/along US‑23 5G: ~100–250 Mbps down, 10–30 Mbps up, 25–45 ms latency.
  • Outlying LTE/fringe 5G: ~5–25 Mbps down, 2–10 Mbps up, 35–60 ms latency; indoor service often relies on Wi‑Fi calling or signal boosters.
• Resiliency: Macro sites commonly have several hours of backup power; extended outages or ice events can degrade service in the most remote valleys until generators are refueled.
• Middle‑mile and fiber backbones: The LENOWISCO regional fiber network (open‑access middle‑mile across Lee–Wise–Scott/Norton) underpins backhaul for carriers and ISPs; subsequent investments by regional fiber providers (e.g., Point Broadband and cooperatives) improve backhaul capacity near towns and key institutions.
• Public and anchor institutions: UVA Wise, schools, libraries, and health facilities act as anchor bandwidth hubs; E‑911/NG911 migration in Virginia supports IP‑based call routing, benefiting mobile emergency reliability.

How Wise County differs from statewide Virginia

• Higher mobile substitution: Smartphone‑only households are roughly double the statewide share, and cellular data‑plan adoption is higher relative to fixed‑broadband adoption.
• More variable performance: Large town‑to‑hollow delta in speeds and signal quality; Virginia’s urban/suburban areas show far more uniform mid‑band 5G availability and throughput.
• 5G availability gap: Population 5G coverage lags the state by 10–20 percentage points, and geographic 5G availability is markedly lower due to topography and sparser site density.
• Prepaid/MVNO skew: A meaningfully higher share of prepaid and MVNO plans than the Virginia average, tied to income and credit profiles, increases sensitivity to data caps and deprioritization.
• Infrastructure dependence on corridors: Capacity and reliability are concentrated along US‑23 and in towns; off‑corridor communities face persistent coverage shadows not typical in much of Virginia’s Piedmont/Tidewater.
• Affordability pressure: With the wind‑down of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024, mobile plans increasingly serve as the primary or fallback connection for lower‑income households, reinforcing smartphone‑only reliance more than in higher‑income Virginia localities.

Practical implications

• Mobile is the default internet for a sizable minority of households, so plans with higher hotspot/data allowances materially affect digital inclusion.
• Adding or upgrading a small number of macro sites and mid‑band 5G sectors along secondary roads and valley floors would yield outsized gains versus urban‑style densification.
• Signal boosters, Wi‑Fi calling, and community Wi‑Fi remain important mitigations for indoor coverage in ridge‑shadowed areas.

Sources and basis

• U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population/household estimates; ACS 2019–2023 (S2801 Computer and Internet Use) for county/state adoption patterns.
• Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone adoption by rural/age/income.
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (2023–2024) and public carrier disclosures for 4G/5G coverage and FirstNet deployment.
• Regional planning documentation for LENOWISCO middle‑mile and subsequent fiber backhaul upgrades.

Social media usage in Wise County, Virginia (2024 snapshot)

Population baseline

• Total population: ≈36,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate)
• Adults (18+): ≈28,800
• Adults using any social media: ≈24,000 (about 82% of adults, applying current U.S. adoption rates)

Age groups and adoption

• 18–29: ≈95% use social media; heaviest multi‑platform use (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube)
• 30–49: ≈84% use; broad multi‑platform behavior with strong Facebook and YouTube reliance
• 50–64: ≈73% use; Facebook and YouTube dominate, Pinterest usage notable among women
• 65+: ≈45% use; Facebook is primary, YouTube second; lighter use of other platforms

Gender breakdown

• County population: ≈50–51% female, ≈49–50% male (Census)
• Social media user base skews slightly female overall (≈52–54%), consistent with national patterns
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Instagram lean female; Reddit and X (Twitter) lean male; Facebook and YouTube are broadly balanced

Most-used platforms among adults in Wise County (share of adults; mirrors U.S. 2024 adoption)

• YouTube: 83% (~23,900 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~19,600)
• Instagram: 50% (~14,400)
• TikTok: 33% (~9,500)
• Pinterest: 31% (~8,900)
• Snapchat: 30% (~8,600)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~8,600)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~6,300)
• Reddit: 22% (~6,300)
• WhatsApp: 21% (~6,000)
• Nextdoor: 19% (~5,500)

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for local news, school and youth sports, church and civic updates, and county services; Facebook Marketplace is a top channel for buy/sell/trade and seasonal items.
• Short‑form video consumption is rising: Instagram Reels and TikTok drive entertainment and local event discovery among teens/young adults; cross‑posting of local sports highlights and community updates is common.
• Messaging fragmentation: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat dominates teen/college communication; WhatsApp has a smaller footprint used by certain workplaces and family groups.
• YouTube is evergreen utility: high use for music, DIY/home repair, outdoor/recreation content, and education; local businesses increasingly post shorts and how‑to content.
• Timing patterns: peak engagement evenings 7–10 pm; secondary midday bump around lunch breaks; weekend mornings active for Marketplace and events.
• Trust and information sourcing: residents rely on local Facebook Groups/pages for weather, closures, emergencies, and public meetings; repeat sharing from regional TV/radio outlets sustains reach.
• Commerce and hiring: Marketplace and Facebook Groups are primary for local job posts, gig work, and services; Instagram used by boutiques, salons, and food trucks for visual promotion and stories.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Population and sex composition: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 estimates, American Community Survey/QuickFacts).
• Platform adoption percentages: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (applied to the Wise County adult population to derive local counts). Figures reflect share of adults using each platform at least once.
• Insights on behavior reflect rural/Appalachian usage patterns and observed platform roles consistent with Pew and DataReportal U.S. 2024, adjusted to local context (college presence, civic groups, and buy/sell activity).