Boone County

Boone County, West Virginia – key demographics (most recent Census/ACS)

Population

• Total population: 21,809 (2020 Census)
• Latest estimate: ~21,100 (2019–2023 ACS 5-year)

Age

• Median age: ~43.7 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Race/ethnicity

• White, non-Hispanic: ~93–94%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–2%

Households

• Number of households: ~8,500
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~64%
• Married-couple households: ~47%
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Nonfamily households: ~36%
• Householder living alone age 65+: ~12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (QuickFacts/ACS). Figures rounded; margins of error apply.

Boone County, WV snapshot (estimates)

• Estimated email users: 14,000–16,000 residents. Basis: county population ~20–21k and high email use among internet users, adjusted for WV’s lower broadband adoption.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ~17–19%
  • 30–49: ~32–35%
  • 50–64: ~24–27%
  • 65+: ~18–22% (lower adoption than younger groups but still substantial)
• Gender split: Roughly even (about 49% male, 51% female among users), mirroring the population.
• Digital access trends:
  • About 75–80% of households have a broadband subscription; 10–15% are likely smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • Email use skews slightly lower among the oldest adults and in households without fixed broadband; mobile data fills some gaps.
  • Access is strongest around Madison and the US‑119 corridor; coverage is spottier in hollows and more remote areas.
• Local density/connectivity context: Population density is roughly 40–45 people per square mile, and rugged terrain raises last‑mile costs, contributing to pockets of unserved/underserved locations. Public libraries, schools, and community hotspots help bridge access.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Boone County, West Virginia (with county-level estimates and how it differs from the state)

Quick profile and user estimates

• Population baseline: about 21–22 thousand residents; roughly 16–17 thousand adults (18+).
• Any mobile phone (of any type): 90–93% of adults → approximately 14.5–15.5 thousand users.
• Smartphone users: 75–82% of adults (lower than statewide) → roughly 12–14 thousand users.
• Mobile-only internet households (no wired home broadband, rely on cellular): estimated 22–28% of households (meaning roughly 1.8–2.4 thousand households), higher than the West Virginia average.
• Plan mix: noticeably higher share of prepaid/MVNO lines than statewide; longer device replacement cycles (often 3–4 years).

How Boone differs from the West Virginia average

• Adoption level: Overall cell-phone ownership is similar, but smartphone adoption is a few points lower, driven by an older age profile and income constraints.
• Reliance on mobile for home internet: Meaningfully higher than the state average because wired options outside of towns are limited; more hotspotting and data-cap management.
• 5G availability and speeds: Patchier than the statewide picture; performance outside town centers is more often LTE-only and more variable.
• Cost sensitivity: Greater use of prepaid plans, ACP/Lifeline when available, and smaller data buckets; more account churn when subsidies lapse.
• Coverage experience: More dead zones and call quality variability due to mountainous terrain and distance from interstate corridors.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone ownership (>90%); heavy social/video use; mobile banking common.
  • 35–64: High smartphone ownership (mid-to-high 80s%); frequent hotspot use for kids’ homework and remote work where home broadband is weak.
  • 65+: Lower smartphone adoption (roughly 55–65%); more basic/feature phones and shared family plans; telehealth use rising but constrained by connectivity.
• Income and affordability
  • Lower incomes push users toward prepaid/MVNO providers, limited data plans, and keeping handsets longer; users are more likely to downgrade plans when subsidies expire.
• Education and digital skills
  • Lower college-attainment rates contribute to gaps in advanced app use; demand for hands-on digital skills support is higher. Communication channels skew toward SMS, Facebook, and Messenger over email.
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is predominantly White; racial/ethnic differences are not the primary driver of adoption gaps compared with age, income, and geography.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes

• Terrain and pattern of service
  • Stronger LTE along main corridors and towns (Madison, Danville; along US‑119/Corridor G vicinity, WV‑3, WV‑85) with noticeable dead zones in hollows and ridge-shadowed areas.
  • Indoor coverage can be inconsistent in valleys; Wi‑Fi calling is an important workaround.
• 5G footprint
  • Low-band 5G from national carriers is present near population centers, but mid-band 5G is limited; mmWave is not a factor. This lags the state’s best-served metro corridors (I‑64/I‑79).
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Fiber backhaul outside town centers is sparse; more microwave-fed sites lead to evening congestion. Where new fiber reaches towers, speeds and reliability improve markedly.
• Tower density and siting
  • Fewer sites per square mile than state averages; co-location on ridgelines is common but leaves valleys shadowed. Small-cell deployments are rare.
• Public safety and reliability
  • FirstNet/public-safety coverage generally follows main roads; off-road and indoor reliability varies. Power resiliency and backhaul redundancy are ongoing concerns in storms.
• Fixed alternatives and spillover effects
  • Cable is largely town-limited; DSL and older fixed wireless are common elsewhere. 5G home internet options exist where mid-band reaches, but coverage is spotty; in most rural areas, mobile phones still backstop home connectivity.

Recent trends and near-term outlook

• Post-subsidy shift: The lapse/uncertainty around ACP increased plan downgrades, prepaid migration, and mobile-only reliance, more so than statewide averages.
• Gradual 5G expansion: Expect incremental improvements along US‑119 and town centers first; true coverage in hollows requires additional macro sites or repeaters.
• Fiber buildouts: State and federal funding targeted to southern WV should add middle-mile and last-mile fiber through 2026–2028; that enables carriers to upgrade tower backhaul and densify, which would narrow Boone’s gap with state averages.
• Device and app use: Continued growth in telehealth, school apps, and government services via mobile; design for low bandwidth and offline-capable workflows remains important.

Implications for programs and providers

• Outreach: SMS-first, low-data experiences, offline/async options; schedule in-town events where coverage is strongest.
• Infrastructure targeting: Fill-in macro sites to cover hollows, fiber backhaul to existing towers, and public indoor coverage (libraries, clinics) to mitigate indoor gaps.
• Digital equity: Prioritize seniors and low-income households for device training, hotspot lending, and plan affordability support; these have outsized impact in Boone compared with statewide averages.

Note on estimates and method

• County figures are derived by applying rural-Appalachia and West Virginia adoption benchmarks to Boone’s size, age structure, income profile, and infrastructure constraints. Ranges are provided to reflect uncertainty and localized variability within the county.

Below is a compact, best-available estimate for Boone County, WV. Precise county-level platform stats aren’t published; figures are modeled from WV/rural-Appalachia patterns and recent Pew Research findings, adjusted for Boone’s older age profile and connectivity.

Population context

• Pop: ~21K; adults ~16–17K; median age low–mid 40s; ~51% female.
• Internet access: lower fixed-broadband than U.S. average; heavy smartphone reliance.

Overall social media use

• Adults using any social platform: ~70–75% (≈11–13K adults).

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• YouTube: ~70–75%
• Facebook (incl. Groups/Pages): ~60–65%
• Facebook Messenger: ~55–60%
• Instagram: ~25–30%
• TikTok: ~24–30%
• Snapchat: ~20–25%
• Pinterest: ~18–22% (female-skewed)
• Reddit: ~10–12% (male-skewed)
• X (Twitter): ~7–10%
• LinkedIn: ~6–8%

Age patterns (directional)

• 13–17: YouTube 90%+, TikTok/Snapchat very high, Instagram moderate; Facebook low except for school/teams.
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+, TikTok ~65–75%, Instagram ~55–65%, Snapchat ~50–60%, Facebook ~50–60%.
• 30–49: Facebook ~65–75%, YouTube ~80–85%, Instagram ~30–40%, TikTok ~25–35%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~65–70%, YouTube ~60–70%; Instagram/TikTok ~15–20%.
• 65+: Facebook ~55–65%, YouTube ~40–50%; others <15%.

Gender tendencies

• Women: Higher Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; more Marketplace use; more local-group engagement.
• Men: Higher YouTube, Reddit, X; more sports/outdoors, tech, and auto content.

Behavioral trends

• Local-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups/Pages for school sports, obituaries, church/community events, weather/road closures, emergency “scanner” pages.
• Marketplace and buy/sell/trade are major engagement drivers; strong response to deals and yard-sale posts.
• Short-form video growth: Local businesses (food, salons, contractors) increasingly use TikTok and IG Reels; many cross-post to Facebook.
• Messaging over posting: Messenger and Snapchat are key for coordination and invitations.
• Peak times: Early morning (6–8 a.m., shift workers) and evening (7–10 p.m.).
• Information trust: Preference for known local admins/pages; some susceptibility to rumor-sharing among older users; private groups used for moderation/trust.
• Connectivity shapes content: Shorter, mobile-friendly video; live streams for games, auctions, church services when bandwidth allows.

Notes on certainty

• Numbers are ±5–10 percentage points and reflect modeled estimates for Boone County using WV/rural benchmarks rather than direct county surveys.