Lewis County

Key demographics for Lewis County, West Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; tables DP05, S1101, DP04)

Population

• Total population: ~17,100

Age

• Median age: ~44–45 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18 to 64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Sex

• Male: ~49%
• Female: ~51%

Race and ethnicity

• White (alone): ~95–96%
• Black or African American (alone): ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native (alone): ~0.2–0.3%
• Asian (alone): ~0.3–0.4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2%

Households

• Total households: ~7,000
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~65–67% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–28%
• Nonfamily households: ~33–35%; living alone ~28–31%; age 65+ living alone ~12–14%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~77–80% of occupied units

Insights

• Older age profile relative to the U.S. overall, with about one in five residents age 65+
• Predominantly White, with small but present multiracial and Hispanic populations
• Household structure skews toward small, owner-occupied households, with about one-third living alone

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates (DP05: Demographic and Housing Estimates; S1101: Households and Families; DP04: Housing Characteristics)

• Scope: Lewis County, West Virginia (≈16.5k residents; ≈390 sq mi; ≈42 people/sq mi)
• Estimated email users: ≈10,100 residents use email regularly.
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female (≈5,150), ≈49% male (≈4,950).

Age distribution of email users (share of users; counts rounded):

• 13–17: 7% (≈710)
• 18–34: 23% (≈2,320)
• 35–49: 26% (≈2,630)
• 50–64: 24% (≈2,420)
• 65+: 20% (≈2,020)

Digital access and usage trends:

• Household broadband subscription: ≈74%, up ~6 percentage points since 2019.
• Smartphone ownership: ≈83% of adults; smartphone‑only internet users ≈17% (email primarily via mobile).
• Fixed broadband availability: roughly two‑thirds of households can get ≥100 Mbps service, with the most robust options in and around Weston; outlying areas rely more on DSL or fixed wireless.
• Fiber footprint is expanding, but affordability pressures increased after the 2024 lapse of the federal ACP subsidy, likely slowing new subscriptions among low‑income households.
• Mobile coverage is strong along major corridors; terrain causes patchier service in hollows, contributing to mobile‑first email usage patterns.

Takeaway: Email reach is broad (≈10k users) but shaped by rural density and uneven last‑mile infrastructure, with heavier mobile reliance outside Weston.

Mobile phone usage in Lewis County, West Virginia (2025 snapshot)

User base and adoption (modeled from latest Census, Pew, and FCC datasets)

• Population: ≈16.3k residents (2023 Census estimate); adults (18+): ≈12.9k.
• Mobile phone ownership (any cellphone): ≈92% of adults → ≈11.9k adult users.
• Smartphone ownership: 82–85% of adults typical for rural areas → ≈10.6k–11.0k adult smartphone users (midpoint ≈10.8k).
• Smartphone-only internet reliance: 22–25% of adults in rural/low-income areas → ≈2.8k–3.2k adults primarily using smartphones for internet access.

Demographic breakdown and how it shapes usage

• Age structure: Lewis County skews older than the state average, with roughly 21–22% aged 65+ (WV ≈20%). Among seniors, smartphone ownership is near 60–65%, pulling countywide adoption a few points below WV’s overall rate even though 18–49 is near saturation (≈95%).
• Income: Median household income is several thousand dollars below the WV average (ACS 5-year), increasing price sensitivity. That drives:
  • Higher prepaid and discount-plan uptake.
  • Longer device replacement cycles (≈3–4 years vs. ≈2–3 in more urban WV areas).
  • Above-average smartphone-only internet reliance where fixed broadband is limited.
• Geography and work patterns: A sizable share of outdoor, transportation, and field-based jobs increases demand for reliable voice/text coverage on secondary roads and in remote worksites, as well as for rugged devices and offline-capable apps.

Digital infrastructure and network experience

• Coverage pattern: Macro coverage and capacity concentrate along the I‑79 corridor (Weston, Jane Lew). 5G is broadly available along the corridor; LTE blankets most populated areas. Dead zones persist in valleys and low-density eastern and southern parts of the county.
• 5G availability:
  • Low-band 5G (e.g., 600/700 MHz) covers the I‑79 corridor and most primary roads; mid-band 5G capacity (n41/n77) is mainly in and around Weston/Jane Lew.
  • Population coverage for 5G is roughly 70–80% owing to the corridor effect; geographic coverage remains much lower off-corridor.
• Performance:
  • Corridor 5G: roughly 150–400 Mbps down, sub‑50 ms latency under light load.
  • Off-corridor LTE: often 5–25 Mbps with higher variability and occasional congestion in the evening or during events.
• Backhaul and fiber: Long‑haul fiber follows I‑79 (e.g., regional carriers and national fiber backbones), enabling higher-capacity 5G in town centers. Outside the corridor, more cellular sites rely on microwave backhaul, constraining peak throughput.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable and expanding fiber in Weston/Jane Lew contrast with DSL/satellite dependence in outlying areas. Limited fixed options in rural tracts directly lift smartphone-only internet use and mobile data consumption.

How Lewis County differs from statewide patterns

• Corridor advantage and off‑corridor gaps: Along I‑79, 5G availability and speeds exceed the WV rural average; away from the corridor, coverage gaps and lower capacity are more pronounced than the state pattern, due to rugged terrain and sparse infrastructure.
• Higher smartphone-only reliance: Because fixed broadband is patchier in outlying tracts than the WV average, the county’s share of smartphone‑only users sits at the high end of the state range (≈22–25% vs. ≈20–22% statewide).
• Older population drag on adoption: A larger 65+ share reduces overall smartphone penetration by a few points versus WV, despite similar adoption among younger cohorts.
• Carrier experience skew: Low‑band 5G provides broad highway coverage; Verizon and AT&T typically hold the most consistent back‑road voice/LTE reach, while T‑Mobile often leads in mid‑band 5G capacity along the corridor—differences that are sharper locally than in aggregate WV statistics.
• Seasonal load spikes: Stonewall Jackson Lake and corridor events create concentrated, time‑bound capacity strain that is more extreme than in many similarly sized WV counties.

Actionable implications

• Infrastructure planning: Additional macro or fiber‑fed small cells are most impactful just off the I‑79 corridor and in valley communities where coverage dips; microwave‑to‑fiber backhaul upgrades will materially improve off‑peak consistency.
• Service strategy: Emphasize affordable plans, ACP replacements/low‑income options, and durable devices. Promote Wi‑Fi offload in town centers and public venues; design apps with offline modes for dead zones.
• Operations and safety: For field teams and public safety in remote tracts, multi‑carrier device pools or cellular‑satellite hybrids reduce outage risk.

Sources and method notes

• Population and age structure: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 county estimates; ACS 5‑year for age mix).
• Adoption baselines: Pew Research Center (2023 smartphone and cellphone ownership by rural/age cohorts); NTIA Internet Use Survey patterns for smartphone‑only reliance.
• Coverage/infrastructure: FCC coverage datasets and carrier 5G maps synthesized with known I‑79 fiber backbones and North‑Central WV deployment patterns.
• Estimates combine county population/age with national/rural adoption rates to produce the user counts shown above.

Social media usage in Lewis County, West Virginia (2025 snapshot)

Overall penetration (modeled)

• Adults using at least one social platform: 80%
• Teens (13–17) using at least one social platform: 97%

Most-used platforms among adults (share who use each at least occasionally)

• YouTube: 81%
• Facebook: 71%
• Instagram: 44%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 30%
• Snapchat: 29%
• LinkedIn: 21%
• X (Twitter): 21%
• WhatsApp: 21%
• Reddit: 17%
• Nextdoor: 11%

Age-group usage patterns

• Ages 13–17: Any social 97%; YouTube 95%, Snapchat 78%, TikTok 74%, Instagram 70%, Facebook 30%
• Ages 18–29: Any social 96%; YouTube 95%, Instagram 78%, Snapchat 70%, TikTok 63%, Facebook 55%, X 35%, Reddit 32%
• Ages 30–49: Any social 88%; YouTube 88%, Facebook 76%, Instagram 52%, Pinterest 42%, TikTok 34%, Snapchat 32%, LinkedIn 33%
• Ages 50–64: Any social 74%; YouTube 75%, Facebook 72%, Pinterest 31%, Instagram 28%, TikTok 20%, X 18%, WhatsApp 20%
• Ages 65+: Any social 57%; Facebook 63%, YouTube 60%, Pinterest 20%, Instagram 15%, TikTok 10%

Gender breakdown (adults)

• Women: Facebook 76%, Instagram 50%, Pinterest 49%, TikTok 33%, Snapchat 31%, YouTube 78%, LinkedIn 18%, X 18%, Reddit 10%, WhatsApp 20%
• Men: YouTube 85%, Facebook 66%, Instagram 38%, Reddit 24%, X 24%, TikTok 27%, Snapchat 26%, LinkedIn 24%, WhatsApp 22%, Pinterest 22%

Behavioral trends and local usage patterns

• Community-first: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, county services, and weather/emergency updates; local news largely encountered via Facebook shares and YouTube clips from regional outlets.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the default for buy/sell/trade (vehicles, tools, farm equipment, rentals); Instagram Shops and TikTok storefronts are secondary.
• Messaging hub: Facebook Messenger dominates family/community comms; teens/young adults favor Snapchat DMs; Instagram DMs common for local businesses and creators.
• Content formats: Short-form vertical video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) sees strong engagement for events, high school sports highlights, hunting/fishing/outdoor content, and small-business promos.
• Timing: Engagement peaks early morning (6–8 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with strong weekend spikes around local events and sports.
• Professional networking: LinkedIn usage is modest; best results come from Facebook community pages and YouTube for vocational/how-to content.
• Trust cues: Users respond to locally run pages, recognizable admins, and community endorsements; skepticism toward out-of-area pages without local ties.

Methodology note

• Figures are county-level modeled estimates derived from Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. platform adoption by age/gender, applied to Lewis County’s ACS age/gender mix and adjusted for rural usage patterns; platform ranks and percentages reflect adult “uses platform at least sometimes.”