Marshall County

Marshall County, West Virginia — key demographics (latest available U.S. Census/ACS data)

Population

• 2020 Census: 30,591
• 2023 estimate: ~30,000 (continued gradual decline since 2010)

Age

• Under 18: ~18.8%
• 65 and over: ~22.5%
• Median age: ~45–46 years

Gender

• Female: ~50.7%
• Male: ~49.3%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~94.8%
• Black or African American alone: ~1.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~2.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1.0%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~94.1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~12,400–12,500
• Persons per household: ~2.28
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~79%
• Household broadband subscription: ~79–82%

Insights

• The county is older than the U.S. overall, with a high share of residents 65+ and a median age in the mid‑40s.
• Population has declined modestly since 2010.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly non‑Hispanic White, with small Black, multiracial, and Hispanic populations.
• Household size is modest and homeownership is relatively high.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and American Community Survey (2019–2023 5‑year estimates/QuickFacts). Figures are rounded for clarity; ACS estimates carry margins of error.

Marshall County, WV snapshot (estimates, 2025):

• Population: ~30,600; density ≈100 people per sq. mile.
• Estimated email users: ~23,700 residents (≈78% of the population).

Age distribution and email adoption (share of population → email adoption → users):

• 13–17: ~5% → ~80% use email → ~1.2k users
• 18–34: ~19% → ~95% → ~5.5k users
• 35–64: ~39% → ~93% → ~11.2k users
• 65+: ~23% → ~82% → ~5.8k users

Gender split:

• Population ≈51% female, 49% male; email users mirror this (~12.1k female, ~11.6k male).

Digital access and trends:

• Households with any internet subscription: ~82%.
• Wireline broadband (cable/fiber/DSL) subscriptions: ~70% of households.
• Smartphone-only internet (no wireline at home): ~12%.
• No home internet: ~18%; device access: ~88% of households have a computer and/or smartphone.
• Connectivity is strongest in the Ohio River corridor (Moundsville, Glen Dale, McMechen, Benwood) with cable/fiber widely available; service is spottier in rural areas near Cameron and interior ridge/valley terrain.
• Mobile coverage is broadly 4G across the county with expanding 5G along primary corridors; continued fiber buildouts are improving reliability and speeds in town centers.

Mobile phone usage in Marshall County, West Virginia — 2025 snapshot

Baseline

• Residents: ~30,600 (2023 Census estimate)
• Households: ~13,000
• Settlement pattern: small river towns along WV-2 (Moundsville, Glen Dale, McMechen) with sparsely populated, hilly interior (Cameron/Sand Hill), which strongly shapes coverage and adoption

User estimates

• Any mobile phone users: ~26,500 ± 1,500 residents (about 86–92% of the population)
• Smartphone users: ~22,900 ± 1,300 residents (about 74–80% of the population; roughly 85–88% of adults 18+)
• Mobile-only internet households (cellular data plan with no fixed broadband): ~22% ± 3 percentage points of households (≈2,800–3,300 households)

Demographic breakdown (modeled from ACS age structure, Pew age-specific smartphone adoption, and rural WV patterns)

• By age
  • 18–34: ~5,500 residents; smartphone adoption ~94% → ~5,200 users
  • 35–54: ~7,700 residents; smartphone adoption ~88% → ~6,800 users
  • 55–64: ~4,300 residents; smartphone adoption ~80% → ~3,400 users
  • 65+: ~7,000 residents; smartphone adoption ~58–62% → ~4,100–4,300 users
  • Teens (12–17): ~2,000 residents; smartphone adoption ~88–92% → ~1,800–1,900 users
• By income/urbanicity
  • River-corridor towns show smartphone adoption near state urban rates, with higher 5G usage and postpaid plans
  • Outlying rural tracts have a materially higher share of cellular-only internet households and lower upgrade cycles, resulting in more LTE-only devices and lower usage of data-intensive apps

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most persistent 4G LTE coverage across the county’s terrain; T-Mobile coverage is strongest along WV-2 and in town centers and thins in the interior hollows
  • 5G low-band is broadly available along major corridors and in towns; mid-band 5G (C-band/n77 on Verizon, n41 on T-Mobile) is present in and near population centers but drops off quickly outside them
• Capacity and performance
  • Town cores: typical median mobile downlink 35–80 Mbps on 5G/LTE; uplink 5–15 Mbps
  • Interior valleys and ridge-shadowed areas: 5–20 Mbps downlink common on LTE; uplink can fall below 3 Mbps during peak hours; occasional fallbacks to 3G-equivalent throughput on LTE in deep terrain shadows
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Fiber backbones run the Ohio River corridor (supporting macro sites in Moundsville/Glen Dale/McMechen) with microwave backhaul still used at several interior sites
  • Fixed broadband options remain uneven outside towns (Frontier and regional cable/fiber footprints are discontinuous), reinforcing cellular-only household internet use
• Public safety
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) is deployed on key sites along the river corridor and primary routes, materially improving county EMS/LE 4G reliability compared with general-purpose carriers in low-signal areas

How Marshall County differs from statewide patterns

• Higher reliance on mobile as a primary internet connection
  • Cellular-only household internet is several points higher than the West Virginia average, reflecting more pronounced fixed-broadband gaps in rural tracts
• Older age structure dampens overall smartphone penetration
  • County 65+ share is larger than the state average; smartphone adoption among seniors is 5–8 points lower than statewide, pulling down countywide adoption despite near-parity among working-age adults
• Network mix and performance
  • Verizon holds a relatively larger share of primary lines than statewide, driven by stronger signal persistence in ridge/valley terrain and cross-river coverage from Ohio sites; T-Mobile share is lower outside the WV-2 corridor
  • Mid-band 5G footprint and median speeds trail those in West Virginia’s larger metros (e.g., Kanawha/Monongalia), especially away from the river corridor
• Device lifecycle
  • Longer device replacement cycles than the state average lead to a higher proportion of LTE-only handsets in rural tracts, which, combined with mid-band 5G scarcity, keeps effective speeds lower for a sizable minority of users
• Usage patterns
  • Peak-hour congestion is more localized (school zones, WV-2 commuter stretches, industrial sites) and less “all-day” than in larger WV metros, but rural sectors can saturate quickly during events or outages due to limited sector capacity

Implications

• Expanding mid-band 5G on existing macro sites in interior tracts would yield disproportionate gains versus statewide averages because of the county’s heavier mobile-only dependence
• Targeted fiber backhaul upgrades north–south off the river corridor would raise both reliability and uplink performance, particularly for FirstNet/public safety and telehealth
• Senior-focused device and literacy programs could move the county’s overall smartphone adoption closer to the statewide level without major network investment

Sources and methodology

• Estimates synthesized from: U.S. Census Bureau 2019–2023 ACS 5-year device/subscription tables (B28001/S2801), age structure and household counts; Pew Research Center 2023–2024 smartphone adoption by age; FCC coverage filings and carrier build-out disclosures current through 2024. Figures are rounded; margins shown where modeled rather than directly observed.

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

Topline user stats

• Population context: approximately 30–31k residents (ACS 2019–2023). Older-leaning age profile relative to the U.S. average.
• Estimated penetration: about 80% of residents aged 13+ use at least one social platform (≈72% of the total population).
• Gender mix of users: roughly mirrors the population (≈51% women, 49% men).

Most-used platforms (estimated local penetration among residents 13+)

• YouTube: ~73%
• Facebook: ~60%
• Instagram: ~41%
• TikTok: ~36%
• Snapchat: ~32%
• Pinterest: ~29%
• WhatsApp: ~23%
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• LinkedIn: ~21%
• Reddit: ~18%

Age-group usage (share of each age group using any social platform; local estimates derived from national benchmarks)

• Teens (13–17): ~95%
• Young adults (18–29): ~84–90%
• Adults (30–49): ~84%
• Adults (50–64): ~70–75%
• Seniors (65+): ~45–55%

Gender patterns (local expectations based on national usage skews)

• Women: higher likelihood of using Facebook, Instagram, and especially Pinterest; greater engagement with community groups, local events, and Marketplace.
• Men: higher likelihood of using YouTube, Reddit, and X; stronger presence around sports, tech, and local trades content.
• Snapchat and TikTok: near gender parity, with a slight female lean.

Behavioral trends in the county

• Facebook is the community backbone: primary venue for local news, school and government updates, volunteer organizations, youth sports, church bulletins, events, and Marketplace buying/selling.
• Short‑form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels increasingly used for local discovery (restaurants, services, real estate highlights) and school/sports highlights.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous across adults; Snapchat dominates peer-to-peer messaging among teens and young adults; WhatsApp remains niche.
• Business usage: Small businesses prioritize Facebook Pages/Groups and Marketplace; cross-post short videos to Instagram and TikTok to reach younger audiences.
• News consumption: A substantial share of adults encounter local news via Facebook Pages/Groups; older residents over-index on Facebook, while younger residents split time with TikTok/Instagram for entertainment and discovery.
• Content cadence: Photos and short video drive the highest engagement; announcements and community calls-to-action perform better in Facebook Groups than on Pages.

Notes on methodology and sources

• County-level social media surveys are rare; estimates combine Marshall County demographics (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023) with platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023) and DataReportal 2024 U.S. benchmarks, age-weighted to the county profile.