Pleasants County

Pleasants County, West Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• Total population (2023 estimate): 7,344
• 2020 Census: 7,653

Age

• Under 5 years: 4.7%
• Under 18 years: 20.4%
• 65 years and over: 23.1%
• Median age: 44.5 years

Gender

• Female: 49.6%
• Male: 50.4%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: 95.2%
• Black or African American alone: 1.1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%
• Asian alone: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: 3.2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.2%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 94.3%

Households

• Number of households: 3,130
• Average household size: 2.32 persons
• Owner-occupied housing rate: 82.9%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Population Estimates Program)

Email usage snapshot — Pleasants County, West Virginia (pop. 7,653; 2020)

Estimated email users: ≈6,800 residents (≈89% of total).

By age (share of email users; ≈counts):

• Under 18: 19% (≈1,280)
• 18–29: 14% (≈940)
• 30–49: 26% (≈1,760)
• 50–64: 21% (≈1,420)
• 65+: 21% (≈1,400)

Gender split among email users:

• Female ≈50.5% (≈3,435)
• Male ≈49.5% (≈3,365) Gender differences in email adoption are minimal, so usage closely mirrors population share.

Digital access and connectivity:

• Households: ≈3,200; with a broadband subscription ≈80% (≈2,560 households).
• Computer access: ≈89% of households have a desktop/laptop/tablet.
• Smartphone-only internet: ≈11% of households rely primarily on cellular data.
• Adoption lags the U.S. household broadband subscription rate (≈90%) but aligns with rural West Virginia patterns.
• Population density ≈56 residents per square mile, reflecting predominantly rural settlement; connectivity is strongest along the Ohio River corridor and main routes, with patchier fixed service in interior hollows. Trend insight: Broadband subscription and device access have steadily improved since the late 2010s; remaining gaps are driven more by affordability and coverage pockets than lack of interest in email.

Mobile phone usage in Pleasants County, West Virginia — 2024 snapshot

User estimates

• Total population: approximately 7,500 residents
• Mobile phone users (any mobile, ages 13+): about 6,230 users, equal to roughly 83% of the total population
• Smartphone users (ages 13+): about 5,820 users, equal to roughly 78% of the total population
• Adult smartphone penetration (18+ only): approximately 88% of adults (about 5,280 out of 6,000 adults)
• Adult mobile phone (any type) penetration (18+ only): approximately 94% of adults (about 5,660)

Demographic breakdown (modeled from the county’s age structure and current U.S. rural adoption by age)

• Ages 13–17: 600 teens; ~540 smartphone users (90%); 570 with any mobile (95%)
• Ages 18–24: 525 adults; ~504 smartphone users (96%); 520 with any mobile (99%)
• Ages 25–44: 1,650 adults; ~1,600 smartphone users (97%); 1,634 with any mobile (99%)
• Ages 45–64: 2,025 adults; ~1,823 smartphone users (90%); 1,924 with any mobile (95%)
• Ages 65+: 1,800 adults; ~1,350 smartphone users (75%); 1,584 with any mobile (88%)
• Device mix: among adults, roughly 6% use a feature phone as their only mobile device; about 6% have no mobile phone
• Demographic context: the county is older than the national average and broadly similar to West Virginia’s age profile, with a slightly higher share of residents 65+. Racial composition is overwhelmingly White, so usage disparities are driven more by age and income than by race. Smartphone uptake is near-parity with state averages among working-age adults, while seniors lag more than the statewide senior average.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Radio access: 4G LTE is strong along the Ohio River corridor and WV-2, including St. Marys and major employers; coverage thins across interior ridgelines and hollows where terrain blocks line-of-sight. 5G low-band is present along primary corridors; mid-band 5G is limited and not yet continuous outside the town center and highways.
• Carrier landscape: Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent rural coverage; T-Mobile service is improving but remains more variable away from river-adjacent corridors. In several fringe areas, residents may connect to Ohio-side towers across the river.
• Backhaul and capacity: Fiber backhaul follows the river and main rights-of-way; many upland sites rely on microwave, constraining peak capacity and indoor performance. As a result, indoor coverage boosters and Wi‑Fi calling are commonly used in ridge-shadowed homes.
• Fixed broadband interplay: Cable or fiber is available in town, with DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite in outlying areas. Where wired options are weak or absent, households rely more on cellular data for home internet—driving higher mobile data use per line than in metro WV counties and contributing to occasional peak-time congestion.
• Public safety and outages: Wireless Emergency Alerts reach the vast majority of residents, but dead zones persist in interior valleys. Weather and foliage can materially affect signal reliability in known weak areas.

How Pleasants County differs from West Virginia overall

• Age-driven penetration gap: Overall population-level smartphone penetration is marginally lower than the WV average because the county skews older; however, adult working-age smartphone adoption is on par with the state.
• Higher senior feature-phone retention: A larger share of residents 65+ maintain feature phones than the statewide senior average, slowing full-smartphone saturation.
• Greater cellular dependence outside town: Reliance on mobile data for primary home connectivity in rural sections is higher than the statewide norm, reflecting sparser fixed broadband. This elevates mobile data consumption and sensitivity to tower load in the evenings.
• 5G unevenness: 5G coverage is more corridor-constrained than in WV’s larger population centers; mid-band 5G capacity is emerging but remains patchy, so typical speeds show more site-to-site variability than state averages in urban/suburban areas.
• Carrier mix: Competitive balance favors Verizon/AT&T more strongly than the statewide picture due to terrain and cross-river propagation, with T‑Mobile improvements not yet uniform in upland zones.

Method note: Figures are derived by applying current rural U.S. mobile and smartphone adoption rates by age to Pleasants County’s population structure (2024 estimates), then rounded to whole-number users for clarity. These estimates are suitable for sizing, planning, and comparing county-level conditions to state trends.

Pleasants County, WV — social media snapshot (2024, best-available local estimates derived from 2020 Census demographics and recent Pew Research on rural U.S. usage)

Users and penetration

• Population: 7,653 (2020 Census)
• Residents 13+: ≈6,300
• Active social media users (13+): ≈4,800–5,100 (62–66% penetration)
• Adults 18+: ≈6,200–6,300; adult social media users: ≈4,200–4,500 (68–72% of adults)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; overlapping use)

• YouTube: 75–80%
• Facebook: 68–72%
• Instagram: 32–38%
• Pinterest: 28–32% (skews female)
• TikTok: 24–30% (under-35 heavy)
• Snapchat: 20–25% (under-30 heavy)
• X (Twitter): 12–18% (niche)
• LinkedIn: 12–16% (low in rural labor mix)

Age mix of social media users (share of local social users)

• 13–17: 7–8% — heavy TikTok/Snapchat; light Facebook posting
• 18–29: 20–22% — multi-platform; Instagram/TikTok/Snap lead
• 30–49: 34–36% — Facebook/YouTube core; Instagram secondary
• 50–64: 24–26% — Facebook/YouTube; Pinterest among women
• 65+: 11–13% — Facebook primary; YouTube for how‑to/local content

Gender breakdown of social users

• Women: ~53% (higher Facebook and Pinterest participation)
• Men: ~47% (higher YouTube and X/Reddit participation)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the default local network for news, school sports, church and civic updates, obituaries, public safety alerts, and buy/sell/trade; Groups and Messenger drive most interactions.
• Short‑form video is rising via Reels and TikTok among 18–34; cross‑posting to Facebook expands reach.
• YouTube consumption centers on how‑to, automotive/DIY, hunting/fishing, and local event coverage; creators are few but watch time is high.
• Instagram is used by younger adults for visual updates; Stories outperform feed posts for local businesses.
• Snapchat functions mainly as peer messaging for teens/college‑age; limited brand discovery.
• X is niche (state politics, sports); low local reach.
• LinkedIn usage is modest; hiring and community calls‑to‑action perform better on Facebook.
• Engagement typically peaks evenings (7–10 p.m.) and weekends; weather events and school announcements trigger sharp spikes.

Implications

• Reach most residents via Facebook (Pages + Groups) and YouTube; add Instagram for 18–34.
• Use Facebook Marketplace/Groups and Messenger for conversion and response.
• To reach younger audiences, prioritize short‑form vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Snap) with local angles.
• For women 30–54, pair Pinterest content with Facebook retargeting.