Randolph County

Randolph County, West Virginia — key demographics

Population

• 27,446 (2020 Census)
• Change since 2010: −6.7% (2010: 29,405)

Age

• Median age: 44.5 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: 18.6%
• 18 to 64: 60.8%
• 65 and over: 20.6%

Gender

• Female: 50.4%
• Male: 49.6% (ACS 2019–2023)

Race and ethnicity

• White, non-Hispanic: 92.8%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 1.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0.3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 0.4%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 2.9%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.8% (ACS 2019–2023; categories sum to ~100% using non-Hispanic race plus Hispanic-any-race)

Households

• Total households: ~11,700
• Average household size: 2.29
• Family households: 63% (married-couple families: ~47% of households)
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Householder living alone 65+: ~13%
• Tenure: owner-occupied 77%; renter-occupied 23% (ACS 2019–2023)

Insights

• Older age profile, small household size, high homeownership.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White with small minority and Hispanic populations.
• Continued population decline from 2010 to 2020.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (P.L. 94-171); American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Randolph County, WV email usage (estimates derived from county demographics and typical U.S. usage patterns)

• Estimated email users: ~21,000 residents use email regularly out of ~27,000 total population.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: 13% (2,700)
  • 30–49: 32% (6,700)
  • 50–64: 30% (6,300)
  • 65+: 25% (5,300)
• Gender split among users: ~51% women, ~49% men, mirroring the adult population.
• Digital access and usage trends:
  • Email is near-universal among working-age adults; adoption among 65+ continues to rise, narrowing the gap.
  • Smartphone-only email use is increasing, especially in lower-density areas where wired broadband is limited.
  • Work, school, and healthcare drive daily email habits around Elkins and corridor communities; rural residents check less frequently due to slower links.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population ~27,000 spread across ~1,040 square miles (≈26 people per sq. mi.), the lowest-density large county in WV and the state’s largest by area.
  • Fastest, most reliable service clusters in and around Elkins and along US 33/219; many outlying communities still rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Ongoing state/federal investments are expanding fiber, but terrain and distance keep access uneven in remote hollows.

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

Who’s using mobile phones

• Population and density: 27,932 residents (2020 Census) spread across ~1,040 square miles (largest county by area in WV), ~27 people per square mile versus ~74 statewide. The sparse, mountainous footprint materially shapes network coverage and usage.
• Estimated unique mobile phone users (any mobile phone): ~22,400 people (about 80% of the population).
• Estimated smartphone users: ~20,200 people (about 72% of the population). Among adults 18+, estimated smartphone adoption is ~84%.
• Age-based usage (estimates derived by applying current U.S. age-specific adoption rates to Randolph County’s age structure; rounded):
  • Ages 18–34: 4,900 mobile users (4,900 smartphones)
  • Ages 35–64: 11,000 mobile users (10,300 smartphones)
  • Ages 65+: 5,000 mobile users (3,600 smartphones)
  • Teens 13–17: 1,500 mobile users (1,400 smartphones)
• Takeaway: Working-age adults in Randolph use smartphones at rates comparable to West Virginia overall; seniors lag more than the state average, pulling down the county’s total-per-capita smartphone share.

How Randolph differs from the state-level picture

• Coverage variability is more pronounced: Because Randolph is larger, more rugged, and less dense than the state average, no‑signal pockets and “valley shadowing” are more frequent outside towns, even where statewide maps show nominal coverage.
• 5G footprint is narrower: 5G is present in and around Elkins and along primary corridors, but LTE remains the dominant experience in outlying communities; the statewide picture shows broader low‑band 5G reach in more populated counties.
• Greater dependence on mobile for basic connectivity in outlying areas: Gaps in wired broadband outside the Elkins/Beverly/Huttonsville axis push more households to use phones and hotspots for home internet compared with metro counties in WV.
• Price sensitivity is higher: A lower local income base than WV’s metro counties translates into stronger adoption of budget/MVNO plans and data‑managed usage behaviors; statewide averages are moderated by higher‑income counties.

Digital infrastructure points

• Terrain and siting: Extensive Monongahela National Forest acreage, steep relief, and long distances between communities constrain macro‑tower placement and fiber backhaul options, increasing reliance on ridge‑top sites and directional coverage along valleys.
• Carrier landscape:
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent rural reach across the county’s secondary roads and hollows; both run wide‑area LTE with low‑band 5G concentrated near Elkins and along U.S. 33/250/219.
  • T‑Mobile coverage has expanded on main corridors with low‑band 5G but remains thinner off‑corridor compared with the other two.
  • 3G networks are fully sunset; all carriers rely on LTE/5G for voice (VoLTE), improving capacity where bands and backhaul are available.
• Corridors and nodes: Coverage is strongest in the Elkins urban cluster and along U.S. 33/250/219 and WV‑92/15, with weaker or intermittent service toward smaller communities such as Glady, Bemis, Helvetia, Pickens, and remote forest recreation areas.
• Backhaul and middle‑mile: Fiber follows primary highways and utility rights‑of‑way into Elkins and along main valleys (providers in and around the region include Frontier, Citynet, Lumos/Segra and others), enabling 5G/LTE capacity at corridor sites while leaving some interior valleys constrained by microwave or long fiber runs.
• Public safety and resilience: Randolph participates in West Virginia’s Statewide Interoperable Radio Network (SIRN) for LMR; FirstNet (AT&T Band‑14) augmentations have improved emergency coverage on key corridors and around Elkins, offering priority/preemption that commercial users do not receive.
• Fixed‑wireless interplay: Where DSL/cable/fiber are absent, households and small businesses lean on LTE/5G fixed‑wireless and mobile hotspots; performance is highly location‑dependent due to terrain, tower load, and band availability.

Key usage insights

• Adoption: Adult smartphone adoption aligns with the state, but a larger‑than‑average senior share and tougher topography reduce the county’s total population smartphone share versus statewide figures.
• Experience: Users see a sharp contrast between corridor/Elkins performance (often strong LTE/low‑band 5G) and remote hollows (marginal LTE or no service). That corridor‑centric pattern is more extreme than the WV average.
• Growth path: Near‑term improvements will continue to cluster where backhaul exists—Elkins and major routes—while off‑grid valleys will depend on incremental infill, public‑safety colocation, and selective fixed‑wireless builds rather than county‑wide 5G parity.

Notes on methodology

• User counts are estimates constructed from the 2020 Census population for Randolph County and recent U.S. smartphone/mobile adoption rates by age cohort (Pew and similar national surveys), applied to the county’s age structure; figures are rounded to reflect estimation.

Social media usage in Randolph County, West Virginia (short breakdown, 2025)

Baseline and total users

• Population basis used: ~22,300 adults (18+) residing in Randolph County (ACS 2023 estimate scale)
• Any social/video platform use: ~82% of adults ≈ 18,300 users

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of all adults; approximate counts in parentheses)

• YouTube: 80% (17,800)
• Facebook: 70% (15,600)
• Instagram: 38% (8,500)
• Pinterest: 30% (6,700)
• TikTok: 28% (6,200)
• Snapchat: 26% (5,800)
• LinkedIn: 20% (4,500)
• X (Twitter): 18% (4,000)
• Reddit: 16% (3,600) Note: Users are multi‑platform, so totals exceed 100%.

Age patterns (adoption and platform mix)

• 18–29: 95% use at least one platform; strongest on YouTube (95%), Instagram (75%), TikTok (60+%), Snapchat (60%); Facebook (35%)
• 30–49: 88% use; YouTube (90%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (50%), TikTok (35%), Snapchat (28%)
• 50–64: 75% use; Facebook (75%), YouTube (80%), Instagram (30%), TikTok (~20%)
• 65+: 55% use; Facebook (60%) and YouTube (55%) dominate; Instagram (15%), TikTok (~10%)

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media users: ~52% women, ~48% men
• Platform skews:
  • More women: Pinterest (75% women), Facebook (57% women), Instagram (55% women), TikTok (58% women), Snapchat (~54% women)
  • More men: YouTube (54% men), X/Twitter (60% men), Reddit (65% men), LinkedIn (55% men)

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Appalachian counties, reflected locally

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups, local news, school/road alerts, church/civic updates, and Marketplace; events and fundraisers perform well
• Video is utility‑driven: YouTube for how‑tos, trades, autos, hunting/fishing, outdoor recreation; Reels/shorts used for quick tips and local highlights
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp adoption remains low; SMS still common for local coordination
• Consumption > creation: a minority of highly active posters; most users primarily browse, react, and share to Groups
• Timing: engagement peaks around lunch (11:30–1:30) and evenings (7–10 pm); weekend mornings good for community content
• Connectivity constraints shape content: preference for shorter videos and photo posts; fewer long live streams; downloads for spotty coverage areas
• Commerce: local businesses lean on boosted Facebook posts, Marketplace listings, and event promos; Instagram used more by eateries, boutiques, and artisans; TikTok ads present but niche
• Civic and public safety: strong response to missing pet/person alerts, weather emergencies, and infrastructure notices; elevated trust in known local pages

Method note

• Figures are modeled estimates for Randolph County derived by applying recent Pew Research Center findings on U.S. adult social media use (with rural adjustments) to the county’s adult population scale from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023. These provide directional, decision‑ready local estimates where direct county‑level platform data are unavailable. Sources: Pew Research Center (2024), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023).