Taylor County

Taylor County, West Virginia — key demographics

Population

• 16,705 (2020 Census)
• ~16,560 (2024 Census Bureau estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~20%
• 65 and over: ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and ethnicity (share of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~95–96%
• Black or African American: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0–0.5%
• Asian: ~0–0.5%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~6,600–6,700
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~63–65% of households
• Married-couple families: ~48–50% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~35–37% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~77–80%

Insights

• Small, slowly declining population since 2010.
• Older age profile: about one in five residents are 65+.
• Predominantly White, with small minority and Hispanic populations.
• Household structure leans toward family and owner-occupied homes, with modest household sizes.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2024 Population Estimates Program).

Taylor County, WV email usage snapshot

• Population and density: 16,705 residents (2020 Census); ≈95 people per square mile. Grafton is the primary population and connectivity hub; outlying areas are sparsely populated and more connectivity‑constrained.
• Estimated email users: ≈11,900 adult users (18+) and ≈12,800 including teens 13–17.
• Age distribution of adult users:
  • 18–34: ≈3.0k users (≈95% of that age group)
  • 35–64: ≈6.3k (≈92%)
  • 65+: ≈2.6k (≈78%)
• Gender split: Near parity; ≈51% female, 49% male among users.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Broadband at home: ≈75–80% of households subscribe.
  • Smartphone access: ≈85–90% of adults; ≈15–20% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Access patterns: Cable/fiber is concentrated in/near Grafton; many rural households rely on DSL, fixed‑wireless, or satellite. Public Wi‑Fi (schools, library) and mobile hotspots help bridge gaps.
• Insights: Email is effectively universal among working‑age adults and widely used by students for school accounts. Seniors’ adoption is growing but trails due to lower broadband adoption and reliance on mobile data. Overall email engagement tracks rising smartphone penetration, while lower home‑broadband adoption in rural hollows moderates frequency and richness of use.

Taylor County, West Virginia — mobile phone usage snapshot

Population baseline

• Residents: 16,705 (2020 Census). Small, largely rural county centered on Grafton with many commuters to Bridgeport/Clarksburg and Morgantown.

Estimated mobile user base (best-available public data and standard adoption benchmarks)

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 11,300–12,000 (about 86–90% of the ~13,200 adults).
• Teen smartphone users (ages 13–17): roughly 1,000–1,200.
• Total active smartphone users (adults + teens): about 12,500–13,200.
• Households with at least one smartphone: roughly 88–92%.
• Smartphone-only internet households (primarily rely on cellular data instead of home broadband): about 22–28% of households, several points higher than the statewide average.

How Taylor County differs from West Virginia overall

• Slightly higher smartphone adoption and notably higher smartphone-only reliance than state averages. This stems from patchy wired broadband outside Grafton combined with strong commuter-driven mobile demand along US-50 and routes toward I-79/Morgantown.
• Earlier, more contiguous 5G presence on primary corridors than in many southern, more mountainous WV counties, but with sharper drop-offs into hollows and ridge-shadowed areas.
• Faster growth in senior (65+) smartphone adoption since 2019 compared with the statewide pace, narrowing the age gap more quickly than the state as a whole.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age
  • 18–49: Near-universal smartphone ownership; the county tracks close to national rates in these cohorts.
  • 50–64: Around nine in ten use smartphones; reliance for navigation, work messaging, and telehealth is pronounced among commuters.
  • 65+: Roughly three in four use smartphones, with the strongest recent gains coming from telehealth and messaging; the local gap vs younger adults has narrowed faster than the WV average.
• Income and plan type
  • Low- and moderate-income households in Taylor County are more likely than the state average to be smartphone-only for home internet, driven by limited wireline options beyond town centers and the relative affordability of prepaid and entry-level postpaid plans.
  • Data-plan sensitivity is higher than the WV average: heavy use of budget MVNOs and metered plans, with hotspot use common for homework and streaming in areas lacking cable/fiber.
• Work and education
  • Daytime mobile demand spikes along the US-50 corridor and toward the I-79 employment hubs. Schools and families make above-average use of mobile hotspots for after-school connectivity in pockets without reliable wired service.

Digital infrastructure and coverage patterns

• Carrier footprint
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the broadest rural LTE coverage; AT&T’s FirstNet Band 14 materially improves public-safety and fringe-area performance.
  • T-Mobile 5G covers Grafton and select settlements but drops to LTE or no service more quickly off-corridor than the other two; low-band 600 MHz helps indoors, while mid-band 5G capacity is limited outside town.
• 5G availability
  • Low-band 5G is present in and around Grafton and along US-50; mid-band 5G capacity sites are clustered near higher-traffic areas. Off major roads, LTE remains the dominant layer.
• Terrain effects
  • Ridge-and-valley topography produces predictable dead zones and sector overshoot. Coverage is strongest around Grafton, Fetterman, and along US-50; gaps increase toward smaller communities and lake/valley areas.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Where fiber backhaul reaches tower sites (near town and along primary corridors), speeds and reliability are notably better than the WV rural average. Away from fiber-fed sites, sector congestion and uplink limitations are more common at peak times.
• Public safety and priority access
  • FirstNet availability provides prioritized coverage for EMS, fire, and law enforcement; this has improved resilience compared with pre-FirstNet conditions during storms and events.
• Interaction with wireline buildouts
  • Ongoing state- and federal-funded fiber projects (e.g., BEAD-era builds) are beginning to reduce smartphone-only reliance in served pockets and improve mobile performance indirectly by expanding backhaul options for towers.

Key takeaways for Taylor County

• Mobile connectivity is the primary, and often only, broadband on-ramp outside town centers; smartphone-only households are several points more prevalent than the state average.
• 5G has meaningful coverage along main corridors but remains a patchwork in rural tracts; LTE is still the workhorse layer countywide.
• Seniors are adopting smartphones faster than the rest of the state, driven by telehealth and family communications.
• The biggest near-term improvements will come from more fiber-fed tower backhaul and infill sites in terrain-shadowed areas; these will narrow the gap with WV’s best-served counties while reducing the county’s reliance on metered data for home use.

Notes on sources and estimation

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 decennial census.
• Adoption rates and household smartphone presence: synthesized from American Community Survey “Computer and Internet Use” (multi-year county/state releases) and recent national smartphone adoption benchmarks; county figures are presented as carefully derived estimates consistent with rural WV patterns and observed infrastructure.

Taylor County, WV social media snapshot (best-available estimates grounded in U.S. Census and Pew Research)

Population base

• Residents: ≈16.6K (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate). Adults 18+: ≈13.3K; teens 13–17: ≈1.0K.

Overall usage by age

• Teens (13–17): ~93–95% use at least one social platform.
• Adults 18–29: ~90%+.
• Adults 30–49: ~80–85%.
• Adults 50–64: ~70–75%.
• Adults 65+: ~45–55%. These rates reflect Pew Research adoption by age applied to Taylor County’s population structure.

Most-used platforms among adults (18+) in Taylor County (estimated percent of adults; rounded local user counts in parentheses)

• YouTube: 83% (11,000 adults)
• Facebook: 68% (9,000)
• Instagram: 47% (6,300)
• Pinterest: 35% (4,700)
• TikTok: 33% (4,400)
• Snapchat: 30% (4,000)
• LinkedIn: 31% (4,100)
• X (Twitter): 22% (2,900)
• Reddit: 22% (2,900)
• WhatsApp: 21% (2,800)
• Nextdoor: 19% (2,500)

Most-used platforms among teens (13–17) in Taylor County (estimated percent of teens; rounded local user counts)

• YouTube: 93% (930 teens)
• TikTok: 63% (630)
• Snapchat: 60% (600)
• Instagram: 59% (590)
• Facebook: 33% (330)

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media participation in Taylor County is roughly even by gender and mirrors the county’s population split (about half female, half male). Platform skews follow national patterns: Pinterest and Snapchat lean female; Reddit and X lean male; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are broadly mixed with slight female tilts on Instagram/TikTok.

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook as the community hub: Strong use of local Groups for school announcements, youth sports, community events, road/weather updates, church and civic activities, and buy/sell/trade. Facebook Messenger is a primary communication tool across age groups.
• Video is default: YouTube dominates for how-to, home/auto repair, outdoor/recreation content, and local government or school board video posts when available. Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) drives discovery; sharing often happens back on Facebook.
• Youth communication stack: Teens and young adults prioritize Snapchat for daily messaging and TikTok/Instagram for entertainment; they maintain a Facebook presence mainly for events and family connections.
• Local business usage: Small businesses and nonprofits rely on Facebook Pages and Events; Instagram is secondary (visual-first sectors perform best). TikTok is growing for reach but remains inconsistent for sustained posting among very small operators.
• News and information: County residents frequently encounter local news via Facebook Groups and shares from regional outlets; weather alerts and school closings spread quickly through Facebook posts and Messenger.
• Time-of-day engagement: Peaks tend to concentrate before work/school (early morning), early evening (7–10 p.m.), and weekend middays, aligning with national rural usage patterns and local event timing.

Notes on interpretation

• Figures are estimates produced by applying Pew Research Center platform-adoption rates (adults: 2024; teens: 2023) to Taylor County’s population profile from the U.S. Census Bureau. They provide an actionable local picture when county-specific platform census data are not directly published.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Taylor County, WV, 2023) and ACS 2019–2023 (age/sex structure).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (U.S. adults).
• Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (U.S. teens).