Upshur County

Upshur County, West Virginia – Key Demographics (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

Population

• Total population: 24,213
• Median age: 42.9 years
• Age distribution: Under 18: 18.6%; 18–64: 60.5%; 65 and over: 20.9%

Sex

• Female: 50.3%
• Male: 49.7%

Race and Ethnicity

• White alone: 94.7%
• Black or African American alone: 1.1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
• Asian alone: 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.0%
• Some other race alone: 0.3%
• Two or more races: 3.4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.5%

Households

• Total households: 9,927
• Average household size: 2.35
• Family households: 60.6% of households
• Married-couple families: 45.1% of households
• One-person households: 30.7% of households
• Households with children under 18: 22.4%

Insights

• Aging profile with roughly one in five residents 65+
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population with limited racial/ethnic diversity
• Household composition skews toward smaller and nonfamily/one-person households typical of rural West Virginia counties

Email usage snapshot — Upshur County, WV (2025)

• Estimated email users: ≈16,000 residents.
• Age distribution of email users (counts; share):
  • 13–17: ~1,200 (8%)
  • 18–34: ~3,900 (24%)
  • 35–64: ~8,300 (52%)
  • 65+: ~2,600 (16%)
• Gender split among users: 51% female (8,200), 49% male (7,800).

Digital access and behavior

• Household tech access: ~85% have a computer; ~78% have a broadband subscription.
• Access modes: ~70% of users check email primarily on smartphones; ~14% are smartphone‑only internet users.
• Trend: Fiber buildouts and subsidy programs are steadily lifting speeds and subscription rates; email adoption among adults 65+ continues to climb, narrowing (but not closing) the age gap.

Local density/connectivity facts

• Population ≈24,000 spread over ~355 sq mi → ~68 people per sq mile (largely rural).
• Buckhannon (~5,300 residents) is the service hub with the most robust cable/fiber options; outside town, DSL and fixed‑wireless remain common, with lower speeds and higher latency.
• Connectivity is strongest along the US‑33/Buckhannon corridor; hollows and ridge‑line areas show the largest service gaps, contributing to lower email engagement among the oldest and most remote residents.

Overall: Email is nearly universal among working‑age and younger adults; remaining gaps are concentrated in older, rural populations and in locations with limited last‑mile infrastructure.

Upshur County, WV mobile phone usage summary (modeled 2023–2024)

Topline estimates

• Population and households: ~24,000 residents; ~9,300–9,800 households.
• Adults (18+): ~19,500–20,000.
• Any mobile phone users: 18,000–19,000 adults (92–95%).
• Smartphone users: 15,500–17,000 adults (78–85%).
• 5G-capable device users: 10,500–12,000 adults (≈65–70% of smartphone users).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no wireline broadband, rely on cellular data): 2,100–2,600 (≈22–27% of households).

Demographic breakdown (share using smartphones; local patterns vs state)

• Age
  • 18–24: 95–98%; higher than WV average due to West Virginia Wesleyan College presence and student-heavy housing.
  • 25–44: 90–95%; broadly in line with WV, slightly higher in Buckhannon due to employment/commuter base.
  • 45–64: 80–88%; near state average.
  • 65+: 55–65%; modestly below WV’s metro-county rates, reflecting rural and fixed-income profiles.
• Income (household smartphone-only internet)
  • < $35k: 35–45% smartphone-only; above state average, driven by students and rural low-income households outside cable footprints.
  • $35k–$75k: 20–30%; near state average.

  • $75k: 10–15%; below state average, as higher-income households in town more often maintain wireline service.

• Education
  • College students and recent graduates boost overall smartphone penetration and mobile-only reliance relative to the state average.
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is predominantly White; usage disparities by race are muted compared with state-level urban counties.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier footprint
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent countywide LTE coverage; Verizon generally strongest outside town.
  • T‑Mobile coverage is solid in Buckhannon and along primary corridors, with noticeable drop-offs on secondary roads and valleys; improving with low-band spectrum but still below Verizon/AT&T reach in rural tracts.
• 5G availability
  • Low-band 5G: present across Buckhannon and primary routes (US‑33/US‑119/WV‑20), offering broad coverage with LTE-like speeds in fringe areas.
  • Mid-band 5G: localized in/near Buckhannon and high-traffic segments; fastest performance in town centers and around campus.
  • mmWave: not a factor.
• Typical speeds (user-experienced)
  • In-town 5G mid-band: ~100–300 Mbps down, 10–30 Mbps up.
  • Low-band 5G/LTE in near-rural: ~20–80 Mbps down, 3–15 Mbps up.
  • Rural dead zones and valleys: sub‑10 Mbps or signal loss, especially off main corridors.
• Wireline competition affecting mobile dependence
  • Buckhannon: cable (DOCSIS) widely available; fiber present in select areas; households often complement mobile with wireline.
  • Outside town: DSL and fixed wireless remain common; fiber availability is patchy but expanding via public‑funded builds; gaps in wireline quality elevate smartphone-only reliance.
• Fixed wireless home internet
  • T‑Mobile 5G Home: available in and around Buckhannon; coverage thins in outlying areas.
  • Verizon 5G/LTE Home: spotty, generally tied to mid-band 5G zones.
  • Local WISPs serve select rural ridgelines; performance varies with line-of-sight.

How Upshur County differs from West Virginia overall

• Bimodal adoption: A pronounced split between very high adoption among 18–24 (college influence) and lower adoption among 65+, producing a higher share of heavy mobile users than the statewide profile.
• Higher smartphone-only households: Estimated 22–27% vs a lower statewide average, driven by student renters and limited wireline quality outside Buckhannon.
• Coverage mix: Better corridor-focused LTE/low‑band 5G coverage than many southern and eastern mountainous counties, but with mid‑band 5G much less pervasive than urban counties (e.g., Kanawha, Monongalia).
• Carrier share dynamics: Verizon’s relative advantage outside town is more pronounced than statewide averages; T‑Mobile under-indexes off-corridor but is competitive in Buckhannon proper.
• Usage patterns: Above-average prepaid and data-conservation behavior in rural tracts; above-average app-based and hotspot usage among students and renters in town.

Implications

• Mobile is the default broadband on-ramps for a sizable minority of households, especially students and lower-income residents outside robust wireline footprints.
• Incremental mid-band 5G buildouts and fiber extensions around Buckhannon will most directly reduce smartphone-only dependence and improve in-home connectivity.
• Emergency communications and telehealth benefit from strong corridor coverage, but target investments are still needed in valley dead zones and low-density roads to meet parity with state metro areas.

Social media in Upshur County, WV (adult residents, 18+). Modeled 2025 estimates based on ACS county demographics and latest national platform-adoption benchmarks adjusted for rural WV.

Headline user stats

• Adult social media reach: 78% of residents (≈14,900 users)
• Average platforms used per person: 2.6
• Multi-platform users (3+ services): 55% of users
• Primary device: smartphone-first for the majority of users

Most-used platforms (share of adults using the platform)

• YouTube: 72%
• Facebook: 69%
• Instagram: 36%
• Pinterest: 30%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 23%
• X (Twitter): 16%
• LinkedIn: 19%
• Reddit: 12% Notes: Facebook and YouTube are the two dominant reaches; Instagram/TikTok form a mid-tier; Snapchat is concentrated among younger adults; Pinterest skews female 25–54; X, LinkedIn, and Reddit remain niche.

Age-group penetration (share using any social media within each age band)

• 18–24: 94%
• 25–34: 90%
• 35–44: 84%
• 45–54: 77%
• 55–64: 70%
• 65+: 56%

Gender breakdown (of the county’s social media users)

• Women: 53%
• Men: 47% Platform skews: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok lean female; YouTube, Reddit, and X lean male.

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Community-first Facebook: High engagement in local Groups (schools, church, youth sports, buy/sell/trade, yard sales), Marketplace, and event pages. Local news, weather alerts, obituaries, and school closings consistently drive spikes.
• Video habits: Short, vertical video dominates attention on Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok; most watch more than they post. Upload constraints push creators toward clips under 60 seconds and lower bitrates.
• Messaging over posting: Heavy use of Facebook Messenger for day-to-day coordination; Snapchat messaging common among 18–29.
• Small-business playbook: Cross-posting from Facebook to Instagram is the norm; boosted posts targeted within 15–25 miles of Buckhannon convert well for restaurants, salons, contractors, boutiques, and events. Marketplace listings outperform static Page posts for retail and seasonal sales.
• Youth vs. older split: 18–34s cluster on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; 45+ gravitates to Facebook Groups and YouTube how-to content. Pinterest is strong among women 25–54 for recipes, crafts, and home projects.
• Information sources: Residents trust content from known local institutions (schools, sheriff’s office, churches, volunteer fire departments) and recognizable community figures. Fundraisers and community support posts earn above-average shares and comments.
• Timing: Engagement peaks before work (6:30–8:30 a.m.) and evenings (7–10 p.m.), with strong Sunday afternoon activity; midday dips align with work schedules.
• Sports and seasons: High engagement around high school sports, hunting seasons, festivals, fairs, and weather events; real-time updates and photo galleries outperform long-form posts.

Method note

• Figures are county-specific modeled estimates using Upshur County age/sex composition and the latest nationally observed platform adoption rates, adjusted for rural West Virginia uptake and broadband access. Percentages are rounded to whole numbers for clarity.