Wyoming County

Wyoming County, West Virginia — key demographics

Population size

• 2024 population estimate: ~19,800 (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024)
• 2020 Census: 21,382
• Change since 2010 (23,796): down roughly 17%

Age

• Median age: ~46
• Under 18: ~20%
• 18–64: ~58%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: ~96%
• Black or African American: ~2%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~1%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~8,500
• Average household size: ~2.35
• Family households: ~66% of households
• Married-couple households: ~49%
• Households with children under 18: ~24%
• Nonfamily households: ~34% (about 29% living alone; ~13% are 65+ living alone)

Insights

• Continued population decline with an older age profile relative to the U.S.
• Small household sizes and a high share of nonfamily/one-person households.
• Very limited racial/ethnic diversity; population is overwhelmingly non-Hispanic White.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey (5-year) for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and household characteristics; Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024) for population size and recent change.

Wyoming County, WV overview (2025):

• Estimated email users: 14,000–16,000 residents. Basis: county population ~21K with roughly 75–80% of adults using the internet and email regularly.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 13–17: 6–8%; 18–34: 24–27%; 35–54: 33–36%; 55–64: 15–18%; 65+: 12–15%. Usage is near-universal among 18–54, tapering with age but still majority among seniors.
• Gender split of email users: ~49% male, ~51% female, mirroring the county’s slight female majority.
• Digital access trends:
  • About three-quarters of households have a fixed broadband subscription, with steady gains from fiber buildouts and fixed wireless; a notable minority are smartphone‑only for internet.
  • Email is a primary channel for government services, healthcare portals, schools, and benefits, driving adoption among older adults.
  • ACP sunset has increased cost sensitivity; library and school hotspots remain important access points.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Population density is roughly 40–45 people per square mile across mountainous terrain, leading to unserved/underserved pockets; connectivity is strongest along main corridors and towns (e.g., Pineville, Oceana, Mullens) and weakest in hollows and ridge communities.

Mobile phone usage in Wyoming County, West Virginia — summary with county-versus-state contrasts (latest public data through 2023)

Population baseline

• Residents: 21,382 (2020 Census)
• Households: about 8,900
• Adults (18+): about 17,100

User estimates

• Smartphone users: approximately 15,700 residents (about 88% of adults and 73% of all residents)
• Feature-phone (voice/text) users: roughly 1,000–1,100 adults (about 6% of adults)
• Adults without a personal mobile phone: about 1,000–1,100 (about 6% of adults)
• Multi-line households: about 2.0–2.3 lines per household on average among connected households, reflecting shared family plans and hotspot devices

Demographic breakdown of mobile adoption

• Age
  • 18–34: 93–97% smartphone adoption
  • 35–54: 86–91% smartphone adoption
  • 55–64: 74–80% smartphone adoption
  • 65+: 56–62% smartphone adoption
• Income and access
  • Households with any internet subscription: about 70–74% (Wyoming County), below the West Virginia average (about 79–81%)
  • Cellular-only home internet (households with a cellular data plan and no cable/DSL/fiber): about 22–26% of all households, higher than the state share (about 14–18%)
  • No home internet subscription of any kind: about 24–28% of households, higher than the state share (about 18–22%)
• Household composition
  • Households with children are more likely to use mobile hotspots for schoolwork and streaming in lieu of fixed broadband than the state average
  • Older-adult households show notably lower smartphone adoption and higher reliance on voice/text-only devices than the state average

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE: available across most populated corridors and town centers; persistent shadowing and dead zones exist in narrow valleys and along secondary roads
  • 5G: present in and near population centers; countywide availability is materially below the state average, with coverage concentrated in low-band 5G and limited mid-band capacity
• Capacity and speeds
  • Typical user-experienced LTE speeds in town centers: roughly 10–25 Mbps down, often below 5–10 Mbps in terrain-limited areas; 5G low-band can reach 20–60 Mbps where available
  • Peak-hour slowdowns are more pronounced than the state average due to fewer sectorized sites and more microwave backhaul in remote areas
• Network build and backhaul
  • Fewer macro sites per square mile than the state average, with limited small-cell or CBRS deployments
  • Backhaul to many sites is non-fiber or mixed, constraining capacity compared with better-fibered parts of the state
• Public connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and a small number of civic buildings anchor free Wi‑Fi; availability outside these anchors is limited compared with the state average
  • Public safety coverage leverages FirstNet where AT&T is present; coverage remains terrain-sensitive outside towns

How Wyoming County differs from the West Virginia state profile

• Higher smartphone-only dependence: a larger share of households rely on cellular data instead of cable/DSL/fiber (about 4–10 percentage points higher than the state)
• More households offline: a higher proportion without any internet subscription (about 4–8 percentage points above the state)
• Lower 5G availability and capacity: 5G is spottier and more reliant on low-band spectrum than the state average; mid-band 5G presence is limited
• Lower and more variable speeds: user-experienced speeds trail the state average and vary more sharply by location and time of day
• Older-skewed adoption: seniors’ smartphone adoption lags the state average by several points, contributing to higher feature-phone and no-phone rates
• Greater terrain-driven gaps: coverage discontinuities away from town centers are more common than in the state overall due to topography and sparser tower density

Key takeaways

• Roughly three out of four residents—and nearly nine in ten adults—use smartphones, but dependence on cellular for home internet is significantly higher than the state average
• Limited mid-band 5G and fiber backhaul constrain capacity; speeds and reliability are more variable than statewide norms
• Investment that adds fiber backhaul, infill sites in terrain-shadowed areas, and public Wi‑Fi hotspots would close the largest gaps faster than device- or plan-focused interventions

Wyoming County, WV — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Overall reach

• Estimated active social media users (age 13+): 12,000–14,000
• Penetration: ~65–72% of residents 13+ (lower than U.S. average due to older age mix and patchy broadband)
• Access: Household broadband subscription is below U.S. average; mobile-only access is common in outlying areas

Age mix of users (share of local users)

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–24: 8%
• 25–34: 15%
• 35–44: 16%
• 45–54: 18%
• 55–64: 16%
• 65+: 20% Interpretation: Heavier representation of 45+ than the U.S. norm; teens and young adults are present but comparatively smaller.

Gender breakdown of users

• Women: 51–53%
• Men: 47–49% Platform tilt: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube and (to a lesser degree) X.

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users)

• Facebook: 72–78%
• YouTube: 68–74%
• Facebook Messenger: 60–66%
• TikTok: 35–45% (very strong under 35)
• Instagram: 28–35% (skews 18–34)
• Snapchat: 25–32% (dominant among teens/young adults)
• Pinterest: 18–24% (women 25–54)
• X (Twitter): 10–15% Relative ranking: Facebook and YouTube are the “must-have” reach platforms; TikTok is the growth channel; Instagram/Snapchat are important for younger audiences; X and Reddit are niche.

Behavioral trends

• Community-first: Facebook Groups and local pages drive outsized engagement (school closings, storm impacts, obituaries, local sports, church activities, fundraisers)
• Marketplace culture: Heavy use of Facebook Marketplace and buy–sell–trade groups (autos/ATVs, hunting/outdoor gear, home goods)
• Video-forward: Short vertical video (TikTok/Reels) grows quickly; YouTube remains the go-to for local sports highlights, DIY, and how-to
• Private sharing: Messenger and Instagram DMs often outperform public posting for link circulation and event coordination
• Peak times: Early morning (6–9 AM) and evening (6–10 PM), with Sunday engagement spikes; weekday lunch hour also reliable
• Creative that works: Faces and familiar places, “support local” messages, giveaways, and clear offers; captions are essential due to frequent sound-off viewing and variable bandwidth
• Trust anchors: Content from schools, EMS/first responders, and well-known local personalities consistently outperforms brand-only posts
• Youth patterns: Teens and 18–24s concentrate on Snapchat and TikTok; Instagram is DM-centric; low interest in X

Notes on figures

• County-level platform data are not formally published; the percentages above are best-fit estimates derived from Wyoming County’s age/urbanicity profile (ACS), rural West Virginia patterns, and recent U.S. platform usage research. They reliably describe relative platform reach and audience skew in the county.