Connectivity (residential broadband)
Is residential broadband in place across the county? Primary proxy: ACS household broadband subscription rate (S2802). This measures consumer adoption — not data-center fiber routes, FCC BDC coverage, or actual compute capacity. Score: rank-percentile within VA, 35–95 band.
Score formula: see /methodology#compute.
Top 10 — broadband subscription rate
| County | Rate | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falls Church city | 98.9% | 95 |
| Stafford County | 98.1% | 94 |
| Fairfax city | 97.9% | 94 |
| Poquoson city | 97.4% | 93 |
| Loudoun County | 97.1% | 93 |
| Fairfax County | 96.9% | 92 |
| Chesterfield County | 96.6% | 91 |
| Spotsylvania County | 96.6% | 91 |
| Prince William County | 96.5% | 91 |
| James City County | 96.4% | 90 |
Bottom 10 — broadband subscription rate
| County | Rate | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg County | 72.1% | 35 |
| Halifax County | 72.4% | 35 |
| Bland County | 74.2% | 36 |
| King and Queen County | 77.6% | 36 |
| Russell County | 78.9% | 37 |
| Buchanan County | 79.1% | 37 |
| Charlotte County | 79.5% | 38 |
| Buckingham County | 79.7% | 38 |
| Mecklenburg County | 80.4% | 39 |
| Charles City County | 80.4% | 39 |
Future signal: data center approvals & large-load filings
The compute pillar still uses broadband as a county-level proxy. Direct data-center signals — local planning commission approvals (Loudoun, Prince William, Henrico, Fairfax, Chesterfield, Spotsylvania, Stafford), SCC large-load filings, and Dominion IRP commentary — are Tier-2/Tier-3 sources planned next. They would replace the proxy with direct evidence of hyperscale build-out.
Awaiting ingestion from County planning commissions / SCC.