Adair County

Adair County, Kentucky – key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Census and ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates)

• Population: ~19,000 (2023 est.); 18,903 (2020 Census)
• Age:
  • Median age: ~41
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~20%
• Sex:
  • Female: ~50–51%
  • Male: ~49–50%
• Race/ethnicity (ACS est.):
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~92–93%
  • Black or African American: ~3%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~3%
  • Two or more races: ~2%
  • Asian: ~0.3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0%
• Households:
  • Total households: ~7,500
  • Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
  • Family households: ~65%
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74–76%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Figures rounded.

Adair County, KY snapshot (estimates)

• Population: ~19,500; land area ~405 sq mi → ~48 people/sq mi (rural).
• Email users: ~15,000–16,000 residents use email at least monthly (driven by high adult adoption; based on Pew-style usage rates applied to local demographics).

By age (approx. users):

• Under 18: 2,800–3,200 (school accounts common)
• 18–34: 3,400–3,800
• 35–64: 6,500–7,200
• 65+: 2,200–2,700

Gender split:

• Roughly even; small differences by age likely cancel out overall.

Digital access and trends:

• Household internet subscription likely ~75–80%, below national average but rising as fiber and fixed‑wireless expand in rural KY.
• Mobile‑only internet households: ~10–15%.
• Public and institutional access (schools, Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, library Wi‑Fi) support email use among students and lower‑income residents.
• Connectivity constraints reflect rural density: service strongest in/around Columbia; outlying areas more dependent on DSL, satellite, or fixed wireless; state BEAD-funded projects aim to improve last‑mile coverage.

Notes: Figures are derived from U.S. Census/ACS population, rural internet adoption patterns, and national email-usage research; treat as directional rather than exact.

Below is a concise, planning-ready snapshot of mobile phone usage in Adair County, Kentucky, emphasizing how local patterns diverge from statewide norms. Estimates reflect publicly reported U.S./rural adoption benchmarks (e.g., Pew Research), recent carrier buildouts in rural KY, and Adair’s known local infrastructure characteristics. Ranges are used where local measurements are scarce.

Topline user estimates (unique people, not total carrier lines)

• Population base: roughly 19–20k residents.
• Adults (18+): ~15k.
• Mobile phone (any cellphone) users: about 14–15k adults (roughly 93–95% adult adoption), plus a high share of teens.
• Smartphone users: approximately 13.5–14k total (about 82–85% of adults, plus ~90%+ of teens 13–17).
• Carrier lines vs. people: total active lines likely exceed unique users (by 15–30%) due to second lines, tablets, and hotspots, so 17–20k mobile lines in-market is plausible.

Demographic nuances in usage

• Age:
  • 65+ (roughly 20% of population): smartphone adoption materially lower than younger cohorts (about 60–70%), lifting the share of flip/feature phones and voice/SMS-first plans compared with Kentucky overall.
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone adoption (95%+). Lindsey Wilson College boosts device and app intensity near Columbia and the campus, with noticeable weekday/semester peaks.
• Income and plan mix:
  • Lower median incomes vs. state mean a larger prepaid/MVNO footprint and slower device upgrade cycles. Expect higher use of budget Android and refurbished iPhones and stronger sensitivity to promotional unlimited plans.
  • With the Affordable Connectivity Program winding down in 2024, some households pivoted to mobile-only or plan downgrades; however, the county’s strong fiber availability (see below) softened that shift compared with other rural KY counties.
• Work and lifestyle:
  • Agriculture, small manufacturing, and service sectors drive practical uses: messaging, navigation, logistics, mobile banking, and equipment monitoring. IoT add-ons (trail cams, asset trackers) are common relative to urban counties.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers and networks:
  • Verizon and AT&T provide the most consistent rural coverage; T-Mobile’s 600 MHz expansion has improved reach but remains spottier off the main corridors.
  • Verizon’s acquisition of Bluegrass Cellular markedly improved capacity and rural reliability in this region versus the pre-2021 baseline.
• 5G specifics:
  • Low-band 5G covers Columbia and major routes (Cumberland Pkwy; KY-55 and KY-80 corridors). Mid-band 5G (for higher speeds) is present mainly in/near the county seat and along highways; deep rural areas still lean on LTE.
  • Compared with Kentucky’s urban counties, there are fewer small cells and less mid-band density, so median 5G speeds are lower and more variable.
• Terrain and dead zones:
  • Rolling hills, hollows, and the Green River Lake recreation area create signal shadows; Wi‑Fi calling is commonly used indoors in fringe areas.
• Fixed broadband interplay:
  • Duo Broadband (the local cooperative) has deployed significant fiber, including to rural roads—well above what many rural KY counties have. This reduces dependence on mobile-only internet at home and supports Wi‑Fi offload.
  • T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon fixed wireless are available near Columbia and corridors but serve more as gap-fill or for renters than as the primary solution in fiber-served areas.
• Public safety and resiliency:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) presence and legacy Bluegrass/Verizon rural hardening yield relatively strong voice/low-band coverage for emergency needs, even where mid-band data is thin.

How Adair County differs from Kentucky statewide

• Slightly lower smartphone penetration overall due to an older age mix and rural geography—but a higher-than-typical campus-driven cluster of heavy users around Columbia.
• Better-than-average rural fiber availability (via the local cooperative), so fewer “mobile-only” households than many rural KY peers; statewide comparisons are skewed by large metro counties where cable/fiber dominate.
• Post-Bluegrass integration, Verizon’s rural coverage/capacity improved here more than in many other counties—narrowing the AT&T lead seen in some rural parts of the state.
• 5G is more coverage-first than speed-first: low-band reach is decent, but mid-band density lags urban Kentucky, so real-world speeds and indoor performance trail the state’s metro averages.
• Higher prepaid/MVNO share and longer device replacement cycles than the state average; ACP’s sunset nudged some users to lean more on promotional mobile plans, but the impact was muted by fiber options.

Implications for stakeholders

• Carriers: adding mid-band 5G sectors and small cells near Columbia, campus areas, and lake/tourism nodes would yield outsized quality gains; targeted fill-in sites are needed for hollows and lakeside recreation zones.
• Public agencies: continue leveraging FirstNet and encourage neutral-host or DAS solutions in public buildings to mitigate indoor coverage gaps.
• Community and economic development: the county’s strong fiber base plus adequate macro coverage is a differentiator for remote work and small enterprise; promoting Wi‑Fi calling literacy and signal booster programs can further reduce dead zones.

Method notes

• Counts are derived by applying national/rural adoption rates to ACS-like population and age structures typical for Adair County, then adjusted for known local factors (college presence, fiber deployment, rural terrain). Use these as planning estimates until validated by carrier drive tests, Ookla/MLab aggregates, or county surveys.

Below is a concise, county-tailored snapshot. Exact, public, county-level social media stats aren’t available; figures are estimates extrapolated from Pew Research (2023–2024), rural U.S./Kentucky patterns, and Adair County’s demographics.

Scope/context

• Population: ~19.5k; adults ~15k. Rural broadband adoption lags urban KY; many residents are smartphone-first for internet/social.

User stats (estimated)

• Adults using at least one social platform: 65–75% (~10k–11.5k adults).
• Daily social users: 45–60% of all adults (7k–9k).
• Access: >85% of users are smartphone-primary; home broadband is mixed.
• Multi-platform behavior is common; Facebook + YouTube is the dominant pairing.

Most-used platforms (share of adults; overlapping)

• Facebook: 60–70%
• YouTube: 60–70%
• Instagram: 25–35%
• TikTok: 25–30%
• Snapchat: 20–30% (skews under 30)
• Pinterest: 20–30% (skews female)
• X (Twitter): 12–18% (light usage)
• WhatsApp: 8–12% (family/intl ties; small)
• Reddit: 8–12% (niche/younger men)
• LinkedIn: 8–12% (lower due to local industry mix)
• Nextdoor: <5% (limited presence in rural areas)

Age patterns (approximate)

• Teens (13–17): 90%+ on social; heavy Snapchat/TikTok; Instagram for teams/activities; minimal Facebook except for groups/events.
• 18–29: Near-universal use; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat strong; Facebook for events/groups and Messenger.
• 30–49: High use; Facebook + Messenger and YouTube dominate; Instagram growing; TikTok used for entertainment, recipes, local finds.
• 50–64: Facebook heavy (groups, Marketplace, church, school updates); YouTube for how-to, news clips; lighter Instagram/TikTok.
• 65+: Facebook first; YouTube for sermons, music, DIY; many are lurkers more than posters.

Gender differences (typical rural KY pattern)

• Women: Slightly higher overall use; over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; strong engagement in FB Groups, school/church updates, Marketplace.
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; watch DIY, hunting/fishing, small-engine repair, ag content.

Behavioral trends in Adair County

• Community-first Facebook usage: Very active local Groups (yard sale/buy-sell-trade, lost & found, school sports, church/community events, road conditions, outages). Marketplace is a key classifieds hub.
• Local information hub: School district, youth sports, churches, and county/city updates drive high engagement. Trust is higher for known local admins/pages.
• Video habits: Short vertical video (Reels/TikTok) performs well; YouTube used for how-to, sermons, music, and TV-streamed “lean-back” viewing.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is de facto communication tool for many families, teams, and churches; group chats coordinate events and sports.
• Timing: Peaks before work/school (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.). Weekends see spikes around events and sports results.
• Content preferences: Photos of familiar people/places, concise local updates, giveaways, and practical info (closings, outages, roadwork) outperform generic content.
• Commerce: Facebook ads with tight geo-targeting (15–25 miles) and Marketplace listings convert well; Instagram works for boutiques and youth-oriented services; TikTok helps local food/retail discovery when cross-posted to Reels.
• Adoption barriers: Data caps and patchy broadband shape behavior—users favor quick-loading posts and short videos; some older users are wary of new platforms.

Notes

• Percentages are directional and meant for planning; platform usage overlaps substantially. For campaigns, test creatives on Facebook/Instagram first, layer YouTube for video reach, and add TikTok for 18–39 discovery.