Boyle County

Key demographics for Boyle County, Kentucky

• Population size: 30,900 (2023 estimate)
• Age:
  • Under 5: ~5.3%
  • Under 18: ~21.0%
  • 65 and over: ~19.3%
• Gender: ~51.4% female, ~48.6% male
• Racial/ethnic composition:
  • White alone: ~86.0%
  • Black or African American alone: ~7.3%
  • Asian alone: ~1.1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.2%
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
  • Two or more races: ~5.1%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4.0%
  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~82.5%
• Household data:
  • Households: ~12.4k (2019–2023)
  • Persons per household: ~2.32

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates and 2023 population estimate. Notes: “Hispanic or Latino” is an ethnicity and may be of any race; “White alone, not Hispanic or Latino” is shown to avoid double counting.

Boyle County, KY snapshot (estimates)

• Users: Population ~30.6k; ~24k are adults. Applying national email adoption (≈92–95% of adults) yields ~22–23k adult email users.
• Age: Email use is near‑universal among younger adults and high among seniors:
  • 18–29 ≈99%
  • 30–49 ≈98%
  • 50–64 ≈95%
  • 65+ ≈85–90% This means most users are 18–64, with slightly lower representation from 65+ due to lower adoption.
• Gender: County is slightly majority female (~51%); email users mirror this (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Digital access trends:
  • About 80–88% of households have a home broadband subscription; 10–15% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Broadband is strongest in and around Danville (cable/fiber), while rural areas rely more on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools, municipal sites) supplements access for those without home service.
• Local density/connectivity: Population density ~165–170 people per sq. mile; connectivity is best along the Danville/US‑127 and US‑150 corridors. Ongoing state/federal investments are expanding fiber, though affordability and device gaps persist for a small share of residents.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Boyle County, Kentucky

Context and method

• County of roughly 31,000 residents centered on Danville (college town and healthcare hub) with rural areas around Perryville, Junction City, Parksville/Forkland, and along Herrington Lake. Estimates below use 2020–2023 ACS population, national/rural smartphone adoption from Pew Research, and typical carrier rollout patterns and FCC coverage mapping for Kentucky; figures are presented as reasoned estimates, not enumerated counts.

User estimates

• Adult mobile users (any cell phone): about 23,000–24,000 (roughly 94–96% of ~24,500 adults).
• Adult smartphone users: about 21,500–22,500 (roughly 88–92% of adults; higher in Danville, lower in outlying areas).
• Youth users: approximately 2,500–3,000 minors with phones (most 13–17, limited 5–12).
• Total individual users (all ages): roughly 25,000–27,000.
• Active lines/subscriptions (includes second lines, business, tablets, watches, IoT): about 30,000–36,000, or ~1.0–1.2 lines per resident (below the national average, but above many rural Kentucky counties because of institutional and small-business lines).

Demographic patterns (estimated)

• Age
  • 18–24 (Centre College/student cohort): ~3,200–3,500 people; smartphone ownership ~96–98%; heavy app/data usage, iOS share above county average.
  • 25–44: ~7,000–7,500; smartphone ~95%+; highest multi-line and hotspot use for work/family.
  • 45–64: ~7,500–8,000; smartphone ~90–93%; strong postpaid family plans.
  • 65+: ~6,000–6,500; smartphone ~75–80%; above-average voice/text-first usage; some flip/feature-phone retention.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income and rural households show higher prepaid usage and mobile-only internet reliance, especially outside the Spectrum/AT&T fiber/cable footprints.
  • Danville professionals, healthcare, education staff are more likely on employer-subsidized or postpaid family plans.
• Education
  • Bachelor’s attainment is higher than the state average due to the college; correlates with higher smartphone ownership and newer devices.
• Race/ethnicity
  • Racial composition is predominantly White with a meaningful Black minority and a small but growing Hispanic population; after controlling for income and age, device ownership gaps are modest, but mobile-only internet reliance is higher in lower-income tracts.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage
  • All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) operate in the county.
  • 5G low-band is broadly available; mid-band 5G (e.g., T-Mobile n41, AT&T/Verizon C-band) is concentrated in and around Danville and key corridors (US 127, US 150, KY 52). Rural areas rely more on LTE/low-band 5G.
  • Typical user experience: in-town 5G mid-band can deliver 100–300 Mbps; rural LTE/low-band often 5–25 Mbps, with occasional drops in low-lying or wooded terrain.
• Where service is weakest
  • Western/southwestern knobs and hollows near Parksville/Forkland and pockets around Perryville; some bluff/valley areas near the Dix River and Herrington Lake can see attenuation and handoff issues.
• Towers/backhaul
  • A modest set of macro sites along highways and near Danville; recent upgrades have added FirstNet capability on AT&T sites supporting emergency services and the hospital.
  • Fiber backhaul is anchored by statewide KentuckyWired middle-mile access in the county seat, with business fiber from AT&T, Spectrum, and regional providers serving the hospital, college, and industrial sites.
• Offload and public Wi‑Fi
  • Robust campus Wi‑Fi at Centre College, public library access, and downtown hotspots reduce mobile data load in the core.

How Boyle County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher young-adult share and a college presence drive:
  • Above-state-average smartphone penetration among 18–24 and faster device refresh cycles.
  • Higher iOS share among young users and heavier app-based consumption (video, ride-share, food delivery) than similarly sized rural counties.
• Earlier/more consistent mid-band 5G availability in and around Danville than in many rural KY counties, thanks to user density, institutional anchors, and fiber backhaul.
• Slightly lower prepaid share than the statewide average in the Danville area due to employer and family postpaid plans, though prepaid remains common in rural tracts.
• Fewer and smaller dead zones than Appalachian KY, but more coverage variability than the Lexington–Louisville metros; indoor coverage is generally good in town and spottier in older rural homes and metal buildings.
• Event-driven capacity spikes (college events, fairs, downtown festivals, US‑127 corridor travel) are more pronounced than in typical rural counties and have prompted targeted in-town capacity upgrades.

Notes and caveats

• These are best-fit local estimates grounded in recent national and Kentucky patterns and the county’s known anchors (college, hospital). For planning or procurement, validate with carrier RF maps and drive tests, FCC Broadband DATA maps for specific addresses, and the latest ACS/CDC/Pew breakouts for device and internet adoption.

Below is an estimate-based snapshot built from US Census/ACS demographics for Boyle County (≈30–31k residents) and Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 social media data, adjusted for a small-town/rural Kentucky context. Exact county-level platform data aren’t published, so treat these as directional.

Overall usage (13+)

• Estimated social media users: ~19,000–20,000 residents (about 70–76% of those age 13+; ≈62–66% of total population)
• By age group using at least one platform (share of each group who use social media):
  • 13–17: 90–95%
  • 18–29: 85–90%
  • 30–49: 80–85%
  • 50–64: 70–75%
  • 65+: 45–55%
• Approximate share of the local user base by age: 13–17 (9%), 18–29 (20%), 30–49 (32%), 50–64 (23%), 65+ (~15%)

Gender breakdown

• Users overall: roughly 54% women, 46% men
• Platform skews:
  • More women: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat
  • More men: YouTube, Reddit, X/Twitter
  • LinkedIn skews to college-educated/white-collar professionals (e.g., healthcare, education, admins)

Most-used platforms in Boyle County (estimated reach among residents age 13+)

• YouTube: 75–85%
• Facebook: 65–75%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 28–36%
• Pinterest: 25–33%
• Snapchat: 22–30%
• X/Twitter: 15–22%
• LinkedIn: 12–18%
• Reddit: 12–18%
• Nextdoor: 3–7% (Facebook groups tend to fill this “neighborhood” role locally)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community and info hub: Facebook groups/pages dominate for local news, school/weather alerts, lost & found, church and civic updates, high-school and Centre College sports, and local politics. Marketplace is heavily used for buy/sell/trade.
• Events and small-business marketing: FB Events and Instagram posts drive attendance for fairs, festivals, sports, and church activities; small businesses lean on boosted FB/IG posts and Messenger DMs for inquiries and appointments.
• Video consumption: YouTube is ubiquitous for entertainment and how‑to content; TikTok and Instagram Reels are rising, especially among teens/20s. Short local clips (sports highlights, community happenings) perform well.
• Messaging habits: Teens/younger adults rely on Snapchat and Instagram DMs for daily chat; families and older adults use Facebook Messenger.
• Civic engagement and trust: Local issues (schools, zoning, elections) are debated in FB groups; rumors can spread quickly—posts from known local institutions/journalists get higher trust and engagement.
• Timing and format: Engagement tends to peak early morning and evenings; short vertical video, clear calls to action, and locally relevant imagery outperform generic graphics.

Method note and sources

• Population/age mix from US Census/ACS; platform adoption and age/gender patterns from Pew Research Center (2023–2024). Local percentages are inferred by applying national patterns to Boyle County’s small-town/rural profile.