Clark County

Do you want the latest U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 estimates or the 2020 Decennial Census counts? I can provide both; please confirm your preferred source/year.

Here’s a pragmatic, data-informed snapshot for Clark County, KY (Winchester area).

• Estimated email users: ~29–32k residents use email at least monthly (≈80–85% of the 37–38k population). Basis: ~85–90% with internet access (home broadband or mobile-only) and ~90–95% email use among internet users.
• Age distribution (estimated adoption rates):
  • 13–17: ~70–80%
  • 18–29: ~95%
  • 30–49: ~97%
  • 50–64: ~90%
  • 65+: ~75–80%
• Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male overall; email adoption is essentially equal by gender, so users mirror the population split.
• Digital access trends:
  • Households with home broadband: roughly 80–85%; another ~5–8% are smartphone‑only.
  • Fiber buildouts and fixed‑wireless have expanded since 2022; adoption rising post‑pandemic.
  • Near‑universal availability of baseline broadband; fastest tiers concentrated in Winchester/along I‑64, with slower options in some rural tracts.
  • Public library and schools in Winchester provide free Wi‑Fi access points.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈145 people/sq mi (county area ≈255 sq mi), with most residents clustered near Winchester and the I‑64 corridor—areas with the best speeds and provider choice.

Notes: Estimates derived from ACS, Pew, and FCC benchmarks applied to local demographics.

Below is a practical, decision‑oriented brief based on the best available public indicators and reasonable assumptions for a county of Clark’s size and profile. Where exact local counts are not published, I give transparent estimates and note how they differ from Kentucky statewide patterns.

Headline takeaways

• Clark County skews a bit better than Kentucky overall on coverage and speeds (metro adjacency to Lexington/I‑64), and a bit lower than the state on “smartphone‑only” reliance in the city of Winchester—but rural fringes still resemble the state’s rural gaps.
• Estimated 29–33 thousand smartphone users countywide, with daytime demand concentrated in Winchester, schools, industrial sites, and the I‑64 corridor.

User estimates (order‑of‑magnitude, with method)

• Population base: ~38k residents (2023 est.; county had ~37k in 2020). About 86% are age 12+.
• Smartphone adoption: using Kentucky/US adult benchmarks (roughly mid‑ to high‑80s percent) plus high teen adoption, a realistic countywide rate is ~85–90%.
• Estimated smartphone users: 0.86 × 38k × 0.85–0.90 ≈ 28.0k–29.5k; add limited under‑12 use and basic‑phone owners ⇒ roughly 29–33k total mobile users.
• Smartphone‑only internet (no home broadband):
  • Likely lower than the Kentucky statewide share inside Winchester due to cable/fiber availability.
  • Likely similar to the state in rural tracts (east/southeast of the city), where fixed broadband options thin out.

Demographic patterns that matter for mobile usage

• Age: Clark’s age structure is near the state average. Seniors (65+) are a smaller share than in many eastern KY counties, so the county likely shows slightly higher smartphone uptake than those rural peers, but similar to the state overall.
• Income/education: Winchester’s proximity to Lexington supports slightly higher device and data‑plan uptake among working‑age adults than in more remote counties; however, lower‑income households in rural tracts are more mobile‑dependent (smartphone‑only) when fixed broadband is unavailable or unaffordable.
• Race/ethnicity: Minority households in Kentucky tend to be more smartphone‑dependent for home internet. In Clark (majority White with small but growing Black and Hispanic populations), this pattern likely holds—greater mobile reliance among minority and lower‑income households than among the county average.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and 5G:
  • All three national carriers cover Winchester and the I‑64 corridor with strong LTE and deployed 5G. This puts Clark slightly ahead of many rural KY counties and close to statewide metro performance.
  • Pockets on the county fringe (especially southeast toward river/valley terrain) can experience weaker signal and slower uplinks—consistent with state rural patterns.
• Capacity/performance:
  • Median download speeds in and around Winchester are typically above the Kentucky rural median and near or modestly above the statewide median, driven by mid‑band 5G deployments and fiber backhaul in the city.
  • Peak‑time congestion most often observed around I‑64 exits, school campuses, and industrial/logistics sites, more akin to metro‑adjacent counties than to rural Kentucky.
• Backhaul and redundancy:
  • Fiber is present in the city (incumbent telco and cable), aiding mobile backhaul and small‑cell feasibility; rural sectors rely more on long fiber laterals or microwave, which constrains capacity—again better than remote counties but not at urban redundancy levels.
• Public safety:
  • FirstNet (AT&T) presence and overlapping macro sites give emergency services better than average coverage versus many rural KY counties.

How Clark differs from Kentucky overall

• Slightly higher 4G/5G availability and median speeds than the state average, owing to adjacency to Lexington and I‑64; more like other “commuter belt” counties than rural Appalachian counties.
• Lower “smartphone‑only” share in Winchester than the statewide figure (more fixed broadband options), but similar to statewide in the rural edges—so the urban‑rural divide is sharper within the county.
• Demand pattern is commute‑driven (daytime inflow/outflow and highway corridors), a less dominant factor in many rural KY counties.

Data sources to confirm/refresh with exact figures

• ACS 5‑year “Computer and Internet Use” (Table S2801) for:
  • Households with a smartphone
  • Cellular data plan subscription
  • Broadband versus smartphone‑only households (county vs Kentucky)
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (Mobile) for carrier 4G/5G coverage polygons and technology layers.
• Ookla Speedtest Intelligence or M‑Lab for median speeds at county and city levels.
• FCC ASR + state tower inventories (Kentucky Office of Broadband) for tower density and new site builds.

Here’s a concise, planning-oriented snapshot for Clark County, KY. Figures are estimates based on Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media benchmarks, rural/small-city patterns, and the county’s demographics. Use these as directional ranges; local platform ad tools can refine them.

County snapshot

• Population: ~37,000; adults: ~28,000–29,000
• Adult social media penetration: ~80–85% ⇒ ~23,000–25,000 adult users
• Teens (13–17): ~3,000; very high social usage

Most-used platforms (estimated share of county adults using monthly)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75% (local hub)
• Instagram: 38–45%
• TikTok: 25–33%
• Pinterest: 30–36% (skews female)
• Snapchat: 22–30% (heavy in 18–29)
• LinkedIn: 18–24% (higher among commuters/professionals tied to Lexington)
• WhatsApp: 12–18%
• X (Twitter): 15–20%
• Reddit: 15–20%
• Nextdoor: 5–10% (limited neighborhood footprint)

Age patterns (typical local tendency)

• Teens (13–17): YouTube 90%+, TikTok ~60%, Snapchat ~60%, Instagram ~60%, Facebook ~30%
• 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~70%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~60%, Facebook ~60%
• 30–49: Facebook ~75%, YouTube ~90%, Instagram ~55%, TikTok ~35%
• 50+: Facebook ~70%, YouTube ~75%, Instagram 20–30%, TikTok 10–20%

Gender breakdown (of social users)

• Female (~51% of population): over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; heavy in community groups, school/church pages, Marketplace
• Male (~49%): over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; strong interest in sports, outdoors, automotive, DIY

Behavioral trends to expect locally

• Facebook as the community backbone: buy/sell/trade and yard-sale groups, local news/weather, school and youth sports, churches, civic updates; Marketplace is very active
• Short-form video growth: Facebook Reels/Stories and YouTube Shorts outperform static posts; live streams for games and events draw spikes
• Discovery and referrals: Restaurants, home services, and events found via Facebook groups, Google/Maps, and word-of-mouth in comments
• Messaging-first coordination: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat drive group communication (teams, clubs, church groups)
• Timing: Engagement strongest evenings and weekends; parent activity often mid-morning/early afternoon on weekdays
• Advertising notes: Geotargeted boosts within ~10–20 miles work well; offers, giveaways, and event reminders convert better than generic brand creative; older audiences respond to clear value props and phone numbers

Note: For campaign planning, validate platform-specific reach by pulling current audience estimates for “Winchester/Clark County, KY” in Meta, Google/YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok ads managers.