Crittenden County

Key demographics: Crittenden County, Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau; primarily 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates; population count from 2020 Census)

• Population: ~8,900 (ACS 2019–2023); 8,990 (2020 Census)
• Age:
  • Median age: ~44
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~21%
• Gender:
  • Female: ~50–51%
  • Male: ~49–50%
• Race/ethnicity:
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~93–95%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~2–3%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~1–2%
  • Two or more races: ~2%
  • Other (Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, etc.): <1% each
• Households:
  • ~3,800 households
  • Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
  • Owner-occupied rate: ~77–80%
  • Households with children under 18: ~25–28%
  • Single-person households: ~28–32%

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

Summary for Crittenden County, Kentucky (estimates)

• Population and users: ~9,000 residents (2020). ~6,900 adults (18+). Applying typical U.S. adult email adoption (≈92–94% per Pew), about 6,400 (range 6,100–6,700) adults use email.
• Age profile of email users (approximate):
  • 18–34: ~1.7k users (near-universal use)
  • 35–54: ~2.2k
  • 55–64: ~1.0k
  • 65+: ~1.6k (adoption lower than younger groups but still high, ~85–90%)
• Gender split: Close to 50/50; email adoption is similar for men and women.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription is likely around 75–80% (ACS-style rural KY benchmarks), with the remainder relying on mobile-only internet or lacking home service.
  • Smartphone-only users are material (roughly 15–20%), which can shift email use toward mobile apps.
  • Broadband availability covers most addresses but with gaps in the most sparsely populated areas; ongoing state/federal investments (e.g., BEAD) aim to expand fiber and improve speeds/affordability.
• Local density/connectivity context: Low population density (~25 people per square mile) increases last‑mile costs and contributes to patchy fixed-broadband options; public Wi‑Fi (e.g., library, schools) helps fill access gaps.

Notes: Figures are derived by applying national/state adoption rates to local population counts; actual usage may vary slightly.

Below is a practical, planning-grade overview based on recent national/rural adoption studies, FCC coverage filings, and Kentucky regional infrastructure patterns. Figures are estimates; use them as starting points and refine with local survey or carrier data if decisions depend on precision.

At-a-glance user estimates (Crittenden County vs. Kentucky overall)

• Population baseline: ~9,000 residents; ~7,000 adults.
• Mobile phone users (any handset): 7,500–8,500 residents (higher than adult count because many teens have phones). Statewide penetration is slightly higher and more uniform.
• Smartphone users: 5,800–6,500 adults (roughly 78–85% of adults locally vs ~83–88% statewide). Older age structure pulls the county a few points below the state average.
• Feature/basic phones: 8–12% locally vs ~5–7% statewide; concentrated among 65+ and very-low-income users.
• Prepaid segment: 30–40% of mobile lines locally vs ~20–25% statewide. Cost sensitivity and spotty credit lift prepaid/MVNO use.
• Mobile-only internet households (no fixed home broadband): 20–28% locally vs ~15–18% statewide. This rose after the 2024 ACP subsidy lapse as some households shifted from discounted fixed to phone-based hotspotting.

Demographic usage patterns that differ from state-level

• Age: Larger 55+ share than Kentucky overall. Result: more voice/SMS reliance, slower device refresh cycles (3–4+ years vs ~2–3 statewide), and slightly lower 5G handset penetration.
• Income: Median household income below the state median; higher incidence of capped or prepaid plans. Data budgeting is common; users offload to public Wi‑Fi when available.
• Education/work mix: Agriculture, trades, and small retail drive practical app use (weather, marketplace listings, payments on LTE, messaging) over bandwidth-heavy entertainment. Streaming happens, but often at lower resolutions on phones or via hotspot.
• Household structure: More single-car and multi-generational households increase shared hotspots and line stacking on family prepaid plans.

Digital infrastructure and coverage notes (what stands out locally)

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available around Marion and primary corridors (e.g., US‑60), with dead zones in hollows and river bottoms. Coverage reliability varies more by micro‑terrain than in most Kentucky metros.
• 5G availability: Predominantly low-band (DSS) with modest speeds; mid-band 5G is limited and concentrated near town. This lags state urban centers where mid-band is common.
• Carrier dynamics: AT&T and Verizon typically provide the most consistent rural coverage; T‑Mobile performance is more variable outside Marion. That skew is stronger than in Louisville/Lexington where T‑Mobile share is higher.
• Capacity/performance:
  • In-town median download speeds commonly 30–120 Mbps on 5G low-band/LTE-A when uncongested.
  • Rural sectors often 5–25 Mbps and can dip at peak hours; uplink is the frequent bottleneck for telehealth/video.
• Towers and densification: Mostly macro sites with multi-carrier co‑location; limited small-cell presence. State metros have far more in-fill and small cells.
• Backhaul and fiber context: Anchor institutions (schools, county facilities, library) are on fiber backhaul via regional/middle‑mile networks, but last‑mile fiber to dispersed homes is patchy. That gap elevates mobile substitution more than in many Kentucky counties with cable/fiber incumbents.
• Public safety and resilience: AT&T FirstNet (Band 14) is present on select sites; it improves emergency coverage, but commercial sector redundancy is still thinner than in metro Kentucky.
• Public Wi‑Fi: Library, schools, courthouse, some churches and businesses offer access, but density of free Wi‑Fi nodes is low—making mobile data a primary on‑ramp for many residents.

Behavioral and market trends distinct from the state average

• Higher mobile-only dependence for home connectivity, especially after the Affordable Connectivity Program funding lapse in 2024.
• More prepaid/MVNO usage and price-sensitive plan switching; hotspot add‑ons are common.
• Slower device upgrade cycle and lower penetration of 5G‑capable mid/high‑tier phones relative to Kentucky’s urban counties.
• Heavier use of Facebook, Messenger, and SMS for community and commerce; slightly lower adoption of emerging social/video apps among older cohorts.
• Time-and-place congestion spikes (school events, fairgrounds, hunting season lodging clusters) are more noticeable due to fewer sectors and less spare capacity.
• Business use skew: Mobile point‑of‑sale and scheduling on LTE in small shops and farm operations; less reliance on cloud-heavy workflows than in metro SMEs.

What this means for planning and outreach

• If you need to reach most residents: prioritize SMS and Facebook; ensure low-bandwidth web pages; consider zero‑rating or data‑light media for campaigns.
• For telehealth/education: schedule flexibility and adaptive bitrate video are essential; offer offline/async options for users in uplink-poor areas.
• Infrastructure priorities: add mid-band 5G sectors around Marion and along US‑60; targeted rural sector splits or carrier aggregation upgrades in known choke points; expand last‑mile fiber to reduce mobile-only strain.

Method notes and sources to refine locally

• Population and age/income baselines: U.S. Census/ACS.
• Device and plan adoption benchmarks: Pew Research Center (rural vs overall), CTIA industry totals.
• Coverage/performance: FCC Broadband Map filings; carrier maps; third-party performance datasets (e.g., Ookla, RootMetrics) for spot checks.
• Local verification: County IT/911, school district tech leads, library network staff, and regional development authorities often have current fiber/backhaul and tower upgrade intel.

Below is a concise, county‑level picture using the latest publicly available research on rural/Kentucky social media adoption (e.g., Pew Research 2023–2024) applied to Crittenden County’s size and age profile. Treat percentages as reasonable estimates with a ±5–10 point margin.

User stats (approximate)

• Population: ~8,800–9,000; adults (18+): ~6,800–7,000.
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~5,500–6,000 (≈78–85% of adults).
• Teens (13–17) using at least one platform: ~400–500 (≈80–90% of teens).
• Total social users (13+): ~5,900–6,500.

Age mix of users

• 13–17: ~7–9%
• 18–29: ~15–18%
• 30–49: ~30–35% (largest active cohort for local groups/marketplace)
• 50–64: ~25–30%
• 65+: ~15–20% (heavy Facebook/YouTube)

Gender breakdown (directional)

• Overall users: ~52–55% women, ~45–48% men.
• Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Most‑used platforms (adults, share of adult population)

• YouTube: ~70–78%
• Facebook: ~60–68%
• Instagram: ~25–33%
• TikTok: ~22–30%
• Snapchat: ~15–22%
• Pinterest: ~20–28% (mostly women)
• X/Twitter: ~5–9%
• LinkedIn: ~5–8% (low; professional footprint is small)
• WhatsApp: ~5–10% (family groups; lower than national average)
• Nextdoor: <5% (limited coverage in rural areas)

Teens (13–17) platform usage

• YouTube: ~90%+
• Snapchat: ~70–80%
• TikTok: ~70–80%
• Instagram: ~65–75%
• Facebook: ~20–30% (mostly for family/teams/community notices)

Behavioral trends to know

• Facebook is the local hub: community groups (buy–sell–trade, yard sales, lost/found pets), school sports, church updates, obituaries, weather/road and utility alerts. Facebook Messenger is the default DM for residents and small businesses.
• Marketplace is big: residents shop and sell locally; many businesses take orders via DMs instead of websites.
• Events and civic info: High engagement with Facebook Events, school district pages, churches, and county agencies for closures and announcements.
• Video habits: YouTube for how‑to, equipment/auto repair, homestead/farm content, sermons; Facebook Live for local sports and church services. Short‑form video (TikTok/Reels) is growing and often cross‑posted to Facebook.
• Younger users: Heavier on Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram; prefer DMs and ephemeral stories over public posts. School sports and clubs sometimes cross‑post to X, but discovery still happens via Facebook/IG.
• Older users: Primarily Facebook feed/groups plus YouTube; sharing local news, events, and community commentary.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks early mornings and evenings on weekdays; weekends favor Marketplace, event recaps, and sports.

Notes on method

• Figures are derived by applying rural U.S. and Kentucky usage rates from recent national studies to Crittenden County’s size/age profile; precise county‑level platform stats are rarely published. For planning, use these as directional ranges and validate with platform ad‑audience tools (Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) filtered to Crittenden County.