Edmonson County

Edmonson County, Kentucky – key demographics

Population size

• 12,126 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age

• Median age: ~44 years
• Under 18: ~21%
• 65 and over: ~21% (source: ACS 2018–2022 5-year estimates)

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50% (source: ACS 2018–2022)

Racial/ethnic composition

• White, non-Hispanic: ~95%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, other: <1% each (source: ACS 2018–2022)

Household data

• Households: ~4,900
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~70% of households; married-couple families ~55%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~80% of occupied units (source: ACS 2018–2022)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Values rounded.

Edmonson County, KY snapshot (estimates)

• Population: ~12.3k; sparse density ~40 people/sq mi. Large tracts of Mammoth Cave National Park lower address density, raising last‑mile costs.

Email users

• Estimated users: 7.5k–8.5k (assumes ~80–85% of adults online and ~90% of those using email; teens included at lower rates).

By age (share of email users; approx. counts if total = 8,000)

• 13–17: 5% (~400)
• 18–29: 15% (~1,200)
• 30–49: 35% (~2,800)
• 50–64: 25% (~2,000)
• 65+: 20% (~1,600)

Gender split

• Roughly even: ~49–51% female, ~49–51% male; small nonbinary/other (<1%). Email use rates by gender are effectively equal.

Digital access and trends

• Household broadband subscription: ~75–80%; no home internet: ~18–22%.
• Smartphone‑only internet users: ~10–15% of households, higher in remote areas.
• Fixed broadband strongest in/near Brownsville and along main routes; many outlying hollows rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• Gradual gains from cable/fiber builds and fixed‑wireless upgrades; affordability pressures (post‑ACP funding lapse) may slow adoption among low‑income households.

Notes: Figures derive from recent ACS/FCC rural patterns applied to Edmonson’s population; treat as directional estimates.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Edmonson County, Kentucky (focus on what differs from statewide patterns)

Big picture

• Edmonson County is small, rural, and older than Kentucky’s average. Those factors depress overall smartphone ownership slightly, but increase reliance on mobile service as a primary internet option where home broadband is sparse.

User estimates (modeled; ranges reflect uncertainty)

• Population baseline: ~12.1–12.4K people (2020 Census, recent estimates). Adults are roughly 9.3–9.7K.
• Any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): about 8.8K–9.6K users countywide.
• Smartphones:
  • Adults: roughly 7.1K–7.8K (≈76–82% of adults; rural and older age mix pulls this a few points below Kentucky overall).
  • Teens (13–17): +0.6K–0.7K (very high adoption in this group).
  • Total smartphone users: ~7.7K–8.5K.
• Mobile-only internet households (smartphone data plan but no fixed home broadband): likely 18–25% in Edmonson vs roughly mid-teens statewide. This reflects patchier wired broadband and lower incomes that favor mobile plans over fixed service.
• Basic/feature-phone-only users: ~8–12% of adults (a few points higher than statewide), tied to the larger 65+ share and cost sensitivity.

Demographic breakdown and how it shapes mobile use

• Age: A higher share of residents 50+ and 65+ than Kentucky overall.
  • Expected smartphone adoption by age bracket locally: 18–49 ≈90–95%; 50–64 ≈75–85%; 65+ ≈55–65%. The older skew lowers the countywide average versus the state.
• Income and education: Median household income and 4-year degree attainment are below Kentucky averages.
  • Effects: More prepaid/MVNO plans, slower device upgrade cycles, and greater likelihood of using a phone as the primary internet connection.
• Race/ethnicity: The county is less diverse than Kentucky overall; differences in mobile adoption here are driven more by age, rurality, and income than by race.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (what stands out locally)

• Carriers: AT&T (including FirstNet), Verizon, and T-Mobile all serve the market. 4G LTE is broadly available along primary roads and in/near Brownsville; coverage thins in hollows and low-density areas.
• 5G footprint: Present but lighter than Kentucky’s urban corridors (Louisville–Lexington–NKY, Bowling Green). Expect mainly low-band 5G with limited mid-band capacity; indoor 5G performance is uneven. This lags state-level availability and speeds.
• Terrain and land use: Karst topography and public lands (e.g., Mammoth Cave area, Nolin Lake environs) create dead zones and weaker indoor signal—constraints that are more pronounced than the Kentucky average.
• Backhaul and middle-mile: Proximity to I-65 corridors offers regional fiber, but lateral reach into thinly populated parts of Edmonson is limited; that constrains both fixed broadband buildout and some mobile capacity relative to the state.
• Public safety: FirstNet coverage along major routes enhances reliability for voice/SMS more than high-throughput data in remote spots.
• Resulting user behavior: Compared with the state, Edmonson residents are more likely to:
  • Rely on mobile data or hotspotting in lieu of home broadband.
  • Use signal boosters or Wi‑Fi calling at home.
  • Favor lower-cost plans and MVNOs; prioritize coverage reliability over peak speeds.

How Edmonson differs from Kentucky overall (key takeaways)

• Slightly lower overall smartphone ownership (roughly 3–6 percentage points below state average) due to older age structure and lower incomes.
• Higher share of mobile-only internet households (by roughly 3–7 points) because fixed broadband is less available/affordable in parts of the county.
• Slower 5G rollout and lower median mobile speeds than state urban/suburban areas; more pronounced coverage gaps from terrain and public lands.
• A small but noticeable pocket of basic/feature-phone users persists (especially 65+), higher than the statewide share.

Notes on method and data quality

• Estimates combine county population and age structure (U.S. Census/ACS), national smartphone ownership by age and rurality (Pew Research), and statewide/rural infrastructure patterns (FCC coverage/broadband data, carrier public maps, industry reports). Exact, current carrier footprints and tower counts fluctuate; for planning-grade precision, check the FCC National Broadband Map, Kentucky PSC filings, carrier coverage tools, and crowdsourced measurements (Ookla, OpenSignal, CellMapper).

Here’s a concise, county-sized view built from ACS demographics for Edmonson County (~12k residents), plus Pew Research 2024 U.S. social media patterns adjusted for rural Kentucky. Figures are modeled estimates, not platform-reported counts.

Topline user stats

• Estimated social media users: 8.0–8.8k residents age 13+ (≈78–84% of 13+ population)
• Devices/access context: smartphone-first; home broadband a bit below U.S. average, so short-form video and messaging are favored

Age mix of social users (share of users, not of total population)

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–24: 10%
• 25–34: 17%
• 35–44: 18%
• 45–54: 17%
• 55–64: 16%
• 65+: 15%

Gender breakdown of social users

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Most-used platforms (share of social users; monthly)

• YouTube: ~84%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Facebook Messenger: ~62%
• Instagram: ~39%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~28%
• LinkedIn: ~16%
• WhatsApp: ~18%
• X (Twitter): ~12%
• Reddit: ~12%
• Nextdoor: ~7%

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first Facebook: heavy use of local Groups and Pages for news, school sports, church updates, weather alerts, and county services; Facebook Events drive attendance.
• Marketplace matters: strong buy/sell/trade behavior; local deals outperform generic brand posts.
• Video habits: YouTube for how‑to, outdoors (hunting/fishing), auto repair, and local sports; TikTok for quick entertainment and local creators among teens/20s.
• Messaging over feeds: day-to-day coordination via Messenger (families) and Snapchat (teens/young adults); DMs are a key response channel.
• Timing: engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; midday bumps around lunch.
• Content style: practical, local, and people-centric posts perform best; giveaways, fundraisers, and community spotlights draw strong shares/comments.
• Politics/alerts: spikes around elections, road closures, storms; “community watch” posts see high viral spread.
• Discovery: small businesses rely on Facebook/Google listings; Instagram used for visual catalogs by boutiques, salons, and food trucks.

Notes on method and uncertainty

• Built from county population structure (ACS) combined with national platform penetration (Pew 2024) and rural-Kentucky adjustments for broadband and median age. Treat percentages as directional (±5–10 points).