Floyd County

Key demographics for Floyd County, Kentucky (latest U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates):

• Population: ~35.6k
• Age:
  • Median age: ~42
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 65 and over: ~19%
• Sex:
  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%
• Race and ethnicity:
  • White (alone): ~96%
  • Black or African American (alone): ~1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, or other (each): <1% each
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2%
• Households:
  • Number of households: ~14,000
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~70% of households
  • Owner-occupied housing rate: ~70–75%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

Floyd County, KY email usage snapshot

• Population ~36,000; density ~90 people/sq mi, centered around Prestonsburg.

Estimated email users

• About 29,000 residents use email at least occasionally (assumes most people 13+ online, with rural adoption slightly below U.S. average).

Age distribution of email users (share of users)

• 13–24: ~16%
• 25–44: ~30%
• 45–64: ~34%
• 65+: ~20% (lower adoption but growing)

Gender split

• Roughly mirrors population: ~51% female, ~49% male among users.

Digital access and connectivity trends

• Home broadband subscriptions around 75–80% of households; 15–20% rely mainly on smartphones.
• Fiber/cable available in and near Prestonsburg and along US‑23; many outlying communities use DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• 4G LTE is widespread; 5G is expanding on main corridors.
• Public Wi‑Fi via libraries, schools, and city hotspots; state/federal initiatives (BEAD, KentuckyWired, ARC) are funding new last‑mile builds.
• Rugged terrain and dispersed hollows keep costs high and speeds uneven, but adoption rises quickly when fiber reaches a neighborhood.

Below is a concise, county-focused picture based on recent rural/Appalachian benchmarks, state/national adoption studies, and the county’s demographic and terrain profile. Figures are estimates intended for planning; they emphasize where Floyd County likely diverges from Kentucky statewide patterns.

High-level user estimates

• Population base: Floyd County totals about 34–36k residents, with ~27–29k adults (18+).
• Adult mobile phone users (any mobile): 90–93% of adults, or roughly 24.5k–27k users.
• Adult smartphone users: 82–85% of adults, or about 22k–24k users.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband at home): 28–35% of households, notably higher than the Kentucky average (~20–24%).

Demographic breakdown (key differences vs state-level)

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-saturation smartphone ownership (~92–96%), roughly on par with or slightly below the state.
  • 35–64: High ownership (~85–90%) but a bit below the state average due to income and coverage constraints.
  • 65+: 60–70% smartphone ownership, meaningfully lower than Kentucky overall (~75–80%). Basic phone use remains more common among seniors than statewide.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower median household income than the state correlates with higher prepaid/MVNO penetration (estimated 45–55% of lines vs ~30–35% statewide).
  • Higher “smartphone-only” reliance for internet among low-income households; data budgeting (smaller data buckets, frequent Wi‑Fi offloading) is more common than statewide.
• Platform/device mix
  • Android share is higher than the state average; iPhone share likely 35–45% vs ~50–55% statewide, reflecting income and prepaid ecosystems.
  • Average device age skews older; upgrade cycles tend to be longer than statewide.
• Digital skills and access
  • Larger senior and disability populations increase reliance on simpler devices and community support (libraries, schools), more than is typical statewide.
  • More households depend on a single shared mobile device for the home.

Usage patterns and behavior

• Messaging and social: Strong reliance on SMS/MMS and Facebook Messenger; Wi‑Fi calling used to compensate for weak indoor coverage in hollers. OTT calling/video use spikes where home broadband is absent.
• Work/education/health: Mobile plays an outsized role in job search, homework, and telehealth relative to the state, driven by fixed-broadband gaps.
• Affordability programs: The wind-down of ACP in 2024 has a sharper local impact than in many Kentucky metros, increasing plan downgrades and churn into lower-cost prepaid.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (county realities that diverge from statewide)

• Terrain-driven variability
  • Mountainous topography creates pronounced dead zones and indoor coverage challenges—more acute than the Kentucky average. Service quality changes rapidly between ridge tops, valleys, and hollers.
• Carrier landscape
  • AT&T and Verizon typically provide the most consistent rural macro coverage; T‑Mobile’s low-band 5G presence exists along main corridors but is spottier off-route than in Kentucky’s urban/suburban areas.
  • Appalachian Wireless (regional carrier) has notable presence and local brand trust, often delivering dependable LTE in places where national carriers are inconsistent—this regional-carrier reliance is a bigger factor here than statewide.
• 5G deployment character
  • 5G is predominantly low-band for broad coverage; mid-band 5G appears mainly along primary corridors and near population centers (e.g., around Prestonsburg). Expect fewer mid-band nodes and minimal small-cell density compared with Kentucky metros—yielding more modest average 5G speeds and greater variability.
• Backhaul and middle-mile
  • Access to state middle-mile (e.g., KentuckyWired) and recent/forthcoming BEAD-era fiber builds are important to improve tower backhaul and future coverage expansions. The county stands to benefit more from these upgrades than an average Kentucky county due to a higher baseline of un/underserved areas.
• Public connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings play an outsized role in free Wi‑Fi and device support compared to statewide norms.
• Emergency communications
  • AT&T FirstNet presence is relevant for public safety, but terrain-related gaps can hinder reach; residents are more likely to keep multiple SIMs/providers or depend on Wi‑Fi calling for reliability than the statewide average.

Key trends that differ most from Kentucky overall

• Higher dependence on mobile as the primary/only home internet, especially among low-income and senior households.
• Greater prepaid/MVNO usage and higher Android share; lower iPhone penetration.
• Wider age- and income-based ownership gaps, with notably lower smartphone adoption among 65+.
• More pronounced coverage variability due to terrain; regional carrier (Appalachian Wireless) importance is higher than in most Kentucky counties.
• Slower realization of mid-band 5G performance gains; improvements hinge on backhaul and new macro sites rather than dense small-cell builds.

Planning implications

• Support for device affordability (post-ACP), digital skills, and Wi‑Fi access hubs will have outsized impact.
• Encouraging multi-carrier redundancy, Wi‑Fi calling education, and external antennas/boosters can materially improve reliability.
• Prioritize fiber backhaul to towers and targeted macro-site infill; these deliver larger returns here than urban-style small-cell strategies.

Below is a concise, planning-oriented snapshot. Precise, public, county-level platform shares are rarely published, so figures are estimates using Floyd County’s population (~35k), rural Kentucky patterns, and 2024 Pew Research social media benchmarks.

Estimated user base

• Active social media users: ~20,000–24,000 residents (est.)
• Adults (18+): ~18,000–21,000 of the above; Teens (13–17): ~1,800–2,200
• Device reality: Mobile-first; many on limited/variable broadband—content that loads fast and works muted performs better.

Age mix (share of local social users, est.)

• 13–17: 9%
• 18–24: 12%
• 25–34: 19%
• 35–44: 18%
• 45–54: 16%
• 55–64: 13%
• 65+: 13%

Gender breakdown (est.)

• Women: ~52%
• Men: ~48%
• Note: Women skew higher on Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest; men skew higher on YouTube/Reddit.

Most-used platforms in Floyd County (share of local social users, est.)

• YouTube: 80–88%
• Facebook: 65–75% (Groups/Marketplace are especially strong)
• Facebook Messenger: 60–70%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 32–40%
• Snapchat: 25–35% (concentrated in teens/younger adults)
• Also present: Pinterest 22–30% (women 25–44), X/Twitter 7–12% (news/sports niche), LinkedIn 6–10% (light), Reddit 6–9% (younger/male skew). Nextdoor penetration is minimal.

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first: Heavy use of Facebook Groups for local news, school and youth sports, churches, civic updates, weather/emergency notices, and buy/sell/trade.
• Marketplace mindset: High engagement with deals, giveaways, and local classifieds; many prefer DM-to-purchase and in-person pickup over full e-commerce flows.
• Short-form video growth: Reels/TikTok are rising for entertainment, local events, restaurant spots, and “what’s happening this weekend.”
• Messaging for service: Residents often message pages (Messenger) to book, check hours, or ask prices; quick replies matter.
• Trust cues: Local faces, testimonials, and recognizable landmarks outperform polished generic creative. “From here, for here” content wins.
• Access-aware consumption: Captions are essential; vertical video, large text, and short runtimes perform best given mobile and bandwidth constraints.
• News/sports habits: High engagement around high-school sports, festivals, weather events, and public services; peak spikes during those moments.

Typical activity windows (local time, est.)

• Morning check-in: 6:30–8:30am
• Midday: 11:30am–1:30pm
• Prime: 7:00–10:00pm (strongest), with weekend bumps

Notes on methodology

• Figures are estimates synthesized from U.S. Census/ACS population structure, rural Kentucky adoption patterns, and 2024 Pew platform usage by age. Use ad-platform audience tools (Meta, TikTok, Snap, Google/YouTube) filtered to Floyd County for up-to-the-minute reach validation.