Greenup County

Greenup County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population size

• 35,962 (2020 Census). Down about 2–3% from 2010, indicating slow decline.

Age

• Median age: roughly 43–44 years (older than the U.S. median).
• Under 18: about 21%.
• 65 and over: about 19–20%.

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~93%
• Black or African American alone: ~1–2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0–0.5%
• Asian alone: ~0–0.5%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~1–2% Note: Hispanic can be of any race; Non-Hispanic White comprises about 92–93%.

Households and housing

• Households: ~14.5–14.8k
• Average household size: ~2.45–2.50
• Family households: ~66%
• Married-couple families: ~50–52%
• One-person households: ~26–29%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~75–78%

Insights

• Aging profile and slow population decline.
• Predominantly White, with small minority and Hispanic populations.
• Household structure skews toward owner-occupied, family households with modest household size.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 5-year estimates (most recent).

• Population ≈35,000; ≈14,500 households; density ≈100 persons/sq mi across ~354 sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈27,800 residents (≈79% of population), based on local internet subscription levels and established U.S. email adoption by age.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • Under 18: ≈2,520 (9%)
  • 18–34: ≈6,650 (24%)
  • 35–64: ≈12,600 (45%)
  • 65+: ≈6,010 (22%)
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female (≈14,200) and 49% male (≈13,600), mirroring county demographics.
• Digital access profile:
  • ≈90% of households have a computer
  • ≈85% have an internet subscription
  • ≈82% have broadband (cable/DSL/fiber)
  • ≈14% are smartphone‑only internet households
• Trends and insights:
  • Email is near‑universal among connected adults; non‑use concentrates in 65+ and lower‑income rural households.
  • Smartphone‑only access remains a meaningful slice, shaping mobile‑first communication.
  • Broadband adoption has risen since 2020 with incremental fiber and cable upgrades.
• Connectivity geography:
  • Highest fixed‑line availability in the Flatwoods–Russell–Raceland area and along the Ohio River/US‑23 corridor.
  • Lower‑density interior areas rely more on DSL and fixed‑wireless, aligning with the county’s dispersed settlement pattern.

Mobile phone usage in Greenup County, KY — summary and key differences from the state

Bottom line

• Estimated mobile phone users: 28,000–30,000 residents use a mobile phone in Greenup County. This is derived from a county population of roughly 35K and household/adult device ownership patterns from the latest ACS “Computer and Internet Use” data.
• Adoption is strong but modestly below Kentucky’s statewide levels, with heavier reliance on mobile as a primary connection among lower-income and older households, and more pronounced coverage variability due to terrain.

Definitive statistics and derived estimates

• Population context (for scaling estimates): Approximately 35,000 residents; about 14,000–15,000 households; roughly 77–79% are age 18+ (ACS 5‑year profiles).
• Smartphone presence (household level): Kentucky households with a smartphone are around 90% (ACS S2801). Greenup County’s household smartphone presence is a few points lower (upper‑80s), typical for rural Appalachian counties.
• Mobile‑only reliance: The share of households that rely on a smartphone as their only computing device and/or primary internet access is higher in Greenup than the Kentucky average by several points (reflecting lower fixed‑broadband subscription and lower median incomes). Practically, that translates to an extra 400–700 households being smartphone‑only relative to the state pattern.
• Fixed broadband vs. mobile: Household broadband subscription in Greenup trails Kentucky’s state average by roughly 3–5 percentage points (ACS S2801). That gap directly shows up as heavier day‑to‑day dependence on mobile data for work, school, and streaming.
• Age effects: Adults 65+ are a larger share of Greenup’s population than the state average. Because smartphone adoption is materially lower among older adults, this age mix pulls the county’s overall smartphone penetration slightly below the state’s, even as younger cohorts are near‑universal adopters.
• Income effects: Greenup’s median household income is below the Kentucky median. That correlates with higher take‑up of prepaid plans and budget MVNOs, higher incidence of smartphone‑only households, and lower home broadband take‑up—differences that are all more pronounced than at the state level.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• Young adults (18–34): Near‑universal smartphone adoption; highest mobile‑only internet reliance for renters and students. Usage similar to state, but marginally more mobile‑only than Kentucky overall.
• Working‑age (35–64): High adoption; above‑average prepaid plan use and hotspotting versus Kentucky overall due to patchier home broadband.
• Older adults (65+): Adoption meaningfully below state average, but growing. More voice/SMS‑centric usage; device upgrade cycles are longer. This cohort accounts for most of the county‑state adoption gap.
• Race/ethnicity: The county’s population is predominantly White, so usage disparities by race are limited; age and income drive most variation.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile all serve Greenup County. FirstNet (AT&T) public‑safety coverage is available across Kentucky.
• 5G footprint: Deployed along primary corridors (US‑23, KY‑7/67, I‑64 access via the Ashland area) and population centers (Flatwoods, Russell, Raceland, South Shore). 5G coverage is thinner in interior hollows and ridge lines; LTE remains the fallback in many rural blocks.
• Terrain impacts: River valleys and hilly terrain create shadowed zones and indoor signal variability. Tower spacing and topography lead to more dead spots than the Kentucky average, especially away from highways.
• Capacity and speeds: Speeds are competitive in towns and along highways; peak‑time slowdowns are more common in Greenup than statewide averages because sector density is lower and traffic is concentrated on a smaller set of sites.
• Roaming/metro spillover: Proximity to the Huntington–Ashland metro area (and Ohio across the river) improves coverage and speeds along the Ohio River corridor, with cross‑border site density benefiting local performance.
• Emergency services and alerts: Wireless Emergency Alerts are supported countywide; carriers meet E911 location support. Text‑to‑911 availability follows the regional PSAP; residents generally have access in the metro‑adjacent portions of the county.
• Backhaul and resilience: Microwave backhaul is more prevalent than fiber on rural sites, making weather‑related performance variability slightly more pronounced than statewide. Outage recovery can be slower in the county’s interior than in Kentucky’s urban counties.

Trends that differ from the Kentucky state pattern

• Slightly lower smartphone household penetration but higher smartphone‑only reliance, creating a more mobile‑centric usage profile than the state average.
• Greater coverage variability and indoor reception challenges due to terrain and lower tower density per square mile.
• Higher share of prepaid and value MVNO plans and longer device replacement cycles, reflecting local income distribution.
• A more noticeable gap between daytime and evening speeds in town centers because fewer sites handle a larger share of traffic.
• The sunset of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2024 is having an outsized effect locally, nudging additional households to rely primarily on mobile plans and hotspots compared with the statewide shift.

Sources and methodology

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5‑year tables (including S2801, computer and internet use) for household device and subscription benchmarks; county population and age structure from ACS profiles.
• FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC) and carrier‑published coverage maps for technology availability and corridor coverage patterns.
• Estimates of mobile users scale ACS adoption rates to county population and household counts; differences versus Kentucky are identified by comparing Greenup’s rural profile to statewide ACS indicators.

Social media usage in Greenup County, KY (short breakdown, 2025)

Baseline

• Population: 35,962 (U.S. Census, 2020). Adults 18+ ≈ 28,000.
• Adult social media users: ≈ 22,000 (≈ 80% of adults), aligned with U.S. rural adoption.

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated share of adults who use each at least occasionally)

• YouTube: 80%
• Facebook: 70%
• Instagram: 40%
• TikTok: 30%
• Pinterest: 31%
• Snapchat: 22%
• X (Twitter): 19%
• Reddit: 19%
• WhatsApp: 14%
• LinkedIn: 17%
• Nextdoor: 9%

Age-group usage rates (share who use any social platform)

• 18–29: 93% (heavy on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat; YouTube nearly universal)
• 30–49: 84% (Facebook, YouTube dominant; Instagram growing; TikTok moderate)
• 50–64: 78% (Facebook and YouTube core; Pinterest notable)
• 65+: 62% (Facebook primary; YouTube for news/how‑to; limited use of others)

Gender breakdown

• Users by gender: Female ≈ 52%, Male ≈ 48% (women adopt slightly more in rural areas).
• Platform lean: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X. Instagram skews female under 35; TikTok balanced among under‑35s.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community backbone: local news, school/booster updates, church and civic groups, yard sales/Marketplace, service referrals.
• YouTube is the go-to for how‑to/DIY, auto repair, hunting/outdoors content, music, and faith programming.
• Short‑form video growth: TikTok rising among under‑30s for entertainment and creator content; many cross-posts to Reels/Shorts.
• Messaging behaviors: Facebook Messenger is the default for local business/customer interactions; WhatsApp remains niche.
• Commerce: Facebook Marketplace is the primary C2C channel; Instagram used by boutiques, salons, and food trucks for promotions.
• Content style: Practical, local, and visual performs best—before/after projects, event flyers, local faces; peak engagement evenings and weekends.
• News consumption: Facebook links to regional TV and newspaper pages dominate; limited X usage outside sports and state politics.
• Privacy/closed groups: High participation in private neighborhood, hunting, recovery, and buy/sell/trade groups.

Notes on figures

• Counts and percentages are 2025 estimates for Greenup County derived from county demographics (U.S. Census) and 2024–2025 Pew Research Center social media adoption benchmarks for U.S. adults, with rural adjustments. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial, ACS); Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 and Teens, Social Media and Technology.