Kenton County

Key demographics for Kenton County, Kentucky (latest Census/ACS data)

• Population: 171,800 (2023 estimate)
• Age:
  • Median age: 37.4 years
  • Under 18: 22.7%
  • 18–64: 60.9%
  • 65+: 16.4%
• Gender:
  • Female: 50.9%
  • Male: 49.1%
• Race/ethnicity (mutually exclusive where noted):
  • White, non-Hispanic: 85.4%
  • Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 6.3%
  • Asian, non-Hispanic: 1.6%
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 2.9%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): 3.8%
• Households and housing:
  • Households: ~70,700
  • Average household size: 2.43
  • Family households: ~61%
  • Married-couple households: ~45%
  • Households with children under 18: ~29%
  • One-person households: ~29%
  • Homeownership rate: ~64% (renters ~36%)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates and 2023 American Community Survey (1-year)

Kenton County, KY email usage (population ≈170,000)

• Estimated email users: 133,000 residents (ages 13+), equal to 78% of total residents and roughly 91% of people ages 13+.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: 7% (~9.8k)
  • 18–34: 29% (~37.9k)
  • 35–54: 34% (~45.2k)
  • 55–64: 15% (~19.6k)
  • 65+: 15% (~20.2k)
• Gender split among email users: 51% female (67.7k), 49% male (65.0k).

Digital access and trends

• Household broadband subscription ≈91%; households with a computer or smartphone ≈94%; smartphone‑only internet ≈14%; no home internet ≈6%.
• Local density/connectivity: ≈1,040 people per sq mi across ~163 sq mi; more than 95% of residents live in the Cincinnati urbanized area, with cable/fiber widely available along the I‑71/75 corridor.
• Public access is robust: Kenton County Public Library branches (Covington, Erlanger, Independence) provide free Wi‑Fi and devices, mitigating gaps for the offline minority.

Insights: Email engagement closely tracks the county’s working‑age profile, with very high penetration among 18–54 and modestly lower among seniors, reflecting strong broadband/device availability and urban connectivity in this Northern Kentucky hub.

Kenton County, KY mobile phone landscape (2023–2024)

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ~170,000 residents in ~69,000 households.
• Smartphone users: ~123,000 adult smartphone users (about 9 in 10 adults), reflecting metro Cincinnati/suburban adoption levels.
• Household smartphone penetration: 92–93% of households have a smartphone, above the Kentucky average.
• Mobile broadband at home:
  • Households with a cellular data plan: ~85%.
  • Mobile-only internet (cellular data plan with no other home internet): ~13–14% of households, notably lower than Kentucky’s statewide share (roughly 18–20%).
  • No home internet of any kind: 6–7% of households, markedly below the Kentucky average (11%).

Demographic and socioeconomic patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (~97%); extensive 5G use for streaming, gaming, and navigation.
  • 35–64: high adoption (~93%); frequent mobile tethering for hybrid work.
  • 65+: strong but lower adoption (~80–85%); greater reliance on larger-screen devices and Wi‑Fi calling; still higher adoption than seniors statewide.
• Income and housing:
  • Higher median income than the Kentucky average correlates with more postpaid plans, larger data buckets, and higher 5G device penetration.
  • Mobile-only internet is concentrated among lower-income and renter households but remains less prevalent than statewide due to broader fixed-broadband availability in the county’s urban/suburban areas.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Smartphone adoption is high across groups; gaps present statewide (with higher mobile-only reliance among Black and Hispanic households) are narrower in Kenton County because of denser broadband infrastructure and metro spillover benefits.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and technology:
  • All three national operators (AT&T, T‑Mobile, Verizon) provide countywide 4G LTE and broad outdoor 5G coverage, with mid-band 5G (C‑band/n41) concentrated along I‑71/75, I‑275, and in Covington, Erlanger, Independence, and Fort Mitchell.
  • Rural southern areas of the county (e.g., near Piner and Morning View) have thinner site density and more frequent fallback to LTE, but service is materially stronger than in many rural Kentucky counties.
• Sites and densification:
  • Approximately 50 macro towers registered in and immediately around Kenton County, plus dozens of rooftop sectors and small cells added since 2019 in Covington and along major corridors (KY‑17, US‑25, US‑42, I‑71/75).
• Speeds and reliability (metro context):
  • Cincinnati–Northern Kentucky metro testing shows mid-band 5G median download speeds typically in the 140–250 Mbps range, with T‑Mobile leading and AT&T/Verizon competitive where C‑band is deployed. Kenton’s urban/suburban neighborhoods mirror these metro results; southern pockets trend slower but still outperform many rural Kentucky counties.
• Public safety and resiliency:
  • NG911 and Text‑to‑911 availability in the county support mobile-first emergency access, with carrier priority services used by public-safety agencies. Site hardening and backup power are concentrated on macro nodes along interstates and in city centers.

How Kenton County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher smartphone and mobile-broadband penetration: County smartphone households (~92–93%) exceed the state average, and more households maintain a cellular data plan.
• Lower digital exclusion: A smaller share of households lack any internet (~6–7% vs ~11% statewide), reflecting denser infrastructure and higher incomes.
• Less reliance on mobile-only home internet: Mobile-only households represent ~13–14% locally versus roughly one in five statewide, indicating better access to cable/fiber in the county.
• Better 5G availability and performance: Metro adjacency yields more mid-band 5G, higher median speeds, and greater plan tiers with hotspot data than typical Kentucky counties outside the Golden Triangle.
• Smaller demographic gaps: Age- and income-based divides in smartphone adoption are present but narrower than statewide, with seniors and lower-income residents in Kenton still more connected than their statewide peers.

Implications

• Mobile is the default internet on-ramp, but not the only pipe: Mobile dependence is significant yet moderated by strong cable/fiber footprints, reducing mobile-only rates relative to the state.
• Capacity, not coverage, is the primary constraint: The county’s challenge is continued densification and mid-band 5G expansion into southern census tracts to lift peak-hour speeds, not basic coverage.
• Equity focus: The remaining ~6–7% of households without internet and the ~13–14% that are mobile-only are prime targets for device assistance, ACP-replacement affordability programs, and fixed-wireless access overlays where fiber is absent.

Notes on sources and method

• Figures reflect the 2019–2023 American Community Survey device and internet-subscription indicators, FCC mobile coverage filings, and 2024 metro Cincinnati speed-test reporting; county values are rounded and compared to Kentucky statewide benchmarks from the same sources.

Social media usage in Kenton County, KY (2024–2025 snapshot)

How many people use social media

• Estimated social media users: ~124,000 residents (≈72.5% of the county’s ~171,000 population; U.S.-level social media penetration applied locally)
• Average time spent on social media: ~2 hours 18 minutes per day (U.S. average)

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each platform; U.S. Pew rates applied to Kenton County)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 50%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 31%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 30%
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%

Age-group patterns (who uses what)

• 18–29: Near‑universal YouTube; Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok lead for daily use; Facebook is used but less central than for older groups
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube are dominant; Instagram strong; TikTok growing; LinkedIn active among professionals who commute into the Cincinnati metro
• 50–64: Facebook first; YouTube and Pinterest solid; Instagram moderate; TikTok limited but rising
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube anchor usage; other platforms are niche

Gender breakdown (platform skews)

• Women over‑index on Facebook and Pinterest; Instagram slightly female‑leaning
• Men over‑index on Reddit and X; LinkedIn slightly male‑leaning
• TikTok usage leans female; Snapchat leans female among younger adults (Note: These skews follow consistent U.S. patterns and hold in suburban counties like Kenton)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first Facebook behavior: Heavy use of local Groups (city neighborhoods, schools, youth sports, civic issues) and Marketplace for resale; city and county agency pages see reliable engagement during service alerts, weather, and elections
• Short‑form video growth: Reels and TikTok drive entertainment and discovery for under‑35s; cross‑posting of vertical video between Instagram and TikTok is common among local creators and small businesses
• Messaging > public posting: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are key for coordination among families and teens; many interactions move to DMs after initial discovery
• Event‑driven spikes: Evenings (7–10 p.m. ET) and weekends show the highest engagement; school-year calendars, festivals, high‑school sports, and weather events create sharp surges
• Local commerce: Restaurants, home services, healthcare/dental, fitness, and real estate perform best with geotargeted Facebook/Instagram ads; review platforms (Facebook, Google) heavily influence purchase decisions
• News and alerts: Facebook pages from local news and government outperform X for reach; Nextdoor is used for hyperlocal safety and neighborhood issues but remains secondary in overall reach
• Cross‑river media effect: Cincinnati‑area media and influencers shape trends and ad reach; commuters blend metro content with NKY community pages

Sources and methodology

• Population base: U.S. Census Bureau 2023 county estimate (~171,000)
• Social media penetration and time‑spent: DataReportal/Global Digital 2024 (U.S. averages applied to Kenton County)
• Platform adoption and demographic skews: Pew Research Center Social Media Use (latest available 2024/2023). Percentages listed are shares of U.S. adults and are used here to model local adult usage in Kenton County’s population structure.