Laurel County

Key demographics — Laurel County, Kentucky

Population

• Total population: 62,613 (2020 Census); approximately 63,000 (ACS 2019–2023 estimate)
• Change since 2010: +6% (from 58,849)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone (not Hispanic): ~93–94%
• Black or African American alone: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Asian alone: ~0.5–0.6%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Number of households: ~24,000
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~69% of households; married-couple families: ~49%
• Nonfamily households: ~31%; living alone: ~26% (about 10% age 65+ living alone)
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~70–71%

Insights

• Stable, modest growth since 2010 with an aging profile (about 18% 65+).
• Population is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but growing multiracial and Hispanic shares.
• Household structure is family-oriented with slightly larger household sizes than the U.S. average and a high owner-occupancy rate.

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

• Population and density: Laurel County has about 63,000 residents across ~444 sq mi (≈142 people/sq mi); London along I‑75 anchors the best connectivity, with sparser service in outlying areas.
• Estimated email users: ≈53,200 residents use email.
• Age distribution (population → estimated email users):
  • Under 18: 23% (~14,490) → ~10,100 users (≈70% adoption)
  • 18–34: 19% (~11,970) → ~10,800 users (≈90% adoption)
  • 35–64: 41% (~25,830) → ~23,800 users (≈92% adoption)
  • 65+: 17% (~10,710) → ~8,600 users (≈80% adoption)
• Gender split among email users: ~50.6% female, ~49.4% male (mirrors county demographics).
• Digital access trends:
  • ~86% of households have some internet subscription; ~81% have home broadband.
  • ~18% are mobile‑only internet households; optimize email for phones and lower bandwidth.
  • ~89–90% of households have a computer; smartphone access is widespread and bridges some last‑mile gaps.
  • Fiber and cable footprints are expanding around London/I‑75; fixed wireless and cellular dominate in lower‑density eastern/southern areas.
• Insights: Email reach is effectively universal among working‑age adults and strong among seniors. Coverage and adoption are highest near the London urban core; outreach to rural segments benefits from lightweight, mobile‑friendly emails and offline sign‑up options to counter patchier broadband.

Mobile phone usage in Laurel County, Kentucky — summary, estimates, and how it diverges from statewide patterns

Population base

• 2020 Census population: 62,613 (London micropolitan area; largely rural with a small urban core along I-75)
• Practical user base for mobile analysis (people 13+): approximately 51,800

User estimates (people 13+; point estimates with method-based ranges)

• Any mobile phone users: about 46,000–48,000 (≈90–92% of residents 13+)
• Smartphone users: about 42,500–44,500 (adult smartphone ownership in rural areas ≈80–83% plus very high teen uptake)
• Smartphone-only internet dependent adults (no home broadband, rely on mobile): roughly 10,000–11,500 adults (≈20–24% of adults), higher than the Kentucky average
• Multiline households: common in town and along the I-75 corridor; single-line, prepaid-heavy households more prevalent in outlying rural areas

Demographic usage patterns

• Age
  • Teens (13–17): very high smartphone access (≈90%+); heavy social/video use, high evening and weekend traffic spikes
  • Working-age adults (25–54): highest data consumption; most likely to use hotspotting for home connectivity gaps
  • Older adults (65+): ownership is lower than younger cohorts; voice/SMS reliability prioritized, but telehealth is a fast-growing use case
• Income and education
  • Lower-income and lower-education households show higher smartphone-only reliance and higher prepaid adoption than the Kentucky average; device upgrade cycles are longer
• Race/ethnicity
  • County is predominantly White; usage disparities by race are less pronounced locally than at the state level, so urban/rural and income drive most differences

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and spectrum
  • 4G LTE is effectively countywide on major carriers; 5G is present but split: low-band 5G provides broad coverage, while mid-band 5G (higher capacity) is concentrated in and around London and the I-75 corridor
  • Off-corridor hollows and ridgelines still produce dead zones and indoor signal challenges; signal boosters and Wi‑Fi calling remain common remedies
• Capacity and speeds
  • Strongest capacity and fastest median speeds cluster near I-75, retail centers, schools, and medical facilities in London
  • Outside town, performance depends heavily on low-band 5G/LTE, leading to lower median speeds and higher variability during peak hours than the state average
• Carriers and network posture
  • All three nationwide carriers operate; FirstNet (AT&T) sites bolster public-safety and rural coverage
  • Mid-band 5G deployments are expanding but remain more limited than in Kentucky’s larger metros; fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G is available near London but drops off in rural tracts
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Middle‑mile assets (e.g., KentuckyWired and incumbent fiber routes) traverse the I‑75 corridor, giving London better tower backhaul and enabling higher-capacity 5G there
  • Rural sectors often rely on microwave or long fiber laterals, constraining upgrade economics and peak capacity versus state urban norms

How Laurel County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher smartphone-only dependence: A notably larger share of adults rely on mobile data as their primary internet connection than the state average, aligned with lower fixed‑broadband availability in rural tracts
• More reliance on low-band 5G/LTE: Countywide experience skews toward coverage-first bands, so median speeds outside London lag the state’s urban counties where mid‑band is dense
• Prepaid and budget plans are more common: Lower incomes and credit constraints push a higher share of prepaid subscriptions than the statewide mix
• Greater corridor-driven traffic asymmetry: I‑75 travel and logistics concentrate daytime load near London beyond what the local population alone would imply; rural sectors see evening congestion as families shift entertainment and homework to mobile
• Dead-zone persistence: Terrain-driven gaps and indoor coverage challenges remain more frequent than in much of the state, despite overall 4G/5G availability on paper

Key figures and methods behind the estimates

• Population: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (Laurel County: 62,613)
• Ownership and dependence rates: Pew Research Center national/rural smartphone ownership and “smartphone-only” patterns (applied to local age structure); rural adoption assumed ≈80–83% of adults; teen smartphone access ≈90%+
• Infrastructure context: FCC carrier filings and nationwide deployment patterns (low-band for coverage; mid-band concentration in urban cores and along interstates), plus Kentucky middle‑mile initiatives along I‑75

Bottom line

• Expect around 46–48 thousand mobile users and roughly 43–44 thousand smartphone users in Laurel County today, with a higher-than-state share of adults relying on smartphones as their primary internet connection. Network experience is bifurcated: robust capacity and 5G performance in and around London and I‑75, but more variability and coverage gaps in rural hollows, producing usage patterns and plan choices (prepaid, smartphone-only) that diverge from Kentucky’s urbanized counties.

Social media usage in Laurel County, Kentucky (2024 snapshot)

Population base

• Residents: ~63,000
• Estimated residents 13+: ~54,000

Overall user stats

• Estimated social media users (13+): ~42,000 (≈78% of 13+; ≈66% of total residents)
• Daily social media users: ~33,000 (≈78% of users use at least daily, in line with U.S. norms)

Most-used platforms (share of social media users, modeled for Laurel County from Pew/industry data)

• YouTube: 82% (about 34k users; daily ~60%)
• Facebook: 68% (~29k; daily ~64%)
• Instagram: 38% (~16k; daily ~28%)
• TikTok: 35% (~15k; daily ~32%)
• Pinterest: 31% (~13k; strong female skew)
• Snapchat: 27% (~11k; heavy under-30)
• X (Twitter): 18% (~8k)
• LinkedIn: 15% (~6k; concentrated in healthcare, education, public sector, and management)
• Reddit: 14% (~6k)
• Nextdoor: 4% (~1.5–2k; limited rural adoption)

Age-group usage patterns (share who use any social media; platform highlights)

• Teens (13–17): ~95% use social media; heaviest on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok; Instagram strong; Facebook comparatively low but used for school/sports updates
• 18–29: ~90%; YouTube and Instagram near-universal; TikTok and Snapchat heavy daily use; Facebook still widely used for local info and Marketplace
• 30–49: ~85%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram moderate; TikTok use rising; Pinterest notable among parents
• 50–64: ~74%; Facebook primary; YouTube for “how-to,” news clips, faith content; Pinterest moderate
• 65+: ~60%; Facebook and YouTube lead; lower Instagram/TikTok adoption but growing via family content and short videos

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~52% female, ~48% male (mirrors county demographic mix)
• Platform skews: Pinterest (female-heavy), Facebook (slight female tilt), Snapchat (female tilt under 30), YouTube/Reddit/X (male-leaning), Instagram near-balanced with slight female tilt

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: local news, school/sports updates, church events, civic notices, yard sales; Facebook Groups and Marketplace drive the most engagement and local transactions
• Short-form video surge: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts see fast growth; how-to, outdoors, automotive, homesteading, and faith-oriented clips perform well
• Messaging-first habits: Facebook Messenger for family/community coordination; Snapchat for teens/young adults
• Discovery and purchase: Residents commonly research local services on Facebook and Google; reviews and recommendations in local groups materially influence choices
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–9 pm) and weekend mornings; weather events and school announcements create sharp, short-lived spikes
• Professional networking: LinkedIn usage exists but is niche; job-seeking and hiring more often run through Facebook posts, groups, and local pages

Notes on figures

• County-level platform counts are modeled from Laurel County’s age/sex structure combined with recent Pew Research Center and industry adoption rates; platforms do not publish official county-level user totals. Figures are rounded for clarity.