Letcher County

Letcher County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population size

• 21,548 (2020 Census)
• ≈20,200 (2023 Census estimate), continuing long-term decline from 24,519 in 2010

Age

• Median age: ~44 years (ACS 2018–2022)
• Under 18: ~21%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~50.5%
• Male: ~49.5%

Race/ethnicity (2020 Census; race alone unless noted)

• White: ~94%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• Two or more races: ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1.5%
• White, not Hispanic: ~92–93%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Households: ~8,700–8,900
• Persons per household: ~2.4
• Family households: ~2/3 of all households
• Nonfamily households: ~1/3; individuals living alone ~3 in 10; ~1 in 8 are 65+ living alone
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~74%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates; Population Estimates Program (2023).

Snapshot: Letcher County, KY (2020 pop. 21,548; ~339 sq mi; ~64 people/sq mi)

Estimated email users: ~14,900 adults

• Method: Adult population (~78% of residents) multiplied by age-specific U.S. email adoption rates.

Age distribution of email users (share of users; approx. counts):

• 18–34: 26% (~3.9k)
• 35–54: 34% (~5.0k)
• 55–64: 18% (~2.7k)
• 65+: 23% (~3.4k)

Gender split among users:

• Female 51% (7.6k)
• Male 49% (7.3k)

Digital access and connectivity:

• Household broadband subscription: 73% (county), below Kentucky average (82%).
• Households with a computer: ~86%.
• Cellular-only internet reliance: ~20% of households (smartphone primary for email among lower-income and older users).
• Terrain and dispersed settlement patterns create last‑mile gaps; fixed wireline options remain limited outside town centers, making public Wi‑Fi (libraries, schools) and mobile hotspots important.

Insights:

• Email penetration is high but constrained by infrastructure; most non‑users are older adults and households without home broadband.
• Growth opportunities: expanding fiber and affordable plans to reduce the cellular‑only segment and close the county–state subscription gap.

Mobile phone usage in Letcher County, Kentucky (2024–2025 snapshot)

How many users (modeled estimates)

• Population base: roughly 21,000 residents; about 16,000–16,500 adults (18+).
• Adults with any mobile phone: ~15,000–15,800 (about 93–96% of adults), similar to Kentucky overall.
• Adult smartphone users: ~14,000–15,000 (about 86–91% of adults). This runs a few points lower than the statewide average because of Letcher County’s older age profile, lower median income, and more rural settlement pattern.
• Smartphone-only internet households (no wired home broadband, rely on cellular data/hotspots): estimated 18–24% in Letcher vs roughly 12–16% statewide. This gap reflects lower wired-broadband adoption and affordability constraints, pushing more day‑to‑day internet activity onto phones.

Demographic breakdown (directional differences vs Kentucky)

• Age
  • 18–34: near-saturation smartphone adoption (mid- to high-90s%), broadly in line with Kentucky; heavy use of social/video apps and mobile payments.
  • 35–64: low-90s% smartphone adoption; slightly below state due to income dispersion and some device cost sensitivity.
  • 65+: mid-70s% smartphone adoption; 5–10 points below statewide. Feature phones and larger‑screen smartphones with simplified UIs are more common; voice/SMS and telehealth are key uses.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower-income households have higher reliance on prepaid/MVNO plans and promotional device financing; multi-line family plans and regional carrier offers (e.g., Appalachian Wireless) are overrepresented compared with urban Kentucky.
  • Smartphone‑only connectivity is materially higher among lower‑income renters and in the more remote hollows, where wired options are sparse or costly.
• Work and daily use
  • Shift and on‑call workers (healthcare, logistics, energy services) and small businesses rely on cellular voice/text and hotspots for scheduling, dispatch, and card payments.
  • School‑age families frequently use school/library Wi‑Fi to offset limited home broadband; mobile devices remain primary for homework portals and messaging.

Digital infrastructure points (what’s different from the state)

• Coverage pattern
  • All national carriers operate in the county, and a strong regional operator (Appalachian Wireless) adds capacity and competitive pricing. 4G LTE covers the towns and primary corridors; outdoor coverage can be inconsistent in narrow valleys and ridge-shadowed areas, producing more “no service” pockets than typical Kentucky counties.
  • 5G availability skews to low‑band coverage along main corridors and population centers (e.g., Whitesburg/Jenkins), with limited mid‑band capacity compared with Kentucky’s urban counties. As a result, median mobile speeds tend to trail the statewide median, especially indoors and in hollows.
• Backhaul and resilience
  • Middle‑mile fiber now reaches the region, but last‑mile fiber and cable footprints remain patchy. Where only legacy DSL or fixed wireless is available, residents lean on phone hotspots for everyday internet.
  • The July 2022 floods exposed single‑thread backhaul and power vulnerabilities; carriers and the public‑safety network (FirstNet) subsequently hardened select sites and added backup generation, but redundancy is still thinner than in metro Kentucky.
• Tower density and siting
  • Fewer macro sites per square mile than the state average and more terrain-constrained placements mean greater reliance on high‑power macro coverage rather than dense small‑cell grids. This widens the performance gap with cities for 5G capacity and indoor penetration.
• Public access and offload
  • Libraries, schools, and some municipal buildings provide critical Wi‑Fi offload that materially supplements mobile plans during billing cycles—more so than in much of the state.

Key takeaways on trends vs statewide

• Mobile dependence is higher: a larger share of households use smartphones as their primary or only internet connection than Kentucky as a whole.
• Performance gap persists: 5G exists but is predominantly low‑band; mid‑band capacity and indoor performance lag urban Kentucky, and speeds vary widely with terrain.
• Affordability shapes adoption: prepaid/MVNO and regional‑carrier plans have greater market share; device upgrade cycles run longer than statewide averages.
• Resilience matters more: flood and power‑outage risk make coverage redundancy and Wi‑Fi calling more essential considerations for residents and small businesses.

Notes on methodology

• User counts are modeled from county population and age structure, combined with recent rural smartphone adoption rates from nationally recognized surveys and Kentucky-specific adoption patterns, and cross-checked against ACS computer/Internet-use indicators and FCC coverage filings for Appalachian Kentucky. These estimates are designed to be conservative and to highlight differences from statewide trends.

Letcher County, KY — social media usage snapshot (2025)

Baseline

• Population: ≈21,500 residents (2020 Census). Adults (18+): ≈16,500–17,500.
• Rural Appalachian county; social media is a primary channel for local news, school and sports updates, community commerce, churches, festivals, and severe-weather coordination.

Most‑used platforms (percentages are U.S. adult usage; counts are estimated local users by applying those rates to Letcher County’s adult population)

• YouTube: 83% → ≈13.7k–14.5k local adult users
• Facebook: 68% → ≈11.2k–11.9k
• Instagram: 47% → ≈7.8k–8.2k
• TikTok: 33% → ≈5.4k–5.8k
• Snapchat: 30% → ≈5.0k–5.3k Notes: Facebook and YouTube are the county’s broadest‑reach platforms; Instagram/TikTok concentrate younger users; Snapchat is strong among teens/younger adults. X/Twitter and Reddit have smaller, niche audiences in rural areas.

Age groups (who uses what)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy Snapchat and TikTok use; Instagram for creators and DMs; limited Facebook except for school teams and parent/coach communications.
• 18–34: YouTube daily; Instagram and TikTok for entertainment and local creators; Facebook for events, buy/sell/trade, and job leads.
• 35–54: Facebook and YouTube dominate (groups, Marketplace, school/sports, church, local government); growing use of Reels/shorts for entertainment.
• 55+: Facebook is primary (community news, churches, health, obituaries); YouTube for music and how‑to; lower but rising TikTok adoption via short‑video sharing.

Gender breakdown

• Overall user mix in Letcher County is near parity (roughly half women, half men), mirroring county demographics.
• Platform skews (national patterns reflected locally): Snapchat and Instagram lean female; Reddit and X/Twitter lean male; Facebook and TikTok are close to even; YouTube slightly male‑leaning.

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Community-first engagement: High participation in Facebook Groups (local news, school athletics, youth leagues, festivals, church events, volunteer efforts, mutual aid).
• Marketplace reliance: Strong Facebook Marketplace usage for vehicles, equipment, furniture, and services; high responsiveness to localized offers and sponsorships.
• Local news and information: Facebook is the de facto news hub amid limited local media; county/city/school pages drive significant reach and shares.
• Video habits: YouTube used for music, repairs/DIY, outdoor content; short‑form video (Reels, TikTok, Shorts) drives discovery and cross‑posting.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for community coordination; group chats for classes, teams, and events.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (6–10 p.m.) and weekends; school‑year calendars and sports seasons create predictable spikes.
• Crisis/weather: Severe-weather and road condition updates spread quickly via Facebook Groups and public safety pages; high share/reshare behavior.
• Trust signals: Content from known locals, schools, churches, and county offices outperforms brand‑only posts; photos/videos from recognizable places boost credibility.

Methodology and sources

• Population base: U.S. Census Bureau (2020). Platform usage rates: Pew Research Center, 2024 U.S. adult social media use. Local user counts are estimates derived by applying national platform percentages to the county’s adult population; actual local adoption may vary modestly with connectivity and age mix.