Lewis County

Lewis County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population size

• 13,080 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~41 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18 to 64: ~59%
• 65 and over: ~18%

Gender

• Male: ~50%
• Female: ~50%

Race and ethnicity (shares of total population)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~96%
• Black or African American: ~0.3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3%
• Asian: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–1.5%

Households

• Total households: ~4,900
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~70% of households
• Married-couple families: ~50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Nonfamily households: ~30%
• Householder living alone: ~25–26% (about half of these age 65+)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (DHC) and 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS 5-year), tables DP05, S0101, S1101.

Lewis County, KY snapshot (2025):

• Population: ≈13,200; adults (18+): ≈10,300; population density ≈27 people/sq mi (very sparse vs Kentucky ≈114/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: 8,600 (about 65% of all residents; ~83% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users):
  • Under 18: 10–12% (school-driven email use)
  • 18–34: 24–26%
  • 35–64: 45–48%
  • 65+: 15–18% (lower but rising, driven by telehealth and banking)
• Gender split among email users: roughly even (≈50% female, 50% male), mirroring the county’s population mix.
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 70–75% of households have a home broadband subscription; 15–20% are smartphone‑only; roughly 10–12% remain offline at home.
  • Smartphone ownership among adults is ~85%+, making mobile the primary email access channel outside town centers.
  • Connectivity is constrained by terrain and low density; fiber is concentrated in/near Vanceburg, while many outlying areas rely on legacy copper, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • State and federal investments (e.g., BEAD and middle‑mile expansions) are targeting un/underserved northeast Kentucky, with incremental fiber builds expected through 2026–2028, which should lift email adoption, especially among seniors and low‑income households.

Mobile phone usage in Lewis County, Kentucky: 2025 snapshot and key differences from Kentucky overall

Population baseline

• Residents: ~13,000 (2024–2025 ACS/Census trajectory)
• Adults (18+): ~10,000–10,300
• Households: ~5,000–5,200

User estimates

• Mobile phone users (any cell phone): ~9,500–9,800 adults (about 93–95% of adults, in line with rural U.S. norms)
• Smartphone users: ~8,200–8,600 adults (about 80–84% of adults). This runs 5–9 percentage points lower than typical statewide levels in Kentucky (roughly 88–90%) and the U.S. overall.
• Smartphone-dependent internet users (rely primarily on a phone for going online, limited/no home broadband): ~22–26% of adults, notably higher than Kentucky statewide by about 8–12 percentage points. This is driven by lower fixed-broadband availability and affordability.
• Wireless-only voice households (no landline): ~65–70% of households, roughly comparable to national figures but a few points lower than Kentucky’s statewide average due to an older age profile locally.
• Plan mix: Prepaid share is elevated at roughly 40–50% of smartphone lines (about 10–20 percentage points higher than state average), reflecting income constraints and credit preferences. Unlimited data plan adoption is correspondingly lower (about 50–60% vs ~65–75% statewide).
• Device profile: Budget Android models and older iPhone generations skew higher than the state average; device turnover cycles are longer (frequent 3–4 year cycles vs 2–3 years statewide).

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: smartphone ownership ~93–96%; heavy social/video use, highest data consumption.
  • 35–54: ~85–90%; strong messaging, navigation, and work-adjacent use (but less remote-work dependence than state average).
  • 55–64: ~75–80%; mix of calling/text and moderate app use; telehealth growing.
  • 65+: ~60–65%; highest voice-and-text reliance; gradual uptake of telehealth and messaging apps.
• Income and education:
  • Under 200% of the federal poverty level: smartphone ownership ~75–82%, prepaid plans common; higher smartphone-only internet reliance.
  • HS or less: ownership ~78–83%; some college+ ~88–92%.
• Geography within the county:
  • Best performance and 5G coverage concentration in and around Vanceburg and along the AA Highway (KY-9) and KY-8 river corridor.
  • Interior hollows and ridge lines exhibit more dead zones and lower throughput; residents there rely more on Wi‑Fi calling and offline-first apps.

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • 4G LTE remains the primary workhorse for coverage countywide.
  • Low-band 5G (e.g., n71/n5/n12/n14) is present along main corridors and population centers; useful for coverage but with modest speed gains over LTE.
  • Mid-band 5G (n41/n77) coverage is sparse; capacity peaks are limited compared with urban Kentucky counties. Millimeter-wave 5G is effectively absent.
• Performance ranges (typical, not peak):
  • 4G LTE: ~8–25 Mbps down, 2–8 Mbps up in much of the county; lower in interior valleys.
  • Low-band 5G: ~25–100 Mbps down where signal is strong; uplink often ~5–15 Mbps.
• Carrier dynamics:
  • AT&T and Verizon provide the most reliable footprint countywide; T-Mobile coverage is improving along corridors but remains variable off-route.
  • FirstNet (AT&T Band 14) support is available along primary public safety corridors; strongest around the county seat and major roads.
• Resilience:
  • Terrain-induced shadowing is common; tower spacing is wide. Backup power at sites typically supports short-duration outages; extended power failures degrade coverage in interior areas faster than in towns.
• Fixed-wireless crossover:
  • 4G/5G fixed wireless access (FWA) has begun filling gaps where cable/fiber are limited, contributing to higher mobile data usage per household than the state average in similar rural counties.

Trends and recent shifts (2020–2025)

• Smartphone adoption rose by roughly 5–7 percentage points, but the local gap versus Kentucky overall persists because the state’s urban counties have climbed faster.
• 5G footprint expanded along the AA Highway and in Vanceburg, yet mid-band capacity remains thin; most real-world gains are consistency and coverage rather than headline speeds.
• The 2024 lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) led to plan downgrades and higher prepaid churn locally; a measurable share of low-income households increased smartphone-only reliance for internet access.
• Telehealth and school-related mobile use grew and then stabilized at a higher baseline than pre-2020, but remain constrained in dead zones.

How Lewis County differs from Kentucky overall

• Lower smartphone penetration: about 5–9 percentage points below the statewide adult rate.
• Higher smartphone-only internet reliance: about 8–12 points above the state average, reflecting fewer affordable fixed options and budget constraints.
• More prepaid, fewer premium unlimited plans: prepaid share higher by roughly 10–20 points; unlimited adoption lower by ~10–15 points.
• Slower typical mobile speeds: fewer areas with mid-band 5G lead to lower median throughput than the state’s metro counties; LTE remains dominant outside corridors.
• Older user base and terrain effects: greater reliance on voice/text among seniors and more pronounced coverage gaps than the state average due to topography and tower spacing.

Bottom line Lewis County’s mobile ecosystem is coverage-first, capacity-second: most residents carry a cell phone, roughly four in five adults use smartphones, and a quarter rely on phones as their primary way online. Compared with Kentucky overall, Lewis County shows lower smartphone penetration, greater prepaid use, higher smartphone-only internet dependence, and more constrained 5G capacity—differences driven by income mix, an older population, and rural terrain that limits mid-band buildouts.

Social media in Lewis County, KY (2025 snapshot)

Population and user base

• Residents: ≈13,200 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate)
• Adults (18+): ≈10,200
• Adult social-media users: ≈7,300 (≈72% of adults; modeled from Pew’s rural-adult adoption)
• Household broadband subscription: ≈72% (ACS 2019–2023). Mobile-first use is common in areas with weaker fixed broadband.

Age and gender makeup of adult social-media users

• By age (share of local adult users; count rounded)
  • 18–29: ≈18% (≈1,340 users)
  • 30–49: ≈41% (≈3,000)
  • 50–64: ≈28% (≈2,040)
  • 65+: ≈13% (≈950)
• By gender (overall): ≈52% female, 48% male (women slightly more likely to use Facebook/Pinterest; men skew higher on YouTube/Reddit/X)

Most-used platforms among adults in Lewis County (percent of all adults; counts rounded)

• YouTube: ≈81% (≈8,250)
• Facebook: ≈71% (≈7,190)
• Instagram: ≈40% (≈4,110)
• Pinterest: ≈35% (≈3,550)
• TikTok: ≈31% (≈3,200)
• LinkedIn: ≈25% (≈2,560)
• Snapchat: ≈24% (≈2,460)
• WhatsApp: ≈22% (≈2,290)
• X (Twitter): ≈22% (≈2,190)
• Reddit: ≈17% (≈1,680)

Notes on platform skews

• Facebook and YouTube are the backbone across all ages; Facebook over-indexes among 30+ and for local info/commerce.
• Instagram and TikTok are strongest with under-35s; Instagram leans female; TikTok usage is growing in 18–34.
• Snapchat is concentrated in teens/20s; usage drops sharply after 30.
• Pinterest leans female and 25–54.
• X and Reddit lean male and news/tech-oriented, with smaller but active niches.

Behavioral trends observed in similar rural Kentucky counties and reflected locally

• Community and information
  • Facebook Groups and Pages are primary for local news, weather alerts, school updates, obituaries, road conditions, youth sports, churches, and emergency management.
  • Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups drive routine commerce; “wanted” and services posts get high response.
• Content formats and consumption
  • Short vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives discovery among under-40; cross-posting between TikTok and Instagram is common, with shares back into Facebook Groups.
  • YouTube is heavily used for DIY, auto repair, home projects, outdoor/recreation, and product reviews; longer watch sessions are typical evenings/weekends.
  • Mobile-first habits favor concise posts, captions on video, and links that open cleanly on phones.
• Engagement timing
  • Peak activity: 7–10 pm on weekdays; secondary peaks around lunch (11:30 am–1 pm) and weekend mornings.
  • Older adults show steady daytime Facebook activity; younger users cluster in evening hours on TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram.
• Trust and interaction
  • Posts from known locals, schools, churches, and county offices garner higher trust and shares than national sources.
  • Group admins and moderators play an active role in curbing rumors and steering attention to verified information.
• Youth patterns (not included in adult totals above)
  • Teens (13–17; ≈800–850 locally): near-universal YouTube use; strong on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram; limited Facebook posting but may maintain accounts for group/event access.

How these numbers were derived

• Adult population and broadband: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2019–2023; Vintage 2023 estimates).
• Overall adult social-media adoption and platform shares by age: Pew Research Center (Social Media Use in 2024; platform-by-age patterns consistent with prior Pew waves).
• County-level figures are produced by applying Pew’s age-specific adoption rates to Lewis County’s age structure; platform estimates are rounded to reflect survey uncertainty.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023, S2801 (Computer and Internet Use) and Vintage 2023 population estimates.
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024; Social Media and News (platform-by-age usage patterns).