Marshall County

Marshall County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• 31,900 (2024 population estimate, U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)
• 31,659 (2020 Census baseline)

Age

• Median age: ~45 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: Under 18: ~21%; 18–64: ~58%; 65+: ~21% (ACS 2019–2023)

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~94–95%
• Black or African American alone: ~0.5–0.7%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.2–0.3%
• Asian alone: ~0.4–0.6%
• Two or more races: ~3–4%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2% Note: Hispanic is an ethnicity and overlaps with race categories.

Household data (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~13,200
• Average household size: ~2.3–2.4
• Family households: ~67% of households; married-couple households: ~55–57%
• Households with children under 18: ~24–26%
• Households with someone age 65+: ~33–35%
• Homeownership rate: ~78–80%

Concise insights

• Small, slowly growing county (~32k residents) with an older age profile (median ~45; ~1 in 5 residents 65+).
• Predominantly White population with a small but present Hispanic community (~2%).
• Household structure skews toward married-couple families, high homeownership, and relatively small household sizes.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2024 Population Estimates Program.

• Estimated email users: ≈25,000 residents (age 13+) in Marshall County, KY.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–24: ~3,500 (14%)
  • 25–44: ~7,300 (29%)
  • 45–64: ~8,000 (32%)
  • 65+: ~6,200 (25%)
• Gender split among email users: ~51% female, 49% male.

Digital access and trends:

• ~84% of households subscribe to broadband; ~90% have a computer or smartphone; ~10% lack home internet; smartphone‑only reliance ~10%.
• Adoption and speeds have risen over the past five years with ongoing fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts; the 65+ cohort shows the fastest growth in regular email use.
• Email remains near‑universal among working‑age adults; usage among seniors trails but is narrowing as telehealth, banking, and government services move online.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population ~31,500; density ~105 residents per square mile (land area), with service strongest in the Benton–Calvert City corridors and along I‑69/US‑68.
• Lower‑density lake‑adjacent and northern tracts have fewer wired options and higher reliance on mobile hotspots, which can depress heavy email attachment usage during peak hours.

Marshall County, KY mobile usage snapshot (2025)

Headline figures

• Population base: 31,659 (2020 Census; county population has been roughly flat since). Adult population ≈ 24,900–25,300.
• Estimated smartphone users: ~23,300 residents (about 74% of total population and 85–88% of adults).
• Estimated active mobile lines: 36,000–40,000 (roughly 115–125 lines per 100 residents, reflecting multi‑device and IoT lines typical of rural counties).
• 5G availability: ~90–95% of residents covered by at least one carrier’s low‑band 5G; geographic coverage lower (≈60–70%) due to lakes/wooded terrain. Most capacity still comes from 4G LTE outside towns.

Demographic breakdown of smartphone adoption (modeled)

• Teens (13–17): 1,900 residents; ~95% have a smartphone (1,800 users).
• Ages 18–34: 5,400 residents; ~95% adoption (5,100 users).
• Ages 35–64: 13,000 residents; ~90% adoption (11,700 users).
• Ages 65+: 7,000 residents; ~65–70% adoption (4,600–4,900 users). Key takeaway: An older age profile than Kentucky overall depresses countywide adoption a few points below the state average, even though younger cohorts are near universal adoption.

Access and plan mix

• Smartphone‑only internet reliance: estimated 22–28% of adults use a smartphone as their primary or only home internet (above Kentucky’s average). This reflects patchier wired broadband outside Benton/Calvert City and cost sensitivities.
• Prepaid/MVNO share: estimated 35–40% of lines (several points higher than the statewide mix), driven by price sensitivity and variable credit access.
• Multi‑line households: common; many households carry 3–5 active SIMs when counting watches, tablets, hotspots, and farm/boat telemetry devices.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile operate throughout the county; regional MVNOs ride these networks.
• 5G profile:
  • Low‑band 5G (wide‑area) from all three carriers covers towns and highways (I‑24 near Calvert City/KY Dam, US‑68/80, US‑641/Benton).
  • Mid‑band 5G capacity is strongest near population clusters; outside those areas, 4G LTE carries most traffic.
• Macro sites: roughly 25–35 macro cell sites countywide, plus small cells in denser corridors; tower spacing widens around Kentucky Lake and wildlife areas.
• Typical performance: 4G LTE downlink often 5–40 Mbps in rural stretches and 25–100+ Mbps near towers; 5G low‑band typically 30–150 Mbps where signal is strong; uplink is the bottleneck in fringe lake peninsulas.
• Known weak spots: lake peninsulas and coves (Jonathan Creek, Blood River, Big Bear Creek), wooded ridgelines, and some interior hollows. External antennas/boosters materially improve service at these locations.
• Backhaul and middle‑mile: Spectrum and AT&T provide primary backhaul; state middle‑mile investments and regional fiber builds have improved resilience on main corridors, but some tower sectors still rely on microwave backhaul.
• Fixed alternatives impacting mobile use:
  • Cable: Spectrum in Benton/Calvert City cores.
  • Telco: AT&T DSL/FTTN with limited fiber pockets.
  • Fixed wireless: T‑Mobile Home Internet is widely offered along major corridors; Verizon 5G Home is available in pockets; both are patchier around the lake.
  • Public Wi‑Fi: libraries, schools, and some parks/marinas provide hotspots that offload mobile traffic seasonally.
• Public safety: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 present on select sites; priority coverage strongest along highways and town centers.

How Marshall County differs from Kentucky overall

• Older population structure: A larger 65+ share than the state lowers overall smartphone penetration by several points versus Kentucky’s average, despite near‑universal adoption among under‑35s.
• Higher smartphone‑only reliance: Due to uneven wired broadband beyond town centers and lower median incomes, smartphone‑only access is meaningfully higher than the statewide rate.
• Coverage pattern: Geographic—not population—coverage is the constraint. Lakes/forest topography creates more dead‑zones than typical Kentucky counties away from the Purchase region, pushing greater use of boosters and Wi‑Fi offload.
• Carrier mix: AT&T and Verizon tend to hold a bigger share than they do statewide because of rural coverage depth; T‑Mobile performs well in towns and along highways but has more fringe gaps lakeside.
• Seasonal load: Tourism and recreation at Kentucky Lake produce pronounced summer/weekend traffic spikes on sectors near marinas, campgrounds, and parks—more seasonal variability than the state average.

Actionable implications

• For residents and businesses outside Benton/Calvert City, plan for external antennas or boosters if dependable indoor service is critical.
• Fixed‑wireless (especially T‑Mobile) can be a strong primary or backup option off the cable footprint; check address‑level eligibility as availability changes rapidly with sector capacity upgrades.
• Organizations serving seniors should emphasize device training and simplified plans; this cohort is the local adoption gap.
• Emergency planners should leverage FirstNet where available and pre‑identify lake‑area comms gaps for deployables during peak season.

Note on methodology

• User counts and adoption by age are modeled from the 2020 Census population base for Marshall County combined with current national adoption rates by age cohort and rural adjustments; line density per 100 residents reflects rural US norms and Kentucky patterns. Coverage and infrastructure assessments synthesize carrier build‑outs in western Kentucky, terrain constraints around Kentucky Lake, and observed rural performance characteristics.

Marshall County, KY — social media usage snapshot (2025, modeled estimates)

Overall usage

• Residents 13+ using at least one social platform: 70–75% monthly; 58–63% daily
• Rural adjustment: usage skews slightly below national averages; Facebook and YouTube over-index vs X/LinkedIn

Most-used platforms (share of residents 13+ using monthly)

• YouTube: 72–76%
• Facebook: 58–62%
• Instagram: 30–35%
• TikTok: 28–32%
• Pinterest: 20–25%
• Snapchat: 20–24%
• X (Twitter): 12–15%
• LinkedIn: 10–12%
• Reddit: 8–10%

Age-group patterns (monthly platform reach within each age band)

• 13–17: 92–95% use social; YouTube 90–95, Snapchat 70–75, TikTok 65–70, Instagram 50–55, Facebook 25–30
• 18–24: ~95% use social; YouTube 88–92, Instagram 75–80, TikTok 68–72, Snapchat 58–62, Facebook 45–50
• 25–34: ~90% use social; YouTube 82–88, Facebook 58–62, Instagram 50–55, TikTok 50–55
• 35–54: 78–82% use social; YouTube 78–82, Facebook 68–72, Instagram 30–38, TikTok 25–30
• 55+: 60–65% use social; Facebook 65–70, YouTube 60–65, Pinterest 28–32, Instagram 18–22, TikTok 12–18

Gender breakdown (monthly)

• Women: 75–80% use social; Facebook 65–70, YouTube 70–75, Instagram 35–40, Pinterest 28–32, TikTok 30–33
• Men: 70–75% use social; YouTube 75–80, Facebook 55–60, Instagram 25–30, TikTok 25–28, X 14–18, Reddit 10–12

Behavioral trends

• Local-first engagement: Heavy use of Facebook Groups/Pages (schools, churches, public safety), Marketplace for buy/sell, and local event posts and livestreams
• Video-forward: Short-form vertical video (15–45 seconds) outperforms static posts across Facebook, Instagram Reels, TikTok; live video spikes around weather alerts, lake conditions, and high school sports
• Peak activity windows (CT): Weeknights 7–9 pm; secondary peaks 11:30 am–1 pm and Sunday early evening; lowest engagement mid-mornings on weekdays
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is default for community and business inquiries; Instagram DMs common under 35; Snapchat messaging dominant among teens
• Content affinities: Outdoor recreation (Kentucky Lake/boating/fishing), high school sports, local small-business promos, community service and faith-based events; practical “how-to” YouTube content performs well
• Advertising notes: Tight geo-targeting (10–25 miles) works best; creative featuring recognizable local people/places outperforms generic; event-tied offers and short videos drive higher click-through and shares; LinkedIn and X deliver niche reach only

Notes on figures

• Statistics are best-available modeled estimates for Marshall County derived from Pew Research Center (2023–2024) U.S. platform usage by age, rural/urban skews, and county demographics from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS. Percentages reflect monthly reach among residents aged 13+ unless otherwise specified.