Mccreary County

McCreary County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest available)

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: ~16,700
• 2020 Census: ~17,200

Age

• Median age: ~39–40 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~16%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (race alone unless noted; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White: ~93%
• Black or African American: ~1%
• American Indian and Alaska Native: ~1–2%
• Asian: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~4–5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~2–3%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~90–91%

Households

• Total households: ~6,100–6,300
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~68–70% of households
• Married‑couple families: ~45–50% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~30%
• Nonfamily households: ~30–32%
• One‑person households: ~25–27%
• Average family size: ~3.1–3.2

Insights

• Small, slowly declining population since 2010.
• Younger share (under 18) around one-quarter; seniors about one-sixth, indicating a relatively balanced but modestly aging profile.
• Population is predominantly White, with small but growing multiracial and Hispanic segments.
• Household structure is family‑oriented with relatively larger household sizes compared to national averages.

• Population and density: ~16,600 residents; ~39 people per square mile (very rural).
• Estimated email users: ~10,300 residents use email regularly (≈62% of residents; ≈81% of adults).
• Age distribution of email users: 13–17: 8%; 18–29: 18%; 30–49: 33%; 50–64: 26%; 65+: 15%.
• Gender split among email users: 51% female, 49% male.
• Digital access and devices: ~64% of households have a broadband subscription; ~80% have a computer; adult smartphone ownership is ~80%+, with ~25% of households relying on mobile-only internet.
• Trends: Email use is stable and driven increasingly by smartphones; home broadband adoption is growing slowly but remains 10–15 points below the U.S. average, with affordability and terrain limiting uptake.
• Connectivity facts: Wireline broadband (cable/DSL) is concentrated around Whitley City, Stearns, and Pine Knot; coverage becomes patchy in hollows and forested areas, where fixed wireless, satellite, and mobile hotspots are common workarounds. Expansion of 5G/fixed wireless along US‑27 and KY‑92 is improving access, but gaps persist off main corridors.
• Implication: Email reach is broad among working‑age adults, but older residents and the most remote households are less consistently connected, making mobile‑friendly communication essential.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in McCreary County, Kentucky (2023–2024 snapshot)

Context and scale

• Population baseline: 16,888 (2020 Census). Adults 18+ are roughly three-quarters of residents.
• Rural, low-density county with substantial public lands (Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork NRRA), which shape coverage patterns and backhaul options.

User estimates (adults 18+)

• Mobile phone users (any cellphone): ≈12,000 adults, or about 94% of the adult population. This is slightly below typical statewide penetration, reflecting rural terrain and lower household incomes.
• Smartphone users: ≈10,200 adults, or about 80% of adults. The county trails Kentucky’s largely mid-to-high-80s smartphone adoption by several percentage points.
• Mobile-only internet households: approximately 1,600–1,900 of the county’s roughly 6,400–6,700 households rely primarily or solely on cellular data for home internet (about 25–30%), a markedly higher share than the state as a whole.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: High smartphone adoption (upper 80s to low 90s%), heavy app and social use; above-county-average uptake of unlimited plans.
  • 35–64: Solid adoption (low-to-mid 80s%), frequent hotspot use for work/school where fixed broadband is poor.
  • 65+: Adoption materially lower (roughly mid-50s to low-60s%), with more basic/flip-phone retention and greater reliance on voice/SMS. This age gap is wider than the state average.
• Income and education
  • The county’s incomes are well below the Kentucky median and poverty is roughly double the statewide rate, pushing higher reliance on prepaid plans and mobile-only internet. Budget plans and refurbished Android devices are overrepresented compared with state norms.
  • Households with lower educational attainment are more likely to be smartphone-only for internet access, and less likely to have a home PC. This increases phone-as-primary-device behavior (banking, benefits, school portals) versus the state average.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county has a smaller nonwhite population share than Kentucky overall, so racial gaps in smartphone adoption seen at the state level are less prominent locally; income and terrain are the dominant differentiators.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Mobile network availability
  • 4G LTE: Broad roadway and population-center coverage, especially along US‑27, KY‑92, KY‑1651, Stearns–Whitley City–Pine Knot corridors. Coverage thins in forested hollows and along ridgelines, with dead zones in and around Big South Fork and remote parts of Daniel Boone National Forest.
  • 5G: Present but spotty; predominantly low-band 5G from national carriers near towns and primary corridors. Mid-band 5G capacity is limited compared with Kentucky’s urban and suburban counties, contributing to lower median speeds and more frequent congestion at peak times.
• Backhaul and capacity
  • Limited fiber backhaul outside town centers constrains rural cell site capacity. Where microwave backhaul is used, speeds and latency are more variable than Kentucky’s metro areas.
• Fixed broadband context that shapes mobile use
  • Fiber is available only in pockets; legacy DSL remains in outlying areas. Cable broadband is largely confined to town centers. This uneven fixed footprint materially increases cellular reliance relative to state averages.
• Public connectivity
  • Schools, libraries, and a few civic locations provide crucial Wi‑Fi offload, but distance and transportation barriers reduce their utility for many households compared with urban Kentucky.

How McCreary County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A substantially larger share of households depend on cellular data as their primary home internet, due to sparse cable/fiber availability and lower incomes.
• Lower smartphone penetration among seniors: The age gap is wider than the state average, keeping overall county smartphone adoption a few points lower than Kentucky’s.
• More prepaid, budget-conscious usage: Prepaid plans and data-conservation behaviors (video throttling acceptance, hotspot rationing) are more common than statewide.
• Patchier 5G and lower median speeds: 5G coverage is less contiguous and more low-band dependent than in Kentucky’s urbanized corridors, constraining capacity and performance during peaks.
• Terrain-driven dead zones: Forest and gorge topography create more persistent coverage gaps than typical for Kentucky, even where statewide maps suggest blanket LTE availability.

Practical implications

• Mobile networks are the default on-ramp to the internet for many households; improvements in rural 5G capacity and fiber backhaul will have outsized benefits here.
• Senior-focused digital inclusion (device training, simplified plans) would close much of the local adoption gap.
• Targeted new cell sites or small cells along secondary roads and recreation areas would reduce dead zones more effectively than broad statewide initiatives oriented to metro capacity.

Social media usage in McCreary County, KY (2025 snapshot)

Baseline

• Population: ~17,200 residents; ~13,100 adults (18+).
• Connectivity: ~85% smartphone ownership; ~65–70% home broadband (rural profile).
• Overall reach: 12,000 residents use at least one social platform (70% of residents). Adult social-media adoption ~68–72%; teens (13–17) ~95%. Note: Localized estimates modeled from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 social-media surveys and U.S. Census/ACS rural demographics.

Most-used platforms (adults, estimated share of adults using)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 40–45%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30% Also relevant: Facebook Messenger 60–65%, Pinterest 28–35%, X/Twitter 18–22%, Reddit 14–18%, LinkedIn 12–15%, WhatsApp 10–15%.

Age breakdown (primary platforms; estimated penetration)

• Teens 13–17: YouTube ~95%; TikTok ~70%; Snapchat ~60%; Instagram ~60%; Facebook ~30%.
• 18–29: YouTube 90%+; Instagram ~75–80%; Snapchat ~65%; TikTok ~60%; Facebook ~65–70%.
• 30–49: Facebook ~75–80%; YouTube ~85–90%; Instagram ~45–50%; TikTok ~35–40%.
• 50–64: Facebook ~70–75%; YouTube ~75–80%; Instagram ~30%; TikTok ~25%.
• 65+: Facebook ~55–60%; YouTube ~55–60%; Instagram ~15–20%; TikTok ~10–12%.

Gender breakdown (adults, estimated)

• Women: Facebook 72–78%; Instagram 45–50%; Pinterest 35–40%; TikTok 32–36%; YouTube 78–82%.
• Men: YouTube 85–90%; Facebook 62–68%; Instagram 38–42%; TikTok 25–30%; Reddit 15–20%; X/Twitter 18–22%.

Behavioral trends

• Mobile-first consumption; video dominates. Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) and YouTube how‑to content perform strongly.
• Facebook remains the county’s community hub: groups for schools, churches, yard sales, jobs; Marketplace is a key local shopping channel; civic updates frequently circulate via shares.
• Discovery and shopping: Facebook/Instagram drive local SMB awareness; Marketplace and Facebook group referrals influence purchase decisions more than formal websites.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for contacting local businesses and event organizers; Snapchat is a primary messaging channel among teens/young adults.
• Content that resonates: local faces/places, youth sports, church/charity events, service updates (closures, weather impacts), giveaways, and short explainer videos for trades, auto, outdoor, and home repair.
• Timing patterns: Highest engagement typically in early evening (after work/school) and weekend mornings; school-year weekdays see midday and 7–9 pm spikes. Posts tied to local events and paydays show noticeably higher interaction.

These figures are localized estimates derived from national/state rural patterns and McCreary County’s demographics; they reflect expected usage levels and behaviors for planning and outreach.