Mclean County

McLean County, Kentucky — key demographics

• Population size:

  • 2020 Census: 9,152
  • 2023 Census estimate: 9,008

• Age:

  • Median age: 43.6 years
  • Under 18: 22.4%
  • 18 to 64: 56.8%
  • 65 and over: 20.8%

• Gender:

  • Female: 50.7%
  • Male: 49.3%

• Racial/ethnic composition (race alone unless noted):

  • White, non-Hispanic: 93.7%
  • Black or African American: 1.3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): 1.8%
  • Two or more races: 2.7%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.3%
  • Asian: 0.2%
  • Other races: 0.1%

• Households and housing:

  • Total households: 3,606
  • Persons per household (avg): 2.49
  • Family households: 69%
  • Married-couple families: 55%
  • Nonfamily households: 31%
  • Living alone: 27% (about 12% age 65+ living alone)
  • Owner-occupied: 79.6%
  • Renter-occupied: 20.4%

Notes: Population count from the 2020 Decennial Census; other demographic and household figures primarily from the latest available ACS 5-year estimates (2019–2023).

McLean County, KY (population ~9,200) is rural, at roughly 35 people per square mile.

Estimated email users: about 6,400 adult residents.

Age distribution of email users

• 18–34: ~22%
• 35–54: ~34%
• 55–64: ~17%
• 65+: ~27%

Gender split among email users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors the county’s population).

Digital access and usage

• About 80% of households have a home broadband subscription; roughly 88–90% have a computer or smartphone.
• An estimated 12–15% are smartphone‑only internet users; about 15% have no home internet subscription, which can limit consistent email access.
• Email is used most intensively by working‑age adults; seniors participate at somewhat lower but still majority rates.

Connectivity and density context

• Broadband availability and speeds are strongest in and around Calhoun and Livermore; more remote parts of the county rely more on DSL or fixed‑wireless, reflecting longer service distances.
• Overall email adoption tracks rural Kentucky norms and is edging upward as new fiber and fixed‑wireless builds reach additional households.

These figures synthesize recent ACS-style population and internet‑subscription patterns with current U.S. email adoption norms to reflect local conditions.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in McLean County, Kentucky

Scope and sources

• Best-available, county-scale indicators of “mobile phone usage” come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year tables on device ownership and internet subscription (S2801/S2802) and the FCC National Broadband Map for infrastructure. National adoption benchmarks are from Pew Research Center (2023).

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: On the order of 6,000–7,000 residents. Method: McLean County’s population is roughly nine to ten thousand; applying national adult smartphone adoption (~91% of adults) yields about two-thirds to three-quarters of total residents using smartphones daily.
• Household smartphone adoption is high, but a larger-than-average share of households rely on smartphones as their primary or only internet device compared with Kentucky overall. This shows up in ACS as a higher “smartphone-only” share and a higher reliance on cellular data plans.

Key differences from Kentucky statewide

• More smartphone-only households: McLean has a meaningfully higher proportion of households with a smartphone but no desktop/laptop/tablet than the statewide average. This is consistent with rural affordability and availability constraints and results in heavier mobile data dependence for everyday tasks.
• Lower fixed broadband uptake: A smaller share of households maintain a wireline broadband subscription (cable/fiber/DSL) than Kentucky overall, with a correspondingly higher cellular-only or cellular-first behavior. Households are more likely to use mobile hotspots or tethering.
• Higher “no internet subscription” rate: A larger fraction of households report no internet subscription at all than the state average, a gap driven by older residents and lower-income households. Where smartphones are present in such homes, usage is often Wi‑Fi offloading at public or work locations.
• Device/payment mix skews prepaid: Carriers’ rural footprints and income mix translate into higher prepaid penetration and longer device replacement cycles than the state average, reinforcing reliance on mid-tier Android devices and refurbished iPhones.

Demographic breakdown (how usage differs within the county)

• Age: McLean has a higher share of residents age 65+ than Kentucky overall. Seniors here are less likely to subscribe to fixed broadband and more likely either to rely on a basic smartphone plan for essential use or to forgo internet entirely, widening the county–state gap in connectivity among older adults.
• Income: Lower-income households (particularly under ~$35,000) show elevated smartphone-only reliance and reduced wireline broadband adoption, reflecting cost sensitivity to installation and monthly fees. This group accounts for much of the county’s above-average cellular dependence.
• Households with children: Families with school-age children in McLean more often maintain both mobile and fixed connections than seniors/retirees, but the county still shows more hotspot/tether use for homework than the state average due to patchy fixed service availability outside towns.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Mobile networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide LTE across most populated corridors; 5G coverage is present along primary routes and population centers but is discontinuous in river bottoms and sparsely populated areas. Tower spacing typical of rural counties creates dead zones in low-lying and heavily wooded terrain, which residents mitigate with exterior antennas and in-home boosters.
• Fixed networks affecting mobile reliance: Cable is concentrated in town centers; fiber-to-the-home is expanding through ongoing electric-coop builds (e.g., Kenergy/Conexon) but has not yet reached as broad a share of addresses as the Kentucky average. Where fiber is not yet available, legacy DSL remains, pushing households toward cellular data plans for speed.
• Emergency and public-safety coverage: County E‑911 and adjacent-county roaming provide baseline coverage, but in-building signal inside metal-roof structures and along river-adjacent hollows is notably weaker than statewide norms, reinforcing Wi‑Fi calling dependence.

What this means for usage behavior

• Heavier mobile data dependence: Residents conduct more day-to-day tasks (banking, benefits, school portals) over cellular networks than the average Kentuckian, particularly outside town limits.
• Performance variability: Peak-hour congestion and distance to towers cause greater variability in speeds than statewide, so users adapt with off-peak usage, Wi‑Fi offload where available, and MVNO plans with data rollovers.
• Digital inclusion gap: The county’s older and lower-income segments are more exposed to connectivity shortfalls than counterparts elsewhere in Kentucky, making smartphone access programs and fixed-broadband buildouts especially impactful locally.

Sources and measurement notes

• Device ownership and subscription mix: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year (Tables S2801/S2802).
• Coverage and infrastructure: FCC National Broadband Map (2024) and carrier public coverage disclosures.
• Smartphone adoption benchmark: Pew Research Center, 2023 national adult smartphone ownership (~91%).

Below is a concise, county-specific snapshot built from the latest U.S. Census/ACS demographics and 2024 Pew Research platform adoption rates, calibrated to McLean County’s rural/older profile. Figures are 2024 estimates, rounded.

Overall usage

• Adult social media penetration: 83% of adults
• Daily active users (adults): ~60% of adults (≈72% of social media users)
• Average time spent: ~2.1 hours/day among users
• Multi‑platform behavior: ~55% of users are active on 3+ platforms

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use each)

• YouTube: 81%
• Facebook: 72%
• Instagram: 42%
• Pinterest: 32%
• TikTok: 28%
• Snapchat: 24%
• WhatsApp: 15%
• X (Twitter): 18%
• Reddit: 16%

Age breakdown of active users (share of county’s social media users)

• 18–29: 17%
• 30–49: 36%
• 50–64: 26%
• 65+: 21%
• Teens (13–17; directional): very high video use—YouTube ~95%, TikTok ~67%, Instagram ~62%, Snapchat ~60%, Facebook ~35%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~53% female, 47% male
• Platform skews:
  • More female: Pinterest (75% of local users), Instagram (56%), TikTok (58%), Facebook (55%), Snapchat (~56%)
  • More male: Reddit (65% male), X/Twitter (60% male), YouTube (~52–54% male)

Behavioral trends observed in rural Kentucky counties like McLean

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of Groups (school sports, churches, yard/estate sales, local gov/alerts), Marketplace, and event posts; highest cross‑age reach
• Video‑first consumption: YouTube for how‑to, hunting/fishing, farm/repair, local church services; TikTok/Instagram Reels for short local highlights and small‑business promos
• Peak engagement windows: evenings 7–10 pm CT and weekends; mobile‑first usage dominates
• Younger cohorts (teens/20s): TikTok/Snapchat DM culture; Instagram for status updates; minimal Facebook posting but passive browsing of local info
• Older cohorts (50+): Facebook primary, limited platform hopping; strong response to local faces, plain‑spoken copy, and practical info
• Commerce behavior: Facebook Marketplace is the default for buy/sell/trade; local service discovery via Facebook reviews, Groups, and word‑of‑mouth reposts
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger prevalent across ages; Snapchat messaging among teens/young adults; WhatsApp used mainly for family groups and a minority of work circles

Notes on interpretation

• Figures reflect McLean County’s older/rural skew relative to national averages (slightly higher Facebook, slightly lower TikTok/Instagram/Reddit/WhatsApp), using ACS demographics and 2024 Pew platform rates.