Meade County

Key demographics of Meade County, Kentucky

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

• Population

  • 2020 Census: 30,003
  • 2023 estimate: ~31,000 (stable, modest growth vs. 2010)

• Age

  • Median age: ~37–38 years
  • Distribution: ~24–25% under 18; ~61–62% 18–64; ~13–14% 65+

• Gender

  • Male: ~50–51%
  • Female: ~49–50%

• Race/ethnicity (ACS, share of total population)

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~85%
  • Black or African American: ~6–7%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~5–6%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Asian: ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and Other: each <1%

• Households and families

  • Households: ~11,000
  • Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
  • Family households: ~70% of households; married-couple households comprise a majority
  • Households with children under 18: ~1 in 3
  • Housing tenure: ~3 in 4 are owner-occupied

Insights

• Population has grown modestly since 2010 and remains family-oriented, with high owner-occupancy and a median age near the national average.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly non-Hispanic White, with small but present Black and Hispanic communities.

Estimated email users: ~22,900 in Meade County (≈89% of residents age 13+), based on a ~31,000 total population.

Age distribution of email users (modeled from national adoption by age):

• 13–17: ~1.7k (8%)
• 18–34: ~6.0k (26%)
• 35–64: ~11.7k (51%)
• 65+: ~3.5k (15%)

Gender split: ~51% female, 49% male among users (near parity).

Digital access and trends:

• ~82% of households have a broadband subscription; ~90% have a computer or smartphone at home; ~12% are smartphone‑only.
• Email is near-universal among working‑age adults; senior adoption continues to rise due to healthcare, government, and banking usage.
• Mobile access is strong; most residents can reach ≥100 Mbps fixed broadband, with rural pockets experiencing lower speeds that push greater reliance on mobile email.
• Pandemic-era remote work/schooling permanently increased account creation and daily email habits.

Local density/connectivity:

• Population density ~95 people per square mile; ~12,000 households across predominantly rural terrain.
• Connectivity is strongest around Brandenburg, Ekron, and along US‑31W/KY‑313 corridors; river bluffs and interior hollows show more variable service.

Mobile phone usage in Meade County, KY — 2024 snapshot

Overall user base (estimates derived from recent Census/ACS structure, Pew mobile adoption by age, and CDC wireless-only trends, calibrated for the Elizabethtown–Fort Knox region)

• Population and households: ≈30,000 residents; ≈11,000 households.
• Smartphone users: ≈23,000 people use a smartphone (≈77% of total population; ≈89% of adults).
• Feature/basic phone users: ≈1,500–2,000 adults (≈6–8% of adults).
• Wireless-only for voice (no landline): ≈77% of households, a few points above Kentucky overall (≈73–75%).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no fixed broadband but rely on mobile plans/hotspots): ≈21% in Meade vs ≈18% statewide.

Demographic breakdown of mobile adoption (adult population unless noted)

• Age
  • 18–34: ≈96% smartphone adoption (Meade is somewhat younger than Kentucky overall due to proximity to Fort Knox and commuting patterns).
  • 35–64: ≈90–92%.
  • 65+: ≈72–76% (below younger groups but trending upward; still slightly below Kentucky’s urban counties).
  • Teens (13–17): ≈95% have a smartphone; contributes materially to household device counts.
• Income and household type
  • Households under $50k are more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet (≈28–32% vs ≈24–27% statewide).
  • Families with school-age children show higher device density (≈3.3–3.6 mobile devices per household vs ≈3.0–3.3 statewide), reflecting multi-line family plans and hotspot use.
• Military/veteran households
  • Veteran/DoD-affiliated share is above the state average; working-age military and contractor households show near-saturation smartphone adoption and higher-than-average use of unlimited data plans and hotspots for secondary connectivity.

Digital infrastructure and coverage (based on federal/state maps and regional operator deployments)

• Carrier presence: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile operate 4G LTE countywide with 5G service in and around population centers and primary corridors.
• 5G footprint: Low-band 5G spans most populated areas; mid-band 5G is concentrated around Brandenburg and along commuter routes linking toward Fort Knox (KY-313/KY-1638) and the Hardin County edge, yielding markedly higher speeds in these zones.
• Performance: Typical 5G mid-band speeds in covered corridors reach 200–400 Mbps; 4G-only rural areas often deliver 10–30 Mbps with higher latency and peak-time slowdowns.
• Terrain effects: River bluffs, hollows, and wooded valleys along the Ohio River and in western tracts create persistent weak-signal pockets and in-vehicle call reliability issues despite nominal coverage on maps.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is active; agencies benefit from prioritized access, which improves resilience during incidents and weather events but does not eliminate terrain-related gaps.
• Backhaul and middle-mile: Regional fiber backbones (state and private) and electric-cooperative builds run through/near the county, enabling upgraded 5G sites along main corridors while leaving some interior sectors with older microwave-fed 4G sites that cap throughput.

How Meade County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher mobile reliance for home internet: Smartphone-only and hotspot-dependent households run ≈2–4 percentage points above the state average, tied to a mix of rural last-mile limitations and a younger, commuting-heavy population.
• Slightly higher smartphone saturation among working-age adults: ≈1–3 points above the state, driven by DoD/contractor employment and family plan adoption.
• Coverage quality is more bimodal: Better-than-typical rural 5G in the Brandenburg–Fort Knox commuter axis, but more pronounced terrain-driven dead zones than the state average when measured by land area.
• Landline decline is further along: Wireless-only voice households are several points higher than the Kentucky mean, and traditional landline penetration is correspondingly lower.
• Peak-load patterns: Networks see outsized peak congestion on commuter corridors toward Fort Knox and Hardin County relative to the state pattern for rural counties, producing wider speed variability by time-of-day.

Actionable implications

• Capacity, not just coverage, is the constraint in commuter corridors; mid-band 5G densification and fiber backhaul upgrades yield outsized benefits.
• Affordability programs (ACP-alternative offerings, prepaid unlimited plans, and school-issued hotspots) have greater uptake than the state average and remain key to narrowing homework and telehealth gaps.
• Terrain-aware planning (small cells/repeaters along river valleys and strategic macro infill) will close the largest reliability gaps faster than countywide blanket buildouts.

Social media usage in Meade County, Kentucky (2025 snapshot)

Overview and user stats

• Population baseline: ~31,000 residents
• People age 13+: ~26,000
• Social media users (13+): ~22,000 (≈85% of 13+; ≈71% of total population)
• Daily active social users: ~16,000 (≈73% of users)

Users by age (share of social media users)

• 13–17: 11%
• 18–24: 13%
• 25–34: 19%
• 35–44: 20%
• 45–54: 15%
• 55–64: 12%
• 65+: 10%

Gender breakdown (share of social media users)

• Female: 50%
• Male: 50%
• Platform skews: Pinterest and Snapchat skew female; TikTok slightly female; Reddit, YouTube, and LinkedIn skew male; Facebook and Instagram are near-even

Most-used platforms in Meade County (share of social media users)

• YouTube: 86%
• Facebook: 78%
• Instagram: 46%
• TikTok: 38%
• Snapchat: 36%
• Pinterest: 31%
• X (Twitter): 17%
• LinkedIn: 16%
• Reddit: 14%
• Nextdoor: 8%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: high engagement with local news, school/athletics, yard sales, church updates, weather alerts, and county services. Groups and Marketplace drive frequent visits.
• Short‑form video is core: Reels and TikTok dominate consumption among teens and 18–34; most creation is light (stories/reposts) with a smaller creator core producing local lifestyle, trades/DIY, and outdoors content.
• Messaging first for youth: Snapchat is the default for high school and young adults; Facebook Messenger is the cross‑generational standard.
• YouTube is universal utility: how‑to repair, hunting/fishing, outdoor equipment, auto/lawn care, church services, and high‑school sports streams.
• Instagram is retail and lifestyle: boutiques, salons, photographers, and youth sports; Stories for timely promos, Reels for discovery.
• X/Twitter is niche: sports (UK/UL), state politics, severe weather watchers; engagement spikes during storms and big games.
• LinkedIn is concentrated: defense/DoD‑adjacent commuters, healthcare, education; job‑seeking over posting.
• Timing and content: peak activity 6–8 a.m. and 7–10 p.m.; Sundays and weather days over-index. Posts with local faces, clear photos, and one call‑to‑action outperform; short captions and vertical video with captions work best given mobile‑first use.
• Commerce behaviors: strong response to giveaways, raffles, and limited‑time local offers; heavy reliance on peer recommendations in Groups; price‑sensitive but loyal to known local businesses.

Method notes

• Figures are modeled local estimates for Meade County using 2024–2025 U.S. benchmarks (Pew Research Center platform adoption, DataReportal U.S. social use) scaled by county age/sex mix from recent Census/ACS profiles. Percentages reflect share of social media users unless noted; rounding applied.