Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest Census-derived data)

Population size

• 2023 population estimate: ~28,500
• 2020 Census: ~28,100 (up from ~26,500 in 2010)

Age

• Median age: ~39 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Racial/ethnic composition (share of total)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~89%
• Black or African American: ~5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0%

Household data

• Households: ~11,200
• Persons per household: ~2.5
• Family households: ~67%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~66%
• Renter-occupied: ~34%

Insights

• Modest population growth since 2010, with an age profile near the Kentucky average.
• Household size is typical for the region; tenure skews owner-occupied.
• Population is predominantly White, with small but present Black and Hispanic communities.

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

Montgomery County, KY email usage snapshot (2025):

• Population: ~28,500; adults (18+): ~22,300.
• Estimated adult email users: ~20,850 (93% of adults).

Age distribution and adoption among adults:

• 18–29: 18% of adults; 98% use email → ~3,950 users (19% of users).
• 30–49: 30%; 97% → ~6,490 users (31%).
• 50–64: 27%; 93% → ~5,590 users (27%).
• 65+: 25%; 86% → ~4,820 users (23%).

Gender split among email users:

• Female 51% (10,650); Male 49% (10,200).

Digital access and usage trends:

• Home broadband subscription: ~84% of households.
• Smartphone-only internet households: ~13%.
• No home internet: ~16% (library, school, and mobile access fill gaps).
• Device access: ~90% of households have a computer; near-universal smartphone access among adults under 65 sustains high email reach.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Land area ~199 sq mi; population density ~143 people/sq mi.
• Mount Sterling has cable/fiber coverage; 100 Mbps+ fixed internet available to most households, with DSL/fixed-wireless in rural fringes.
• 5G along the I‑64 corridor and LTE countywide support email access where wired options are limited.

Overall: email is effectively ubiquitous among working-age adults, with slightly lower adoption among seniors and access constraints in the most rural tracts.

Mobile phone usage in Montgomery County, Kentucky (2024 snapshot)

Key user estimates

• Population base: 28,114 (2020 Census); roughly 11,000–11,300 households. Adult (18+) population is approximately 21,000–22,000.
• Smartphone users: about 18,000–20,000 adults (roughly 85–90% adult adoption). That equates to about two-thirds of the total population using a smartphone daily.
• Household smartphone access: about 88–91% of households report having a smartphone.
• Mobile-only internet reliance: roughly 15–18% of households rely primarily on a cellular data plan for home internet (smartphone or hotspot), a higher share than the Kentucky statewide average (typically low- to mid-teens).
• Wireless lines per capita: estimated 1.3–1.4 active mobile subscriptions per resident, modestly below Kentucky’s average (≈1.5), reflecting fewer tablet/IoT lines outside the Mount Sterling urban core.

Demographic breakdown (how usage differs from state patterns)

• Age: Adult smartphone adoption is near-universal among ages 18–34 (≈93–96%) and high for 35–64 (≈88–92%). Adoption among residents 65+ trails the state average by a few points (≈72–80% locally vs high‑70s to low‑80s statewide), contributing to a slightly larger mobile “usage gap” among seniors than Kentucky overall.
• Income: Lower-income households (<$35k) show above-state reliance on mobile-only internet by about 2–4 percentage points, aligning with local affordability constraints and patchier wireline options outside Mount Sterling.
• Education and family status: Households with children and workers commuting along I‑64 skew more data-intensive on mobile (higher hotspot use, higher 5G handset penetration) than similarly situated households elsewhere in Kentucky, reflecting corridor coverage advantages and on-the-go connectivity needs.
• Race/ethnicity: Given the county’s composition (predominantly White, with small Black and Hispanic communities), observed gaps in smartphone adoption by race are modest and narrower than state averages; access differences are driven more by income and geography than by race.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) provide 4G LTE countywide with 5G service clustered in and around Mount Sterling and along major corridors (I‑64, US‑60, KY‑11). FirstNet (AT&T) supports public-safety coverage.
• 5G footprint: Mid-band and low-band 5G blanket Mount Sterling and the I‑64 corridor; expansion toward outer rural areas is ongoing. 5G availability is measurably better than in neighboring, more mountainous counties to the east, but still behind Kentucky’s largest metros.
• Signal quality: Persistent weak-signal pockets remain in low-lying and wooded areas away from the interstate and in fringe zones toward county borders; LTE is generally available but with lower throughput in these spots.
• Backhaul and middle mile: The KentuckyWired middle‑mile backbone and existing fiber routes along I‑64 improve mobile backhaul resiliency in the Mount Sterling area, supporting higher 5G capacity than similarly sized rural counties without interstate-adjacent fiber.
• Wireline context (shaping mobile reliance): Spectrum serves much of Mount Sterling with cable broadband; Windstream/Kinetic and local fiber builds cover a growing share of rural roads. Where wireline options are slower or absent, households lean on smartphone hotspots or cellular home internet, pushing mobile data usage above the state norm.

Trends that differ from Kentucky overall

• Higher mobile dependence: A larger share of households uses cellular as their primary or backup home internet compared with the Kentucky average, particularly in rural tracts outside Mount Sterling.
• Corridor-driven 5G usage: 5G handset penetration and data consumption are elevated along the I‑64 commute and logistics corridor, outpacing similarly sized counties not situated on an interstate backbone.
• Slightly lower multi-line density: Fewer ancillary lines (tablets/IoT) per capita than the state average; growth is concentrated in smartphone lines and fixed-wireless (cellular) home internet rather than wearables/IoT.
• Senior adoption gap: The 65+ smartphone adoption rate lags the Kentucky average by a small but meaningful margin, keeping overall countywide adoption a bit below the state’s in that age segment.

Sources and methodology

• User and household estimates derive from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial and latest ACS 5‑year device and subscription indicators), combined with statewide benchmarks and standard adoption patterns by age/income to allocate county-level shares. Infrastructure points reflect FCC Broadband Data Collection (2024), carrier-reported coverage, and Kentucky network initiatives.

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

Population and user base

• Total population: ~28,600 (2023 estimate)
• Residents age 13+: ~24,000 (84%)
• Social media users: ~19,400 (≈83% of residents 13+; ≈68% of total population)

Age breakdown of social media users

• 13–17: 8%
• 18–24: 12%
• 25–34: 16%
• 35–44: 17%
• 45–54: 15%
• 55–64: 15%
• 65+: 18%

Gender breakdown of social media users

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Most-used platforms (share of residents age 13+, with estimated local users)

• YouTube: 84% (~20,200 users)
• Facebook: 65% (~15,600)
• Instagram: 48% (~11,500)
• TikTok: 36% (~8,600)
• Pinterest: 34% (~8,200)
• Snapchat: 32% (~7,700)
• LinkedIn: 28% (~6,700)
• WhatsApp: 28% (~6,700)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~5,300)
• Reddit: 21% (~5,000)

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Community-first activity on Facebook: Strong reliance on Facebook Pages/Groups for local news, schools, churches, youth sports, yard sales, and events; Facebook Marketplace is a leading local buy/sell channel.
• Video is dominant: YouTube for how‑to, trades/DIY, product research, and local sports recaps; short-form video (TikTok/Reels/Shorts) is the main discovery format for under‑35.
• Youth split: Teens and 18–24s are heavy on TikTok and Snapchat for daily messaging and entertainment; they keep Facebook accounts mainly for events and family.
• Older cohorts stay with Facebook, but YouTube is rising: 55+ remains very active on Facebook (news, community, Marketplace) and increasingly streams YouTube on smart TVs.
• Messaging patterns: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are primary; WhatsApp usage exists but is secondary compared with many urban markets.
• Content that drives engagement: Local faces and voices, weather alerts, school closures, high‑school sports, church/community events, local deals and giveaways, and “before/after” service visuals (home, auto, landscaping).
• Timing: Engagement peaks most evenings (roughly 7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; weather and school/event cycles create noticeable spikes.
• Mobile‑first usage: Scrolling, viewing, and messaging predominantly on smartphones; short captions, subtitles, and vertical video perform best.
• Trust dynamics: Residents respond to recognizable local organizations and individuals; cross-posting into multiple relevant Facebook Groups significantly boosts reach; creator partnerships with local figures outperform generic ads.
• Employment networking: LinkedIn use is concentrated among education, healthcare, and manufacturing managers for hiring and professional updates; job posts and training announcements perform well.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Population base from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 estimates. Platform adoption and age/gender usage rates modeled from Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media use studies (adults and teens), blended with county age structure to produce local estimates; figures rounded to the nearest hundred.