Ohio County

Ohio County, Kentucky — key demographics (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population

• Total population: 23,842 (2020 Census)

Age (ACS 2018–2022)

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~23–24%
• 65 and over: ~18–19%

Gender (ACS 2018–2022)

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2018–2022)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~90–91%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~4–5%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: <1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: <1%

Households (ACS 2018–2022)

• Total households: ~9,100–9,300
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~66–69% of households
• Married-couple households: ~50–52%
• Households with children under 18: ~28–30%
• Nonfamily households: ~31–34%; living alone ~25–28%; age 65+ living alone ~10–12%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~76–79%
• Average family size: ~3.0

Insights

• Small, predominantly non-Hispanic White county with a modest but notable Hispanic population
• Age structure skews slightly older, with roughly one in five residents age 65+
• High homeownership and family prevalence, with household sizes slightly above the U.S. average

• County baseline: Ohio County, KY has 23,842 residents (2020 Census) spread across ~596 sq mi (≈40 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ≈16,500 adults (≈69% of total population; ≈90% of adults), derived from national email adoption among adults applied to the county’s adult population.
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–29: ≈2,900
  • 30–49: ≈5,400
  • 50–64: ≈4,500
  • 65+: ≈3,600
• Gender split: Approximately even (~50/50). Email usage rates are near-equal by gender; expect a roughly balanced user base.
• Digital access trends:
  • About 4 in 5 households maintain a home broadband subscription; a low‑teens share rely primarily on smartphones for internet.
  • Fiber/cable access is concentrated in Hartford and Beaver Dam and along major corridors (e.g., Western Kentucky Parkway); outlying areas more often depend on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
  • Population dispersion (≈40/sq mi) raises last‑mile costs, producing pockets with limited wired choices; public Wi‑Fi from schools, libraries, and government buildings supplements access.
  • Ongoing trend toward higher‑speed plans where available and gradual growth in mobile‑first usage among younger adults.

Ohio County, Kentucky mobile usage snapshot (best-available 2024 data and modeled county-level estimates, rounded)

Population and base

• Population: ≈24,000; households: ≈9,100; predominantly rural with small town centers (Hartford, Beaver Dam)
• Adult (18+) population: ≈18,300

User estimates

• Adults with a mobile phone: 90–92% (≈16,500–16,900 users)
• Adults with a smartphone: 84–87% (≈15,400–15,900 users)
• Feature/basic phone users: 5–7% of adults (≈900–1,200)
• Adults without a mobile phone: 8–10% (skewed to 65+ and Plain/Anabaptist communities)

How Ohio County differs from the Kentucky average

• Higher reliance on mobile as primary home internet: 16–20% of households are “mobile-only” at home (vs ≈11–14% statewide)
• Greater prepaid share of lines: 42–48% (vs ≈35–40% statewide), driven by cost sensitivity and credit constraints
• Slightly lower senior (65+) smartphone adoption: 70–75% (vs ≈75–80% statewide)
• More coverage variability: meaningfully more dead zones away from US‑231/US‑62 and the Western Kentucky Parkway than the state average
• Slower mid-band 5G buildout share: low-band 5G is broad, but mid-band 5G (faster) is concentrated along transport corridors and town centers; statewide mid-band availability is broader
• Higher uptake of fixed wireless home internet as a cable/fiber alternative, tied to patchy wired broadband outside town limits

Demographic breakdown of mobile and smartphone use

• By age
  • 18–34: smartphone adoption ≈96–98%; heavy app/social/video usage; high reliance on unlimited plans
  • 35–64: 90–93% smartphone; strong BYOD for work, mobile banking, and navigation
  • 65+: 70–75% smartphone; larger basic-phone cohort; more voice/text-centric use
• By income
  • Under $35k: above-average prepaid and mobile-only home internet (≈24–28% rely on mobile at home)
  • $35–75k: mixed prepaid/postpaid; growing fixed wireless home internet uptake
  • $75k+: highest 5G device penetration and multi-line postpaid plans; more fixed broadband + mobile bundles
• By race/ethnicity
  • The county is majority White non-Hispanic; smaller Black and Hispanic/Latino communities show similar smartphone adoption to peers statewide but with higher prepaid participation and ACP-era legacy plans
• Other local factors
  • Presence of Plain/Anabaptist households modestly lowers overall smartphone penetration and raises the share of adults without mobile devices relative to state averages

Digital infrastructure and availability

• Cellular networks
  • AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile provide countywide LTE; 5G low-band from all three on primary corridors and in towns
  • Mid-band 5G (capacity layer) is strongest around Beaver Dam/Hartford and along the Western Kentucky Parkway; coverage thins south/east into more wooded and hilly terrain
  • Typical performance: low-band 5G ≈30–100 Mbps down; LTE ≈5–30 Mbps; mid-band 5G ≈150–300 Mbps where available
  • FirstNet (AT&T) is present for public safety; Verizon Frontline used by responders
• Towers and density
  • Macro sites clustered along US‑231/US‑62, parkway interchanges, and town centers; fewer sites in low-density areas contribute to dead zones and indoor coverage challenges in hollows and river bottoms
• Home internet interplay
  • Cable: Spectrum in Beaver Dam/Hartford cores
  • Fiber: Ongoing electric‑co‑op builds (e.g., Kenergy/Conexon Connect footprint) expanding in 2023–2025; still uneven outside towns
  • Fixed wireless home internet (FWA): T‑Mobile and Verizon available to an estimated 60–70% of households, filling gaps where cable/fiber is absent or costly
  • After the 2024 ACP funding lapse, a noticeable share of low‑income households shifted to mobile‑only or FWA plans
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings act as anchor Wi‑Fi hubs; school-issued hotspots persist for coverage-challenged areas

Behavioral and market trends

• Device mix: 5G‑capable smartphones now ≈65–70% of active smartphones (below the statewide ≈70–75% due to slower upgrade cycles)
• Plan mix: Unlimited smartphone plans dominate, but data-capped prepaid remains common; hotspot add‑ons are used to substitute for home broadband
• Usage: High video and social consumption on corridors/towns; conservative usage patterns in fringe areas where speeds or caps constrain behavior
• Churn and affordability: Elevated plan churn and deal-seeking versus state average; family plans anchor retention for higher‑income households

Key takeaways for Ohio County

• Mobile connectivity is essential infrastructure and a primary on‑ramp to the internet for a larger slice of households than in Kentucky overall
• Coverage is good on main routes but less consistent in outlying areas; performance gains will depend on continued mid‑band 5G and fiber backhaul expansion
• Affordability pressures and the ACP sunset have entrenched prepaid and mobile-only use to a greater extent than the state average

Notes on figures

• Figures reflect 2023–2024 federal datasets (e.g., ACS computer/internet indicators and FCC broadband/mobile coverage), carrier network disclosures, and county-level modeling; values are rounded to emphasize directionality and county‑vs‑state differences

Ohio County, KY social media snapshot (2025)

Overall usage

• Estimated social media users (age 13+): ≈16,000, or about 68–72% of residents
• Primary access: smartphones; video-first content increasingly dominant across platforms

Age breakdown (share of local social media users)

• 13–17: ~10%
• 18–29: ~20%
• 30–49: ~32%
• 50–64: ~24%
• 65+: ~14%

Gender breakdown (share of local social media users)

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47%

Most-used platforms among local users (share of social media users)

• YouTube: 80–84%
• Facebook (incl. Messenger): 72–78%
• Instagram: 40–46%
• TikTok: 32–40%
• Snapchat: 28–36%
• Pinterest: 28–34% (skews female)
• X (Twitter): 14–20%
• Reddit: 12–18%
• Nextdoor: <5%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first on Facebook: heavy reliance on local groups for school updates, high school sports, church communications, county services, buy/sell/marketplace, and event discovery
• Video leads engagement: short vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives the highest reach; cross-posting between TikTok and Instagram Reels is common among creators and small businesses
• Messaging is default coordination: Facebook Messenger across all ages; Snapchat messaging prevalent for teens and young adults
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups are the primary channels for person-to-person sales and local service discovery
• News and emergencies: severe weather, road closures, school announcements, and utility outages trigger sharp spikes in Facebook group activity and shares
• Age-specific platform use:
  • 13–24 gravitate to TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram; Facebook mostly for groups and events
  • 25–44 split time between Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube; Reels/TikTok for discovery
  • 45+ concentrate on Facebook and YouTube; Pinterest popular among women; lower adoption of TikTok/Snap
• Timing: evening and weekend posting generates the most interaction; short videos with captions and local landmarks outperform generic stock content
• Advertising notes: boosted Facebook posts remain cost-effective for local reach; video creative under 15 seconds, plain-language headlines, and clear local calls-to-action convert best

Method and sources

• Modeled from U.S. Census/ACS county demographics and Pew Research Center 2023–2024 social media adoption by age and gender, adjusted for rural usage patterns. Figures represent best-available local estimates.