Pendleton County

Pendleton County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population size

• 14,644 (2020 Decennial Census)

Age structure (ACS 2019–2023, 5-year)

• Median age: 40.6 years
• Under 18: 24%
• 18–64: 59%
• 65 and over: 17%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: 50.2%
• Male: 49.8%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; race alone unless noted; Hispanic can be any race)

• White (non-Hispanic): 94.9%
• Black or African American: 0.6%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.2%
• Asian: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 3.1%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 1.5%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~5,550
• Average household size: 2.63
• Family households: ~72% of households
• Married-couple households: ~53% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~79%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates (Pendleton County, KY).

• Population and density: Pendleton County, KY has 14,644 residents (2020 Census) across 282 sq mi (52 people/sq mi).
• Estimated email users: ~10,100 adult users. Breakdown (population-based estimates applying current U.S. adoption rates):
  • Ages 18–34: ~2,500 users (≈95% of this group)
  • Ages 35–64: ~5,600 users (≈93%)
  • Ages 65+: ~2,000 users (≈80%)
• Age distribution (population): ~24% under 18; ~18% 18–34; ~41% 35–64; ~17% 65+.
• Gender split among email users: roughly even (≈50/50), mirroring the county’s overall gender balance.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households: 5,600; about three‑quarters (77%) have a broadband subscription (~4,300 households).
  • A notable share (~1 in 5 households) rely on smartphone‑only internet, constraining email usage to mobile devices.
  • Connectivity is densest in and around Falmouth and Butler; service quality drops in sparsely populated, hilly areas, where fixed wireless and satellite fill gaps.
  • Access is improving with ongoing rural fiber and fixed‑wireless buildouts supported by state/federal programs, but affordability pressures have risen with the wind‑down of the ACP in 2024. Insights: Email is near‑universal among working‑age adults; seniors are the growth segment. Coverage and affordability remain the primary barriers outside town centers.

Pendleton County, KY — Mobile phone usage snapshot (2023–2024)

Executive summary

• Pendleton County is a rural, low-density market with near-universal LTE outdoors, expanding but still spotty mid-band 5G, and a higher-than-average reliance on cellular data for home internet. Smartphone adoption is high but trails Kentucky’s urbanized counties, with older residents and lower incomes tempering penetration and speed expectations.

User estimates

• Population and device users:

  • Total residents: ~14,700
  • Adults (18+): ~11,400
  • Adult smartphone users: ~9,300 (≈81% of adults; rural-aligned rate)
  • Teens (12–17) with smartphones: ~1,050 (≈93% of ~1,130 teens)
  • Total smartphone users (12+): ~10,300–10,500

• Household connectivity:

  • Households: ~5,600
  • Households with any smartphone/cellular data plan: ~4,700–4,900
  • Cellular-only home internet (no fixed broadband): ~1,200 households (≈21–23%), meaning heavier dependence on mobile networks than the Kentucky average

Demographic breakdown shaping usage

• Age structure: Slightly older than the state average
  • Ages 65+: ~17–18% (smartphone adoption significantly lower than younger cohorts), pulling down overall penetration and increasing prevalence of basic/older devices
• Income and education:
  • Median household income below the Kentucky median; bachelor’s degree attainment materially lower than state average
  • These factors correlate with higher prepaid and value-plan adoption and a higher share of Android devices, along with greater mobile-only internet reliance
• Commute patterns:
  • Notable out-commuting toward the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky corridor concentrates peak network load along US‑27 and town centers (Falmouth, Butler)

Digital infrastructure points

• Coverage and technology mix:
  • LTE: Near-universal outdoor coverage across populated areas and primary roads (US‑27, KY‑22), with indoor reliability varying by building materials and distance to sites
  • 5G low-band (all national carriers): Broad outdoor availability along main corridors and town centers; typically modest speed uplift over LTE
  • 5G mid-band (capacity 5G): Present in and around Falmouth/US‑27 nodes; coverage is fragmented outside towns, with fast falloff into hollows and ridge-shadowed areas
• Terrain-driven gaps:
  • River valleys (Licking River) and rolling topography create signal shadows and in-home performance variability, especially off-corridor roads and lakeside areas (e.g., near Kincaid Lake)
• Site density and backhaul:
  • Macro sites cluster along US‑27 and near towns; fewer infill sites than urban Kentucky
  • Backhaul is a mix of fiber-fed sites along primary routes and microwave backhaul on outlying towers; limited fiber laterals constrain mid-band 5G expansion depth
• Public assets and anchors:
  • Schools, the county library, and public safety facilities act as connectivity anchors; FirstNet presence enhances AT&T coverage/resiliency around emergency corridors
• Public Wi‑Fi:
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings provide key Wi‑Fi offload points; these are more consequential locally than in urban parts of the state

How Pendleton County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher mobile dependency:
  • A meaningfully larger share of households rely on cellular-only internet than the statewide rate, making mobile networks a primary broadband path rather than merely supplemental
• 5G maturity:
  • Lower mid-band 5G availability and fewer capacity sites than Kentucky’s metro counties; speeds and indoor 5G consistency lag state urban averages
• Adoption profile:
  • Overall smartphone adoption slightly below the state average due to older age structure and income/education mix; senior adoption gap is wider than in urban Kentucky
• Performance variability:
  • More pronounced terrain-driven dead zones and indoor coverage challenges than the state’s flatter, denser markets; speed reliability is more corridor-dependent
• Plan mix and affordability:
  • Higher prevalence of prepaid/value plans and data-conscious usage patterns; this differs from the postpaid-heavy, device-upgrade-driven patterns in Louisville/Lexington/NKY suburbs

Operational implications

• Carriers gain most impact by adding mid-band 5G sectors and small cells along US‑27 and town centers, plus selective rural infill to address river-valley shadows.
• Public sector and ISPs can reduce mobile-only pressure by extending affordable fiber or fixed wireless to outlying roads; even modest fixed coverage expansion will shift a measurable share of high-usage households off cellular.
• Community anchors (schools/library) remain critical for after-school and telehealth connectivity, disproportionately so compared with state metro areas.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Figures synthesize 2020–2023 Census/ACS demographics, rural smartphone adoption patterns from national surveys, and 2023–2024 FCC/carrier-reported coverage characteristics for rural Kentucky counties with similar terrain and density. Where county-specific measurements are not published, estimates are aligned to rural Kentucky benchmarks and Pendleton’s demographics and geography.

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

At-a-glance user stats

• Population: about 14.6k residents; roughly 11.0–11.3k adults (18+).
• Adults using any social media: about 80% of adults, or ~8.8–9.0k users (modeled from Pew’s 2024 rural U.S. benchmarks).
• User gender split: roughly even among adult users (about 50% female, 50% male), with platform-specific skews noted below.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adult population)

• YouTube: ~78%
• Facebook: ~67%
• Instagram: ~40%
• Pinterest: ~34%
• TikTok: ~30%
• Snapchat: ~25%
• X (Twitter): ~21%
• LinkedIn: ~24%
• WhatsApp: ~24% These shares reflect rural U.S. adoption rates (Pew, 2024) applied to Pendleton County’s adult base; they are the best-available proxy for local platform usage.

Age-group usage patterns (share using any social media)

• 18–29: ~95% use social media; heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube; Facebook is secondary.
• 30–49: ~85%; diversified use across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; growing use of TikTok/Reels.
• 50–64: ~70%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; moderate Instagram; limited TikTok/Snapchat.
• 65+: ~45%; primarily Facebook and YouTube; minimal use of newer platforms.

Gender breakdown by platform (directional skews among adult users)

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and especially Pinterest.
• Men over-index on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Reddit (smaller base), with modestly higher LinkedIn use in professional cohorts.
• Overall “any social media” participation is similar by gender; differences show up in platform choice and content types.

Behavioral trends observed in rural counties like Pendleton (applied locally)

• Facebook as the community hub: Strong reliance on Groups (schools, churches, sports, yard sales), Marketplace, and local news/alerts. High engagement on posts tied to weather, road closures, and school updates.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube used for DIY, trades, farming, auto, hunting/outdoors, home repair, and local sports highlights; skews male but broadly used.
• Messaging over public posting: Facebook Messenger for families; Snapchat dominates peer-to-peer among teens/young adults; private groups drive day-to-day coordination.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels see rising uptake for entertainment, recipes, local events, and small business promos; 18–34 leads adoption.
• Local business marketing: Most small businesses maintain a Facebook Page; Instagram used for visuals and stories; paid boosts are small but effective for events, service areas, and promotions within 10–25 miles.
• Trust behaviors: Residents engage most with known local entities (county offices, sheriff, fire/EMS, schools, churches). Authentic local faces outperform generic ads.
• Timing patterns: Engagement peaks around early morning (commute/school run), lunch, and evenings; weather events and high-school sports drive noticeable spikes.
• Platform roles:
  • Reach and community: Facebook
  • Discovery and how-to: YouTube
  • Youth messaging and social: Snapchat
  • Culture/entertainment and trend diffusion: TikTok
  • Visual branding and shopping inspiration: Instagram/Pinterest
  • News and alerts niche: X (Twitter), mainly for agencies and media

Practical reach for planning

• Facebook + Instagram can reliably reach ~70% of local adults.
• YouTube reaches ~3 in 4 adults; strong for skippable video and how-to content.
• TikTok reaches ~30% of adults overall but a majority of 18–29s; best for short-form creative tied to local life.
• Snapchat best for high-school/college-aged audiences and young families.

Source and method

• Population and age structure based on recent U.S. Census/ACS estimates for Pendleton County.
• Platform adoption rates and age/gender skews based on Pew Research Center’s 2024 Social Media Use (rural benchmarks) and 2023–2024 U.S. usage patterns; figures are modeled to the county’s adult base to produce the local estimates above.