Perry County

Perry County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest available)

Population

• Total population: 26,300 (2023 Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: Under 18: ~21%; 18–64: ~60%; 65+: ~19%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~93%
• Black or African American alone: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.3%
• Asian alone: ~0.4%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.0%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic/Latino (of any race): ~2%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~10,700
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~68% of households; average family size: ~3.0
• Married-couple households: ~46% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• Tenure: Owner-occupied ~73%; renter-occupied ~27%

Notable insights

• Small, declining population relative to 2020 with an older age profile than the U.S. average
• Racial composition is predominantly White, with small Black and Hispanic/Latino populations
• Household size is modest, with a high owner-occupancy share typical of rural Appalachia

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; 2023 Vintage Population Estimates Program. Figures rounded for clarity.

Perry County, KY snapshot

• Population: 28,473 (2020) across ~342 sq mi; population density ≈83 people/sq mi. County seat: Hazard.

Estimated email users

• ~20,600 residents use email (≈72% of all residents; ≈90% of those age 13+).

Age distribution among email users

• 13–17: 8%
• 18–29: 18%
• 30–49: 34%
• 50–64: 25%
• 65+: 15%

Gender split among email users

• Women: 51%
• Men: 49%

Digital access and usage trends

• Household internet subscription: ~78% of households.
• Modality: ~60% have wireline broadband (cable/fiber/DSL); ~14% are cellular-only; ~22% have no home internet.
• Smartphone reliance: ~20% of adults are smartphone-dependent for routine online tasks, including email.
• Access pattern: Highest fixed-broadband availability and speeds in and around Hazard and along KY-15; outlying hollows lean on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• Public access: Libraries, schools, and municipal hotspots remain important for residents without home service.
• Trajectory: Fiber and fixed-wireless buildouts tied to KentuckyWired middle-mile and recent federal/state funding are steadily improving coverage and speeds through 2024.

Insights

• Email penetration is near-universal among working-age adults; gaps concentrate among the 65+ and households without home internet.
• Low density and mountainous terrain drive last-mile costs, creating pockets of slower adoption outside the Hazard corridor.

Mobile phone usage in Perry County, Kentucky — snapshot and trends versus the state

User and device estimates

• Estimated adult smartphone users: 17,000–19,000 (roughly 85–90% of adults; Perry County trails Kentucky’s statewide household smartphone penetration by about 2–5 percentage points).
• Households with at least one smartphone: about 85–90% (KY: ~90–93%).
• Households relying on a cellular data plan as their primary or only home internet: 22–30% (notably higher than Kentucky’s ~12–18%).
• Households with no home internet subscription of any kind: 18–22% (KY: ~10–12%).
• “Cell-only” communication (no landline): majority of households; materially higher than the statewide share.

Demographic breakdown of mobile use

• Age
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (≈95%+), on par with state.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈90–95%), slightly below state.
  • 65+: lower adoption (≈65–75%), 8–12 points below statewide rates; higher prevalence of basic/flip phones than the state average.
• Income
  • Under $25k household income: smartphone adoption ≈80–85%, but markedly higher reliance on cellular-only internet (≈35–45% of these households), well above the state rate.
• Education
  • High school or less: smartphone adoption trails county average by ~5–10 points; higher share of mobile-only internet and data-capped plans than the state average for the same education levels.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county’s population is predominantly White; gaps in smartphone ownership align more with age, income, and terrain-driven access than with race/ethnicity. Digital reliance patterns differ most by income and geography (in-town vs hollow/ridge areas).

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier footprint
  • Strongest presence: AT&T and Verizon, plus regional Appalachian Wireless (East Kentucky Network), which is a significant provider in and around Hazard.
  • T-Mobile coverage is improving via low-band spectrum but remains spottier outside the KY-15/Hazard core than AT&T/Verizon/Appalachian Wireless.
• 5G and LTE
  • 5G available in and around Hazard and along primary corridors (e.g., KY-15), with LTE fallback elsewhere. 5G depth and capacity are thinner outside town due to terrain and sparser site density.
  • Band 14/FirstNet (AT&T) supports public safety; presence is stronger around the county seat and main highways than in remote hollows.
• Performance pattern (typical, not peak)
  • In-town/Hazard: median smartphone downloads commonly 50–100 Mbps on 5G/LTE.
  • Outlying valleys and ridges: 5–25 Mbps is typical, with frequent drops to single-digit Mbps and isolated dead zones.
• Coverage constraints
  • Steep terrain creates shadowing and multipath issues; reliable indoor service can vary block-by-block outside the core. This terrain effect is meaningfully more pronounced than statewide averages.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and some community centers offer Wi‑Fi that backstops gaps in mobile coverage and data caps; these play a larger role than in most Kentucky counties with flatter topography.

How Perry County trends differ from Kentucky overall

• Higher mobile-only reliance: A substantially larger share of households use cellular data plans as their primary internet, reflecting both affordability constraints and challenges obtaining reliable fixed broadband.
• More prepaid and discount plans: Prepaid and value-focused mobile plans constitute a larger share of subscriptions than statewide, mirroring lower median incomes and higher poverty rates.
• Bigger urban–rural performance gap: Speed and reliability degrade faster outside the main corridors than the statewide norm due to mountainous terrain and tower spacing.
• Older and lower-income adoption gaps: Smartphone adoption among seniors and very low-income households trails the state by notable margins; however, even these groups are more likely to use smartphones than to maintain traditional fixed broadband.
• Post-ACP pressure: The lapse of Affordable Connectivity Program funding in 2024 has had an outsized impact locally, pushing some households toward mobile-only access, plan downgrades, or intermittent service—effects that are more acute than the Kentucky average.

Key takeaways

• Smartphone access is widespread but not uniform; terrain and income create sharper divides than seen statewide.
• Perry County’s residents are more likely than the average Kentuckian to depend on mobile networks for primary home internet.
• Infrastructure investments that add mid-band 5G capacity sites, extend low-band coverage into hollows, and expand fiber backhaul would deliver greater marginal gains here than in much of the state.
• Digital inclusion efforts targeted at seniors and low-income households can close the largest remaining adoption gaps and reduce the county’s higher-than-average reliance on cellular-only connections.

Perry County, KY — social media usage snapshot

Overall usage and platforms (adults)

• Most-used platforms locally: Facebook and YouTube (broad, daily), followed by Instagram and TikTok among under-35s; Snapchat is strong with teens/young adults; X (Twitter), Reddit, LinkedIn are niche; Pinterest is meaningful among women.
• For context, US adult adoption (Pew Research Center, 2024): YouTube 83%, Facebook 68%, Instagram 47%, Pinterest 35%, LinkedIn 30%, WhatsApp 29%, TikTok 33%, Snapchat 27%, X 22%, Reddit 22%. In rural Appalachian counties like Perry, Facebook usage tends to be at or above the US average; Instagram/TikTok slightly below overall due to an older age mix but high among younger cohorts.

User stats by age group (behavioral focus)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy Snapchat and TikTok use; YouTube for entertainment/how-tos; Instagram secondary; Facebook mainly for events and family pages.
• Young adults (18–34): Daily Instagram/TikTok; YouTube multiple times per day; Facebook for Groups/Marketplace/family; Snapchat messaging remains common.
• Middle-aged (35–54): Facebook is the hub (Groups, school/sports updates, Marketplace, local news); YouTube for DIY/how-to; Instagram modest; Pinterest for recipes/home/DIY.
• Older adults (55+): Facebook is the primary network (community groups, church updates, health info); YouTube for news and tutorials; limited but growing TikTok/Instagram use via shared links.

Gender breakdown (platform skews and behaviors)

• Women: Over-index on Facebook (Groups, community updates, Marketplace), Instagram (stories, local boutiques), Pinterest (recipes/home/DIY), and TikTok for shopping tips/beauty/health. Higher engagement with local school, church, and community-content pages.
• Men: Over-index on YouTube (how-to, automotive, hunting/fishing, local sports), Reddit and X (niche), and Facebook for trading groups (ATVs, tools, trucks), sports, and local news.

Most-used platforms locally (ranked with US benchmarks)

1. Facebook — community backbone; Groups/Marketplace drive daily use (US: 68%)
2. YouTube — ubiquitous across ages; how-to, news, music, local sports streams (US: 83%)
3. Instagram — strongest under 35, local boutiques/food spots use Reels (US: 47%)
4. TikTok — fastest-growing among under 35; local creators, music, trades, outdoor content (US: 33%)
5. Snapchat — high among teens/younger adults for messaging and stories (US: 27%)
6. Pinterest — notable among women for recipes, crafts, home projects (US: 35%)
7. X (Twitter) and Reddit — small, interest-specific audiences; news, sports, gaming/tech (US: 22% each)
8. LinkedIn — limited local penetration given industry mix; used by healthcare, education, government, and regional employers (US: 30%)

Behavioral trends unique to Perry County

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups and local pages for weather alerts, school closings, road conditions, community events, high school sports, church updates, and local government notices.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups are primary for consumer-to-consumer sales; DM-based transactions are common.
• Messaging patterns: Facebook Messenger dominates for most adults; Snapchat DMs among youth; WhatsApp use is limited.
• Video habits: Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) drives discovery of local businesses, music, and events; YouTube is the go-to for repairs, home improvement, career skills, and streaming local sports/church services.
• Trust and influence: Local micro-influencers, coaches, pastors, first responders, and page admins of community groups carry outsized credibility; word-of-mouth and shares inside private groups outperform public posts.
• Timing: Peak engagement on weeknights (approximately 7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; midday spikes around lunch for news and Marketplace browsing.
• Content that performs: Severe-weather updates, school/sports highlights, missing pets/community alerts, local restaurant openings, and how-to/DIY videos.

Notes on figures

• Platform percentages shown are definitive US adult benchmarks from Pew Research Center (2024) and serve as reliable reference points. Local usage in Perry County aligns with rural Appalachian patterns: Facebook and YouTube at or above US averages; Instagram/TikTok concentrated in younger cohorts; X/Reddit/LinkedIn niche.