Rowan County

Rowan County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 24,662 (2020 Census); 2023 estimate ~25,200 (U.S. Census Bureau)

Age

• Median age: ~32 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution (ACS 2019–2023):
  • Under 18: ~17–18%
  • 18–24: ~22–23% (college-age concentration)
  • 25–44: ~24–25%
  • 45–64: ~21–22%
  • 65 and over: ~15–16%

Sex

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023; Hispanic can be of any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~92–93%
• Black or African American: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino: ~2–3%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~0.5–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.3–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0–0.1%

Households and housing (ACS 2019–2023)

• Households: ~9,200
• Persons per household: ~2.2–2.3
• Family households: ~5,200–5,400 (≈57% of households)
• Married-couple families: ~3,300
• Nonfamily households: ~3,800–4,000 (≈43%)
• Housing units: ~10,700
• Vacancy rate: ~13–15%
• Homeownership rate: ~65–67%

Key insights

• Younger age profile than Kentucky overall due to Morehead State University; elevated 18–24 share and smaller household size.
• Racial/ethnic composition is predominantly White, non-Hispanic with modest diversity growth.
• Higher share of nonfamily and renter-occupied units consistent with a college-influenced housing market.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Rowan County, KY email usage snapshot:

• Residents: ~25,000; density ~87 people per sq mi across ~286 sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~19,800 (about 79% of residents).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 13–17: ~1,400 (7%)
  • 18–34: ~7,900 (40%)
  • 35–54: ~5,500 (28%)
  • 55–64: ~2,400 (12%)
  • 65+: ~2,600 (13%)
• Gender split among users: 51% female (10,100) and 49% male (~9,700).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Households with internet: ~87%; about 14% are smartphone‑only (no fixed line).
  • About 13% of households lack home internet, concentrated in rural and lower‑income areas.
  • Higher‑speed cable/fiber is widely available in Morehead and along the I-64 corridor; many outlying areas rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (library, schools/university, civic sites) supplements access, especially for students and smartphone‑only households.
  • Ongoing fiber builds and 5G upgrades are raising speeds near population centers, while affordability and last‑mile coverage remain the primary barriers in sparsely populated tracts.

Overall, Rowan County shows strong email adoption driven by university and town connectivity, with rural terrain and income factors shaping the remaining access gap.

Mobile phone usage in Rowan County, Kentucky (latest available public estimates through 2023–2024)

User estimates

• Population context: Rowan County is a small, university-centered county (Morehead/Morehead State University) with roughly 25,000 residents and about 9,500–10,000 households.
• Estimated mobile phone users: 20,000–22,000 residents use a mobile phone (roughly 82–88% adoption), with 17,500–19,500 using smartphones. These figures are slightly above what would be expected for a rural Kentucky county due to the large 18–24 student cohort and town-centered housing.
• Wireless-only communication: A majority of adults likely live in wireless-only households (in line with Kentucky’s high wireless-only rate, which is among the highest in the U.S.), with Rowan County at or modestly above the state share because of student and renter-heavy housing near campus.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age: The 18–24 share in Rowan County is materially higher than the Kentucky average (driven by Morehead State University). This produces higher smartphone penetration, heavier app usage, and more mobile-only internet reliance than typical rural counties.
• Seniors: The 65+ share is lower than the state average. Mobile adoption among seniors is rising but still trails younger adults; overall smartphone penetration is pulled upward by the student population.
• Income and housing: Median household income in Rowan County is below the Kentucky median, and renter share is higher in the Morehead area. Both factors correlate with elevated prepaid plan use and greater dependence on mobile data in lieu of home broadband, relative to state averages.
• Race/ethnicity: Rowan County has a predominantly White population with a sizable student-driven nonresident and temporary resident component during the academic year. Usage patterns reflect a college-town profile more than a typical rural Kentucky county.

Device, plans, and behavior

• Device mix: Smartphones account for the vast majority of active phones; iOS share is higher around campus than in surrounding rural tracts. Feature-phone use is concentrated among older and lower-income segments and is below the typical rural Kentucky share because of the student presence.
• Plans: Prepaid penetration is elevated versus Kentucky overall, reflecting price sensitivity and transient student demand. Postpaid family plans remain common among students tied to family accounts.
• Mobile-only internet: Above the Kentucky average in census tracts with dense student housing; many households rely on mobile hotspots or fixed wireless as primary home internet.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Macro coverage: 4G LTE is strong in and around Morehead and along I‑64; coverage is weaker in some eastern and southern hollows due to terrain. This pattern is typical of Appalachian counties but with better corridor performance than many peers.
• 5G availability: Low‑band 5G is available from national carriers in the Morehead area, with mid‑band 5G primarily along the I‑64 corridor and town center. This puts Rowan County ahead of many rural Kentucky counties in practical 5G availability, though not at urban throughput levels.
• Fixed wireless home internet: Marketed availability from national carriers is present in and around Morehead, providing an alternative to cable/DSL and raising mobile data reliance where wired options are limited.
• Wired backhaul: Cable broadband is broadly available in town; legacy DSL persists in outlying areas with selective fiber upgrades. Where wired speeds lag, users offload less to Wi‑Fi and consume more cellular data, increasing network load outside the town core.
• Public and campus Wi‑Fi: University and municipal venues provide dense Wi‑Fi offload in central Morehead, moderating cellular congestion around campus during peak hours.

How Rowan County differs from Kentucky overall

• Higher smartphone adoption than a typical rural Kentucky county due to the outsized 18–24 cohort; usage skews toward app‑centric communication and streaming.
• Greater share of mobile-only and prepaid users driven by student and renter populations and below‑median incomes; however, campus-adjacent tracts show strong postpaid family-plan ties.
• Better 4G/5G corridor performance than many rural counties because of I‑64 and university-driven investment, balanced by persistent terrain-related dead zones in outlying areas.
• More pronounced weekday and semester-driven traffic cycles, with heavier evening and on‑campus peaks than the state pattern outside major metros.

Notes on sources and methodology

• Estimates synthesize the latest available American Community Survey 5‑year indicators for device access and subscriptions, state-level mobile adoption benchmarks (Pew/CDC), and FCC carrier deployment patterns through 2023–2024. Figures are rounded and expressed as ranges where county-level microdata are aggregated.

Rowan County, KY social media usage (2024 snapshot)

How many people are on social

• Population: ~25,000 residents; adults (18+): ~20,000
• Estimated adults using at least one major social platform: 16,000–19,000 (modeled from national adoption applied to Rowan’s age mix)

Most-used platforms among adults (share of adults; modeled from 2023–2024 Pew Research adoption rates)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 65–70%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 30–35%
• Pinterest: 30–35%
• X (Twitter): 20–25%
• LinkedIn: 25–30%
• Reddit: 20–22%

Age profile (platform adoption by age; Rowan mirrors national patterns)

• Ages 18–29: YouTube ~95%, Instagram ~75–80%, Snapchat ~60–70%, TikTok ~60–65%, Facebook ~60–70%
• Ages 30–49: YouTube ~90%, Facebook ~70–75%, Instagram ~45–50%, TikTok ~35–40%, Snapchat ~25–30%
• Ages 50–64: YouTube ~80–85%, Facebook ~70–75%, Instagram ~25–30%, TikTok ~15–20%
• Ages 65+: YouTube ~55–65%, Facebook ~50–60%, Instagram/TikTok generally <20%

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media users: ~53% women, ~47% men
• Skews by platform: Facebook and Pinterest lean female; YouTube and Reddit lean male; Instagram roughly balanced but slightly female; Snapchat and TikTok lean female among younger users

Behavioral trends observed locally

• Facebook as the community hub: high engagement with local government, schools, churches, civic groups, buy/sell/marketplace, and event promotion; strong use of private/closed groups
• College-town effect (Morehead State University): heavier 18–29 usage of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok; short-form video drives discovery for local eateries, campus life, and outdoor recreation (e.g., Cave Run Lake/nearby trails)
• YouTube for how‑to, hunting/fishing/outdoor content, local sports highlights, and streamed services/meetings
• News and alerts: Facebook pages from local agencies and regional media; X used more by news/sports followers and during severe‑weather events
• Messaging behavior: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous across ages; Snapchat messaging dominates among students/younger adults; WhatsApp usage is limited
• Activity windows: engagement generally peaks evenings (7–10 p.m. ET) and weekends; student-driven spikes around campus events and athletics

Notes on method

• Figures are best-available 2024 estimates derived by applying Pew Research Center’s platform adoption rates to Rowan County’s adult population and age structure (ACS). Percentages are rounded to practical ranges to reflect local variation.