Taylor County

Taylor County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest available Census/ACS data)

• Population size:

  • Total population (2024 estimate): ~26,700
  • 2020 Census: ~26,000
  • Trend: modest growth since 2020

• Age structure:

  • Median age: ~40 years
  • Under 5 years: ~5–6%
  • Under 18 years: ~22%
  • 65 years and over: ~19–20%

• Gender:

  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%

• Racial/ethnic composition (percent of population):

  • White, non-Hispanic: ~86–88%
  • Black or African American: ~5–7%
  • Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~3%
  • Two or more races: ~2–3%
  • Asian: ~0.5–1%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1% combined

• Household data:

  • Households: ~10,000–10,500
  • Average household size: ~2.4 persons
  • Family households: ~64–66% of households
  • Married-couple families: ~45–48% of households
  • Households with children under 18: ~26–28%
  • Nonfamily households: ~34–36%; one-person households ~30–32%
  • 65+ living alone: ~11–13% of households
  • Housing tenure: ~68–71% owner-occupied; ~29–32% renter-occupied

Insights:

• Population is stable to slowly growing with an older-than-national age profile.
• Demographics are predominantly White, with small Black and Hispanic communities and gradual diversification.
• Household size is slightly below the U.S. average, and most households are owner-occupied.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (2024) and American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates.

Taylor County, KY has about 26,300 residents across 277 square miles (about 95 people per square mile) and roughly 10,100 households. Estimated email users (age 13+): about 18,800.

Age distribution of email users:

• 13-17: about 1,300 (7%)
• 18-34: about 4,700 (25%)
• 35-64: about 8,800 (47%)
• 65+: about 4,000 (21%)

Gender split among email users mirrors the population:

• Female: about 9,600 (51%)
• Male: about 9,200 (49%)

Digital access trends:

• Around 81% of households subscribe to home broadband (about 8,200 households).
• Roughly 13% are smartphone-only internet households (about 1,300), reflecting rural reliance on mobile data.
• Email penetration is effectively universal among internet users, so nearly all connected adults maintain at least one email account and use it weekly or more.

Connectivity context: Residents cluster in and around Campbellsville, where cable and expanding fiber offer higher speeds; outlying rural areas face more limited fixed options and higher latency, making mobile and satellite important complements.

Taylor County, KY — mobile phone usage summary (focus: county vs. state-level differences)

Overall size and user estimates

• Population: ~26,000 (2023 Census estimate)
• Households: ~10,200
• Estimated unique resident mobile users (any mobile phone): ~21,000 (≈80% of residents)
• Estimated resident smartphone users: ~19,000–20,000 (≈73–77% of residents)
• Estimated people relying on mobile (cellular) as their only home internet: ~3,400–3,600 (derived from cellular-only households × average household size)

Household connectivity (ACS 2018–2022, S2801; county vs. Kentucky)

• Has a smartphone (household):
  • Taylor County: ~89% (≈9,100 households)
  • Kentucky: ~90%
• Any internet subscription:
  • Taylor County: ~82% (≈8,360 households)
  • Kentucky: ~87%
• Broadband such as cable, fiber, or DSL:
  • Taylor County: ~68% (≈6,900 households)
  • Kentucky: ~81%
• Cellular data plan for a smartphone/tablet/other device (may be in addition to fixed internet):
  • Taylor County: ~71% (≈7,240 households)
  • Kentucky: ~73%
• Cellular data plan only (no fixed home internet):
  • Taylor County: ~13% (≈1,330 households)
  • Kentucky: ~8%
• No internet subscription:
  • Taylor County: ~18% (≈1,840 households)
  • Kentucky: ~13%

Demographic patterns shaping mobile usage (estimates derived from ACS age mix and recent national adoption patterns)

• Age effects:
  • 18–34: near-universal smartphone adoption (~95%+); ≈4,700–4,900 adult users in Taylor County
  • 35–64: high adoption (~88–92%); ≈9,000–9,300 users
  • 65+: materially lower adoption (~70–78%); ≈3,800–4,100 users
  • Net effect: a slightly older age structure than the state raises the share of residents who are mobile-aware but not smartphone-centric, and increases the share of cellular-only home internet as a budget/availability workaround
• Income and rurality:
  • Lower median household income and more rural addresses correlate with higher cellular-only reliance and lower fixed-broadband take-up compared with the state average
• Household-level substitution:
  • Taylor County’s cellular-only homes (~13%) indicate a clearer pattern of “mobile substitution” for home internet than Kentucky overall

Digital infrastructure highlights (2024 landscape)

• Carrier presence: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon operate macro sites in and around Campbellsville; all three offer 5G in the city and along main corridors, with LTE prevailing in outlying rural areas
• 5G footprint:
  • Low-band 5G covers broad areas; mid-band 5G capacity is concentrated near Campbellsville and along US 68/KY 55/KY 210, tapering in lower-density tracts
• Fixed and fixed‑wireless options affecting mobile reliance:
  • Cable internet (Spectrum) widely available in Campbellsville; legacy DSL (e.g., Kinetic/Windstream) and pockets of fiber serve mixed areas outside town
  • 5G fixed wireless (e.g., T‑Mobile; Verizon in limited footprints) available in and near town; AT&T Fixed Wireless present in rural zones
  • Where cable/fiber is absent, residents are more likely to lean on mobile data plans for primary connectivity
• Coverage quality:
  • In‑town signal strength and capacity are generally strong; outer census tracts experience more variable throughput and indoor coverage, reinforcing cellular-only but lower-speed usage patterns for some households

How Taylor County differs from Kentucky overall (key takeaways)

• Higher cellular-only dependence: ~13% of Taylor County households rely exclusively on mobile data vs. ~8% statewide
• Lower fixed-broadband adoption: ~68% in Taylor County vs. ~81% statewide, reflecting both availability gaps and cost sensitivity
• Slightly lower overall internet subscription rate: ~82% vs. ~87% statewide
• Similar smartphone household penetration: ~89% vs. ~90% statewide, but with more pronounced age- and rural-driven disparities in how phones are used (e.g., more mobile substitution for home internet and more LTE reliance outside the city)

Bottom line

• Mobile phones are the connectivity backbone for a large share of Taylor County residents, with about four in five people using a mobile device and roughly one in eight households relying on cellular data as their only home internet. Compared with Kentucky overall, Taylor County shows a clearer substitution of mobile for fixed broadband and more uneven 5G capacity outside Campbellsville, shaping usage toward essential, price-sensitive mobile connectivity rather than uniformly high-capacity, fixed-plus-mobile bundles.

Social media usage in Taylor County, Kentucky (2024 snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~26,500 (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 est.)
• Residents age 13+: ~22,400 (≈84% of population)
• Social media users: ~16,300 (≈62% of total population; ≈73% of residents 13+)
• Daily use: ~7 in 10 local users access at least one platform daily

Age mix of social media users (share of local user base)

• 13–17: ~9%
• 18–24: ~13%
• 25–34: ~16%
• 35–44: ~17%
• 45–54: ~15%
• 55–64: ~17%
• 65–74: ~9%
• 75+: ~4%

Gender breakdown of users

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Most‑used platforms among local users (share using each at least monthly)

• YouTube: ~88%
• Facebook: ~72%
• Instagram: ~40%
• TikTok: ~32%
• Snapchat: ~28%
• Pinterest: ~26–28%
• X (Twitter): ~19%
• LinkedIn: ~14%
• Reddit: ~12% Note: Shares are among social media users, not all residents.

Behavioral trends

• Platform roles: Facebook is the community hub (Groups, Marketplace, local news, schools, churches). YouTube dominates long‑form and how‑to content; TikTok/Snapchat skew young for short‑form and messaging.
• Content that performs: Community updates, school and youth sports, church and civic events, hunting/fishing/outdoors, home and auto DIY, local restaurant specials, job posts, and high‑school athletics highlights.
• Groups and Marketplace: Heavy participation in Facebook Groups; Marketplace is a primary local buy/sell channel.
• Video habits: Strong preference for short‑form video for entertainment and products; YouTube for tutorials, sermons/music, and local sports replays.
• Timing: Peaks around 6–9 a.m., noon hour, and 6–10 p.m.; weekends see elevated Facebook engagement.
• Devices: Predominantly mobile; desktop is secondary for long videos and posting items for sale.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is widely used for coordination and word‑of‑mouth; WhatsApp use is limited.
• Ad responsiveness: Highest response to clear value (coupons, giveaways, limited‑time local offers), event promotions, and geo‑targeted messages around retail corridors and schools. Weather‑tied creative (e.g., HVAC, auto, farm) performs above average.
• Trust and information: Many residents treat Facebook as a primary local news feed; verified pages for county offices, schools, and media shape narratives during storms, closures, and elections.
• Generational split: 35+ cohorts anchor Facebook; teens and 18–29 lean into TikTok/Snapchat and consume Instagram Reels, but still maintain Facebook for groups and family.

Notes on methodology and sources

• Figures are county‑level estimates derived by weighting Taylor County’s 2023 age/sex profile (U.S. Census Bureau ACS) by platform adoption rates from Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use (2024) and recent teen usage research. Platform reach percentages are rounded estimates intended to reflect local behavior patterns in rural Kentucky.