Trimble County

Trimble County, Kentucky — key demographics

Population

• Total population: 8,474 (2020 Census); ~8,940 (2023 Census estimate)
• 2020→2023 change: approximately +5.5%

Age

• Median age: ~41.3 years
• Under 18: ~23.8%
• 18 to 64: ~61.4%
• 65 and over: ~14.8%

Gender

• Male: ~50.6%
• Female: ~49.4%

Race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic unless noted; Hispanic can be any race)

• White: ~92.9%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2.8%
• Two or more races: ~3.2%
• Black/African American: ~0.6%
• Asian: ~0.2%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~3,220
• Average household size: ~2.64
• Family households: ~72% of households
• Married-couple households: ~56% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~31%
• Nonfamily households: ~28%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~79% of occupied units

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates; Vintage 2023 County Population Estimates. Numbers rounded for clarity.

Trimble County, KY (pop. ≈8,500) is a low‑density rural area (~55–60 people per sq. mile). Based on census age mix and Pew email adoption rates, an estimated ≈6,700 residents aged 13+ use email (≈79% of all residents; ≈96% of adults).

Estimated age distribution among adult email users:

• 18–29: ~17%
• 30–49: ~34%
• 50–64: ~28%
• 65+: ~20%

Gender split among users: effectively even (≈50% female, ≈50% male), consistent with national patterns.

Digital access and trends:

• Household broadband subscription is typical of rural Kentucky at roughly three in four households, with 10–15% relying mainly on mobile data; device access is widespread but uneven in outlying areas.
• Fixed high‑speed options (cable/fiber) are concentrated around Bedford–Milton and primary corridors, with pockets still dependent on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite.
• Coverage and speeds have been improving due to statewide fiber builds and federal BEAD/ARPA investments (2024–2026), reducing underserved zones and supporting higher email engagement across age groups.

Implication: Email is a near‑universal channel for adults countywide, with strongest penetration in ages 30–64 and only modest attrition among seniors.

Mobile phone usage in Trimble County, Kentucky — 2024 snapshot

Core context

• Population: 8,474 (2020 Census). Predominantly rural and nonmetropolitan (centered on Bedford and Milton).
• Age profile skews older than the Kentucky average, with a smaller share of college-age and young-professional residents and a larger share 55+.

User estimates (any mobile phone, not just smartphones)

• Estimated mobile phone users (all ages): about 7,000 residents, or roughly 82% of the population.
• Adult mobile phone ownership: about 94–96% of residents 18+.
• Smartphone share among adult phone owners: about 82–85%, lower than Kentucky’s statewide mix (≈86–88%) due to older age structure and lower incomes.

Demographic breakdown (usage patterns)

• By age (share owning a mobile phone):
  • 18–34: ≈98%
  • 35–64: ≈96%
  • 65+: ≈88–90% (smartphone use trails the state by several points; basic phones remain more common)
• By income:
  • Under $35k: higher likelihood of prepaid plans and single-line accounts; smartphone ownership about 5–7 points lower than the state average for this bracket.
  • $75k+: parity with Kentucky on device type and data usage, but still lower plan “stacking” (fewer wearables/tablets per account).
• By household internet situation:
  • Cellular-only home internet is meaningfully more common than the Kentucky average. Households without wired broadband are more likely to rely on unlimited or high-cap data phone plans and fixed wireless (LTE/5G) for home connectivity.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network presence: AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile operate in the county and along adjacent corridors; UScellular roaming is common from nearby Indiana markets.
• 5G availability: Low-band 5G covers population centers and highway corridors (US‑42, US‑421), with mid-band 5G (C‑band/n41) more limited and concentrated near Milton–Madison and denser clusters. Indoors, low-band LTE/5G (700/600/850 MHz) does most of the work.
• Terrain effects: River bluffs and hollows along the Ohio River and interior ridges create shadow zones; signal quality can drop sharply between ridgelines and bottoms, leading to greater reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and outdoor/vehicle boosters in pockets.
• Capacity: Fewer macro sites per capita than urban Kentucky counties; peak-period speeds are moderate and more variable, especially away from towns and highway sectors. Fixed wireless (LTE/5G home internet) is an important supplement where wired service is sparse.

How Trimble County differs from Kentucky overall

• Slightly lower smartphone share: The county’s older and more rural profile lowers smartphone penetration by an estimated 2–4 percentage points versus the state.
• More cellular-only households: Reliance on mobile data for primary home internet is higher than the state average, reflecting limited wired options in outlying areas.
• Prepaid and budget plans are more common: Price sensitivity and solo-line accounts are more prevalent than in Kentucky’s urban counties.
• Coverage quality is spottier off-corridor: Residents experience more pronounced signal variability away from US‑42/US‑421 and town centers; mid-band 5G is less pervasive than in metro counties.
• Fewer connected peripherals: Compared with the state’s urban counties, Trimble accounts show fewer add‑on lines for tablets, smartwatches, or vehicles, keeping average lines per account lower.

Key implications

• Network improvements that add mid-band sectors on existing sites and infill small cells/microsites near river valleys would disproportionately boost real-world speeds and indoor coverage.
• Programs that pair affordable plans with entry-level 5G devices can close the remaining smartphone gap among seniors and lower-income households.
• Maintaining and expanding fixed wireless (LTE/5G) footprints is critical, as mobile networks shoulder a larger share of home internet traffic here than in Kentucky overall.

Notes on methodology

• Population, rural context, and age structure are from the U.S. Census/ACS; mobile phone and smartphone figures are derived by applying current national and rural adoption rates (Pew Research and industry data) to the county’s demographic mix and rounded to avoid false precision. Coverage and infrastructure points synthesize FCC filings, carrier public maps, and observed rural-Kentucky deployment patterns as of 2024.

Trimble County, KY — social media usage snapshot (2024, modeled)

How this is built

• Modeled 2024 county estimates by applying Pew Research Center’s latest U.S. adult platform-usage rates to Trimble County’s age/sex mix from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2019–2023). Platforms do not publish county-level counts, so this provides the best defensible approximation.

Overall penetration

• Adults using at least one social platform: approximately 80–85% of adults
• User gender split: roughly female 51%, male 49% (mirrors county population structure)

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of adults who use the platform)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• WhatsApp: ~29%
• X (Twitter): ~27%
• Reddit: ~22%

Age‑group usage patterns (applied locally)

• 18–29: YouTube ~93%, Instagram ~78%, Snapchat ~65%, TikTok ~62%, Facebook ~58%
• 30–49: YouTube ~87%, Facebook ~73%, Instagram ~49%, TikTok ~39%, Snapchat ~24%, WhatsApp ~30%
• 50–64: YouTube ~70%, Facebook ~69%, Pinterest ~40%, Instagram ~29%, TikTok ~17%
• 65+: Facebook ~53%, YouTube ~49%, Pinterest ~21%, Instagram ~15%, TikTok ~5%

Gender tendencies

• Women over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
• Men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X
• Messaging behavior is strong across genders via Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and WhatsApp

Behavioral trends in Trimble County’s context

• Facebook is the community hub: school sports, church/civic events, county services, and buy/sell/trade groups drive the highest local engagement. Native photos/video outperform link-only posts.
• YouTube is used heavily for DIY, home/auto repair, small engine, hunting/fishing, and local interest content; viewing concentrates in evenings and weekends.
• Younger adults favor short-form video (Reels/TikTok) for entertainment and local retail/food discovery; sharing often happens via DMs rather than public comments.
• Older adults engage most with Facebook video and local news topics; long comment threads form around roads, utilities, and policy.
• Groups outperform Pages on Facebook for organic reach; local faces, landmarks, and event tie-ins lift engagement. Location tags and 1–3 local hashtags improve discovery on Instagram/TikTok.
• Seasonal engagement spikes: Aug–Nov (school sports, fall festivals) and late Nov–Dec (holidays); severe-weather events produce short, very high engagement bursts.

Practical reach guidance for countywide campaigns

• Facebook + Instagram: reach ~60–70% of adults within 2–3 weeks at modest frequency
• YouTube: potential reach ~70–80% of adults via in-feed and pre-roll
• TikTok/Snapchat: efficient for 18–34, reaching ~50–60% of that cohort

Sources

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2019–2023)