Wolfe County

Wolfe County, Kentucky — key demographics (latest Census Bureau data)

Population size

• 2020 Decennial Census: 6,562
• 2023 population estimate: ~6,7xx (Census Population Estimates Program; small year-to-year changes)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years (ACS 2019–2023)
• Age distribution: under 18 ~22%; 18–64 ~57%; 65+ ~21%

Gender

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race and ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023, share of total population)

• White alone: ~96%
• Black or African American alone: ~0–1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0–1%
• Asian alone: ~0–1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~1–2%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~2,600
• Average household size: ~2.4
• Family households: ~64% of households
• Married-couple families: ~45–46% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~27%
• One-person households: ~28–30% (about 12% with someone 65+ living alone)

Insights

• Small, stable-to-slightly declining rural population with an older age profile (median age ~42; about one in five residents 65+).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White population; other racial/ethnic groups are present but small.
• Household structure is family-oriented but with a sizable share of one-person and older-adult households.

• Estimated email users: ~5,000 in Wolfe County (population 6,562, 2020 Census), ≈76% of residents, derived from local age structure and national email adoption rates.
• Age mix of email users (share of users):
  • 13–17: ~7%
  • 18–34: ~25%
  • 35–54: ~31%
  • 55–64: ~17%
  • 65+: ~20%
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors county demographics; email adoption is similar by gender).
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 7 in 10 households subscribe to home broadband; smartphone‑only access accounts for roughly 1 in 6 households. This supports widespread email use but skews some usage to mobile.
  • Service is concentrated in and around Campton and along KY‑15/Mountain Parkway corridors, with DSL, cable, and pockets of fiber; outlying hollows rely more on fixed wireless, affecting reliability and speeds.
  • Ongoing state and federal rural broadband investments are expanding fiber coverage, improving access and email reliability over 2024–2026.
• Density/connectivity context: Low density and terrain constrain infrastructure economics; population density is roughly 29 people per square mile, typical of Appalachian Kentucky, which correlates with lower fixed-broadband penetration than urban parts of the state.

Mobile phone usage in Wolfe County, Kentucky — 2025 snapshot

Context

• Wolfe County is small and very rural (2020 Census population 6,562) with rugged terrain (Daniel Boone National Forest/Red River Gorge) and a population density around 30 per square mile. Terrain and low density shape both coverage and adoption in ways that diverge from statewide patterns.

User estimates

• Smartphone users: Approximately 4,600–4,900 residents carry a smartphone.
  • Basis: Adults are about 78% of the population (~5,100). Applying typical rural adoption rates (≈90% for ages 18–64, ≈65% for 65+), plus high teen adoption (≈90% for ages 12–17), yields roughly 4.7k smartphone users.
• Mobile-only (wireless-only) communication: Roughly three out of four adults live in wireless-only households, and Wolfe County trends a few points higher than the Kentucky average because of limited fixed broadband and lower incomes. That implies about 2,000 of roughly 2,600 households rely primarily on cellular for voice service and a sizable share for home internet access.
• Feature/basic phone users: Higher than state average among seniors; expect 1 in 3 adults 65+ to use a basic phone or a hand‑me‑down smartphone with limited data use.

Demographic breakdown (how Wolfe County differs from Kentucky overall)

• Age
  • Older population share is higher than the state average, pulling down overall smartphone penetration by several points versus Kentucky as a whole.
  • Teen smartphone access remains very high and near statewide levels, but app usage is more constrained by data caps and coverage gaps.
• Income and plan type
  • Lower median household income than the state drives heavier use of prepaid plans and regional carriers, slower device upgrade cycles, and more second‑hand devices. This produces a larger cohort of LTE‑only devices compared with the state average.
  • Mobile-as-primary internet is notably higher than Kentucky overall due to fewer reliable fixed-broadband options; households frequently tether/hotspot for schoolwork and streaming.
• Race/ethnicity
  • The county is overwhelmingly White non‑Hispanic, so there is less of the adoption variance by race seen in urban Kentucky; the dominant adoption gap here is age and income, not race.
• Digital skills
  • Digital literacy constraints are more pronounced among older adults; this shows up as lower use of mobile banking, telehealth video, and two‑factor authentication apps compared with the state average.

Digital infrastructure points (with county-specific differences)

• Networks present
  • AT&T (including FirstNet for public safety) and Verizon provide the most continuous coverage along the Mountain Parkway and KY‑15; Appalachian Wireless has meaningful local presence and competitive LTE performance; T‑Mobile coverage is improving but remains patchy off main corridors and in hollows.
• 5G availability
  • 5G is present primarily as low‑band (600/700/850 MHz) near Campton, Slade/Natural Bridge tourism areas, and along the Mountain Parkway. Mid‑band 5G (the faster n41/n77 layers common in Kentucky’s metros) is sparse or absent countywide, so users see modest 5G speed gains and frequent LTE fallback. This is a sharper urban–rural gap than the Kentucky average.
• Terrain effects
  • Steep ridges and narrow valleys create dead zones and indoor coverage challenges. Signal reliability drops markedly a short distance off highways—more so than in most Kentucky counties without similar topography.
• Performance expectations
  • Typical downlink speeds: LTE 5–25 Mbps in valleys, low‑band 5G 20–80 Mbps in open areas; uplink often <10 Mbps. These medians trail statewide results, and variability (by location/time) is higher than the state average.
• Public safety and resiliency
  • FirstNet buildouts have improved coverage for first responders along primary routes, but power and backhaul redundancy outside Campton is limited. Extended outages during severe weather affect mobile service more acutely than in most Kentucky counties.
• Wi‑Fi offload
  • Libraries, schools, and larger hospitality venues around Slade/Natural Bridge act as critical offload points. Reliance on public Wi‑Fi for big downloads/updates is higher than the state average.

Key takeaways on trends versus the Kentucky average

• Slightly lower overall smartphone penetration driven by a larger 65+ share, despite near‑parity among working‑age adults and teens.
• Higher dependence on cellular as the primary or sole household internet solution, reflecting fewer fixed‑broadband choices.
• Greater use of prepaid/regional carriers and older LTE‑only handsets; device upgrade cycles are longer.
• Slower and less consistent mobile data performance, with broader coverage gaps due to terrain and lower tower density; 5G here is mostly low‑band with limited speed uplift compared with mid‑band‑rich urban Kentucky.
• Usage patterns skew toward voice/SMS, messaging apps that tolerate poor bandwidth, and scheduled Wi‑Fi offload for heavy data tasks.

Wolfe County, KY social media snapshot (2024, modeled local estimates)

Overall usage

• Social media penetration (residents 13+): 82% use at least one platform monthly; 70% use daily
• Device mix among users: ~93% mobile-first; ~7% primarily desktop/tablet
• Multi-platform behavior: average 3.1 platforms per user; 58% use both Facebook and YouTube weekly

Age profile (share of each age group using social media at least monthly)

• 13–17: 95%
• 18–24: 97%
• 25–34: 92%
• 35–44: 88%
• 45–54: 82%
• 55–64: 75%
• 65+: 58%

Gender split among social media users

• Female: 53%
• Male: 47% Platform skews: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok lean female; YouTube, X/Twitter, Reddit lean male

Most-used platforms (monthly reach among online residents 13+)

• YouTube: 78%
• Facebook: 72%
• Facebook Messenger: 68%
• Instagram: 38%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 28%
• Pinterest: 26%
• X (Twitter): 18%
• LinkedIn: 12%
• Reddit: 11%

Behavioral trends

• Community-first engagement: High reliance on Facebook Groups for local news, school updates, church events, weather, road conditions, and buy/sell/trade. Local posts drive outsized comments/shares versus link clicks.
• Marketplace culture: About half of Facebook users browse or post on Marketplace monthly; strong interest in autos/trucks, tools, farm/outdoor gear, furniture, and rentals.
• Video habits: YouTube dominates for how-to/DIY, hunting/fishing, auto repair, severe weather, and high school sports highlights. Typical watch windows are evenings (7–10 pm ET) and weekend mornings.
• Messaging over feeds: Messenger is a default channel for family, church, and team coordination; “Message us” call-to-actions outperform “Visit website,” especially where mobile web performance is inconsistent.
• Posting/engagement timing: Peaks before work/school (6–9 am) and evenings (7–10 pm), with a Saturday morning bump. Short native videos and photo carousels outperform external links.
• Trust and amplification: Local admins, schools, churches, fire/EMS, and county offices are key amplifiers. Content with clear local relevance (lost/found pets, road closures, fundraisers) spreads fastest.
• Demographic nuances:
  • Teens/young adults: Snapchat and TikTok for daily messaging/entertainment; Instagram for peers and sports. Cross-posting short vertical video drives reach.
  • 25–44: Facebook + Messenger as default, Instagram second; strong Marketplace and local business promo response.
  • 55+: Facebook primary; higher engagement with civic, health, and church content; preference for phone numbers/directions over web forms.
• Creative/style: Plain-language copy, local faces/landmarks, and practical utility (dates, prices, phone) outperform polished brand creatives. Giveaways and limited-time offers see high save/share rates.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2024 modeled estimates for Wolfe County calibrated to rural-Kentucky and U.S. rural benchmarks (Pew Research platform adoption, platform-disclosed audience mixes, and ACS-age structure), adjusted for small-county usage patterns. Expect ±3–7 percentage points variance by platform and season.