Kent County

Kent County, Maryland — key demographics (latest available)

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

Population size

• Total population: ~19,400 (ACS 2019–2023; 2020 Census count: 19,198)

Age

• Median age: ~47 years
• Age distribution: Under 18: ~17%; 18–24: ~10%; 25–44: ~22%; 45–64: ~25%; 65+: ~26%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (Hispanic can be any race)

• White, non-Hispanic: ~75%
• Black or African American, non-Hispanic: ~16%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~5–6%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~3%
• Asian, non-Hispanic: ~1%
• Other (incl. American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander): <1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~8,400
• Average household size: ~2.2
• Family households: ~55% of households; average family size ~2.7
• Homeownership rate: ~72% (owner) / ~28% (renter)
• Median household income: roughly $70,000
• Per capita income: roughly $41,000
• Poverty rate: ~12%
• Households with children under 18: ~20–22%
• Households with someone 65+ living alone: ~14%

Insights

• Small, stable population with an older age profile (median age ~47; about one-quarter 65+).
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, with a substantial Black community and a small but present Hispanic population.
• High homeownership and small household sizes relative to national averages.
• Incomes below the Maryland state median, with a poverty rate near the national average.

Kent County, MD (pop. ~19,500; ~70 people per sq. mile) is a low‑density, rural Eastern Shore county anchored by Chestertown and Washington College.

Estimated email users: ~13,000 adults.

• Basis: ~16,000 adults (18+) with ~85% internet adoption and ~92% email use among internet users.

Age distribution of email users (approx. share):

• 18–29: 17%
• 30–49: 28%
• 50–64: 27%
• 65+: 28% Adoption rates by age remain high: ~97% (18–49), ~94% (50–64), ~88–90% (65+).

Gender split among email users: ~52% female, ~48% male (reflecting county demographics).

Digital access and trends:

• ~90% of households have a computer; ~80% have a home broadband subscription, equating to roughly 7,000–7,200 of ~8,900 households.
• About 10–15% are smartphone‑only or rely on public Wi‑Fi, notably libraries and campus/public hotspots in Chestertown.
• Broadband adoption is strongest in and around town centers; outlying peninsulas see more gaps due to distance and low density.
• Mobile coverage supports on‑the‑go access; email is a primary communication tool for work, school, and services, with a majority of users checking daily.

Overall, email penetration is pervasive, skewing slightly older due to the county’s age profile, with connectivity improving but still constrained by rural dispersion.

Kent County, Maryland mobile phone usage: a concise, data-grounded profile

Scope and timeframe

• Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (S2801, S0101), ACS 2022 1-year (state), FCC mobile coverage datasets (2024), state/local public records on rural fiber initiatives through 2023.
• Population context: ~19.5k residents; ~8.0k households.

User estimates

• Adult smartphone users: approximately 14,500 residents use a smartphone regularly in Kent County. This estimate aligns county age structure with ACS-reported household smartphone availability and typical multi-device households.
• Mobile-only internet households: roughly 900 households rely on a cellular data plan as their sole internet subscription, concentrated outside Chestertown and in the Rock Hall–Betterton peninsulas.

Adoption and subscriptions (household-level, ACS 2018–2022 unless noted)

• Households with a smartphone
  • Kent County: 83%
  • Maryland statewide (ACS 2022 1-year): 93%
  • Insight: Kent trails the state by about 10 percentage points, reflecting older age structure and lower incomes.
• Households with any broadband subscription (cable/DSL/fiber/fixed wireless/satellite/cellular)
  • Kent County: 82%
  • Maryland: 90%
  • Insight: Broadband adoption is notably lower; mobile service fills some of the gap but not fully.
• Households with a cellular data plan (for smartphone/tablet/other) of any kind
  • Kent County: 67%
  • Maryland: 79%
  • Insight: Cellular plan penetration is lower overall, but…
• Households with only a cellular data plan (no wireline/fixed broadband)
  • Kent County: 11%
  • Maryland: 6%
  • Insight: Kent has nearly double the statewide share of “mobile-only” households, signaling heavier reliance on phones for primary internet in rural areas.
• Households with no internet subscription at all
  • Kent County: 18%
  • Maryland: 10%
  • Insight: Digital exclusion remains significantly higher in Kent, with mobile service not fully substituting for fixed options.

Demographic patterns influencing usage

• Older population
  • 65+ share of population: Kent ~26% vs Maryland ~16%; median age Kent ~47 vs Maryland ~39.
  • Effect: Lower smartphone uptake and more single-occupant senior households depress county-level smartphone metrics relative to the state.
• Income and poverty
  • Median household income: Kent ~$70k vs Maryland ~$98k.
  • Poverty rate: Kent ~13% vs Maryland ~9%.
  • Effect: Higher prevalence of cost-sensitive plans and a larger “mobile-only” segment in Kent.
• Student and seasonal dynamics
  • Washington College students cluster in Chestertown and drive very high mobile usage and app-based connectivity within town limits.
  • Seasonal influx in Rock Hall/Betterton increases weekend and summer cell-site load, a pattern less pronounced at the state level.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• 4G LTE coverage: Broad outdoor LTE coverage from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile across the U.S. 213 corridor and towns; indoor and shoreline coverage is more variable, especially on rural peninsulas west of Chestertown and near marsh/wooded areas.
• 5G availability:
  • Low-band 5G covers the population centers (Chestertown, Worton, Galena), providing broad reach but modest capacity.
  • Mid-band 5G capacity nodes are clustered in and around Chestertown; much of the county remains LTE-predominant for capacity, unlike Maryland’s metro counties where mid-band 5G is widespread.
• Backhaul and fiber
  • Ongoing rural fiber builds (county-supported open-access projects with private ISPs) have expanded middle-mile along key roads since 2019, improving options for small-cell backhaul and fixed service in previously unserved zones.
  • Cable broadband is established in Chestertown and parts of Rock Hall; outside these areas, fiber and fixed wireless footprints are still filling in.
• Public safety
  • AT&T FirstNet Band 14 coverage is present in population centers, aiding reliability for first responders.

How Kent differs from Maryland overall

• Lower smartphone and broadband household penetration, driven by older demographics and lower incomes.
• Higher share of mobile-only internet households, indicating heavier reliance on phones as the primary on-ramp to the internet.
• Greater LTE dependence and fewer mid-band 5G capacity sites; coverage is more sensitive to terrain and distance from towers, with more frequent weak-signal pockets than in suburban/urban Maryland.
• Stronger intra-county contrasts: student- and town-centered usage peaks versus rural shoreline gaps and seasonal congestion, a pattern that is muted at the statewide level.

Implications

• Mobile remains a critical bridge for access in rural Kent, but the higher no-subscription rate and LTE dependence limit digital equity compared with the state.
• Targeted mid-band 5G infill, shoreline small cells, and continued fiber backhaul expansion would disproportionately improve user experience relative to the state average.
• Programs aimed at seniors and low-income households (affordability, device literacy, signal boosters where appropriate) will move Kent’s metrics closer to statewide levels faster than generic statewide interventions.

Social media usage in Kent County, MD (modeled, current as of 2024–2025)

How this was built

• Demographics from U.S. Census/ACS for Kent County combined with Pew Research Center’s 2024 adult and 2023 teen platform adoption rates. Figures are best-available modeled estimates for Kent County; totals are rounded.

Core demographics

• Population: ~19,300 residents
• Adults (18+): ~16,000
• Teens (13–17): ~1,000
• Gender: ~52% female, 48% male
• Older-leaning county: roughly 30% are 65+, which pushes usage toward platforms favored by older adults (notably Facebook and YouTube)

Most-used platforms (adults, 18+; share of adults using each platform → estimated users)

• YouTube: 83% → ~13,280
• Facebook: 68% → ~10,880
• Instagram: 47% → ~7,520
• Pinterest: 35% → ~5,600
• TikTok: 33% → ~5,280
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~4,800
• Snapchat: 27% → ~4,320
• X (Twitter): 22% → ~3,520
• Reddit: 22% → ~3,520
• WhatsApp: 21% → ~3,360
• Nextdoor: 19% → ~3,040

Teens (13–17; share of teens using each platform → estimated users)

• YouTube: 95% → ~950
• TikTok: 67% → ~670
• Instagram: 62% → ~620
• Snapchat: 60% → ~600
• Facebook: 33% → ~330

Age-group patterns

• 13–17: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat dominate; minimal use of LinkedIn, Nextdoor.
• 18–29: Very high YouTube and Instagram; strong TikTok and Snapchat; Facebook moderate.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook remain core; Instagram steady; TikTok moderate; Pinterest meaningful among parents.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube lead; Pinterest and LinkedIn secondary; TikTok/X smaller but present.
• 65+: Facebook is the anchor; YouTube widely used; Instagram/TikTok niche.

Gender dynamics

• Women: Higher likelihood to use Facebook and Pinterest; Instagram also relatively strong. Expect above-average Pinterest penetration among local parents, educators, and hobbyists.
• Men: Higher relative uptake of YouTube, Reddit, and X; LinkedIn skew modestly male. Local sports, boating, and news accounts are typical interests.

Behavioral trends and local context

• Multi-platform use: Adults typically use several platforms concurrently; Facebook + YouTube is the dominant combo countywide, with Instagram or Pinterest as common add-ons.
• Community-centric engagement: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups/Pages for town and county updates, local news, events (e.g., Chestertown activities), schools, faith groups, and yard/market listings.
• Nextdoor and Facebook Groups: Useful for neighborhood alerts, services, and lost-and-found; Nextdoor usage is meaningful given the county’s small-town layout.
• Short-form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels usage is rising among 18–34 (including Washington College students), especially for campus life, local food, waterfront, and events.
• News and civic info: Facebook and YouTube carry local government meetings, civic announcements, and local journalism reach; X and Reddit serve smaller but engaged news/politics niches.
• Small business marketing: Facebook Events, boosted posts, and Instagram Stories are the most cost-effective for local reach; Pinterest drives evergreen interest (home, crafts, weddings), LinkedIn helps B2B and hiring.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks evenings (roughly 7–10 pm) with secondary midday/lunch spikes; weekends perform well for events and community updates.

Notes on interpretation

• Counts above are modeled by applying national adoption rates to Kent County’s adult and teen populations; actual user overlaps across platforms are expected.
• The county’s older age structure amplifies Facebook and YouTube usage relative to TikTok/Snapchat at the population level, even though younger cohorts are highly active on those apps.