Bienville County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes. Figures below refer to Bienville Parish, LA.

• Population

  • 12,981 (2020 Census)

• Age (ACS 2019–2023, estimates)

  • Median age: ~42
  • Under 18: ~22%
  • 65 and over: ~20%

• Gender (ACS 2019–2023, estimates)

  • Female: ~51%
  • Male: ~49%

• Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023, estimates; Hispanic can be any race)

  • Black or African American: ~49%
  • White: ~47%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~2%
  • Two or more races/Other: ~2%

• Households (ACS 2019–2023, estimates)

  • Total households: ~5,300
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~60–62% of households

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

Note: Bienville is a parish (not a county).

• Estimated email users: About 6,000–7,000 adults use email regularly. Basis: ~12.8k residents, ~10k adults; ~70% online access; ~90% of online adults use email. Add 1,000–1,500 student/teen email users (school-related).
• Age mix of email users (approximate share of users): 18–34: 25–30%; 35–54: 35–40%; 55–64: 15–18%; 65+: 18–22% (lower adoption but growing).
• Gender split: Roughly even among users, mirroring the population (≈51% female, 49% male).
• Digital access trends:
  • 60–70% of households have home broadband; 15–25% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • Email access is strongest near Arcadia and the I‑20 corridor where cable/fiber are present; outside towns, many rely on DSL, fixed wireless, or satellite, with speeds often below 100/20 Mbps.
  • Affordability pressures increased after the Affordable Connectivity Program wind‑down in 2024; public libraries and schools remain key access points.
• Local density/connectivity facts: Very rural—about 16 residents per square mile. Provider choice and signal quality drop quickly outside towns; forested terrain can impede fixed‑wireless links, while major road corridors have better mobile coverage.

All figures are best‑effort estimates using rural Louisiana and ACS/Pew patterns applied to Bienville Parish.

Scope note: Louisiana uses parishes, not counties. The following is a modeled snapshot for Bienville Parish (county-equivalent) using 2020 Census/2023 ACS demographics, 2023–2024 Pew Research mobile adoption benchmarks, and the 2024 FCC National Broadband Map. Exact local mobile-usage counts are not published; ranges reflect conservative estimates and rural adjustments.

Headline takeaways vs Louisiana overall

• Higher reliance on mobile as the primary internet connection, especially among lower-income and older residents.
• Lower and more uneven 5G coverage; more LTE-only zones away from the I-20/US-80 corridor.
• Slightly lower smartphone adoption among seniors; overall adoption near state averages among younger adults.
• Greater performance variability (speeds, signal) due to sparse tower density and terrain/forestry.

User estimates (Bienville Parish)

• Population base: roughly 12–13k residents; about 9.3–9.9k adults.
• Adults with any mobile phone (smartphone or basic): about 8.4–9.2k (≈90–94% of adults).
• Adult smartphone users: about 7.3–8.3k (≈78–85% of adults). This trails urban Louisiana slightly but is closer to rural state averages.
• Households relying on a cellular data plan as their only home internet: approximately 30–38% of households (vs roughly 18–25% statewide). In Bienville that’s on the order of 1,500–1,900 households, reflecting coverage and affordability constraints and the 2024 wind-down of the ACP subsidy.

Demographic patterns (how Bienville differs from statewide)

• Age
  • 18–34: very high smartphone adoption (≈92–96%), similar to statewide.
  • 35–64: high adoption (≈85–90%), modestly below statewide in the most rural tracts.
  • 65+: lower adoption (≈55–65% vs ≈70–75% statewide), with more basic/LTE-only devices and higher mobile-only home internet use.
• Income
  • Low-income households (a larger share than statewide) show strong phone ownership but are more likely to be mobile-only for home internet (≈40–50% vs ≈25–35% statewide among similar incomes).
• Race and ethnicity
  • Bienville’s population is roughly half White and a large Black minority. Smartphone ownership is broadly similar by race, but mobile-only home internet is more common among Black households, driven by income and housing factors.
• Geography within the parish
  • Better speeds/coverage in and around Arcadia and along I-20/US-80; more dead zones and LTE-only pockets in the timberlands and low-lying rural areas, which is a sharper urban–rural divide than in metro parishes.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Cellular networks
  • All three national carriers provide 4G LTE; 5G low-band is present mainly along primary corridors and towns. 5G mid-band (capacity) is patchier than the state average and is mostly limited to the I-20 corridor vicinity; much of the parish remains LTE-only.
  • Typical observed ranges: LTE 10–50 Mbps in town, dropping below 10 Mbps in fringe/rural spots; 5G low-/mid-band 50–200 Mbps where available. Peak-time congestion is more pronounced than statewide norms due to fewer sectorized sites and limited backhaul off-corridor.
  • FirstNet Band 14 (AT&T) sites exist along key routes and population centers, improving public-safety coverage but not eliminating rural gaps.
• Tower density and backhaul
  • Fewer macro sites per square mile than state averages; new builds and upgrades have concentrated on the I-20/US-80 and US-371/LA-9 corridors.
  • Fiber backhaul is strongest near the interstate; beyond that, microwave and limited fiber can constrain cell capacity relative to urban Louisiana.
• Fixed broadband context (affects mobile reliance)
  • Fiber-to-the-home is limited outside town centers; DSL and cable coverage are spotty in smaller communities.
  • Fixed wireless (including 4G/5G home internet) fills gaps; availability is broader than fiber but with variable performance.
  • Satellite (GEO and LEO) is widely available but used selectively due to cost/latency; some households opt for unlimited mobile plans instead.
• Public/anchor connectivity
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings in Arcadia, Ringgold, Gibsland, and Castor are key Wi‑Fi anchors; usage is higher than statewide rates on school days and during evening hours.

Implications for planners and providers

• Expect higher demand for capacity upgrades on existing LTE/low-band 5G sectors outside the interstate corridor.
• Mobile-only households will remain elevated unless fiber/coax expansion reaches more rural roads; targeted grants that add fiber backhaul to existing towers can improve both mobile and FWA performance.
• Senior-focused digital literacy and device-upgrade programs could move adoption closer to state levels.
• Post-ACP, affordability pressures are likely to nudge more households toward prepaid unlimited mobile plans and hotspot use, reinforcing the parish’s above-average mobile reliance.

Data notes

• Population and household bases: 2020 Census and 2023 ACS for Bienville Parish.
• Mobile/smartphone adoption rates: Pew Research Center 2023–2024, adjusted downward for rural age/income mix.
• Mobile-only home internet share: ACS “cellular data plan only” household indicator, uplifted for rural tracts; checked against FCC 2024 availability patterns.
• Coverage/performance characterization: FCC National Broadband Map (2024) service availability; carrier public coverage data; rural LA benchmarking.

Quick note: Louisiana uses parishes, not counties—this is Bienville Parish. Parish-level social media stats aren’t published, so the figures below are estimates extrapolated from Pew Research Center’s 2024 US/rural findings and Bienville’s rural, older profile.

Headline snapshot

• Population: ~12–13k; adults: ~9–10k
• Internet/smartphone access (est.): 70–80% of households have home internet; 80–85% smartphone ownership
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~65–75%

Most‑used platforms (share of adults, est.)

• YouTube: ~75–80%
• Facebook: ~65–70% (dominant local network)
• Instagram: ~30–40%
• TikTok: ~25–35%
• Snapchat: ~20–30% (heaviest among teens/young adults)
• Pinterest: ~25–35% (skews female)
• X/Twitter: ~15–20%
• LinkedIn: ~10–15% (limited in rural areas)
• Nextdoor: <5% (most neighborhood chatter happens on Facebook instead)

Age patterns (behavior + likely platform mix)

• Teens/18–24: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram daily; YouTube for entertainment/how‑to. Facebook mostly for events, sports, and family groups.
• 25–44: Facebook + Instagram core; heavy Facebook Messenger and Marketplace use; YouTube for DIY, repairs, hunting/fishing, and product research.
• 45–64: Facebook is primary (local news, church, civic updates); YouTube second; Pinterest use for recipes/crafts.
• 65+: Facebook for family/church/community; YouTube for sermons, news, tutorials; low TikTok/Instagram adoption.

Gender tendencies

• Women: Higher on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; active in school/parent groups and buy‑sell‑trade/Marketplace.
• Men: Higher on YouTube, X, Reddit; active in local sports, outdoor, farming/equipment groups.

Local behavioral trends to expect

• Facebook is the community hub: parish/school/church pages, local news, weather and emergency updates, yard sales, and event discovery.
• Marketplace substitutes for local classifieds; strong engagement with for‑sale, services, and seasonal work posts.
• Short‑form video is growing: TikTok consumption is rising; many clips cross‑posted as Facebook Reels.
• Messaging is fragmented: Facebook Messenger (adults) and Snapchat (teens/young adults) are the default DMs; SMS remains common.
• Peak engagement typically evenings and weekends; spikes around storms, school athletics, festivals, hunting seasons.
• Low LinkedIn/Nextdoor penetration; professional networking and neighborhood apps are secondary to Facebook Groups.

Sources and method

• Estimates derived from Pew Research Center (2024) social media use by platform, age, gender, and community type (rural), adjusted for Bienville Parish’s demographics; population from US Census/ACS.