Cameron County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes (county-equivalents). Figures below refer to Cameron Parish, LA. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year/QuickFacts).

Population size

• 5,533 (2023 population estimate)
• 5,617 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Male: ~51.6%
• Female: ~48.4%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White alone: ~85%
• Black or African American alone: ~5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1–2%
• Asian alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~7%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~80% Note: Hispanic/Latino overlaps with race categories.

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~2,250
• Persons per household: ~2.56
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~86%
• Family households: ~2/3 of households; married-couple families ~1/2 of households

Scope: Cameron Parish, Louisiana (often called “Cameron County”).

Population and density: ~5.6k residents (2020), ~7 people per sq. mile—among Louisiana’s sparsest.

Estimated email users:

• Adults: ~4.2k.
• Internet-using adults (ACS rural broadband rates ~65–75%): ~2.8–3.3k.
• Email adoption among internet users (Pew: ~90–95%): ≈2.6–3.1k adult email users.

Age pattern (share of each age group using email; estimates scaled from national/rural data):

• 18–34: ~95%
• 35–54: ~95%
• 55–64: ~90%
• 65+: ~80–85%

Gender split: Approximately even (about 49–51% each).

Digital access and trends:

• 65–75% of households subscribe to broadband; mobile-only and satellite connections are common in remote areas.
• Ongoing fiber expansion via Louisiana’s GUMBO and federal BEAD programs is improving coverage; adoption is rising as new builds light up.
• Exposure to hurricanes and flooding contributes to infrastructure fragility and intermittent outages.
• Sparse settlement and long loop lengths historically limited wireline speeds; cellular coverage is strongest along main corridors, with weaker service in marsh/coastal zones.

Notes: Estimates combine U.S. Census/ACS household internet metrics with Pew Research email adoption rates; local figures are rounded ranges due to small-population sampling.

Quick clarification: Louisiana uses parishes, not counties. I’m assuming you mean Cameron Parish, LA. If you meant Cameron County, TX, say so and I’ll adjust.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (with differences vs Louisiana overall)

User estimates (order-of-magnitude, modeled from recent population, rural adoption patterns, and state/national surveys)

• Population/households: ~5.5–6.0k residents, roughly 2.0–2.2k households.
• Adults with a mobile phone (any type): ~3.8–4.4k adults.
• Smartphone users: ~3.2–3.6k adults. Share is likely several points below the state average due to age, income, and coverage constraints.
• Households that rely on mobile data as their primary or only internet: roughly 500–750 households (about 25–35%), higher than the statewide share.
• Multi‑carrier usage: Lower than state average; many residents depend on a single carrier that works at their home/work sites.

Demographic breakdown and patterns

• Age:
  • 18–34: Very high smartphone ownership (near urban/state norms), heavy app-based communication and streaming when coverage allows.
  • 35–64: High ownership but more cost-sensitive plan selection; notable reliance on hotspotting for homework/work where wireline is weak.
  • 65+: Adoption noticeably below the state rate; more basic/flip devices and shared-family plans; spotty coverage discourages heavier use.
• Income and plan type:
  • More prepaid and budget plans than statewide; higher incidence of data-capped and single-device households.
  • After the 2024 ACP subsidy lapse, some households appear to have reduced data tiers or gone mobile-only—this effect is stronger here than statewide.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Parish is majority non-Hispanic White with small Black and Hispanic communities; younger Hispanic workers often exhibit high smartphone-only reliance, but small population shares limit overall impact.
• Workers/seasonality:
  • Energy, port/LNG, fishing, and seasonal recreation drive concentrated, time-bound demand at worksites and along key corridors; usage patterns are spikier than the state norm.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and technology:
  • 4G LTE is the baseline; low-band 5G is present mainly along primary corridors (e.g., LA‑27/LA‑82, Hackberry, Grand Lake, Cameron town). Mid-band 5G is sparse compared with Louisiana’s urban/parish hubs.
  • Notable dead zones along the coast, wetlands, wildlife refuges, and between small settlements; in-vehicle and home signal boosters are more common than statewide.
• Carriers and public safety:
  • AT&T (including FirstNet) and Verizon tend to be the most usable across the parish; T‑Mobile works in pockets but is less consistent outside towns. Residents often pick carriers by the one that works at their exact address.
  • Public-safety users lean on hardened/priority networks; temporary COWs/COLTs are deployed after major storms.
• Resilience and backhaul:
  • Repeated hurricane impacts have toppled towers and cut power/backhaul more frequently than elsewhere in the state; outage durations and post-storm capacity constraints are worse than Louisiana’s average.
• Wireline context (affects mobile reliance):
  • Limited cable/DSL footprint and long loops; fiber exists in select pockets but coverage is far from universal. Recent state/federal grants (e.g., Louisiana’s GUMBO and BEAD programs) target expansions in SW Louisiana, but construction across low-density, marshy terrain is slower and costlier than average—sustaining higher mobile‑only reliance in the near term.

How Cameron Parish differs from Louisiana overall

• Lower smartphone adoption rate and higher share of basic/feature phones among seniors.
• Higher proportion of mobile-only or mobile‑primary households due to sparse fixed broadband and lower affordability.
• Greater single‑carrier dependence and more frequent dead zones; fewer practical carrier choices than urban parishes.
• 5G availability is largely low-band with limited mid-band capacity, whereas Louisiana’s metros increasingly enjoy mid-band 5G.
• Outage frequency and duration after storms are materially worse; resilience drives device, plan, and carrier choices more than in most of the state.
• Usage is more “corridor- and site-centric” (ports, LNG, plants, boat launches, evacuation routes) rather than broad area coverage typical in urbanized parishes.

Notes on estimates and data needs

• Figures above are conservative ranges based on parish population, rural adoption differentials, and recent statewide/national surveys; precise parish-level mobile ownership counts aren’t directly published.

Summary (best-available estimates)

• Population baseline: ~5,500–5,800 residents. Adults (18+) ~4,200–4,500.
• Active social media users (13+): ~3,300–3,700 people (driven by high Facebook/YouTube use; rural areas skew slightly lower than urban averages).

Age mix among local social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: 8–10%
• 18–29: 18–22%
• 30–49: 32–36% (largest cohort; parents, trades, energy sector)
• 50–64: 24–28%
• 65+: 12–16% (growing, but below younger cohorts)

Gender breakdown (share of users)

• Women: ~52–56%
• Men: ~44–48% Note: Platform choice varies by gender (women over-index on Facebook/Instagram; men on YouTube/Reddit).

Most-used platforms locally (share of social media users; ranges reflect rural LA patterns)

• Facebook: 80–88% (Groups/Marketplace dominate)
• YouTube: 70–80%
• Instagram: 35–45%
• TikTok: 30–40% (fast growth among 18–34)
• Snapchat: 25–35% (teens/young adults)
• X (Twitter): 8–15% (news/weather watchers)
• Reddit: 8–12% (niche, hobby/DIY, outdoors)
• Nextdoor: 0–5% (limited coverage) Messaging: Facebook Messenger is prevalent; WhatsApp usage is modest (~10–15%).

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first usage: Heavy reliance on Facebook Groups for parish updates, hurricane/evacuation info, school sports, church events, lost/found, and local buy/sell.
• Weather-driven spikes: Engagement surges ahead of storms; users seek live updates, road closures, outage maps, and official posts (parish/sheriff/fire).
• Local commerce: Marketplace is a primary channel for equipment, boats/trailers, home/auto parts, and services; trust builds via mutual contacts.
• Outdoors content: Strong interest in fishing, hunting, boating, coastal restoration, and oil/gas/marine jobs; how-to and conditions reports perform well on YouTube/TikTok.
• Video-forward, mobile-first: Short vertical video sees strong completion; low-bandwidth users prefer concise clips and captions.
• Peak times: Evenings (6–10 pm CT) and early mornings (6–8 am) for weather/school updates; weekend spikes for events and Marketplace.
• Trust and voice: Posts from known local figures, schools, and agencies get the highest engagement; polished “national” creative underperforms vs authentic local footage.
• Cross-post habits: Businesses post to Facebook first, then mirror to Instagram; younger users discover on TikTok/Snapchat but convert via Facebook messages or calls.

Data notes

• Figures are estimates synthesized from Pew Research Center’s 2024 platform adoption, ACS population data, and rural Louisiana benchmarks; parish-level platform stats aren’t published directly.