East Carroll County

Do you want these figures from the 2020 Decennial Census or the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-year estimates? For small areas like East Carroll Parish, ACS 5-year is usually the most current. If no preference, I’ll use ACS 2019–2023.

East Carroll Parish (LA) snapshot (estimates)

• Population and users: ~6.7k residents; ~5.0k adults (18+). Applying typical U.S. email adoption to rural Louisiana, about 4.3k–4.8k adults use email.

• Age distribution of email use (adoption rates):

  • 18–29: ~95–98%
  • 30–49: ~94–97%
  • 50–64: ~88–92%
  • 65+: ~75–85% Older adults are the main gap; younger and mid‑age adults are near‑universal users.

• Gender split: Email use is similar by gender; user base roughly mirrors the adult population (~52% women, ~48% men).

• Digital access trends and constraints:

  • Household broadband subscription is relatively low for LA; roughly half to ~60% of households subscribe.
  • Smartphone‑only internet access is common (~15–20% of adults); 30–35% of households may lack home internet and rely on mobile data, public Wi‑Fi, or shared access.
  • LTE/5G coverage is strongest in and around Lake Providence/US‑65; speeds and reliability drop in outlying farm/rural areas.
  • Low population density (about 20–25 people per square mile) raises last‑mile costs, contributing to patchy fixed broadband.
  • Affordability pressures increased with the wind‑down of ACP; state/federal fiber programs (e.g., BEAD/GUMBO) are targeting rural northeast Louisiana, with builds expected through 2025–2028.

Notes: Figures are synthesized from recent ACS computer/internet indicators and national Pew email use benchmarks for a rural parish of this size.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in East Carroll Parish (County), Louisiana

Headline differences vs statewide

• Heavier reliance on mobile-only internet than Louisiana overall, driven by sparse fixed broadband options and lower incomes.
• Coverage and speeds are more variable; 5G is mostly low-band with fewer mid-band (capacity) sites than the state average.
• Higher share of prepaid users and older devices; upgrade cycles are slower than the statewide norm.

User estimates (modeled)

• Adult population base: roughly 5,000–5,400 adults (parish total population ~6,500–7,200; ACS 5‑year scale).
• Any mobile phone: about 90–95% of adults, or 4,500–5,100 users.
• Smartphone users: about 80–86% of adults, or 4,000–4,600 users.
• Mobile-only home internet: about 28–35% of households rely primarily on a smartphone/mobile hotspot for home internet (notably higher than Louisiana overall, which is closer to the mid‑teens to low‑20s).
• Prepaid share: materially higher than statewide (think majority share locally), reflecting price sensitivity and weaker postpaid family-plan penetration.

Demographic patterns that shape usage

• Race/ethnicity: The parish is majority Black/African American, a group that nationally reports high smartphone dependency for internet access. This skews usage toward mobile-first for everyday tasks (banking, social, school, telehealth).
• Income/poverty: Household income is well below the Louisiana median, which correlates with: higher prepaid plan adoption; more Android vs iOS; selective data use; and heavier reliance on public/anchor Wi‑Fi to offload data.
• Age: Younger adults are near-universal smartphone users; seniors lag the state average for smartphones but still commonly use basic cell phones. Device upgrade cycles are longer among older and lower‑income residents.
• Education/employment: Mobile is a primary channel for job search, benefits portals, and continuing education because fixed broadband availability and affordability are weaker than statewide.

Digital infrastructure notes (what’s on the ground)

• Coverage pattern: Reliable LTE/low‑band 5G along population centers (especially Lake Providence) and main travel corridors; service can degrade in sparsely populated farm areas and near levees/water bodies. Indoor coverage is inconsistent in metal‑roof homes and larger buildings without boosters.
• 5G mix: Predominantly low‑band 5G (wide‑area coverage, modest speeds). Mid‑band 5G capacity sites are fewer than the state average; mmWave is effectively absent.
• Carriers: AT&T and Verizon provide the broadest rural footprints; T‑Mobile reach has improved via 600 MHz but capacity is uneven outside town centers. MVNOs ride these networks but may see lower priority during congestion.
• Public safety: AT&T FirstNet Band 14 coverage tracks the main corridors; agencies also depend on the state’s LWIN radio system. Cellular resilience varies with backhaul—some sites still rely on microwave, which can bottleneck during peak or outage conditions.
• Offload options: Anchor institutions (schools, libraries, parish offices) and some businesses provide essential Wi‑Fi offload; options are fewer and farther apart than in urban Louisiana. Fixed broadband buildouts (state GUMBO/BEAD projects) are ongoing nearby, but many addresses remain unserved/underserved today.

How East Carroll differs from Louisiana overall (practical impacts)

• Adoption: Overall phone ownership is high, but smartphone penetration is a few points lower than statewide averages; dependency on smartphones as the only home internet is substantially higher.
• Affordability: With the Affordable Connectivity Program winding down in 2024–2025, more households are likely to consolidate to mobile-only, widening the gap with the state average.
• Performance: Median mobile speeds trail statewide figures; evening congestion is more noticeable due to fewer capacity sites and constrained backhaul.
• Plan mix: Prepaid/MVNO penetration is higher than the Louisiana average; family postpaid and device financing uptake is lower.
• Use cases: Communications are more SMS/OTT‑messaging‑heavy; video streaming and telehealth happen over mobile but are more cost‑ and signal‑limited than in urban parishes.

Notes on method and where to validate

• Estimates reflect ACS 5‑year demographics for small counties, Pew/NTIA adoption baselines, and FCC mobile/broadband map patterns, adjusted for rural delta conditions. They are directional ranges, not point measurements.
• To firm up numbers, check: Census/ACS (population and demographics), NTIA Internet Use Survey (device and mobile‑only reliance), FCC National Broadband Map and carrier coverage maps (5G/LTE), Ookla/RootMetrics (speed tests), Louisiana broadband office (GUMBO/BEAD projects), and FirstNet coverage tools.

Social media snapshot: East Carroll Parish (county equivalent), Louisiana – 2025 estimates

How many users

• Population context: small rural parish (~6–8k residents; ~5k adults).
• Estimated social media users: 4,000–5,000 residents use at least one platform (includes teens). Among adults, ~75–80% use social media; among ages 13–17, ~90–95%.

Most-used platforms (share of all adults; est.)

• YouTube: 60–70%
• Facebook: 55–65% (most used for local news, groups, Marketplace)
• Instagram: 30–40%
• TikTok: 25–35%
• Pinterest: 20–25% (female-skewed)
• Snapchat: 15–25% (younger skew)
• X/Twitter: 10–15%
• WhatsApp: 10–15%
• LinkedIn: 8–12% Note: YouTube likely has the widest reach; Facebook is the daily “network-of-record” for local information.

Age pattern (share who use any social media; most-used in each)

• 13–17: 90–95%; YouTube 90%+, TikTok 70–80%, Snapchat 60–70%, Instagram 50–60%, Facebook ~20–30%.
• 18–29: 90–95%; YouTube 85–90%, Instagram 70–75%, TikTok 60–70%, Snapchat 50–60%, Facebook 50–60%.
• 30–49: 85–90%; Facebook 70–75%, YouTube 70–80%, Instagram 45–55%, TikTok 35–45%.
• 50–64: 70–75%; Facebook 65–70%, YouTube 55–65%, Instagram 25–35%, TikTok 15–25%.
• 65+: 45–55%; Facebook 50–60%, YouTube 40–50%, others generally <15%.

Gender breakdown (est.)

• Overall user mix: roughly even, slight female tilt (women ~52–55% of users).
• Platform skews:
  • Women: Facebook 60–70%, Instagram 35–45%, Pinterest 30–40%.
  • Men: YouTube 65–75%, X/Twitter 12–18%, Reddit ~8–12%.

Behavioral trends to know

• Mobile-first, data-capped usage: Heavy reliance on smartphones; many users on prepaid plans. Short-form video (Reels/TikToks) and Facebook-native content outperform links.
• Facebook Groups and Marketplace culture: High engagement with church, school, sports, and buy/sell/trade groups. Local officials and candidates post updates there; comments drive reach.
• Local-first information diet: Weather alerts, school closures, road conditions, hunting/fishing and ag updates outperform national news. Trust and sharing are driven by known people/pages.
• Messaging over comments: Facebook Messenger dominates private coordination; group texts common. WhatsApp use modest but growing within specific friend/family clusters.
• Creators and small business: Few dedicated creators; cross-posting between TikTok and Instagram Reels is common. Small businesses lean on boosted Facebook posts, Events, and Marketplace listings; limited LinkedIn usage.
• Timing: Peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; midday spikes during severe weather or school announcements.
• Age split: Under 30s discover via TikTok/Instagram but confirm details on Facebook; 50+ rely mostly on Facebook and YouTube.

Method and caveats

• Parish-level surveys are scarce. These figures are modeled from Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption (with rural adjustments), combined with East Carroll’s age structure and typical rural broadband patterns. Treat as directional estimates, not exact counts.