Evangeline County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes; data shown for Evangeline Parish, LA.

Population

• Total: ~32,100 (2023 Census estimate). 2020 Census: 32,350.

Age

• Median age: ~37–38 years
• Under 18: ~25%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Sex

• Female: ~50–51%
• Male: ~49–50%

Race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic unless noted; shares may not sum to 100 due to rounding)

• White: ~58–60%
• Black or African American: ~34–36%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~3–4%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Some other race: each ~≤1%

Households and housing

• Households: ~12,400–12,700
• Persons per household: ~2.55–2.60
• Family households: ~66–68% of households
• Owner-occupied housing rate: ~72–74%

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

Evangeline Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana

• Population baseline: ~32,000 residents; ~24,000 adults. Rural density around 50 people per square mile.
• Estimated email users: 20,000–22,000 adults (roughly 85–90% of adults), based on Pew U.S. email adoption applied to local demographics.
• Age pattern (approximate adoption):
  • 18–49: very high (≈95%+ use email)
  • 50–64: high (≈90%)
  • 65+: moderate-to-high (≈75–85%), with less frequent use
• Gender split: Near 50/50 population; email usage differences by gender are minimal.
• Digital access trends:
  • Rural profile means more smartphone-only internet users and dependence on mobile email.
  • Fixed broadband access is improving via state/federal rural buildouts, but some census blocks remain unserved/underserved; competition and speeds are typically better in/near Ville Platte than in outlying areas.
  • Affordability programs (e.g., ACP-era and successor subsidies) have been important for low-income households; uptake influences email access among seniors and lower-income residents.
• Connectivity context: Lower population density raises last‑mile costs, slowing fiber deployment; however, ongoing Louisiana broadband initiatives target rural parishes like Evangeline, suggesting gradual gains in fixed broadband and more consistent email access over the next 2–3 years.

Note: In Louisiana, counties are called parishes. The area you’re asking about is Evangeline Parish.

Overview

• Population baseline: About 32–33k residents, roughly 11–12k households, majority rural with Ville Platte as the hub.
• Key theme: Higher dependence on mobile as a primary internet connection and slower 5G build-out than Louisiana’s urban centers.

User estimates (order-of-magnitude)

• Adult mobile users: 24–26k (most adults have a mobile phone; total users including teens likely 26–28k).
• Smartphone users: 22–24k residents (roughly 85–90% of adults; teen adoption is also high).
• Households with a smartphone: 9.5–10.5k (about 80–90% of households).
• Mobile-only internet households: 3.0–4.0k (roughly 25–35% of households rely mainly on cellular data for home internet; this share is notably higher than the Louisiana average, which is closer to the low 20s percent).
• Prepaid/Lifeline share: Higher than the state average, with noticeable churn and plan downgrades after the federal ACP subsidy wind-down in 2024–2025.

Demographic patterns

• Age
  • 18–34: Near-universal smartphone use; highest mobile-only reliance for entertainment, jobs, and schooling.
  • 35–64: High ownership; cost-sensitive plan choices, hotspot use for homework and streaming.
  • 65+: Growing adoption but below state average; more basic plans and voice/text-first behavior; coverage and in-home signal quality strongly influence usage.
• Income and education
  • Lower median incomes and higher poverty rates than Louisiana overall correlate with:
    • More prepaid plans and family/shared data plans.
    • Longer device replacement cycles; Android share above state average.
    • Higher mobile-only home internet reliance.
• Race/ethnicity and language
  • White and Black populations make up the vast majority; Black households are more likely to be smartphone-only for home internet than the parish average.
  • Small but present French/Creole-speaking older population; language settings and accessibility features see above-average use in that cohort.
  • Hispanic/Latino share is small but rising; WhatsApp and similar OTT messaging have outsized adoption compared with parish size.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• Coverage and capacity
  • LTE remains the workhorse; low-band 5G (e.g., 600/700/850 MHz) is common, but mid-band 5G capacity is patchy outside Ville Platte and highway corridors.
  • More coverage variability than the state average, with dead spots near forests, waterways, and in low-density areas (e.g., around Chicot State Park and rural tracts).
  • Typical median mobile speeds lag state urban medians; expect wide swings from sub-10 Mbps in fringe areas to 100+ Mbps where mid-band 5G or strong LTE with carrier aggregation is available.
• Towers/backhaul
  • Sparser macro-tower grid than the Louisiana average; new infill sites and sector upgrades tend to follow US-167/LA-10/LA-29 corridors and town centers first.
  • Backhaul is improving with ongoing rural fiber builds (state GUMBO/BEAD-era projects), which indirectly boosts mobile capacity at upgraded sites.
• Carriers and public safety
  • AT&T has broad rural coverage and FirstNet presence; Verizon coverage is solid along arterials; T‑Mobile offers extensive low-band 5G with mid-band nodes near towns.
  • Indoor signal can be weaker in older homes; femtocells/Wi‑Fi calling are used to compensate where broadband is available.
• Public access
  • Libraries, schools, and municipal buildings are key Wi‑Fi anchors; demand spikes during school seasons and outage events.

How Evangeline differs from Louisiana overall

• Higher mobile-only household rate: Reliance on cellular for home internet is several points above the state average.
• More prepaid and subsidy-sensitive usage: Plan choices and churn are more affected by affordability shifts (post-ACP), leading to periods of reduced data access.
• Slower mid-band 5G rollout: Capacity-grade 5G is sparser; LTE remains dominant for many users, while urban Louisiana enjoys broader mid-band coverage.
• Greater speed variability: Wider gap between town/highway speeds and remote-area performance than the state average.
• Device lifecycle and platform mix: Longer device replacement cycles and a slightly higher Android share than statewide norms.

Implications

• Services targeting mobile-first experiences (lightweight apps, offline modes, low-data video) will reach more households here than fixed-broadband-first offerings.
• Messaging and hotspot features are critical; optimizing for variable latency and bandwidth will improve reliability.
• Infrastructure investments that pair new towers with fiber backhaul will yield outsized benefits versus radio upgrades alone.
• Partnerships with schools and libraries can mitigate digital inclusion gaps, especially for homework and telehealth.

Note: Louisiana uses parishes. The figures below refer to Evangeline Parish (around 33,000 residents; roughly 25,000 adults). Parish‑level platform counts aren’t officially published, so percentages are estimates based on Pew Research Center’s 2023–2024 U.S. social media data, rural usage patterns, and local demographics.

Quick snapshot

• Adults using any social media: about 68–75% (≈17,000–19,000 adults)
• Device: overwhelmingly mobile; mixed broadband quality outside towns (optimize for short, lightweight video)

Most‑used platforms among adults (share of all adults; not just social users)

• YouTube: ~70–80%
• Facebook: ~60–70% (Messenger near the same range)
• Instagram: ~30–40%
• TikTok: ~25–35%
• Pinterest: ~25–35% (skews female)
• Snapchat: ~15–25% (skews younger)
• X/Twitter: ~12–18%
• WhatsApp: ~5–10% (niche)
• Reddit: ~8–12%
• Nextdoor: ~2–6% (limited footprint)

Age profile (approximate adoption of any social media; leading platforms)

• Teens (13–17): 90%+; YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Instagram moderate; Facebook low except for school/sports
• 18–29: ~90–95%; Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat primary; YouTube near‑universal; Facebook for local info/events
• 30–49: ~80–85%; Facebook and Messenger dominant; YouTube high; Instagram moderate; TikTok rising
• 50–64: ~65–70%; Facebook and YouTube core; Pinterest popular with women; TikTok light but growing
• 65+: ~45–55%; Facebook first; YouTube for tutorials, church, local meetings

Gender breakdown

• Among local social users: roughly 52–55% women, 45–48% men (mirrors population)
• Skews: women over‑indexed on Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Pinterest; men on YouTube, some Reddit, sports/outdoors pages

Behavioral trends to know

• Community hubs: Facebook Groups drive daily engagement (buy/sell/trade, school boosters, lost & found, church/sports calendars, festival updates). Local admins and word‑of‑mouth shape reach.
• Content that works: short vertical video; youth sports highlights; Cajun/zydeco and local music; hunting/fishing and high‑school events; “what’s happening this weekend” guides; timely weather/closure updates.
• Posting windows: engagement peaks before work (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.); weekend mornings for events/marketplace.
• Discovery and trust: People rely on Facebook for local news and alerts; official pages (parish, municipalities, schools) see strong shares when timely/transparent. Rumor control is part of the info ecosystem.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger heavily used for business inquiries and community coordination; SMS/iMessage common; WhatsApp niche.
• Ads and targeting: Facebook/Instagram geotargeting by towns (Ville Platte, Mamou, Basile, Pine Prairie) works; creative with familiar landmarks/faces outperforms. Small audience sizes limit advanced lookalikes; frequency caps help.
• Access realities: Mobile‑first, variable connectivity; keep files small, captions on, and include a clear call‑to‑action that works even with slower connections.

Sources and method

• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023–2024 (national and rural cuts)
• U.S. Census Bureau ACS for Evangeline Parish demographics
• NTIA/USDA reports on rural internet adoption Estimates above apply those benchmarks to local population structure; for campaign planning, validate with platform ad‑reach tools for the parish and key towns.