Jefferson County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes; the county-equivalent is Jefferson Parish, LA.

Population

• 440,781 (2020 Census)
• Latest estimate: ~439,000 (2023 ACS 1-year)

Age (2023 ACS)

• Median age: ~39.5 years
• Under 18: ~22%
• 18–64: ~62%
• 65+: ~16%

Gender (2023 ACS)

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race/ethnicity (2023 ACS; mutually exclusive categories, Hispanic can be any race)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~46%
• Non-Hispanic Black: ~27%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~17%
• Asian: ~6%
• Two or more races: ~4%
• Other (incl. AIAN, NHPI): ~1%

Households and housing (2023 ACS)

• Total households: ~176,000
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~62% of households
• Married-couple households: ~41%
• Households with children under 18: ~26%
• Living alone: ~31% of households (65+ living alone: ~12%)
• Tenure: Owner-occupied ~60%; renter-occupied ~40%

Key insight

• Jefferson Parish is large, older than the U.S. median, and racially/ethnically diverse, with a sizable Hispanic and Asian population and a balanced owner/renter housing mix.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2023 American Community Survey (1-year). Figures rounded; totals may not sum due to rounding.

Jefferson Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana: population ≈433,000; land ≈296 sq mi; density ≈1,460 people/sq mi.

Estimated email users: ≈315,000 adults. Method: ≈338,000 adults (≈78% of population) × ≈93% U.S. adult email adoption.

Age distribution of email users (estimate, aligned to local adult mix):

• 18–29: ~23% ≈72,000
• 30–49: ~34% ≈107,000
• 50–64: ~25% ≈79,000
• 65+: ~18% ≈57,000

Gender split: 52% women (163,000) and 48% men (152,000), reflecting parish demographics and near-parity email adoption.

Digital access and trends:

• Households with a computer: ~91%
• Households with broadband subscription: ~84%
• Households without home internet: ~16% (ACS 2022). Adoption continues to rise, with remaining gaps concentrated among older and lower-income households; smartphone-driven access mitigates some home broadband gaps.

Local connectivity facts:

• Predominantly urban/suburban parish adjacent to New Orleans, supporting multi-provider fixed broadband and strong cellular coverage across populated corridors.
• High density and extensive library/school networks provide additional public Wi‑Fi access, reinforcing near-universal email reach among working-age adults.

Mobile phone usage in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana — snapshot and trends versus statewide

User estimates

• Population base: ≈433,000 residents (2023 Census estimate), ≈340,000 adults (18+).
• Adult smartphone users: ≈305,000–315,000 (applying ~90–92% adult adoption typical of urban areas; Pew Research Center, 2023).
• Including teens: adds ≈25,000–35,000 teen users (high-90% ownership among 13–17), putting total smartphone users in the parish around 330,000–350,000.

Household device and connectivity (ACS 2022, Table S2801; Jefferson vs Louisiana)

• Households with a smartphone: Jefferson ≈92–93%; Louisiana ≈90–91%.
• Any broadband subscription (cable/DSL/fiber/fixed wireless/cellular): Jefferson ≈85–86%; Louisiana ≈82–83%.
• Cellular data plan (alone or in combination): Jefferson ≈82–84%; Louisiana ≈79–81%.
• Cellular-only internet (households relying on a cellular data plan and no wired/fixed subscription): Jefferson ≈14–15%; Louisiana ≈17–18%.
• No internet subscription: Jefferson ≈14%; Louisiana ≈18%.

Key interpretation

• Jefferson’s smartphone presence and broadband subscription rates are a few points higher than the state average, consistent with its urban/suburban profile in the New Orleans metro.
• Reliance on cellular-only internet is materially lower than the state average, indicating stronger fixed-broadband take-up alongside pervasive mobile use.

Demographic context and usage implications

• Age structure: Jefferson skews slightly older than Louisiana overall (median age ~39–40 vs ~37–38; ≈17–18% age 65+ vs ≈16% statewide). Seniors are less likely to own smartphones, but the parish still posts higher overall smartphone and broadband levels because working-age populations are concentrated in urban/suburban corridors with strong network availability.
• Income: Median household income in Jefferson is several thousand dollars higher than the statewide median (≈$60–65k vs ≈$55k, ACS 2022). Higher income correlates with greater postpaid plan penetration, higher data allowances, and lower smartphone-only dependence.
• Race/ethnicity: Jefferson’s diverse population (notably Black, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities) maps to strong messaging-app and mobile-first behaviors; however, the parish’s lower cellular-only share (vs state) suggests these groups have better access to bundled mobile plus wired broadband than their statewide counterparts.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) provide 5G across most populated parts of the parish. Mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz for T-Mobile; C-band for AT&T/Verizon) is widely deployed along I-10/I-610, Veterans Blvd., Airline Dr., Metairie/Kenner, Gretna/Harvey, and around MSY, supporting high-capacity mobile use.
• Performance: New Orleans–Metairie metro testing in 2024 shows robust mid-band 5G performance, with triple-digit median download speeds common in dense areas and strong 5G availability compared with rural Louisiana.
• Resilience: Post–Hurricane Ida hardening (generator-backed sites, rapid-deploy COLTs/SATCOLTs) and AT&T FirstNet coverage for public safety have improved network continuity relative to more rural parishes.
• Coverage constraints: Marsh and bayou areas (e.g., Barataria, Jean Lafitte) and low-density industrial stretches exhibit more frequent mid-band drop-offs and greater reliance on low-band LTE/5G, but these zones account for a small share of total users.

How Jefferson differs from Louisiana overall

• Higher adoption: More households with smartphones and broadband subscriptions than the state average.
• Lower mobile-only dependence: Smaller share of cellular-only households, reflecting better wired broadband availability and uptake.
• Better 5G availability and speeds: Denser mid-band 5G grid and higher median performance than rural and small-town parishes.
• Demographic/economic tilt: Slightly older and higher-income profile mitigates the state’s elevated smartphone-only reliance seen in lower-income rural areas.

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2022, Table S2801 (Computer and Internet Use) and 2022 1-year demographic tables for Jefferson Parish and Louisiana.
• U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates.
• Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet (2023) for adult smartphone adoption benchmarks.
• Public carrier and industry reporting (FCC Broadband Data Collection, 5G deployment releases) for infrastructure and availability context.

Jefferson Parish (often called Jefferson County), Louisiana — social media snapshot

Population and user base

• Population: ~430k; adults (18+): ~335k. Gender: ~52% female, ~48% male (ACS 2023).
• At least 83% of adults use a major social platform (YouTube baseline), implying ~278k+ local adult users.

Most-used platforms (estimated local adult adoption; % reflects Pew’s 2024 U.S. rates applied to the local adult base; overlaps expected)

• YouTube: 83% (~278k adults). Primary for news clips, DIY, entertainment; strong across all ages.
• Facebook: 68% (~228k). Community groups, local news, Marketplace; strongest with 30–64 and seniors.
• Instagram: 47% (~157k). Visual storytelling, Reels; strongest under 35 and local food/venues.
• Pinterest: 35% (~117k). Projects, home, recipes; skew female.
• TikTok: 33% (~111k). Short-form video, local trends; strongest under 35, growing 35–44.
• LinkedIn: 30% (~100k). Professional networking; strongest 25–49.
• Snapchat: 30% (~100k). Messaging and Stories; concentrated under 30.
• WhatsApp: 29% (~97k). Family, group coordination; multilingual households and cross-border ties.
• X (Twitter): 27% (~90k). Real-time updates (weather, traffic, sports, civic).

Age patterns

• Under 30: Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; YouTube is universal. Lower Facebook posting, but uses FB for events and group info.
• 30–49: Multi-platform power users; Facebook + Instagram core, YouTube habitual; rising TikTok for entertainment, LinkedIn for work.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest common for projects; Instagram used passively; early TikTok adoption.
• 65+: Facebook for family and community updates; YouTube for news and how‑to; limited Instagram/TikTok.

Gender patterns

• Overall population skews slightly female (~52%).
• Platform skews (national pattern reflected locally): women more active on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; men more on YouTube, Reddit, X. WhatsApp is balanced; LinkedIn tilts male in tech/operations roles.

Behavioral trends

• Community-centric usage: Strong reliance on Facebook Groups and local Pages for parish updates, schools, events, and hurricane-season information; Marketplace is a high-traffic local channel.
• Video-first shift: Reels/Shorts/TikTok drive discovery and recall; short, geo-relevant clips outperform static posts.
• News and alerts: Real-time updates spread fastest via X and Facebook; YouTube hosts longer recaps from local outlets.
• Messaging gravity: Group chats on Messenger and WhatsApp coordinate families, churches, and neighborhood associations.
• Local commerce: Restaurants, festivals, and service providers lean on Instagram/Facebook for promotions; user decisions influenced by UGC and local creator content.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; weather events produce sharp surges across Facebook/X.

Notes on methodology

• Population and gender are from U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2023). Platform percentages use Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates applied to Jefferson Parish’s adult population to yield reasonable local estimates.