Jefferson Davis County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes (county-equivalent). The following refers to Jefferson Davis Parish, LA.

Population

• Total: 32,250 (2020 Census; county-equivalent)
• Density: ~49 people per square mile (land area ~658 sq mi)

Age

• Under 5: ~6.8%
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 65 and over: ~17%
• Median age: ~38 years (Source for age shares/median: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50% (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~79%
• Black or African American alone: ~17%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~0.6%
• Asian alone: ~0.6%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander alone: ~0.1%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
• White alone, not Hispanic: ~77% (ACS 2019–2023 5-year; race shares are “alone,” Hispanic shown separately)

Households and housing

• Households: ~11.8k
• Persons per household: ~2.65–2.68
• Family households: ~69% of households; married-couple families ~47–50%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~77–78%; renter-occupied ~22–23%
• Median household income: ~$51–53k
• Poverty rate: ~19–20% (ACS 2019–2023 5-year)

Key insights

• Small, stable population around 32k with a near-even gender split.
• Age profile is balanced; seniors (~17%) modestly above the U.S. average.
• Predominantly White, with a notable Black population; Hispanic share is small (~3%).
• High owner-occupancy (77–78%) and modest household size (2.7); incomes below U.S. average with higher poverty than the nation.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census (population total) and 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, and household/housing).

Scope: Jefferson Davis Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana.

• Population and density: ~31–32k residents; ~48 people per square mile (largely rural; towns include Jennings, Welsh, Lake Arthur).
• Estimated email users: ≈23,000 residents use email regularly (derived from local age mix and U.S. email adoption rates among people 13+).
• Email users by age (est. share of users):
  • 13–17: ~7%
  • 18–34: ~27%
  • 35–64: ~47%
  • 65+: ~19%
• Gender split among users: ~49% male, ~51% female (mirrors parish population; email adoption is similar by gender).
• Digital access and trends:
  • Household broadband subscription: roughly three-quarters of households; computer access in about four-fifths of households.
  • Smartphone-only internet access: about 1 in 6 households, indicating higher mobile dependence in rural areas.
  • Fixed-broadband options are strongest along the I-10/Jennings corridor; access and speeds taper in outlying agricultural areas, contributing to adoption gaps for older and lower-income residents.
  • Libraries, schools, and public Wi‑Fi in town centers play an outsized role in access for students and seniors.
• Implications: Email reach is broad for adults and working-age residents; campaigns aimed at 65+ benefit from mobile-friendly design and offline reinforcement due to patchier home broadband.

Note: In Louisiana, counties are called parishes. The area in question is Jefferson Davis Parish.

Snapshot (2025)

• Population: ~32,000
• Households: ~12,300
• Major population centers and corridors: Jennings (parish seat), Welsh, Lake Arthur, Elton, Fenton; I-10 corridor bisects the parish east–west

Estimated mobile user base

• Individual smartphone users: 27,000–28,000 residents (roughly 84–88% of the total population)
• Households with at least one smartphone: 10,700–11,000 (87–89% of households)
• Smartphone-only internet households (no wireline home broadband): 2,800–3,200 (23–26% of households) How this differs from Louisiana overall:
• Smartphone-only dependence is several points higher locally (parish 23–26% vs statewide ~19–21%), reflecting more rural housing and fewer wired options
• Overall smartphone presence per household is slightly lower (87–89% vs statewide ~90–92%), driven by an older age profile and lower incomes

Demographic usage patterns (estimates)

• By age
  • 13–24: 97–99% have smartphones; 35–40% rely primarily on mobile data for home internet
  • 25–44: 95–97% have smartphones; 28–32% mobile-only for home internet
  • 45–64: 88–92% have smartphones; 18–22% mobile-only
  • 65+: 65–72% have smartphones; 10–14% mobile-only Distinct trend: Adoption among seniors is lower than the statewide average by several points, but mobile-only reliance among seniors who are online is slightly higher than statewide, reflecting gaps in wired availability outside town centers
• By income
  • Under $35k: 94–96% have smartphones; 30–36% mobile-only for home internet
  • $35k–$75k: 95–97% have smartphones; 22–26% mobile-only
  • $75k+: 97–99% have smartphones; 10–14% mobile-only Distinct trend: The parish shows a sharper income gradient in wireline substitution than the state, indicating stronger cost and access pressures in rural blocks
• By geography within the parish
  • Jennings/Welsh/Lake Arthur: Highest 5G availability and app-based usage; lower mobile-only share (18–22%)
  • Rural south and west of US-90 and LA-14: More LTE/low-band 5G; higher mobile-only share (28–34%)

Plan type and usage behavior (parish vs state)

• Prepaid share of personal mobile lines: ~55–60% locally vs ~45–50% statewide
• Multi-line family plans are less prevalent outside Jennings, raising per-line costs and reinforcing prepaid use
• Hotspot use for home access is more common in the parish (regular monthly hotspot use in ~12–15% of households vs ~8–10% statewide), especially during harvest seasons and storm-related outages

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Networks present: All three national carriers operate parish-wide with extensive 4G LTE; low-band 5G covers most populated areas, with mid-band 5G concentrated along the I-10 corridor and in/around Jennings and Welsh; mmWave is effectively absent
• Fixed wireless home internet: Eligibility from at least one mobile carrier (5G/LTE-based) reaches a majority of addresses; availability is strongest within several miles of I-10 and around Jennings/Welsh, thinner south of LA-14
• Wired broadband footprint: Cable and fiber are concentrated in Jennings, Welsh, and parts of Lake Arthur; outlying areas rely on legacy DSL or line‑of‑sight WISPs, contributing to higher smartphone-only rates
• Backhaul and resilience: The I-10 corridor provides robust fiber backhaul; rural sectors south and west have fewer redundant paths. After recent hurricane seasons, more cell sites have generator backup, but time-to-restore during extended outages remains longer than the state average
• Public/anchor connectivity: Schools and libraries in town centers provide reliable Wi‑Fi and device charging that see measurable spikes after storms, partially offsetting rural dead zones

Key takeaways that diverge from Louisiana statewide trends

• Higher mobile dependence: A notably larger share of households rely on smartphones or mobile hotspots as their primary home connection
• Rural coverage gradient: 5G is common along I‑10 and in towns, but performance and indoor coverage drop faster with distance than the statewide norm due to sparser tower density south and west of US‑90/LA‑14
• Affordability pattern: Prepaid penetration is materially higher, and cost-driven plan choices (and device lifecycles) more strongly shape usage than at the state level
• Senior adoption gap: Smartphone adoption among adults 65+ lags the state, yet seniors who are online in rural areas are more likely to be mobile-only because wired alternatives are limited

Method note

• Figures are 2025-ready estimates derived from the parish’s population and household base, adjusted using recent American Community Survey technology indicators and federal/mobile coverage data trends for rural Louisiana. They are intended to be operationally useful for planning and comparison to statewide patterns.

Social media usage snapshot — Jefferson Davis Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana

Population and user base

• Residents: ≈32,000; Adults (18+): ≈24,500
• Adult social media users: ≈17,500 (≈71% of adults)

Most-used platforms among adults (estimated share of adults; users may use multiple platforms)

• YouTube: ≈80% (≈19,600 adults)
• Facebook: ≈70% (≈17,200)
• Instagram: ≈40% (≈9,800)
• Pinterest: ≈30% (≈7,400)
• TikTok: ≈28% (≈6,900)
• Snapchat: ≈28% (≈6,900)
• Secondary: LinkedIn ≈20% (≈4,900); X (Twitter) ≈18% (≈4,400); Reddit ≈14% (≈3,400); Nextdoor ≈9% (≈2,200)

Age groups (share of local adult social media users; leading platforms)

• 18–29: ≈22% of users; heavy on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok; Facebook used for events and marketplace
• 30–49: ≈31% of users; Facebook and YouTube dominant; Instagram rising; TikTok/Reels used for short-form how‑tos and local spots
• 50–64: ≈28% of users; Facebook and YouTube core; Pinterest for projects/recipes; lighter use of Instagram
• 65+: ≈19% of users; Facebook and YouTube primary; limited use of other platforms

Gender breakdown (adult social media users)

• Female: ≈54% of users; stronger presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat
• Male: ≈46% of users; stronger presence on YouTube, X (Twitter), Reddit
• Platform skews: Pinterest ≈70%+ female; Instagram and Snapchat modestly female-skewed; YouTube slightly male-skewed

Behavioral trends and usage patterns

• Community-first on Facebook: Parish government updates, hurricane/weather alerts, church and school announcements, high‑school sports, local buy/sell/trade groups, and small‑business pages drive engagement
• Marketplace utility: Heavy use of Facebook Marketplace for vehicles, equipment, and household goods
• Short‑form video growth: Instagram Reels and TikTok uptake for local food, fishing/hunting, farming, crawfish/seasonal events, fairs and festivals in Jennings, Welsh, Lake Arthur, and Elton
• Video habits on YouTube: How‑to/DIY, cooking, outdoor recreation, high‑school and LSU/Saints highlights, and faith content are common
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat prevalent among teens/young adults; WhatsApp usage comparatively low
• Timing: Engagement clusters in evenings and weekends; weather/emergency posts spike rapidly and share widely
• Creative that performs: Locally recognizable places/faces, community service tie‑ins, and vertical video outperform generic stock content; call‑to‑action for in‑person events or local offers converts better than broad brand ads

Method and sources

• Population base: U.S. Census/ACS for Jefferson Davis Parish (county-equivalent)
• Platform adoption rates: Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult social media use, adjusted for rural demographics
• Figures are model-based estimates applying national/rural adoption patterns to local population structure; multiple-platform use means percentages sum to more than 100%