La Salle County

Key demographics for LaSalle Parish (La Salle County), Louisiana

• Total population: 14,791 (2020 Census)
• Age:
  • Median age: ~39 years (ACS 2019–2023)
  • Under 18: ~23%
  • 18–64: ~61%
  • 65 and over: ~17%
• Gender (ACS 2019–2023):
  • Male: ~54%
  • Female: ~46%
• Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023):
  • White (non-Hispanic): ~77–78%
  • Black or African American: ~18%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%
  • Asian: <1%
  • Two or more races/other: ~1–2%
• Households (ACS 2019–2023):
  • Number of households: ~5,300
  • Average household size: ~2.6 persons
  • Family households: ~69%
  • One-person households: ~24–25%

Insights:

• Population is essentially flat to slightly down versus 2010.
• Male share is elevated relative to state/national averages, influenced by correctional facilities.
• Age structure skews slightly older than the state overall.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates). Figures rounded for clarity.

Scope note: Louisiana uses parishes; “La Salle County, LA” corresponds to LaSalle Parish.

• Population and density: ≈14,800 residents; ≈625 sq mi land; ≈24 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ≈11,300 residents use email (≈10,600 adults 18+; remainder teens), derived from local age mix and rural U.S. email adoption (≈92–95% of internet users).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–29: ≈17%
  • 30–49: ≈30%
  • 50–64: ≈26%
  • 65+: ≈27% Older cohorts comprise a larger share than the U.S. average, but email usage among connected seniors remains high.
• Gender split among email users: ≈49% male, ≈51% female; usage parity by gender.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Internet subscription: roughly 75–80% of households, below the U.S. average; smartphone-only access is elevated (≈15–20% of adults).
  • Connectivity is strongest in towns like Jena, Olla, Urania, and Tullos; outside these, fixed broadband options thin out, with DSL, fixed wireless, satellite, and cellular filling gaps.
  • Mobile coverage is broadly available on main corridors; 5G is present in population centers and patchy in outlying areas. Insights: Despite rural infrastructure constraints, email penetration is near-universal among connected adults. Optimize outreach for mobile and low-bandwidth environments and include seniors, who are active email users locally.

Note: Louisiana uses parishes rather than counties. The following summarizes LaSalle Parish, LA.

Overview

• LaSalle Parish is a small, predominantly rural parish where residents rely more on mobile networks for everyday connectivity than the Louisiana average. Mobile adoption is widespread, but wireline broadband gaps and lower device/PC ownership push a larger share of households to depend on cellular data plans, including “cell-only” internet at home.

User estimates

• Total mobile users: On the order of 10,000–12,000 residents actively using mobile phones, reflecting the parish’s small population and high household smartphone access typical of rural Louisiana.
• Mobile-only (cellular-only) home internet users: Meaningfully higher share than the state average, driven by limited wireline availability/affordability; this translates into several thousand residents whose primary home connection is via a phone hotspot or a cellular home internet plan.
• Prepaid vs. postpaid mix: Skews more prepaid than the statewide mix, consistent with rural income profiles and carrier retail presence.

Demographic breakdown (directionally different from state-level)

• Age: Seniors in LaSalle are less likely to own smartphones than the state average for seniors, and more likely to be mobile-only when they do connect, owing to cost and limited wireline options.
• Income: Low- and moderate-income households (including many outside the parish seat of Jena) show higher dependence on mobile data plans and are overrepresented among cellular-only households compared with the state average.
• Households with children: High smartphone penetration, but a larger fraction rely on phone-based hotspots for homework access than statewide due to gaps in wireline service.
• Education and employment: Residents with lower educational attainment and those in shift/field work (timber, energy, and services common locally) are more likely to rely on smartphones as their primary device than the state average.
• Race/ethnicity: Disparities mirror income and geography more than race per se in this parish; where wireline service is limited, all groups show elevated mobile-only reliance relative to statewide patterns.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage: 4G LTE is broadly available along primary corridors and population centers (e.g., Jena), but signal quality and capacity fall off outside towns. 5G coverage exists but is patchier than the Louisiana average, with limited mid-band 5G outside the parish seat.
• Capacity and performance: Average mobile download speeds in the parish trail state medians due to lower tower density, more 4G-only areas, and terrain/vegetation. Peak speeds occur near main highways; valleys and forested areas see slower service.
• Carriers and networks: All three national carriers operate here, with AT&T’s FirstNet footprint providing public-safety coverage. C-band/mid-band 5G deployment is less extensive than in Louisiana’s metros, which constrains 5G capacity.
• Fixed wireless: 4G/5G fixed wireless home internet is available in and around towns but is not parish-wide; it is nonetheless an important backstop where cable/fiber are absent.
• Wireline context (driver of mobile reliance): Cable and fiber coverage are limited outside the parish seat and a few communities, depressing wireline broadband adoption and pushing up mobile-only rates relative to the state.

How LaSalle Parish differs from Louisiana overall

• Higher mobile-only share: A larger portion of households rely solely on cellular data plans for home internet than the statewide average.
• Slightly lower smartphone/device penetration among older and lower-income residents, but heavier day-to-day dependence on mobile for those users who are connected.
• Slower typical mobile speeds and less consistent 5G availability than state averages due to sparser infrastructure.
• Greater use of prepaid plans and hotspotting behavior compared with the statewide profile.
• Network improvements lag metros: Mid-band 5G upgrades and additional sectors/backhaul are arriving more slowly than in urban Louisiana, which sustains the performance gap.

Practical implications

• Mobile networks carry a disproportionate share of the parish’s broadband load; improvements in tower density, mid-band spectrum, and backhaul will yield outsized benefits locally.
• Programs that pair affordable wireline with device support in rural blocks would reduce the parish’s mobile-only dependence and close performance and affordability gaps faster than statewide averages.

Social media usage in LaSalle Parish (county‑equivalent), Louisiana — 2024 snapshot

Scope note: Louisiana uses parishes rather than counties; this profile refers to LaSalle Parish, LA. Parish‑level platforms don’t publish user counts, so figures below are modeled for the parish using U.S. Census ACS demographics, U.S. averages from Pew Research Center (2024), and DataReportal (2024). Percentages reflect estimated share of local users and are rounded.

Headline user stats

• Population baseline: ~14.6k residents
• Estimated social media users (all ages): ~10.7k, ~73% penetration of total population
• Devices: Mobile-first usage dominates; most local use occurs via smartphones

Most-used platforms (share of local users)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~30%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• X (Twitter): ~22–23%
• WhatsApp: ~26%
• LinkedIn: ~28–30% (not a primary channel locally)

Age profile of local users (share of user base; 13+)

• 13–17: ~10% of users; heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; Facebook minimal
• 18–29: ~23% of users; Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok lead; Facebook and YouTube still high
• 30–49: ~34% of users; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram solid; TikTok moderate
• 50–64: ~21% of users; Facebook and YouTube primary; Instagram limited; TikTok light
• 65+: ~12% of users; Facebook first, YouTube second; minimal on newer apps

Gender breakdown

• Overall users: ~52% women, ~48% men
• Platform skews: women over-index on Facebook and especially Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, X, and Reddit; Instagram is balanced to slight female tilt; Snapchat skews younger rather than by gender

Behavioral trends (local patterns to expect)

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy reliance on Groups (schools, churches, youth sports, yard sales, hunting/fishing) and Marketplace for local buying/selling
• Video-first consumption: YouTube for how‑to/DIY, auto/home repair, outdoor and faith content; short‑form video (Reels/TikTok) growing for entertainment and local promotions
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is default for adults; Snapchat is the day‑to‑day channel for teens/young adults
• Local news and alerts: Facebook pages/groups drive awareness of weather, closures, and civic updates; word‑of‑mouth is amplified via shares
• Commerce and discovery: Small businesses lean on Facebook/Instagram for reach, with Reels for product demos; geo‑targeted offers and event tie‑ins perform best
• Professional networking: LinkedIn usage exists but is comparatively low; recruiting and B2B reach better via Facebook and targeted YouTube than LinkedIn alone

Notes on interpretation

• Platform percentages mirror U.S. adult usage and are applied to the parish with minor rural adjustments; teen patterns push Snapchat/TikTok higher within the 13–24 segment
• Lower LinkedIn and higher Facebook reliance are consistent with rural markets in Louisiana

Sources

• Pew Research Center (2024), How Americans Use Social Media (platform reach by U.S. adults)
• DataReportal (2024), Digital 2024: United States (social media penetration)
• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1‑year/5‑year estimates (population, age/sex mix)