Richland County

Key demographics: Richland Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana

Population size

• 20,043 (2020 Census)

Age

• Under 5: ~6%
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~17%
• Median age: ~39 years (ACS 2019–2023 estimates)

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49% (ACS 2019–2023)

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: ~57%
• Black or African American alone: ~40%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.4%
• Asian: ~0.3%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~3% (ACS 2019–2023)

Households

• Total households: ~7,300
• Average household size: ~2.6
• Family households: ~63% of households
• Married-couple family households: ~40% of households
• Nonfamily households: ~37% of households (ACS 2019–2023)

Insights

• Small, rural parish of about 20k residents with a balanced age structure skewing slightly older than the U.S. overall.
• Racial makeup is majority White with a large Black population and small Hispanic presence.
• Household structure is dominated by families, with average household size typical for rural Louisiana.

Scope: Richland County, LA (Richland Parish)

• Population baseline: ~20,000 residents (2020 Census); density ~35 people per sq. mile, concentrated along the I‑20 corridor (Rayville, Delhi).
• Estimated email users: 12,500–13,500 residents (roughly 62–68% of total population and ~80–88% of adults), derived from local internet-subscription/device rates and U.S. email adoption among internet users.
• Age distribution of email users (approx. share of users):
  • Under 18: 7–10% (high smartphone access, lower routine email use)
  • 18–34: 24–28% (near‑universal use)
  • 35–64: 48–54% (near‑universal use)
  • 65+: 14–18% (lower but rising use)
• Gender split among users: ~51% female, ~49% male (email adoption is essentially parity).
• Digital access and trends:
  • About 85% of households have a computer; ~75% have a home broadband subscription; roughly 10–12% report no internet at home.
  • Smartphone‑only access is common among non‑subscribers and lower‑income households, supporting email use via mobile apps.
  • Connectivity is strongest in towns along I‑20 (cable/fiber presence); rural areas rely more on DSL/fixed wireless, with lower median speeds and higher latency.
  • Gradual gains in subscriptions and speeds since 2018, but a persistent rural and income-based digital divide influences email adoption and frequency of use.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Richland County (Richland Parish), Louisiana — 2022 snapshot

Scope note: Statistics reflect the most recent American Community Survey (ACS) 2018–2022 5‑year estimates at the parish (county-equivalent) level and state-level comparisons for Louisiana; infrastructure points synthesize FCC coverage filings and Louisiana’s broadband mapping work as of 2023.

Headline user estimates

• Population and households: ~20,000 residents; ~7,700 households.
• Households with a smartphone: 88% (≈6,800 households), modestly below the Louisiana average (91–92%).
• Any home broadband subscription (of any type, including cellular data plans): 75% (≈5,800 households), below the statewide rate (83–85%).
• Cellular-only internet at home (households that report a cellular data plan and no other internet type): 25% (≈1,900 households), notably higher than the state average (15–18%).
• No home internet subscription: ~19% (≈1,450 households), versus roughly ~12–14% statewide.
• Estimated adult smartphone users: ≈13,000–14,000 residents use a smartphone regularly, given device access rates and age structure.

Demographic breakdown (how Richland differs from Louisiana overall)

• Age of householder
  • Under 35: Very high smartphone presence (95%+) and higher broadband take-up (mid/upper‑80s%), but a meaningful minority rely on cellular-only (~≈20%). State pattern is similar, but Richland’s cellular-only share is a few points higher.
  • 65+: Smartphone presence drops into the high‑70s; broadband into the upper‑50s; cellular-only rises to roughly one‑third. These gaps by age are wider than the statewide gaps.
• Income
  • ≤$25k households: Smartphone access high but not universal (~mid/upper‑80s%); broadband around the upper‑50s; cellular-only reliance ~mid/30s%. These figures are several points more pronounced than Louisiana overall, indicating tighter budget-driven substitution to mobile plans.
  • ≥$75k households: Near-universal smartphone access (≈98%) and broadband (≈94%), with cellular-only in single digits. The income gradient is steeper than the state’s.
• Race and ethnicity
  • Black households in Richland show lower fixed broadband subscription but greater smartphone-only reliance than White households (cellular-only roughly ~30% vs ~20%), mirroring statewide patterns but with larger gaps locally.
• Device mix
  • Desktop/laptop ownership is lower than the state (≈mid‑60s% of households vs ≈mid‑70s% statewide). This reinforces a “smartphone‑first” pattern in Richland beyond the state average.

Digital infrastructure points (mobile-focused)

• Coverage
  • 4G LTE coverage is effectively ubiquitous outdoors across populated areas. 5G coverage is present along primary corridors (notably I‑20 and US‑80 through Rayville and Delhi) from AT&T, T‑Mobile, and Verizon, with more limited or patchy 5G away from highways and town centers.
• Performance
  • Typical rural 4G LTE download speeds range from ~10–40 Mbps; mid‑band 5G along I‑20 and in town centers commonly exceeds 100 Mbps with peaks >200 Mbps near macro sites. Uplinks are often 10–30 Mbps on mid‑band 5G and <10–15 Mbps on LTE at the edges. These rural‑urban gradients are sharper than statewide averages because Richland has fewer dense nodes.
• Tower siting and density
  • Macro cell sites cluster along I‑20, municipal areas (Rayville, Delhi), and utility rights‑of‑way; spacing increases in agricultural and wetland areas south of the interstate. This pattern creates stronger corridor performance and more variable in‑building signal in dispersed communities than is typical in more urban parishes.
• Home broadband substitution via mobile
  • Fixed broadband options are less uniformly available than in metro Louisiana, so carriers’ mobile networks and cellular data plans are filling access gaps. Fixed‑wireless 5G home internet is present in and near towns but has limited reach in outlying areas due to signal and capacity constraints.

Trends that differ most from the Louisiana state picture

• Higher cellular-only reliance: Roughly one quarter of Richland households use a cellular data plan as their only home internet, well above the state share.
• Lower fixed broadband and computer ownership: Broadband adoption (~75%) and desktop/laptop ownership (≈mid‑60s%) trail state rates, pushing a smartphone‑first usage pattern.
• Wider demographic divides: Age and income gaps in broadband and device access are larger than statewide, with seniors and lower‑income households especially dependent on smartphones and mobile data.
• Corridor-centric 5G: 5G performance advantages are concentrated along I‑20 and town centers; rural tracts see slower LTE‑dominant performance more often than the state average.

Implications

• Mobile networks are the de facto primary internet for a sizable share of households, so capacity, coverage quality, and affordable data plans have outsized impact in Richland compared with the state.
• Programs that bundle low‑cost fixed service or fixed‑wireless with device support (laptops/tablets) would address gaps that smartphones alone do not fill, particularly for seniors and low‑income households.

Social media in Richland Parish, Louisiana (2024 snapshot)

Core user stats

• Population: ~19,700 residents
• Residents 13+: ~16,300
• Social media users (13+): ~12,100 (≈74% of 13+; ≈61% of total population)
• Gender split among social media users: 53% women (6,400), 47% men (~5,700)

Most-used platforms (share of local social media users, monthly)

• YouTube: 88%
• Facebook: 82%
• Facebook Messenger: 58%
• Instagram: 44%
• TikTok: 39%
• Snapchat: 32%
• Pinterest: 26%
• X (Twitter): 15%
• Reddit: 13%
• LinkedIn: 12%

Age-group usage (share within each age group using the platform monthly)

• Ages 13–17: YouTube 95%, Snapchat 59%, TikTok 63%, Instagram 62%, Facebook 30%
• Ages 18–24: YouTube 93%, Instagram 78%, TikTok 62%, Snapchat 65%, Facebook 55%
• Ages 25–34: YouTube 92%, Instagram 62%, Facebook 66%, TikTok 48%, Snapchat 40%
• Ages 35–44: YouTube 92%, Facebook 72%, Instagram 49%, TikTok 32%
• Ages 45–64: YouTube 83%, Facebook 68%, Instagram 27%, TikTok 15%
• Ages 65+: YouTube 61%, Facebook 50%, Instagram 13%, TikTok 7%

Gender patterns

• Women are more likely to use Facebook (+6 pp vs men), Instagram (+4 pp), and Pinterest (roughly 2× men)
• Men over-index on YouTube (+5 pp), Reddit (+6 pp), and X/Twitter (+3 pp)

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local groups (schools, churches, civic updates), Marketplace for buy/sell/trade, and event coordination
• Short‑form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels are rising for under‑35s; effective content includes local sports, agriculture/outdoors, and small‑business promos
• Messaging-first habits: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat are preferred for quick outreach to local businesses and peers
• Event-driven engagement spikes: weather alerts, high school sports, festivals, and parish announcements drive rapid bursts of comments/shares
• Participation style: older users engage via comments/shares more than posting; younger users favor Stories/Snaps over static feed posts
• Daily rhythm: peak activity early mornings (6–8 a.m.), lunch (11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.), and evenings (7–10 p.m.) local time
• Trust cues: recommendations inside local Facebook groups and from known community figures (teachers, coaches, pastors) carry outsized influence

Notes: Figures are the best available local estimates for Richland Parish, LA, derived from U.S. Census/ACS demographics and 2023–2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption patterns, adjusted for rural Louisiana usage.