Saint James County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes, not counties. Figures below are for St. James Parish, LA. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year).

Population

• Total population: ~20,200 (2020 Census); ~20,100 (2023 estimate)

Age

• Median age: ~40
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18 to 64: ~60%
• 65 and over: ~17%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

• Black or African American: ~49%
• White: ~47%
• Hispanic/Latino: ~4%
• Two or more races: ~2%
• Asian: ~0.5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native and other: <0.5% each

Households

• Total households: ~7,400
• Average household size: ~2.7
• Family households: ~67% of all households
• Married-couple families: ~44% of all households
• Households with children under 18: ~28%
• Homeownership rate: ~82%

Key takeaways

• Population is stable to slightly declining since 2010
• Demographically split primarily between Black and White residents with a small but growing Hispanic share
• Older age profile (about 1 in 6 residents are 65+) and relatively small household sizes with high homeownership typical of rural parishes

Scope: St. James Parish, LA (often called Saint James County)

• Population and density: ≈20,200 residents; ≈84 people per square mile (Census 2020).
• Estimated email users: ≈14,500 adult users. Basis: ~15,800 adults (≈78% of population) with ~92% email adoption among U.S. adults (Pew).
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29 ≈19%; 30–49 ≈41%; 50–64 ≈22%; 65+ ≈18% (reflects near‑universal use under 50, slightly lower among seniors).
• Gender split among users: roughly even, ≈51% female, 49% male (tracks local population balance; email use shows minimal gender gap nationally).
• Digital access trends (ACS/FCC-aligned):
  • ~84% of households have a broadband subscription; ~16% have no home internet.
  • ~90% of households have a computer; ~70–75% have a smartphone data plan; ~18–20% are smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • Fixed broadband is strongest along the Mississippi River corridor communities (Lutcher/Gramercy, Vacherie), with more limited wired options in outlying rural tracts; mobile coverage fills some gaps. Insights: Email is effectively a default channel for working‑age residents; seniors participate but at lower rates. Gaps in home broadband and smartphone‑only reliance mean mobile‑optimized, low‑bandwidth email remains important for reach.

Mobile phone usage in Saint James County, LA (St. James Parish): 2025 snapshot

Executive takeaways

• Residents rely on mobile more than the Louisiana average, particularly as a primary way to get online in areas without affordable fixed broadband.
• 5G coverage is present from all three national carriers in the parish’s river towns and plant corridors; coverage thins toward wetlands and sparsely populated areas south of LA-3127.
• Recent hurricanes have shaped usage and infrastructure: carriers hardened sites with more backup power and rapidly deployable assets, improving recovery times compared with 2021.

Estimated user base

• Population baseline: 20,192 residents (U.S. Census, 2020).
• Adult smartphone users: approximately 13,500–15,000 adults, derived by applying current U.S. adult smartphone ownership levels (mid-to-high 80% range) to the parish’s adult population size.
• Smartphone-dependent internet access: roughly 1 in 5 to 1 in 4 households likely rely primarily on cellular data for home internet, a higher share than Louisiana overall. This reflects rural settlement patterns and affordability gaps where fixed broadband options are limited or costly.

Demographic context and usage patterns

• Working-age, shift-based workforce: The parish’s industrial corridor (refineries and chemical plants) drives heavy on-the-go usage, multi-SIM/work phone adoption, and higher data consumption around plant sites and along commuter routes (LA-44, LA-3127, US-61).
• Older adults: Smartphone adoption lags younger groups, but mobile remains the most common communications channel for seniors, with lower video-streaming use and higher voice/SMS reliance.
• Racial and economic profile: Black and lower-income households are more likely to be smartphone-dependent for internet access than the parish average, mirroring national patterns and diverging from more urban Louisiana parishes where fixed broadband take-up is higher.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Carrier presence: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all provide 5G service in and around Lutcher, Gramercy, Convent, and Vacherie, with LTE/5G coverage concentrated along the Mississippi River and major highways.
• Capacity and speeds:
  • In-town and along plant corridors: typical 5G mid-band performance supports 100–300 Mbps downlink in good signal conditions, sufficient for video, telehealth, and hotspotting.
  • Outlying/rural areas and near wetlands: performance often falls to LTE or low-band 5G with 10–80 Mbps downlink and spottier indoor coverage.
• Resiliency: After Hurricane Ida (2021), carriers expanded permanent generators at macro sites, improved backhaul redundancy where feasible, and pre-stage COWs/COLTs for storm season. Outage windows have shortened compared to 2021, but single-path fiber to some sites can still create localized mobile outages when cuts occur.
• Backhaul and build programs: New fiber builds associated with Louisiana’s rural broadband grants increase tower backhaul capacity along the river corridor; this supports denser 5G sectors and better peak-time performance.

How St. James differs from Louisiana overall

• Higher mobile-only dependence: The parish’s share of households using cellular as primary internet is meaningfully above the statewide average, driven by rural geography and affordability of fixed broadband.
• Coverage pattern: Despite being rural, in-corridor coverage and speeds compare favorably to rural Louisiana overall because towers cluster near plants and river towns; conversely, south-of-corridor coverage gaps are more pronounced than in urban parishes.
• Prepaid and hotspot usage: A somewhat higher reliance on prepaid plans and mobile hotspotting than the state average, influenced by budget sensitivity and variable access to wired broadband.
• Storm sensitivity: Network hardening has improved outcomes, but exposure to Gulf storms and riverine weather keeps outage risk and battery-backup deployment more central here than in most Louisiana metros.

Implications

• For public services and schools, plan for mobile-first engagement and ensure content and apps work well on smartphones and in low-to-moderate bandwidth conditions.
• For carriers, additional small cells or sector splits near large plants and along LA-44/LA-3127 would materially improve peak reliability; targeted fills south of LA-3127 would narrow the largest remaining gaps.
• For economic development, pairing new fiber laterals with tower backhaul upgrades will sustain 5G capacity growth and reduce single-path failure risks.

Social media snapshot: Saint James County, LA (St. James Parish)

Population baseline

• Residents: ≈21,000 (2020 Census). Rural–small town profile; mobile-first usage is dominant.

Overall usage

• Estimated social media users: 14,500–16,000 (≈70–75% penetration; aligned with U.S. averages).
• Daily use: ≈85–90% of local social users log in daily; typical time spent ≈2+ hours/day.

Most-used platforms among adults (local estimates; mirrors U.S./rural patterns)

• YouTube: 80–85%
• Facebook: 70–75%
• Instagram: 45–50%
• TikTok: 30–35%
• Snapchat: 25–30%
• Pinterest: 30–35% (female-skewed)
• LinkedIn: 20–30% (concentrated 30–49)
• X (Twitter): 20–25%
• WhatsApp: 15–20%

Age groups (share using platforms; U.S. rates applied to local context)

• Teens 13–17: YouTube ≈93–95%; Instagram ≈60–62%; TikTok ≈63%; Snapchat ≈60%; Facebook ≈30–35%.
• 18–29: YouTube ≈90+%; Instagram ≈75–80%; Snapchat ≈65%; TikTok ≈60+%; Facebook ≈65–70%.
• 30–49: YouTube ≈90+%; Facebook ≈75–80%; Instagram ≈45–50%; TikTok ≈35–40%; Pinterest/LinkedIn ≈40%.
• 50–64: YouTube ≈80+%; Facebook ≈70–75%; Instagram ≈25–30%; TikTok ≈20–25%; Pinterest ≈30%.
• 65+: YouTube ≈55–60%; Facebook ≈50%; Instagram ≈10–15%; TikTok ≈10–12%.

Gender breakdown

• Social user base: ≈52–55% female, 45–48% male.
• Skews by platform: Pinterest strongly female; Instagram/TikTok modest female skew; YouTube/Reddit/X modest male skew; Facebook near parity with slight female tilt.

Behavioral trends

• Facebook as the community hub: Parish announcements, buy–sell–trade, school sports, church events, hurricane/river and plant updates drive high engagement. Group posts and shares outperform Page posts.
• Short-form video growth: Reels/TikTok used by local boutiques, food trucks, and events; behind-the-scenes, before/after, and highlight clips perform best.
• Youth are message-first: Snapchat streaks and Instagram DMs are primary for under-25; public posting is secondary.
• Local information-seeking: Severe weather alerts, school closures, traffic on LA 18/3127, and plant-related notices see rapid spread via Facebook groups and Messenger.
• Trust patterns: Posts from parish government, schools, churches, and known group admins carry the most credibility; rumor correction happens inside large community groups.
• Timing: Engagement peaks 6–10 pm; secondary peaks at lunch hour and Sunday afternoons; weekends favor events and family content.
• Cross-platform path: Discovery on TikTok/Instagram → discussion and conversion on Facebook → how-to/longer viewing on YouTube.
• Advertising notes: Geo-targeting within ~15–25 miles covers most residents; Facebook/Instagram best for reach and events; TikTok for youth awareness; LinkedIn niche for industrial/professional hiring.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census (2020) for population; Pew Research Center (2023–2024) and DataReportal (2024, USA) for platform adoption by age/gender. Parish-level figures are derived estimates by applying these benchmarks to St. James Parish’s rural demographic profile.