Tangipahoa County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes; “Tangipahoa County” refers to Tangipahoa Parish.

Population

• Total population (2020 Census): 133,157
• 2023 population estimate: ~137,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2023)

Age (ACS 2019–2023)

• Median age: ~35 years
• Under 5: ~6–7%
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 65 and over: ~15–16%

Gender (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: ~52%
• Male: ~48%

Race/ethnicity (ACS 2019–2023)

• White (non-Hispanic): ~58–60%
• Black or African American: ~33–34%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): ~5%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Asian: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~49,000–50,000
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~66%
• Homeownership rate: ~68–70%
• Median gross rent: ~${950–1,000}
• Households with broadband: ~80%

Insights

• Steady growth since 2010, approaching 137k residents by 2023.
• Younger age profile than the U.S. overall, with a larger under-18 share.
• Racial composition is predominantly White and Black, with a smaller Hispanic share than the national average.
• Homeownership near the U.S. average; household sizes slightly above the national average.

Tangipahoa Parish, LA (pop. ~138,000; ~105,000 adults) shows strong email penetration.

• Estimated email users: about 98,000 adults (≈93% of adults), using Pew’s near-universal email adoption applied to local age mix.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29 ≈21%; 30–49 ≈35%; 50–64 ≈24%; 65+ ≈19% (higher youth share due to Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond).
• Gender split among email users: roughly 51% female, 49% male (email usage is near-equal by gender and mirrors the parish sex mix).

Digital access and trends:

• Household internet access: about 85–88%.
• Home broadband subscription (cable, fiber, or DSL): about 78–80% of households; growth led by fiber buildouts along the I‑12/I‑55 corridor.
• Smartphone‑only internet households: about 18–22%, indicating a notable mobile‑first segment for email access.
• Device access: about 85–88% of households have a computer; the remainder rely primarily on smartphones.

Local density/connectivity facts:

• Population density is roughly 160–170 people per square mile overall, with much higher density (and faster fixed broadband) in Hammond–Ponchatoula; northern rural areas show lower adoption and greater reliance on mobile and fixed‑wireless. These patterns shape email engagement frequency and deliverability (more mobile opens, variable rural latency).

Mobile phone usage in Tangipahoa Parish (County), Louisiana – 2023–2024 snapshot

Key numbers (modeled from recent Census/ACS, FCC, and national adoption studies)

• Population: ~138,000 residents; ~106,000 adults (18+).
• Smartphone users: 90,000–95,000 adults (roughly 85–90% adult smartphone penetration), toward the high end in the Hammond–Ponchatoula urban corridor and slightly lower in the rural north.
• Households: ~50,000.
• Households with a cellular data plan (any smartphone/tablet plan, including households that also have home internet): ~36,000–39,000 (about 72–78%).
• Mobile‑only internet households (no fixed home broadband, rely on cellular data): ~9,000–11,000 (about 18–22%), above Louisiana’s statewide share.
• 4G LTE population coverage: effectively countywide (≥98% of residents).
• 5G population coverage: ≥90% in and around Hammond, Ponchatoula, Amite City, Independence, and along I‑12/I‑55; patchier indoors in the far‑northern rural areas.

What differs from Louisiana statewide

• Higher mobile‑only reliance: Tangipahoa’s share of households that use cellular data as their primary/only home internet is several points higher than the state average. Drivers include a sizable student/young‑adult population centered on Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU), lower fixed‑broadband availability and affordability in the rural north, and strong 5G signal along the interstate corridors.
• More pronounced urban–rural split: Within-parish gaps between the I‑12/I‑55 corridor (dense sites, mid‑band 5G, better indoor coverage) and northern rural communities (fewer sites, more 4G fallbacks, weaker indoor signal) are larger than the average urban–rural gradient seen statewide.
• Heavier peak-on-the-move usage: Commuter flows on I‑12 and I‑55 and event traffic tied to SLU create predictable mobile congestion peaks; these mobility-driven spikes are more pronounced than the statewide pattern because the parish’s economic and travel activity is tightly focused on the two interstates.
• Greater sensitivity to affordability shifts: With a higher share of mobile‑only and budget plans, the sunset of the federal ACP subsidy in 2024 likely nudged more households toward cellular‑only solutions or plan downgrades than in the state overall.

Demographic breakdown of usage

• Age:
  • 18–34: Near-universal smartphone ownership (≈95%+). High app/social/video usage and hotspot use; many are renters or students with mobile‑only service.
  • 35–64: High ownership (≈90%). Mixed usage—mobile complements home broadband in the south; mobile‑first in parts of the north.
  • 65+: Majority smartphone adoption (≈65–75%), with a larger SMS/voice and telehealth footprint. Older residents in rural tracts are more likely to keep voice‑centric plans and rely on 4G.
• Income and housing:
  • Lower-income and renter households show markedly higher mobile‑only dependence than parish averages.
  • Owner-occupied households in the southern urban/suburban belt more often bundle fixed broadband with mobile.
• Race/ethnicity:
  • Black and Hispanic/Latino households are more likely than White non‑Hispanic households to be mobile‑only for home internet, echoing statewide patterns but at a higher parish intensity given local income and coverage dynamics.
• Students:
  • SLU’s enrollment concentrates thousands of high‑usage devices in and around Hammond; prepaid and mid‑tier unlimited plans are common, and campus Wi‑Fi offloads significant traffic on weekdays.

Digital infrastructure and market notes

• Networks:
  • All three national MNOs (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) provide 4G LTE countywide; 5G is strongest along I‑12 (Hammond–Ponchatoula) and I‑55 (south–north spine).
  • Mid‑band 5G (C‑band/n77 or 2.5 GHz) is prevalent in the urban corridor, enabling typical outdoor speeds from high tens to low hundreds of Mbps; rural northern areas more often fall back to low‑band 5G/4G with lower indoor performance.
  • AT&T’s FirstNet footprint benefits public safety and incident response along the interstates and in town centers.
• Capacity and coverage nuances:
  • Dense macro and small‑cell presence near SLU, downtown Hammond, and retail hubs; sparser site spacing north of Amite City toward Roseland and Kentwood leads to more indoor dead zones and evening slowdowns.
  • Weather and foliage attenuation in pine and lowland areas north of LA‑16 can noticeably reduce indoor signal on higher frequencies.
• Fixed and backhaul context:
  • Fiber and cable backhaul are robust along I‑12 and within Hammond/Ponchatoula, supporting strong 5G capacity.
  • Fixed broadband is uneven in the rural north; where fiber/cable are absent, mobile and fixed‑wireless (including 5G home internet) fill the gap, reinforcing mobile‑only patterns.
• Retail and plan mix:
  • Strong presence of prepaid and value brands (Cricket, Metro, Boost, Tracfone/MVNOs) in population centers supports budget‑conscious adoption.
  • 5G home internet offers are actively marketed in Hammond/Ponchatoula and on the I‑55 corridor, pulling some households away from DSL or basic cable tiers.

Implications

• Tangipahoa’s mobile ecosystem is shaped by a two‑core reality: a high‑capacity 5G corridor around Hammond/Ponchatoula and a sparser rural north that leans hard on cellular for home connectivity. This widens mobile‑only adoption beyond Louisiana’s state average and makes affordability and coverage improvements in northern tracts disproportionately impactful.
• Investments with the highest payoff differ from statewide priorities: additional mid‑band 5G sectors and in‑building solutions in Hammond/Ponchatoula to manage peak loads, and more macro infill or low‑band upgrades north of Amite City to improve indoor reliability and reduce mobile‑only service constraints.

Notes on method

• User and household figures are derived by applying recent national smartphone adoption rates and ACS household internet‑subscription patterns to Tangipahoa’s latest available population and household counts, then adjusting for urban–rural mix and student concentration. Coverage characterizations synthesize FCC broadband availability filings and widely observed deployment patterns for AT&T, Verizon, and T‑Mobile in Louisiana’s I‑12/I‑55 corridor. These yield conservative parish‑level estimates and highlight differences versus statewide trends.

Tangipahoa Parish (County), Louisiana — social media snapshot

Baseline and user counts

• Population: 133,157 (2020 Census). Adults 18+ ≈ 101,000 (≈76% of population).
• Estimated adult social media users: ≈72% of adults use at least one social platform → ~73,000 (modeled from Pew Research U.S. adoption).
• Teens (13–17): ≈9,000–10,000 residents; very high social/video use (see age trends below).

Most-used platforms (adults), with percentages and local counts (Using Pew Research 2024 U.S. adult adoption rates as the best available benchmark; counts apply those rates to Tangipahoa’s 18+ population.)

• YouTube: 83% → ~84,000 adults
• Facebook: 68% → ~69,000 adults
• Instagram: 47% → ~48,000 adults
• TikTok: 33% → ~33,000 adults
• Pinterest: 35% → ~35,000 adults
• Snapchat: 27% → ~27,000 adults
• LinkedIn: 30% → ~30,000 adults
• X (Twitter): 22% → ~22,000 adults
• Reddit: 22% → ~22,000 adults
• Nextdoor: 13% → ~13,000 adults Local note: In suburban–rural Louisiana markets like Tangipahoa, Facebook usage tends to be slightly higher than the national average, and X slightly lower; the rest track closely with U.S. patterns.

Age-group patterns

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on YouTube (90%+), TikTok (65%+), Snapchat (60%), Instagram (60%); Facebook is secondary for this group. High daily use, short-form video dominant.
• 18–24: Higher-than-average presence due to Southeastern Louisiana University. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat lead; YouTube universal; Facebook used mainly for campus groups/marketplace and events.
• 25–44: Facebook and Instagram are primary; YouTube for how-tos, product research; TikTok growing for local food, events, DIY, and parenting content.
• 45–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest strong for home/crafts; Instagram moderate; TikTok growth via cooking/gardening/local news clips.
• 65+: Facebook and YouTube primarily; Messenger is a key contact channel; Instagram/TikTok usage emerging but lower.

Gender breakdown (audience tendencies)

• Overall active social audience skews slightly female (≈53–55% women, 45–47% men).
• Platform skews: Facebook and Pinterest over-index female; Reddit and X over-index male; Instagram and TikTok are near-balanced with a slight female tilt; LinkedIn near-balanced.

Behavioral trends and local usage

• Facebook as the community hub: heavy use of neighborhood, school, church, and buy/sell/Marketplace groups; strong engagement with parish agencies, local law enforcement, school systems, and festival pages (e.g., Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival).
• Video-first consumption: short-form (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) drives discovery; YouTube for longer how-to, sports, and weather content. Storms/hurricane season reliably spike Facebook and YouTube traffic for updates.
• Events and local business discovery: Instagram and TikTok favored for restaurants, thrift/antique shops, live music, and weekend plans; Stories and Reels outperform static posts.
• Messaging and response: Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and Instagram DMs are core for customer service and peer comms; rapid reply expectations are high for small businesses.
• Commerce behavior: Facebook Marketplace widely used for vehicles, furniture, equipment; Pinterest influences home/DIY purchases; TikTok/Instagram spark impulse visits to eateries and boutiques.
• Timing: Engagement peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekends; school-year calendars and football season create predictable spikes; severe-weather windows drive real-time surges on Facebook/YouTube/X.

How to use this snapshot

• Treat platform percentages as planning baselines (from Pew U.S. adoption) with a local adjustment: emphasize Facebook, YouTube, and short-form video; lean into community groups and event-driven content; target 18–24 on Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat and 35+ on Facebook/YouTube; expect slightly more female reach overall.