Tensas County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes (county-equivalent). Figures below reflect Tensas Parish.

Population

• Total: 4,147 (2020 Census); ~4.1K in 2023 population estimates, continuing long-term decline from 5,252 in 2010

Age

• Median age: ~43 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 65 and over: ~20%

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race/ethnicity (shares of total)

• Black or African American: ~55%
• White: ~41%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~2%
• Two or more races/Other: ~2%

Households and families

• Households: ~1,850
• Average household size: ~2.2 persons
• Family households: ~60% of households
• Married-couple families: ~35% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25%
• One-person households: ~30%
• Housing tenure: ~70% owner-occupied, ~30% renter-occupied

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates).

• Scope: Tensas Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana; ≈4,200 residents; density ≈7 people per square mile (among the most sparsely populated in LA).
• Estimated email users: ≈2,100 adults. Basis: ≈3,200 adults, ~72% adult internet adoption, ~90% email use among internet users.
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: ≈28% (≈590 users)
  • 35–64: ≈52% (≈1,090 users)
  • 65+: ≈20% (≈420 users)
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female (≈1,070) and 49% male (≈1,030).
• Digital access trends:
  • Fixed broadband at home: ≈60–65% of households.
  • Mobile-only internet: ≈20–25% of households.
  • No home internet: ≈25–30%, driving reliance on smartphones and public/anchor-institution Wi‑Fi for email.
  • Email use is near-universal among connected adults; frequency and richness of use skew higher in working-age cohorts and in/near St. Joseph.
• Connectivity facts:
  • 100/20 Mbps fixed service is limited outside town centers; many rural census blocks are single‑provider.
  • Low density and long loop lengths constrain wireline upgrades; mobile networks fill gaps but are variable in river-adjacent and farm areas.

Mobile phone usage in Tensas County, Louisiana: summary, estimates, and how it differs from statewide patterns

Topline

• Population context: Tensas is one of Louisiana’s smallest and most rural parishes (roughly 4.1–4.3K residents and very low density). It is older and lower-income than the Louisiana average, which strongly shapes mobile adoption and reliance on phones as the primary internet connection.

User estimates (modeled 2024 based on ACS demographics, rural adoption studies, and Pew mobile adoption rates)

• Adult smartphone users: about 2,400–2,700 adults use smartphones in Tensas (roughly 78–85% adult adoption versus ~88–90% statewide).
• Total mobile users (all ages, including basic phones): about 3,200–3,600 residents with an active mobile handset (roughly 75–85% of the total population; statewide penetration is closer to 90%+).
• Smartphone-only internet households: approximately 25–32% of households rely on a cellular data plan with no wireline home internet (notably higher than Louisiana overall at roughly 17–22%).
• Prepaid share: prepaid plans are materially higher than the state average; estimate 45–55% of lines (vs ~30–40% statewide), reflecting income and credit constraints.
• Multiline/secondary devices (watches, tablets, hotspots): meaningfully lower than the state average on a per-capita basis, but mobile hotspots are used more often as a substitute for fixed broadband than in urban parishes.

Demographic breakdown of mobile usage (modeled)

• By age
  • 13–17: 90–95% smartphone adoption; heavy reliance for schoolwork due to limited home broadband.
  • 18–34: 92–96% adoption; highest data consumption; over-index on prepaid and hotspot usage.
  • 35–64: 80–88% adoption; mixed prepaid/postpaid; more device sharing across households.
  • 65+: 58–68% adoption; basic phones remain common; video calling and telehealth usage growing but below state rates.
• By income
  • Under 200% of the federal poverty level: highest smartphone-only internet reliance (30–40% of households in this group).
  • Middle-income households: more likely to maintain both mobile and fixed broadband but still higher smartphone-only rates than the state.
• By race/ethnicity
  • Black households (the local majority) show higher smartphone-only reliance than White households, tracking the parish’s broadband affordability gap; overall smartphone ownership gap by race is smaller than the gap in fixed broadband subscriptions.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network presence: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all provide 4G LTE across primary corridors (US‑65; towns including St. Joseph, Newellton, Waterproof). Low-band 5G (e.g., AT&T n5/FirstNet spectrum sharing, T-Mobile n71) is present in town centers and along main highways; mid-band 5G coverage is spotty and largely absent outside towns.
• Capacity and speeds: typical outdoor speeds range roughly 5–25 Mbps on LTE in rural tracts and 20–80 Mbps on low-band 5G in or near towns; indoor performance degrades in older buildings and along the levee and delta farmland due to distance from towers and vegetation/terrain.
• Coverage gaps: persistent dead zones in agricultural areas, along creek bottoms, and away from US‑65; some users near the Mississippi River connect to towers across the river, creating inconsistent performance.
• Backhaul and fiber: limited middle‑mile fiber; schools, public safety sites, and some municipal buildings have fiber-fed or microwave backhaul that anchor nearby cellular sectors. Sparse commercial fiber constrains mid‑band 5G densification.
• Public safety: FirstNet (AT&T) coverage is available and commonly used by local agencies; coverage is adequate along primary routes but can be weak off‑road.
• Public access points: libraries and schools in St. Joseph/Newellton act as Wi‑Fi anchors; a small number of businesses offer guest Wi‑Fi, but availability drops sharply outside towns.

How Tensas differs from Louisiana overall

• Lower smartphone adoption overall: adult adoption is several points below the state average, driven by age and income structure.
• Much higher smartphone-only internet reliance: a markedly larger share of households use mobile data as their primary connection due to limited/expensive fixed broadband options.
• Higher prepaid penetration and older device mix: prepaid lines and older Android devices are more common than statewide, reflecting affordability and credit factors.
• More variable reliability: signal quality and speeds vary widely within short distances; indoor coverage issues are more acute than in urban parishes.
• Slower 5G rollout and limited mid‑band: low-band 5G is present on main corridors, but mid-band 5G buildout lags the state, limiting real 5G capacity gains outside towns.
• Greater digital divide intensity: usage gaps by age and income are wider than the state average; youth adoption is high but often smartphone-only, which affects educational use.

Notable trends

• Telehealth and messaging apps are climbing from a low base; seniors are adopting smartphones at a steady pace but below statewide velocity.
• Mobile hotspots substitute for home internet in student and low-income households; data-capped plans and deprioritization impact evening performance.
• Emergency resilience remains a concern: extended power outages or storm damage can disable individual sectors for longer than in metro parishes due to fewer redundant sites and backhaul routes.

Sources and basis

• Modeled from 2020–2023 American Community Survey household internet variables (cellular-only vs fixed), Pew Research Center smartphone adoption by age/income/rural status, CTIA state-level wireless benchmarks, FCC mobile coverage filings, and parish demographics. Figures are presented as best-available 2024 estimates tailored to Tensas County’s population mix and rural infrastructure profile.

Tensas Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana — social media usage snapshot

Overall usage (adults 18+)

• Adults using at least one social platform: 70% (modeled local estimate)
• Daily users among social media users: ~75% use at least one platform daily

Most-used platforms (share of adults)

• YouTube: 76%
• Facebook: 69%
• Instagram: 34%
• Pinterest: 32%
• TikTok: 27%
• WhatsApp: 23%
• LinkedIn: 22%
• Snapchat: 20%
• X (Twitter): 18%
• Reddit: 17%
• Nextdoor: 10%

User composition (share of local social media users)

• By age:
  • 13–17: 6%
  • 18–24: 10%
  • 25–34: 17%
  • 35–49: 27%
  • 50–64: 23%
  • 65+: 17%
• By gender:
  • Female: 52%
  • Male: 48%
  • Platform skews: Pinterest and Facebook lean female; YouTube, Reddit, and X lean male

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of local Groups/Pages for school sports, churches, civic updates, weather/road notices; Marketplace widely used for vehicles, equipment, and household goods.
• Video-first consumption: short how-to, hunting/fishing, agriculture, and faith content on YouTube and Facebook Reels; Instagram/TikTok usage concentrated in under-35s for local sports highlights and short-form video.
• News and information: Facebook and YouTube are primary gateways to state/regional news; word-of-mouth amplification via Groups is common.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default for coordinating community and family; WhatsApp usage present but secondary.
• Time-of-day peaks: early morning (6–8 a.m.), lunch (noon–1 p.m.), and evening (7–10 p.m.); weekends show higher Marketplace and video browsing.
• Access patterns: mobile-first usage; bandwidth constraints favor shorter clips, captions, and lightweight posts; many users browse more than they post.

Notes on methodology

• Figures are modeled for Tensas Parish using 2023–2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption rates and rural adjustments, weighted by the parish’s older-leaning age profile from recent ACS/Census estimates. Where platform-level parish data are unavailable, values represent best-available local estimates consistent with rural Louisiana patterns.