Webster County

Note: Louisiana uses parishes (county-equivalents). Figures refer to Webster Parish, LA.

Population

• Total: 36,967 (2020 Census)
• Trend: Down from 41,207 in 2010 (~-10%)

Age (ACS 2019–2023)

• Median age: ~40 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~59%
• 65 and older: ~18%

Sex (ACS 2019–2023)

• Female: ~51–52%
• Male: ~48–49%

Race and ethnicity (2020 Census unless noted)

• White alone: ~59–61%
• Black or African American alone: ~35–37%
• American Indian & Alaska Native alone: ~0.5–0.6%
• Asian alone: ~0.4–0.5%
• Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander: ~0.1%
• Some other race: ~0.3–0.4%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~2–3% (ethnicity overlaps with race)

Households (ACS 2019–2023)

• Total households: ~14,000–15,000
• Average household size: ~2.4–2.5
• Family households: ~65–70% of households
• Married-couple families: ~40–45% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~25–30%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~70–73%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

• Scope: Webster Parish (Webster County), Louisiana; population ~36,900; land ~593 sq mi; density ~62 people/sq mi.
• Estimated email users: ~23,000 adults use email regularly. Basis: ~28,700 adults, ~86% online, ~93% of online adults use email.
• Age distribution of email users (share of users): 18–29 ≈22%; 30–49 ≈41%; 50–64 ≈22%; 65+ ≈15%. Younger and middle-aged adults approach universal use; seniors show lower but rising adoption.
• Gender split: Users track the local population (≈52% female, 48% male); no material gender gap in usage frequency.
• Digital access and devices:
  • ~74% of households have a fixed broadband subscription.
  • ~84% have a computer; ~17% are smartphone‑only for home internet.
  • ~21% of households report no home internet subscription, indicating affordability and availability constraints.
• Connectivity and density facts:
  • Most fixed broadband subscriptions cluster around Minden and Springhill; rural tracts show lower subscription rates and slower service tiers.
  • Public Wi‑Fi (schools, libraries, municipal sites) supplements access in higher‑poverty blocks.
• Trend insights: Subscription and device ownership have risen modestly since 2020, with state/federal investments expanding fiber in rural census blocks; the largest gains are expected along existing transport corridors and around town centers.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Webster County (Webster Parish), Louisiana

Context and population baseline

• Population: roughly 36–37 thousand residents; about 28 thousand adults (18+). The parish is older, lower-income, and more rural than Louisiana overall (65+ share ≈21% vs ≈16% statewide; median household income ≈$40k vs ≈$55k statewide; poverty ≈24% vs ≈19% statewide; ACS 2018–2022).

User estimates (adults)

• Any mobile phone (feature or smartphone): about 95% of adults, ≈26.5–26.8 thousand users (in line with national norms).
• Smartphone users: about 82% of adults, ≈23 thousand users. This is a few points below the Louisiana average (≈85%) due to the parish’s older age mix and income profile (Pew adoption rates applied to local demographics).
• Mobile-only internet reliance:
  • Smartphone-only home internet (households that rely on cellular and do not have fixed broadband): about 22–25% of households in Webster vs ≈18–20% statewide (ACS S2801 pattern for rural Louisiana). That equates to roughly 3.2–3.7 thousand local households.
  • Adults primarily using cellular data for internet: roughly 26–30% of adults, ≈7.3–8.4 thousand people, higher than the state average by several points.

Demographic breakdown of smartphone adoption (modeled from Pew cross-tabs applied to Webster’s age/income/race mix; adult counts rounded)

• By age
  • 18–34: ≈95% adoption; ≈6.9–7.0k users
  • 35–54: ≈90% adoption; ≈7.8–7.9k users
  • 55–64: ≈80% adoption; ≈3.5k users
  • 65+: ≈64% adoption; ≈4.9k users
  • Insight: The larger 55+ cohort pulls overall adoption below the state rate despite near-saturation among under-55s.
• By income (households)
  • < $35k: ≈78% smartphone adoption; ≈34% smartphone-only internet
  • $35–$75k: ≈88% smartphone adoption; ≈18% smartphone-only internet

  • $75k: ≈95% smartphone adoption; ≈7% smartphone-only internet

  • Insight: Lower fixed-broadband take-up among lower-income households drives higher cellular dependence than the Louisiana average.
• By race/ethnicity (adults; shares approximate for Webster)
  • White (≈56% of adults): ≈81% adoption
  • Black (≈39% of adults): ≈84% adoption
  • Hispanic (≈3% of adults): ≈88% adoption
  • Other (≈2% of adults): ≈85% adoption
  • Insight: Adoption rates are broadly similar across groups; differences are smaller than the gaps created by age and income.

Digital infrastructure points

• Networks present: AT&T (including FirstNet), T-Mobile, and Verizon operate countywide; regional MVNOs are widely used, with a higher-than-average prepaid share.
• Coverage (carrier-reported maps and rural Louisiana patterns, 2024)
  • 4G LTE: >98% of populated areas.
  • 5G low-band: ≈90% of the population, generally blanket coverage in and around Minden and along the I‑20 corridor.
  • 5G mid-band/capacity layers: concentrated around Minden and transport corridors; practical population coverage ≈50–60%, with thinner capacity in northern and southern rural tracts.
• Performance and reliability
  • Capacity is strong near I‑20 and town centers but drops on secondary roads and in low-density areas; users outside the corridor more often fall back to LTE and experience larger performance swings than the state average.
  • Fixed broadband is uneven outside Minden (cable and pockets of fiber in town; DSL/wireless in rural areas), reinforcing above-average smartphone-only and hotspot use.
• Emergency and public-safety
  • AT&T FirstNet presence and overlapping LTE from all three national carriers provide redundancy in town; single-carrier dependence is more common in outlying areas, with localized dead zones persisting.

How Webster differs from Louisiana overall

• Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption (≈82% vs ≈85%) driven by a larger 55+ share and lower incomes.
• Meaningfully higher smartphone-only internet reliance (≈22–25% of households vs ≈18–20% statewide), reflecting patchier fixed broadband outside Minden.
• Higher prepaid and MVNO usage (by an estimated 5–10 percentage points) and a higher Android share, consistent with lower median income.
• Coverage quality is more corridor-centric: mid-band 5G is less ubiquitous away from I‑20 than in metro Louisiana (e.g., greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge), yielding a larger rural LTE fallback footprint.
• Usage patterns show heavier mobile hotspot use for homework/work and more data-conserving behaviors than the state average, tied to plan economics and capacity variability.

Key takeaways

• About 26.5–26.8k adults in Webster use a mobile phone, with roughly 23k on smartphones.
• The parish is more mobile-dependent for home internet than Louisiana overall, not because of lack of phones but due to age, income, and fixed-network gaps.
• Investment that extends mid-band 5G beyond the I‑20/Minden core and expands rural fiber will most directly reduce mobile-only reliance and improve equity in digital access.

Source basis: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2018–2022 (population, age, income, device and subscription types), Pew Research Center (smartphone adoption by age/income/rurality), FCC and carrier coverage disclosures (2024) for LTE/5G availability. Figures are locally adjusted estimates derived from these datasets.

Webster Parish (County), Louisiana — Social media usage snapshot (2024)

How many people use social media

• Population base: ~36,000 residents; ~30,000–31,000 are age 13+
• Monthly social media users (MAUs, 13+): ~23,500–25,000 (≈75–82% of 13+; ≈65–70% of total population)
• Daily active users (DAUs, 13+): ~14,000–16,000 (≈45–55% of 13+)
• Connectivity context: ~78–82% of households report a broadband subscription; ~81–86% of adults own a smartphone

Age mix of social media users (share of local MAUs; sums ≈100%)

• 13–17: 7%
• 18–24: 12%
• 25–34: 17%
• 35–44: 16%
• 45–54: 15%
• 55–64: 14%
• 65+: 19%

Gender breakdown (share of local MAUs)

• Female: ~53%
• Male: ~47%
• Note: platform audiences skew more female on Facebook and Pinterest; more male on Reddit/X

Most-used platforms (estimated share of residents 13+ using monthly; people use multiple platforms)

• YouTube: 72–78%
• Facebook: 65–72%
• Instagram: 30–36%
• TikTok: 27–33%
• Pinterest: 16–22%
• Snapchat: 18–24%
• X (Twitter): 10–14%
• Reddit: 9–12%
• LinkedIn: 8–12%

Behavioral trends and local patterns

• Facebook is the community hub: heavy use of Groups for schools, churches, youth sports, civic updates; Marketplace is a top driver of peer-to-peer commerce.
• Video leads engagement: short-form (Reels/TikTok) growth across 18–44; 45+ engages more with Facebook video, live streams (local sports, church services), and weather updates.
• Local news and alerts dominate peaks: storm activity, road closures, school announcements drive sharp surges in Facebook and YouTube reach.
• Messaging habits: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp adoption is low; Instagram DMs matter for under-35.
• Timing: strongest activity windows are 6–8 a.m. and 7–10 p.m. on weekdays; Friday night spikes around high school sports; Sunday late morning/early afternoon performs well for community content.
• Purchase behavior: high responsiveness to locally relevant offers, service providers, and events within Minden, Springhill, Sarepta, and surrounding communities; trust and word-of-mouth via Groups matter more than polished brand creative.
• Platform roles:
  • Facebook for reach, community, events, customer service
  • YouTube for how‑to, local sports highlights, and entertainment
  • Instagram/TikTok for younger audiences, food spots, boutiques, and short-form promotions
  • Pinterest for home/garden, recipes, crafts among women 25–54
  • X/Reddit are niche, better for regional news and hobby micro‑communities than broad local reach

Notes on methodology

• Figures are 2024 estimates derived from U.S. Census/ACS population structure for Webster Parish, national platform adoption benchmarks (Pew Research Center, DataReportal), and rural-Louisiana usage patterns. Percentages reflect residents aged 13+ and are calibrated to the parish’s older age profile and community‑centric behavior.