West Baton Rouge County

West Baton Rouge Parish (county-equivalent), Louisiana — key demographics

Population size

• 27,199 (2020 Census)

Age

• Median age: ~37 years
• Under 18: ~24–25%
• 65 and over: ~13–14%

Gender

• Female: ~50%
• Male: ~50%

Racial/ethnic composition (2020 Census)

• White alone: ~57%
• Black or African American alone: ~39%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: <1%
• Two or more races: ~2–3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~4%

Household data

• Households: ~10,100
• Average household size: ~2.6–2.7
• Family households: ~70%
• Housing tenure: ~72% owner-occupied, ~28% renter-occupied

Insights

• Small, stable parish with near gender parity and a roughly balanced White/Black population mix.
• Age structure is broadly middle-aged with about one-quarter children and mid-teens share seniors.
• High owner-occupancy and predominance of family households indicate a relatively stable residential base.

Scope: West Baton Rouge Parish (often called West Baton Rouge County), Louisiana

• Estimated email users: ~19,200 adults
  • Basis: ~27,500 residents (2023 est.); ~76% adults ≈ 20,900; ~92% of U.S. adults use email → ≈19.2k local users.
• Age distribution of email users (approx. count, share):
  • 18–34: ~6,100 (32%)
  • 35–49: ~5,200 (27%)
  • 50–64: ~4,700 (24%)
  • 65+: ~3,200 (17%)
• Gender split among users: ~49% male, ~51% female (tracks parish population; email adoption is near-parity by gender nationally).
• Digital access and usage trends:
  • Household internet subscription: ~85% (ACS trend, 2018–2022), rising steadily; smartphone-only internet households ~13%.
  • Daily email use: ~70–75% of email users check daily; near‑universal usage among 18–49, strong among 50–64, high but slightly lower among 65+.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Population density ≈142 people/sq mi over ~192 sq mi of land.
  • Within the Baton Rouge metro on the I‑10 corridor; robust provider competition and near‑universal fixed broadband availability in populated tracts (100/20 Mbps+ widely offered), with occasional slower pockets in less‑dense areas along the river/levees.

Overall: High internet penetration and metro adjacency support broad, everyday email use across demographics, with seniors the primary gap.

Scope note: Louisiana uses parishes rather than counties; the area in question is West Baton Rouge Parish. Definitive, parish-level mobile phone–specific usage figures (e.g., smartphone ownership by age/race within the parish) are not directly published by federal or state statistical agencies. Below, I provide what can be stated definitively from authoritative sources, paired with clearly labeled, conservative estimates derived from standard datasets (ACS, FCC), and a focus on how West Baton Rouge differs from statewide patterns.

What is definitive

• Geography and context: West Baton Rouge Parish (FIPS 22-121) is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area and includes the municipalities of Port Allen, Brusly, and Addis. It sits along the I‑10/I‑110 corridor and the Mississippi River industrial corridor, adjacent to the City of Baton Rouge and the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.
• Population baseline: 27,199 residents (2020 Census).
• Broadband availability context: The parish lies in a dense metro–industrial corridor with multiple wired ISPs (cable and fiber in incorporated areas) and universal 4G LTE coverage with commercial 5G service from nationwide carriers along the I‑10/US‑190 corridors and population centers. This yields fewer unserved pockets than many rural Louisiana parishes, per FCC broadband availability maps.

Modeled mobile-usage estimates (methods-based, not self-reported surveys)

• Smartphone users (resident base): Approximately 18,000–21,000 adult residents use a smartphone. Method: apply contemporary U.S. adult smartphone-ownership rates to the parish’s adult population and adjust slightly upward for metro adjacency; this range aligns with ACS indicators showing relatively high device access in Baton Rouge–area parishes.
• Mobile-only home internet: Roughly 10%–15% of households are “cellular-data–only” for home internet, below the typical share in rural Louisiana but near the Baton Rouge MSA average. Method: infer from ACS internet-subscription mix (cellular-data plans versus cable/fiber/DSL) in similar MSA-adjacent parishes plus FCC availability data showing strong wired options in incorporated areas.
• Households with any broadband (fixed or cellular): On the order of 82%–88%, generally a few percentage points above the Louisiana statewide average. Method: anchor to ACS 5‑year “households with a broadband subscription” for metro parishes and Baton Rouge MSA trend.

Demographic patterns and how they diverge from statewide

• Age: Working‑age adults (25–54) in West Baton Rouge are more likely to have employer-driven connectivity needs (industrial, logistics, and service jobs tied to Baton Rouge), pushing smartphone adoption and multi-line plans slightly above state averages for those cohorts. Seniors (65+) are less likely to be mobile‑only here than in rural parishes, because cable and fiber are more available in incorporated places.
• Income and education: Higher employment in the Baton Rouge metro and industrial corridor supports higher rates of both smartphone ownership and dual‑home connectivity (mobile + fixed) than Louisiana’s rural parishes. This reduces reliance on mobile-only broadband relative to statewide averages driven by rural areas.
• Race and ethnicity: Adoption gaps by race exist statewide, but in West Baton Rouge they are moderated by metro adjacency and better infrastructure. In practice, Black and White households in incorporated areas show smaller disparities in having a smartphone and some form of broadband than in rural parishes with limited wired options.

Digital infrastructure characteristics that shape usage

• 5G coverage and capacity: Dense 5G (Sub‑6 GHz) along I‑10, LA‑1, and within Port Allen/Brusly/Addis, with macrocell sites serving commuter flows into Baton Rouge. This supports higher median mobile speeds and more consistent video/voice quality than many Louisiana parishes away from metro corridors.
• Industrial and port connectivity: The Mississippi River industrial corridor (refineries, petrochemical plants, logistics) drives heightened private and enterprise mobility (including CBRS/private LTE at facilities), raising device density during workdays and increasing traffic on public macro networks at shift changes.
• Backhaul and redundancy: Proximity to Baton Rouge core networks improves backhaul diversity, reducing the frequency and duration of congestion or outage-related slowdowns compared with rural parishes that depend on long-haul spans or single middle‑mile routes.
• Public safety and coverage reliability: Interstate, bridge, and port operations anchor robust macro coverage and rapid maintenance response, which translates to fewer persistent dead zones than in sparsely populated parts of the state.

Key takeaways versus Louisiana overall

• West Baton Rouge Parish skews more “dual-connected” (mobile plus fixed broadband) and less “mobile-only” than Louisiana’s rural parishes, due to better wired options in towns and metro spillover from Baton Rouge.
• 5G availability and usable capacity are higher and more contiguous along travel corridors, supporting heavier mobile data usage for commuting and shift‑based work patterns than typical statewide.
• Adoption gaps by age and race are present but are narrower than in rural Louisiana because infrastructure is stronger and employment is more metro‑oriented.

Data notes

• “Definitive” mobile phone usage statistics at the parish level (e.g., smartphone ownership by detailed demographics) are not directly released; the figures above rely on the latest American Community Survey household internet-subscription mix, Baton Rouge MSA comparables, and FCC availability data to bound parish-level estimates. For planning or investment decisions, pull the most recent ACS 5‑year tables (S2801/B28002) for West Baton Rouge Parish and the FCC Broadband Map for precise, citeable percentages.

Social media usage in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (2024 snapshot)

Scope and method

• Parish-level panel data is not publicly released; figures below are modeled for West Baton Rouge Parish using 2024 Pew Research Center platform adoption rates applied to local population structure (U.S. Census/ACS). Percentages reflect adult usage and are appropriate proxies for the parish. Counts are rounded.

Population and user stats

• Population context: ≈27,500 residents; ≈21,000 adults (18+).
• Adults using at least one social platform: ≈83% of adults ≈ 17,000 users.

Most-used platforms (share of adults who use each platform)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47–50%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 35%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: 17%

Age-group patterns (what locals are most likely to use)

• 18–29: Very high multi-platform use; YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok dominate; Facebook is secondary but still widely used for family/community ties.
• 30–49: YouTube and Facebook are near-universal; strong Instagram uptake; TikTok growing; LinkedIn relevant for white-collar and industrial/professional roles.
• 50–64: Facebook is primary; YouTube widely used; Instagram/Pinterest used for hobbies, shopping, and family updates.
• 65+: Facebook leads by a wide margin; YouTube for news/how‑to; limited Instagram/TikTok use.

Gender breakdown (tendencies among adult users)

• Overall likelihood of using “any social media” is similar for men and women; differences show up by platform.
• Women: Higher use of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok; Pinterest is strongly female‑skewed.
• Men: Higher use of YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

Behavioral trends observed in small-parish/BR‑metro contexts that apply to West Baton Rouge

• Facebook as the community hub: Parish, city, school, sports, church, and neighborhood groups drive daily engagement; local news, events, and severe‑weather/traffic updates perform best.
• Short‑form video growth: TikTok and Instagram Reels are increasingly used by local restaurants, boutiques, and events; cross‑posting to Facebook Reels extends reach to older audiences.
• Messaging for coordination: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp support family, shift-work, and volunteer coordination; rapid response during storms or outages.
• Local discovery and shopping: Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell groups are highly active; Pinterest influences DIY, food, and home projects; Instagram drives dining and fashion discovery.
• News and civic information: YouTube and Facebook Live for council/school updates; X used by media, first responders, and commuters for real‑time alerts; Nextdoor adoption among homeowners for safety and utilities.
• Creator/brand content style: Authentic, mobile‑first, community‑centric content outperforms polished ads; UGC, staff spotlights, and event recaps get high saves/shares.

Practical takeaways

• To reach most adults: Lead with Facebook and YouTube; add Instagram for reach under 45; use TikTok/Reels for short‑form discovery; include Nextdoor for homeowner/public‑safety messaging.
• Expect strongest engagement around community updates, weather/traffic, school and sports content, and locally relevant short videos.