County food-access profile · Louisiana
Ascension Parish, LA
Ascension Parish sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 42.3%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 12.2%
- on SNAP
- 130K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
42.3% of Ascension Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.3%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
Ascension Parish carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 42.3% is well above the national share. 12 of the county's 14 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 45,353 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,651 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Ascension Parish compares nationally
Ascension Parish sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 42.3% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #335 most-affected nationwide.
Ascension Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 14 census tracts in Ascension Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Ascension Parish vs. other Louisiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana
- Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish, LA
42.3 % low-access
- Acadia Parish 6.6
Acadia Parish, LA
6.6 % low-access
- Allen Parish
Allen Parish, LA
28.1 % low-access
- Assumption Parish 0.9
Assumption Parish, LA
0.9 % low-access
- Avoyelles Parish 20.5
Avoyelles Parish, LA
20.5 % low-access
- Beauregard Parish
Beauregard Parish, LA
55.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,215 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 45,353 |
| Low-Access Share | 42.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,651 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 130,314 |
| Median Household Income | $91,549 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,793 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.2%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.6% |
About 12.2% of Ascension Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 42.3% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,793 households here.
- 4.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Ascension Parish
well above the national share
2 of Ascension Parish's 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 45,353 residents, roughly 42.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,651 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (14.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish has 105 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 44
- airline super stop 2, gonzales
- american market super stop 16, gonzales
- bao asian market & deli, prairieville
- bayou conway super stop 5, sorrento
- big river food and fuel 11, gonzales
- bizzy bee, prairieville
- bravitos market 1, prairieville
- chip's grocery 2, gonzales
- cabela's parkway chevron 6, gonzales
- cajun catch seafood market, gonzales
- cigs n suds 0, gonzales
- circle k 2706803, gonzales
- circle k 2740388, prairieville
- curve mart, saint amant
- dat chevron, donaldsonville
- double a discount 2 inc., gonzales
- double a discount inc., gonzales
- dutchtown super stop 17, geismar
- dutchtown tiger mart, geismar
- fast stop of hwy 42 129, prairieville
- fast stop of hwy 22, sorrento
- fuel smart 5 inc., gonzales
- fuel smart 6 inc., gonzales
- gx louisiana llc d/b/a kangaroo ke126, gonzales
- galvez pit stop 9201, gonzales
- galvez super stop 10, prairieville
- gill's grocery, gonzales
- gonzales super stop 9, gonzales
- la bendicion supermarket, gonzales
- murphy express 8501, gonzales
- murphy express 8696, gonzales
- murphy usa 7222, donaldsonville
- murphy usa 7684, prairieville
- prairieville super stop 3, prairieville
- race trac 237, gonzales
- racetrac 2352, prairieville
- racetrac 249, geismar
- racetrac 2463, sorrento
- rende quick stop 5, sorrento
- rende's quick stop 2, gonzales
- saad's family food mart, gonzales
- t & h superette, donaldsonville
- tanger mall super stop 7, gonzales
- wow c store, prairieville
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- bo's seafood, donaldsonville
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 1661, prairieville
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5278, donaldsonville
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5354, gonzales
- dollar general 1284, gonzales
- dollar general 14163, donaldsonville
- dollar general 24336, donaldsonville
- dollar general 2683, gonzales
- dollar general 7177, galvez
- dollar general 9466, gonzales
- dollar tree 3010, donaldsonville
- dollartree 8733, gonzales
- dollartree 9317, gonzales
- dollar general 13641, gonzales
- dollar general 15746, saint amant
- dollar general 17790, saint amant
- dollar general 18353, sorrento
- dollar general 18354, saint amant
- dollar general 19993, prairieville
- dollar general 22442, gonzales
- dollar general 23499, gonzales
- dollar general 24716, gonzales
- dollar tree 2038, prairieville
- dollar tree 2242, gonzales
- family dollar 12121, prairieville
- family dollar 12270, gonzales
- family dollar 3441, donaldsonville
- family dollar 8164, gonzales
- family dollar 995, gonzales
- family dollar store 8633, geismar
- family dollar stores 11222, saint amant
- walgreens 11413, gonzales
- walgreens 13779, prairieville
- walgreens 11196, geismar
- walgreens 11281, gonzales
Super Store · 12
- alexanders harvest market 3, geismar
- alexanders heritage market, gonzales
- lamendola's supermarket, gonzales
- murray's market 1, saint amant
- rouses market 63, prairieville
- rouses market 64, gonzales
- rouses market 65, gonzales
- walmart 5056, prairieville
- walmart 5310, prairieville
- walmart neighborhood market 4048, prairieville
- walmart supercenter 485, donaldsonville
- walmart supercenter 532, gonzales
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- d & j grocery, gonzales
- dville meat market, donaldsonville
- la surena, gonzales
- midway grocery, donaldsonville
- tienda latina la surena, gonzales
- tienda sahuayo y restaurante, gonzales
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 82159, prairieville
- delaunes supermarket, saint amant
- ideal market 12, gonzales
- ralph's market 6830, gonzales
- ralph's market 6831, gonzales
Large Grocery Store · 1
- gill's supermarket, saint amant
Seafood Specialty · 1
- cc's seafood, llc, donaldsonville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- bellina's grocery inc, donaldsonville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Louisiana
Compare Ascension Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Food access nationally, Louisiana in context
Ascension Parish sits inside Louisiana (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Ascension Parish has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Ascension Parish? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Ascension Parish? ▼
Is Ascension Parish a food desert? ▼
What share of Ascension Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.