PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Louisiana

Beauregard Parish, LA

Beauregard 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.

55.8%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
17.5%
on SNAP
37K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

The food-access picture

55.8% of Beauregard Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

6
low-access tracts
7K
food-desert residents
5.0%
households, no vehicle
14.3%
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).

Beauregard Parish carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 55.8% is well above the national share. 6 of the county's 7 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 19,902 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,344 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 Beauregard Parish compares nationally

Beauregard Parish sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 55.8% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #147 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Beauregard Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 7 census tracts in Beauregard Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Beauregard Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 1 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 7 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts adequate (14.3%) 5 tracts limited (71.4%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (14.3%) Adequate 14% Limited 71% Severe 14% Food-access tier distribution: Beauregard Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Beauregard Parish vs. other Louisiana counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Beauregard Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts7
Atlas Population (2010 basis)35,654
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population19,902
Low-Access Share55.8%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population7,344

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Beauregard Parish
IndicatorValue
Population36,676
Median Household Income$65,944
Poverty Rate14.3%near the national average
SNAP Households2,411
SNAP Participation Rate17.5%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.0%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.7%
SNAP participation in Beauregard Parish 17.5%

About 17.5% of Beauregard Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 55.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 17.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,411 households here.
  • 5.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 1 tract 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 Beauregard Parish

well above the national share

1 of Beauregard Parish's 7 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 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.

An estimated 19,902 residents, roughly 55.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 7,344 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 1 tract (14.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Beauregard Parish

Beauregard Parish has 30 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 16 locations (53% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 16

  • dollar general 13867, ragley
  • dollar general 13870, deridder
  • dollar general 14370, deridder
  • dollar general 18903, deridder
  • dollar general 752, deridder
  • dollar general 15808, longville
  • dollar general 21907, singer
  • dollar general 24673, deridder
  • dollar general 25486, merryville
  • dollar general 4805, deridder
  • dollar general 7743, merryville
  • dollar general store 17689, deridder
  • dollar tree 2913, deridder
  • family dollar store 11068, deridder
  • family dollar 13615, ragley
  • walgreens 10537, deridder

Convenience Store · 9

  • country one stop, longville
  • deridder u pack, deridder
  • in & out 7, deridder
  • junction food mart, merryville
  • kipling korner grocery, deridder
  • murphy usa 7715, deridder
  • ragley express mart, ragley
  • super y grocery, deridder
  • time loop 3, ragley

Super Store · 3

  • brookshire brothers 27, deridder
  • brookshire brothers 50, deridder
  • walmart supercenter 505, deridder

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • k&k market, deridder

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • foreman's meat market, dry creek

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Louisiana

Acadia Parish
6.6% low-access · 24.4% SNAP
Allen Parish
28.1% low-access · 26.5% SNAP
Ascension Parish
42.3% low-access · 12.2% SNAP
Assumption Parish
0.9% low-access · 19.9% SNAP
Avoyelles Parish
20.5% low-access · 27.9% SNAP
Bienville Parish
35.6% low-access · 22.9% SNAP

Compare Beauregard Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

Beauregard Parish sits inside Louisiana (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Beauregard Parish has low food access? ▼
55.8% of residents in Beauregard Parish, LA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Beauregard Parish? ▼
17.5% of households in Beauregard Parish receive SNAP, covering 2,411 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Beauregard Parish? ▼
The poverty rate in Beauregard Parish, LA is 14.3%, with a median household income of $65,944 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Beauregard Parish a food desert? ▼
1 of Beauregard Parish's 7 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Beauregard Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.0% of households in Beauregard Parish have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.