PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Louisiana

Bossier Parish, LA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Bossier Parish residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

25.8%
low-access pop.
6
food-desert tracts
10.6%
on SNAP
130K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

The food-access picture

25.8% of Bossier Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

12
low-access tracts
13K
food-desert residents
7.3%
households, no vehicle
15.9%
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).

USDA data puts Bossier Parish's low-access share at 25.8%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 22 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 30,224 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 12,783 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 Bossier Parish compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Bossier Parish's 25.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 61% of them and ranked #1,234 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Bossier Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 22 census tracts in Bossier 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 Bossier Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 6 limited, 6 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 22 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (45.5%) 6 tracts limited (27.3%) 6 tracts severe / food desert (27.3%) Adequate 45% Limited 27% Severe 27% Food-access tier distribution: Bossier Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Bossier 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 Bossier Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts22
Atlas Population (2010 basis)116,979
Low-Access Tracts12
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)6
Low-Access Population30,224
Low-Access Share25.8%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population12,783

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Bossier Parish
IndicatorValue
Population129,789
Median Household Income$69,617
Poverty Rate15.9%above the national average
SNAP Households5,389
SNAP Participation Rate10.6%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle7.3%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.9%
SNAP participation in Bossier Parish 10.6%

About 10.6% of Bossier Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 25.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 10.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,389 households here.
  • 7.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 6 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 Bossier Parish

above the national share

6 of Bossier Parish's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.

A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.

An estimated 30,224 residents, roughly 25.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 12,783 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (45.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Bossier Parish

Bossier Parish has 96 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 45 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 45

  • airline hop in - circle k, bossier city
  • am one stop, bossier city
  • barksdale exxon 117, bossier city
  • barksdale stop n go, bossier city
  • bossier breaktime, bossier city
  • bossier quick mart, bossier city
  • brake time 359, benton
  • buc stop, haughton
  • cascios food market, bossier city
  • circle k 2705985, bossier city
  • circle k 2708161, haughton
  • circle k 2708181, bossier city
  • circle k 2708188, bossier city
  • circle k 2708191, bossier city
  • circle k 2723770, bossier city
  • circle k 2723771, bossier city
  • circle k 2744199, bossier city
  • circle k 4202, bossier city
  • circle k store 2707759 2707759, bossier city
  • circle k stores, inc 2708194, bossier city
  • corner mart 34, bossier city
  • cypress shak, benton
  • diamond food mart, bossier city
  • dixie mart 17275, bossier city
  • dixie mart 17277, haughton
  • dixie mart 17283, haughton
  • dollar up llc 1, bossier city
  • food town, bossier city
  • haughton grocery, haughton
  • i-220 travel plaza, bossier city
  • m&j united food mart, bossier city
  • maggio grocery, bossier city
  • murphy usa 7754, bossier city
  • murphy usa 7990, bossier city
  • pilot travel center 199, haughton
  • quiktrip 7223, bossier city
  • raceway 6729, bossier city
  • raceway 6935, bossier city
  • raceway 714, bossier city
  • reynolds country store llc, haughton
  • rogers corner store, princeton
  • save bucks, bossier city
  • sligo country store, bossier city
  • smoko's, bossier city
  • swan lake food mart, bossier city

Combination Grocery/Other · 31

  • cvs 4068, haughton
  • cvs pharmacy 10218, bossier city
  • cvs/ pharmacy inc 5323, bossier city
  • cvs/ pharmacy inc 5396, bossier city
  • dollar general 0628, haughton
  • dollar general 10632, bossier city
  • dollar general 10642, bossier city
  • dollar general 10778, plain dealing
  • dollar general 19502, elm grove
  • dollar general 4748, bossier city
  • dollar general 4749, bossier city
  • dollar general 9231, bossier city
  • dollartree 8704, bossier city
  • dollar general 10190, haughton
  • dollar general 21925, haughton
  • dollar general 22561, bossier city
  • dollar general 30909, benton
  • dollar general 6597, benton
  • dollar tree 455, bossier city
  • dollar tree 6949, haughton
  • el novillo carniceria, bossier city
  • family dollar 12346, bossier city
  • family dollar 12570, bossier city
  • family dollar 12870, plain dealing
  • family dollar 1306, bossier city
  • family dollar 1876, bossier city
  • family dollar 3931, haughton
  • family dollar 4210, bossier city
  • family dollar 5249, bossier city
  • walgreens 07004, bossier city
  • walgreens 09998, bossier city

Supermarket · 8

  • aldi 75107, bossier city
  • brookshire food store 107, bossier city
  • brookshire food store 17, benton
  • brookshire food store 47, bossier city
  • brookshire food store 57, haughton
  • southern market 382, plain dealing
  • spring market 729, haughton
  • super 1 foods 616, bossier city

Super Store · 7

  • kroger 00412, bossier city
  • kroger 534, bossier city
  • sam's club 4109, bossier city
  • target store t 2273, bossier city
  • walmart neighborhood market 3752, bossier city
  • walmart neighborhood market 5204, bossier city
  • walmart supercenter 376, bossier city

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • el novillo carniceria 2, haughton
  • vincent general store, bossier city

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • farmers seafood company hawn ave, shreveport

Military Commissary · 1

  • barksdale afb commissary 104, barksdale afb

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • bossier seafood and more., bossier city

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
Beauregard Parish
55.8% low-access · 17.5% SNAP

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

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

Bossier 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 Bossier Parish has low food access? ▼
25.8% of residents in Bossier 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 Bossier Parish? ▼
10.6% of households in Bossier Parish receive SNAP, covering 5,389 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Bossier Parish? ▼
The poverty rate in Bossier Parish, LA is 15.9%, with a median household income of $69,617 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Bossier Parish a food desert? ▼
6 of Bossier Parish's 22 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 Bossier Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
7.3% of households in Bossier 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.