PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Louisiana

Lafourche Parish, LA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Lafourche 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).

26.8%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
17.0%
on SNAP
96K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

The food-access picture

26.8% of Lafourche Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

11
low-access tracts
8K
food-desert residents
6.9%
households, no vehicle
17.0%
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 Lafourche Parish's low-access share at 26.8%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 23 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 25,802 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,123 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 Lafourche Parish compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lafourche Parish's 26.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 63% of them and ranked #1,168 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Lafourche Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 23 census tracts in Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 12 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 9 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 23 tracts evaluated. 12 tracts adequate (52.2%) 9 tracts limited (39.1%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (8.7%) Adequate 52% Limited 39% Severe 9% Food-access tier distribution: Lafourche Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts23
Atlas Population (2010 basis)96,318
Low-Access Tracts11
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population25,802
Low-Access Share26.8%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population8,123

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Lafourche Parish
IndicatorValue
Population96,252
Median Household Income$63,135
Poverty Rate17.0%above the national average
SNAP Households6,431
SNAP Participation Rate17.0%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.9%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.5%
SNAP participation in Lafourche Parish 17.0%

About 17.0% of Lafourche Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 26.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 17.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,431 households here.
  • 6.9% 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 Lafourche Parish

above the national share

2 of Lafourche Parish's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.7% of all its tracts.

A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.

An estimated 25,802 residents, roughly 26.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 8,123 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 12 tracts (52.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Lafourche Parish

Lafourche Parish has 69 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 29 locations (42% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 29

  • cvs pharmacy inc 5304, raceland
  • cvs/ pharmacy 5297, thibodaux
  • cvs/pharmacy 5432, cut off
  • cajun fresh market 1, raceland
  • dollar general 1288, thibodaux
  • dollar general 13630, thibodaux
  • dollar general 14016, thibodaux
  • dollar general 14617, houma
  • dollar general 24074, larose
  • dollar general 7230, thibodaux
  • dollar general 9593, raceland
  • dollar general 15145, larose
  • dollar general 17632, houma
  • dollar general 18029, thibodaux
  • dollar general 21605, thibodaux
  • dollar general 24412, galliano
  • dollar general 24413, thibodaux
  • dollar general 25041, lockport
  • dollar general 25102, cut off
  • dollar general 25203, golden meadow
  • dollar general 25605, lockport
  • dollar general store 17322, thibodaux
  • dollar tree 1761, thibodaux
  • dollar tree 6967, cut off
  • dollar tree 6975, raceland
  • family dollar 10691, larose
  • family dollar 5505, thibodaux
  • walgreens 12626, thibodaux
  • walgreens 4140, thibodaux

Convenience Store · 20

  • a-bear's lil store, galliano
  • charlies #3, thibodaux
  • circle k 2704575, thibodaux
  • ctb tiger food mart, thibodaux
  • gaubert food mart #14 14, lockport
  • go bears #16 16, cut off
  • go bears #21 21, larose
  • go bears #40 40, thibodaux
  • go-bears #13 13, thibodaux
  • gobears #26 26, thibodaux
  • gobears #27 27, thibodaux
  • gobears #30 30, raceland
  • lockport discount, lockport
  • moes discount & convenience llc, thibodaux
  • murphy usa 7415, mathews
  • murphy usa 7558, cut off
  • murphy usa 7728, thibodaux
  • rjr quick check, larose
  • sam's speedy food mart, thibodaux
  • tv bayou, lockport

Super Store · 10

  • l & n food store, inc, thibodaux
  • rouses market 16, thibodaux
  • rouses market 17, thibodaux
  • rouses market 24, lockport
  • rouses market 59, thibodaux
  • rouses market 81, larose
  • rouses market 82, golden meadow
  • walmart 502, galliano
  • walmart 761, raceland
  • walmart supercenter 1016, thibodaux

Seafood Specialty · 4

  • 3 piers seafood market, des allemands
  • punch's seafood market, lockport
  • seafood outlet n/a, thibodaux
  • southern obcession inc, houma

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3

  • bayou boucherie, raceland
  • bourgeois smokehouse, thibodaux
  • verdun 3 meat market, raceland

Supermarket · 2

  • 82092 82092, thibodaux
  • galliano food store, galliano

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • go-bears #23, thibodaux

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 Lafourche Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish has low food access? ▼
26.8% of residents in Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish? ▼
17.0% of households in Lafourche Parish receive SNAP, covering 6,431 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Lafourche Parish? ▼
The poverty rate in Lafourche Parish, LA is 17.0%, with a median household income of $63,135 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Lafourche Parish a food desert? ▼
2 of Lafourche Parish's 23 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 Lafourche Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.9% of households in Lafourche 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.