County food-access profile · Louisiana
Ouachita Parish, LA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Ouachita 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).
- 33.1%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 19.8%
- on SNAP
- 158K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.1% of Ouachita Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 40 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 24K
- food-desert residents
- 8.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 23.2%
- 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 Ouachita Parish's low-access share at 33.1%, above the national share. 19 of the county's 40 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 50,937 people. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 23,740 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 Ouachita Parish compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Ouachita Parish's 33.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 77% of them and ranked #730 most-affected nationwide.
Ouachita Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 40 census tracts in Ouachita Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Ouachita Parish vs. other Louisiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana
- Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, LA
33.1 % low-access
- Acadia Parish 6.6
Acadia Parish, LA
6.6 % low-access
- Allen Parish
Allen Parish, LA
28.1 % low-access
- Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish, LA
42.3 % low-access
- Assumption Parish 0.9
Assumption Parish, LA
0.9 % low-access
- Avoyelles Parish
Avoyelles Parish, LA
20.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 40 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 153,720 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 50,937 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.1%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 23,740 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 158,480 |
| Median Household Income | $54,688 |
| Poverty Rate | 23.2%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 12,151 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.8%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
About 19.8% of Ouachita Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 12,151 households here.
- 8.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Ouachita Parish
above the national share
9 of Ouachita Parish's 40 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 22.5% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 50,937 residents, roughly 33.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 23,740 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (52.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish has 165 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 84 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 84
- am-or food mart, monroe
- ab food mart, west monroe
- avi raj properties llc, west monroe
- circle k 2707761, louisiana
- circle k 2707766, louisiana
- circle k 2707771, louisiana
- circle k 2707777, louisiana
- circle k 2707783, louisiana
- circle k 2723453, west monroe
- circle k 2723455, monroe
- circle k store 7763, west monroe
- circle k stores 7760, monroe
- corner market, monroe
- cypress street u pak it, west monroe
- dave's harde mart, sterlington
- delta mini mart, monroe
- delta mini mart #3, monroe
- e z mart 4460, monroe
- eastside stop & shop, monroe
- family stop and shop, monroe
- flowers bakery outlet 605, west monroe
- friendly mart and deli, monroe
- glenwood u-pak-it, west monroe
- hop in, monroe
- jmart west, west monroe
- jmart 4-way, west monroe
- jmart express, west monroe
- jmart express fuel, west monroe
- jmart highway 34, west monroe
- joey's stop & go llc, monroe
- ladla, calhoun
- lincoln road u-pak-it, monroe
- lions stop, monroe
- lll stop n shop 2 inc no, monroe
- love's travel stop 806, monroe
- m & b emporiums, monroe
- mann's grocery, monroe
- missile mart monroe, monroe
- murphy usa 7124, monroe
- murphy usa 7937, west monroe
- new excel llc, west monroe
- now save #4, west monroe
- now save stores #2, monroe
- northside stores llc, monroe
- now save # 21, monroe
- now save #14 travel center, monroe
- now save #19, west monroe
- now save #8, monroe
- now save 1 1, monroe
- now save 20, west monroe
- now save 5, monroe
- now save 6, monroe
- now save 7, monroe
- pilot travel center 428, west monroe
- quick & easy, monroe
- quick & easy 2, monroe
- quick trip #1, west monroe
- quickway, monroe
- quiktrip 7224, west monroe
- raceway 6863, monroe
- raceway 855, west monroe
- richwood mart, richwood
- royal of monroe llc, monroe
- rush hour, monroe
- sai u-pack- it, monroe
- smoker's express 5, west monroe
- smokers express 7, west monroe
- south 2nd hop in, monroe
- stewart's grocery, monroe
- super mart, monroe
- super save # 1, west monroe
- super save #1, monroe
- swartz country market, monroe
- taz mart, west monroe
- the spot food mart llc, west monroe
- town and country mart, monroe
- usa truckstop, calhoun
- usa travel plaza 15, west monroe
- usa travel plaza 16, west monroe
- usa travel plaza 8, west monroe
- usa travel plaza, llc, west monroe
- usave # 3, west monroe
- washington street upakit, west monroe
- whites ferry mart, west monroe
Combination Grocery/Other · 54
- cvs pharmacy 10219, west monroe
- cvs/ pharmacy 5344, monroe
- cvs/ pharmacy 5513, monroe
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5521, west monroe
- dollar general 1728, monroe
- dollar general 18884, west monroe
- dollar general 3548, monroe
- dollar general 4507, west monroe
- dollar general 8257, monroe
- dollar general 9199, west monroe
- dollar general 9738, sterlington
- dollartree 6926, monroe
- dollar general 0562, west monroe
- dollar general 0652, monroe
- dollar general 10062, monroe
- dollar general 12565, west monroe
- dollar general 12622, monroe
- dollar general 13103, west monroe
- dollar general 15962, west monroe
- dollar general 17756, calhoun
- dollar general 17835, west monroe
- dollar general 19729, monroe
- dollar general 19775, calhoun
- dollar general 22459, west monroe
- dollar general 22946, west monroe
- dollar general 23262, monroe
- dollar general 24485, monroe
- dollar general 25576, monroe
- dollar general 30251, monroe
- dollar general 30506, west monroe
- dollar general 6823, calhoun
- dollar tree 2514, west monroe
- dollar tree 4800, monroe
- dollar tree 6489, monroe
- family dollar 11335, west monroe
- family dollar 11596, richwood
- family dollar 11721, west monroe
- family dollar 1262, monroe
- family dollar 13687, eros
- family dollar 3003, monroe
- family dollar 4788, monroe
- family dollar 5006, monroe
- family dollar 5335, west monroe
- family dollar 7631, calhoun
- family dollar 834, monroe
- family dollar 835, west monroe
- family dollar 9032, sterlington
- massey's meat market, monroe
- randalls captain avery seafood, monroe
- saigon asian market, monroe
- walgreens 06274, west monroe
- walgreens 09086, monroe
- walgreens 10510, west monroe
- walgreens 17055, monroe
Supermarket · 11
- brookshire fd store 34, monroe
- brookshire food store 22, monroe
- brookshire food store 42, west monroe
- brookshire food store 56, monroe
- mac's fresh market 1, monroe
- mac's fresh market 19, west monroe
- mac's fresh market 2, monroe
- mac's fresh market 4, west monroe
- spring market 730, sterlington
- super 1 foods 602, west monroe
- super 1 foods 607, monroe
Super Store · 9
- fresh markets, west monroe
- sam's club 8237, monroe
- target store t 1469, monroe
- walmart 1193, monroe
- walmart 307, west monroe
- walmart neighborhood market 2919, monroe
- walmart neighborhood market 2940, west monroe
- walmart neighborhood market 3743, w monroe
- walmart neighborhood market 3745, monroe
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- mccain farms, calhoun
- quick stop, monroe
- seafood express, monroe
- southern meat market, sterlington
Large Grocery Store · 1
- calhoun groceries, calhoun
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- specialty meats of calhoun, calhoun
Small Grocery Store · 1
- 3t's jmart, west monroe
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Louisiana
Compare Ouachita Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Food access nationally, Louisiana in context
Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Ouachita Parish? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Ouachita Parish? ▼
Is Ouachita Parish a food desert? ▼
What share of Ouachita 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.