County food-access profile · Louisiana
Rapides Parish, LA
Rapides 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.
- 40.6%
- low-access pop.
- 13
- food-desert tracts
- 19.1%
- on SNAP
- 128K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.6% of Rapides Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 13 of its 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 24
- low-access tracts
- 25K
- food-desert residents
- 9.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.9%
- 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).
Rapides Parish carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.6% is well above the national share. 24 of the county's 33 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 53,431 people. 13 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 25,172 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 Rapides Parish compares nationally
Rapides Parish sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.6% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #378 most-affected nationwide.
Rapides Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 33 census tracts in Rapides Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rapides Parish vs. other Louisiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana
- Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, LA
40.6 % 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 | 33 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 131,613 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 24 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 13 |
| Low-Access Population | 53,431 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 25,172 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 127,527 |
| Median Household Income | $54,967 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,348 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.1%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
About 19.1% of Rapides Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.6% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,348 households here.
- 9.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 13 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 Rapides Parish
well above the national share
13 of Rapides Parish's 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 39.4% of all its tracts.
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 24.
An estimated 53,431 residents, roughly 40.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 25,172 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (27.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish has 116 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 42 locations (36% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 42
- cvs/ pharmacy 5544, pineville
- cvs/ pharmacy 5607, alexandria
- dollar general 0200, lecompte
- dollar general 11163, alexandria
- dollar general 13872, alexandria
- dollar general 13994, deville
- dollar general 14051, forest hill
- dollar general 2820, pineville
- dollar general 2987, ball
- dollar general 4243, alexandria
- dollar general 6643, pineville
- dollar general 6658, hineston
- dollar general 7150, alexandria
- dollar general 7934, pineville
- dollar general 8059, woodworth
- dollar tree 2060, pineville
- dollar general 11719, alexandria
- dollar general 11805, alexandria
- dollar general 12553, boyce
- dollar general 13090, boyce
- dollar general 13419, pineville
- dollar general 15797, boyce
- dollar general 19827, pineville
- dollar general 21454, alexandria
- dollar general 22493, pineville
- dollar general 25832, alexandria
- dollar general 2823, pineville
- dollar general 6611, alexandria
- dollar general 7801, pineville
- dollar general 9134, glenmora
- dollar general 9889, pineville
- dollar tree 2496, alexandria
- dollar tree 6597, alexandria
- family dollar 11788, pineville
- family dollar 12152, glenmora
- family dollar 13548, hineston
- family dollar 13877, boyce
- tom's seafood market, pineville
- walgreens 01657, alexandria
- walgreens 02012, alexandria
- walgreens 09182, pineville
- walgreens 09526, pineville
Convenience Store · 42
- anna's quik pak 1, glenmora
- bolton one stop, alexandria
- chevron food mart, alexandria
- chitown gas and grocery, alexandria
- circle k 2704174, alexandria
- circle k 2707778, louisiana
- circle k stores inc. 2707772, pineville
- circle k stores inc. 2707775, alexandria
- circle k stores, inc 2702843, pineville
- circle k stores, inc 2707769, alexandria
- coleman's grocery, alexandria
- d&d stop & save, alexandria
- duke's one stop shop, alexandria
- flowers bakery outlet 50000223, alexandria
- gas mart, alexandria
- joes grocery, alexandria
- jr lee ray's, pineville
- kountry korner #1, mora
- king city #2, alexandria
- kolin general, pineville
- kwik n easy, alexandria
- love's travel stop 720, boyce
- murphy usa 7469, alexandria
- murphy usa 7552, alexandria
- murphy usa 7749, pineville
- n & a food & gas, alexandria
- pooh's, boyce
- rapides station truck stop, boyce
- rick's #1, pineville
- rubios wag a bag, forest hill
- super zaks, alexandria
- sams grocery, alexandria
- sams pdq mart, alexandria
- save more, alexandria
- smokers paradise plus #15, glenmora
- stuckeys travel center, woodworth
- y not stop 28 east 1090, pineville
- y not stop a 1030, alexandria
- y not stop airpark 900, alexandria
- y not stop deville 800, deville
- y not stop versailles 1050, alexandria
- y-not stop buhlow 1070, pineville
Super Store · 9
- ball foods, ball
- kroger 381, alexandria
- sam's club 8181, alexandria
- target store t167, alexandria
- walmart neighborhood market 3727, alexandria
- walmart neighborhood market 3736, pineville
- walmart supercenter 75, pineville
- walmart supercenter 4295, alexandria
- walmart supercenter 539, alexandria
Supermarket · 7
- albertsons 3215, alexandria
- mac's fresh market 10, pineville
- mac's fresh market 11, pineville
- mac's fresh market 7, alexandria
- super 1 foods 601, alexandria
- super 1 foods 609, pineville
- super 1 foods 620, pineville
Small Grocery Store · 5
- asian market, alexandria
- n & n food mart, alexandria
- the cajun butcher, glenmora
- vietnamese market, alexandria
- water street market, lecompte
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- guillory's specialty meats, pineville
- martin meats inc, alexandria
- town and country meats, alexandria
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- food mart, lecompte
- food town plus #1, alexandria
- jerusalem grocery & meat market, alexandria
Farmers' Market · 2
- alexandria farmers market, alexandria
- boyce farmers market, boyce
Seafood Specialty · 2
- crawfish port, alexandria
- louisiana gulf seafood, pineville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- sams parkside grocery, woodworth
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Louisiana
Compare Rapides Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Food access nationally, Louisiana in context
Rapides 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 Rapides Parish has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rapides Parish? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rapides Parish? ▼
Is Rapides Parish a food desert? ▼
What share of Rapides 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.