PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Louisiana

St. Bernard Parish, LA

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

35.6%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
25.1%
on SNAP
44K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

The food-access picture

35.6% of St. Bernard Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

7
low-access tracts
6K
food-desert residents
8.2%
households, no vehicle
23.0%
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 St. Bernard Parish's low-access share at 35.6%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 17 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,779 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,809 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 St. Bernard Parish compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, St. Bernard Parish's 35.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #570 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

St. Bernard Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 17 census tracts in St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 17 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (58.8%) 3 tracts limited (17.6%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (23.5%) Adequate 59% Limited 18% Severe 24% Food-access tier distribution: St. Bernard Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts17
Atlas Population (2010 basis)35,897
Low-Access Tracts7
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population12,779
Low-Access Share35.6%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,809

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for St. Bernard Parish
IndicatorValue
Population44,419
Median Household Income$58,651
Poverty Rate23.0%well above the national average
SNAP Households4,072
SNAP Participation Rate25.1%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.2%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.5%
SNAP participation in St. Bernard Parish 25.1%

About 25.1% of St. Bernard Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 35.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 25.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,072 households here.
  • 8.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 4 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 St. Bernard Parish

above the national share

4 of St. Bernard Parish's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.5% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.

An estimated 12,779 residents, roughly 35.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 5,809 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (58.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in St. Bernard Parish

St. Bernard Parish has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 22

  • big easy discount, chalmette
  • day & night #3, violet
  • fast stop of chalmette llc 2545, chalmette
  • genie's quick stop 1, chalmette
  • gmg express llc, violet
  • meraux food store, chalmette
  • meraux quick stop, meraux
  • murphy usa 7217, chalmette
  • nicosias express lane, saint bernard
  • oakridge food & fuel, violet
  • ponstein's food store, chalmette
  • qc discount, violet
  • qc pitlane, meraux
  • quick check 4, saint bernard
  • race trac 2368, chalmette
  • racetrac 2350, chalmette
  • saints food store, chalmette
  • sammy's discount express, chalmette
  • south lake foods, violet
  • st b's discount, violet
  • super discount store, chalmette
  • triple a food mart, chalmette

Combination Grocery/Other · 15

  • cvs pharmacy 2597, chalmette
  • dollar general 11138, chalmette
  • dollar general 13839, meraux
  • dollar general 24832, arabi
  • dollar general 11428, violet
  • dollar general 11511, saint bernard
  • dollar tree 4012, meraux
  • dollar tree 4854, chalmette
  • dollar tree 9494, chalmette
  • family dollar 6214, saint bernard
  • family dollar 7605, chalmette
  • family dollar 8554, chalmette
  • family dollar store 11522, chalmette
  • walgreens 07415, chalmette
  • walgreens 13586, meraux

Medium Grocery Store · 6

  • brothers of chalmette, arabi
  • casa perez market, chalmette
  • jeanfreau's supermkt inc, chalmette
  • la chapina grocery, chalmette
  • tag's meat market, chalmette
  • violet discount meat market, violet

Small Grocery Store · 6

  • la catracha grocery store, chalmette
  • la roca grocery 1, chalmette
  • latin market, chalmette
  • mini market 502, meraux
  • mini market la consentida, chalmette
  • triple a, chalmette

Super Store · 3

  • breaux mart supermarkets inc, chalmette
  • walmart neighborhood market 5081, meraux
  • walmart supercenter 909, chalmette

Supermarket · 2

  • aldi 82250, chalmette
  • canseco's arabi, arabi

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • b & g fresh market, chalmette

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 St. Bernard Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish has low food access? ▼
35.6% of residents in St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish? ▼
25.1% of households in St. Bernard Parish receive SNAP, covering 4,072 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in St. Bernard Parish? ▼
The poverty rate in St. Bernard Parish, LA is 23.0%, with a median household income of $58,651 (Census ACS 2024).
Is St. Bernard Parish a food desert? ▼
4 of St. Bernard Parish's 17 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 St. Bernard Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
8.2% of households in St. Bernard 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.