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Signature · 14.1% SNAP (14th pct in LA)

St. James Parish, LA

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

23.6%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
14.1%
on SNAP
20K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

USDA FARA access plate

County St. James Parish, LA

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR

  • LA-ELEVATED 23.6% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.5 pts vs US
  • LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-HEAVY 14.1% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 5.6% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: St. Mary Parish ( -0.6 pts)

The food-access picture

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, St. James Parish ranks #1,392 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #36 of 64 counties in LA (23.6% low-access).

#1,392
national by low-access %
#36
in LA
3
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

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).

Signature read: 14.1% SNAP (14th pct in LA) (+2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How St. James Parish compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, St. James Parish's 23.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,393 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

St. James Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for St. James Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 7 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (57.1%) 3 tracts limited (42.9%) Adequate 57% Limited 43% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: St. James Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, St. James Parish has 5 urban and 2 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

St. James Parish low-access neighbourhood

Poles + nearest peers in Louisiana, not a full county-board reprint

% 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. James Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts7
Atlas Population (2010 basis)22,102
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population5,216
Low-Access Share23.6%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,917

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for St. James Parish
IndicatorValue
Population19,528
Median Household Income$65,531
Poverty Rate11.1%below the national average
SNAP Households1,060
SNAP Participation Rate14.1%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.6%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.8%

SNAP retailers in St. James Parish

St. James Parish has 16 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 7 locations (44% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 7

  • dollar general 6582, vacherie
  • dollar general 12557, vacherie
  • dollar general 20100, paulina
  • dollar general 30883, gramercy
  • dollar general 3403, gramercy
  • family dollar 11466, lutcher
  • roses express 1233, gramercy

Convenience Store · 5

  • b & c seafood, vacherie
  • big river food and fuel 15, gramercy
  • golden grove truck stop, gramercy
  • jk2019llc, gramercy
  • sunshine super stop 13, convent

Supermarket · 3

  • longview supermarket, paulina
  • veron's supermarket inc, lutcher
  • winn-dixie 1463, gramercy

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • tods catering & specialty meats, lutcher

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in Louisiana

One of 63 counties in Louisiana, 6 are shown here.

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. James Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →

Nationwide peers for St. James Parish's low-access or SNAP share

SNAP-led peer set first for St. James Parish (14.1%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Louisiana.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside LA (23.6% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside LA (14.1% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

St. James Parish sits inside Louisiana (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; 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

Read with this county

Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .

PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for St. James Parish, LA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 22093. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.

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.