County food-access profile · Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish, LA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Tangipahoa 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).
- 38.8%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 21.2%
- on SNAP
- 137K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
38.8% of Tangipahoa Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 6.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.2%
- 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 Tangipahoa Parish's low-access share at 38.8%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 47,006 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,205 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 Tangipahoa Parish compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Tangipahoa Parish's 38.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #449 most-affected nationwide.
Tangipahoa Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Tangipahoa Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Tangipahoa Parish vs. other Louisiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana
- Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish, LA
38.8 % 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 | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 121,097 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 47,006 |
| Low-Access Share | 38.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,205 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 136,738 |
| Median Household Income | $56,760 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 11,015 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.2%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
About 21.2% of Tangipahoa Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 38.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 21.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 11,015 households here.
- 6.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Tangipahoa Parish
above the national share
6 of Tangipahoa Parish's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 47,006 residents, roughly 38.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,205 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish has 154 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 64 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 64
- 22 country food mart, ponchatoula
- 51 food mart, amite
- a s food mart operating llc, ponchatoula
- ak food mart, hammond
- albany express mart llc, tickfaw
- best stop quick mart # 14, independence
- big boss #7, tickfaw
- big river 13, ponchatoula
- bigboss express at tangi, tangipohoa
- buddys seafood foodmart, amite
- circle k 2700711, ponchatoula
- circle k 2723468, hammond
- circle k 2723762, ponchatoula
- circle k 2723988, kentwood
- circle k 2740389, hammond
- circle k stores, inc 2709732, hammond
- crossroad, kentwood
- east fork quik stop, kentwood
- family mini mart, hammond
- flowers bakery outlet 233, hammond
- four stars 7, ponchatoula
- hammond express, hammond
- hammond home boys, hammond
- hopin citgo, hammond
- kent kwik 981, hammond
- kent kwik 993, ponchatoula
- kountry korner, hammond
- l & l family grocery and deli, husser
- ls hoover operating, ponchatoula
- la potosina, independence
- la22 mart, ponchatoula
- market max kentwood 090010, kentwood
- murphy express 8753, ponchatoula
- murphy usa 7342, amite
- murphy usa 7758, hammond
- nash discount tobacco & meat market, hammond
- nash express hammond, hammond
- nash express tobacco, hammond
- natalbany food mart, hammond
- on the run 20, amite
- on the run 10, hammond
- on the run 9, hammond
- on the run 9, hammond
- petals inc, robert
- petro hammond 310, hammond
- pilot travel center 300, hammond
- quick way, roseland
- quick way 3, amite
- quick way food store #7, kentwood
- quick way food store 1, independence
- quick way food store, inc. 5, hammond
- race trac 2389, ponchatoula
- racetrac 243, hammond
- racetrac 654, amite
- racetrac 679, hammond
- racetrac 84, hammond
- rendes quick stop 3, hammond
- robert chevron 710, ponchatoula
- shaan food mart, ponchatoula
- skys' pantry, roseland
- southeastern louisiana university, hammond
- sunnyhill petro plus, kentwood
- tiger fuel stop, tickfaw
- university chevron 5, hammond
Combination Grocery/Other · 50
- cvs/ pharmacy 5294, ponchatoula
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5280, hammond
- dollar general 0770, ponchatoula
- dollar general 10492, hammond
- dollar general 13944, amite
- dollar general 14014, hammond
- dollar general 14117, hammond
- dollar general 14143, hammond
- dollar general 18603, roseland
- dollar general 18968, hammond
- dollar general 19376, tickfaw
- dollar general 3839, hammond
- dollar general 6069, tickfaw
- dollar general 6393, ponchatoula
- dollar general 7518, hammond
- dollar general 8871, robert
- dollar general 9463, loranger
- dollartree 6997, tickfaw
- dollartree 8717, ponchatoula
- dollar general 0601, amite
- dollar general 11688, hammond
- dollar general 12558, natalbany
- dollar general 12595, montpelier
- dollar general 12696, ponchatoula
- dollar general 12802, hammond
- dollar general 15386, kentwood
- dollar general 21458, kentwood
- dollar general 22033, hammond
- dollar general 23081, kentwood
- dollar general 23651, ponchatoula
- dollar general 24517, hammond
- dollar general 30359, ponchatoula
- dollar general 30764, hammond
- dollar general 31444, ponchatoula
- dollar general 5874, roseland
- dollar general 7146, independence
- dollar general 9073, kentwood
- dollar tree 0529, hammond
- dollar tree 4067, amite
- family dollar 13631, independence
- family dollar 1636, hammond
- family dollar 593, ponchatoula
- family dollar 8439, hammond
- family dollar store 10667, ponchatoula
- family dollar store 7572, ponchatoula
- fitz-lee specialty meats, independence
- walgreens 06190, hammond
- walgreens 09690, ponchatoula
- walgreens 13604, amite
- walgreens 06027, hammond
Super Store · 11
- bedico supermarket, ponchatoula
- bohning's supermarket, ponchatoula
- piggly wiggly hammond, hammond
- piggly wiggly independence, independence
- robert supermarket, robert
- rouses market 57, ponchatoula
- rouses market 61, hammond
- target store 2531, hammond
- walmart supercenter 3616, amite
- walmart supercenter 4129, ponchatoula
- walmart supercenter 489, hammond
Medium Grocery Store · 7
- b & d salvage grocery, kentwood
- b & j grocery, hammond
- berry town produce, ponchatoula
- doos seafood & deli, ponchatoula
- los primos supermarket, hammond
- magazine food mart, hammond
- save-a-lot grocery salvage, hammond
Supermarket · 7
- albertsons 0714, hammond
- aldi 82157, hammond
- aldi 82149, amite
- loranger supermarket, loranger
- salvage store 4, amite
- save a lot, hammond
- sullivan's grocery 12, kentwood
Small Grocery Store · 4
- el ranchito grocery, tickfaw
- la cocinita supermarket, hammond
- millers mart, hammond
- three stooges, amite
Farmers' Market · 3
- country boys farm, ponchatoula
- hammond farmers & artisans market, hammond
- southern heritage farmers market, amite city
Seafood Specialty · 3
- li'l hayden's seafood & quick stop llc, akers
- michael's seafood, hammond
- superking seafood, hammond
Large Grocery Store · 2
- b & j seafood, hammond
- berry town produce, hammond
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- cutrer's slaughterhouse and meat market n/a, kentwood
- tangi meats, hammond
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- deluxe harvest, hammond
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Louisiana
Compare Tangipahoa Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Food access nationally, Louisiana in context
Tangipahoa 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 Tangipahoa Parish has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Tangipahoa Parish? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Tangipahoa Parish? ▼
Is Tangipahoa Parish a food desert? ▼
What share of Tangipahoa 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.