County food-access profile · Louisiana
Vermilion Parish, LA
Vermilion Parish's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 9.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 17.9%
- on SNAP
- 57K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.0% of Vermilion Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 9.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.2%
- 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).
Vermilion Parish's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.0% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 5,244 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,148 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 Vermilion Parish compares nationally
Vermilion Parish lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.0% low-access share that beats 18% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,566).
Vermilion Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Vermilion Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Vermilion Parish vs. other Louisiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana
- Vermilion Parish 9
Vermilion Parish, LA
9 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 57,999 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,244 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,148 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 57,123 |
| Median Household Income | $55,707 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,893 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.8%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 17.9% of Vermilion Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,893 households here.
- 9.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Vermilion Parish
near the national share
3 of Vermilion Parish's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 5,244 residents, roughly 9.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,148 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (75.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Vermilion Parish
Vermilion Parish has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 24 locations (44% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- cvs pharmacy inc 5282, kaplan
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5275, abbeville
- dollar general 0993, erath
- dollar general 10555, abbeville
- dollar general 19388, abbeville
- dollar general 3082, abbeville
- dollar general 3176, kaplan
- dollar general 3318, abbeville
- dollar general 4951, gueydan
- dollar general 11615, maurice
- dollar general 12668, abbeville
- dollar general 17238, abbeville
- dollar general 22435, maurice
- dollar general 24790, kaplan
- dollar general 24791, abbeville
- dollar tree 2147, abbeville
- family dollar 11783, abbeville
- family dollar 1208, kaplan
- family dollar 4340, maurice
- family dollar 7409, erath
- family dollar store 11170, erath
- kim's cajun kitchen, kaplan
- tlc's seafood market, abbeville
- walgreens 7393, abbeville
Convenience Store · 14
- circle k 2706817, abbeville
- circle k 2740615, abbeville
- country store #6, delcambre
- five oaks grocery, abbeville
- kaplan food mart, kaplan
- kaplan quick stop, kaplan
- marshas corner store, abbeville
- maxi-mart, abbeville
- moes station, abbeville
- murphy usa 7809, abbeville
- nicks food mart, kaplan
- ray's quick stop, maurice
- shoprite 54, abbeville
- tj food mart, abbeville
Supermarket · 4
- champagne's supermarket inc., erath
- lyons market, kaplan
- super 1 foods 638, abbeville
- shawn's cajun meats and grocery, delcambre
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- hebert's specialty meats, maurice
- heberts meat market, abbeville
- richard's meat market, abbeville
Super Store · 3
- champagnes of abbeville 167, abbeville
- larry's super foods inc, kaplan
- walmart supercenter 309, abbeville
Delivery Route · 2
- jc s seafood, abbeville
- michaels shrimp - unlimited shrimp, abbeville
Large Grocery Store · 2
- campbell's grocery, gueydan
- nu nus country market, maurice
Seafood Specialty · 2
- d & t crawfish, abbeville
- gulf & bay seafood market 0, abbeville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- ngoc uyen oriental, abbeville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Louisiana
Compare Vermilion Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →
Food access nationally, Louisiana in context
Vermilion 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 Vermilion Parish has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Vermilion Parish? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Vermilion Parish? ▼
Is Vermilion Parish a food desert? ▼
What share of Vermilion 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.