(KMDL-FM) In the wake of the ongoing federal government shutdown, much has been made of how the lack of movement at the federal level affects residents on the local level. Especially those residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. With those benefits currently in limbo, the residents of these Louisiana Parishes could be most affected.
SNAP is unique in that it is funded at the federal level by the United States Department of Agriculture. However, those federal funds are distributed at the state level. In Louisiana, that translates into these numbers. There are 792,769 residents in 396,157 households who receive the benefits. Those numbers were accurate as of September 2025.
If you look at average numbers, about 18% of Louisiana’s population receives the benefits. That number does fluctuate from year to year and even month to month.
Which Louisiana Parishes Rely on SNAP Benefits the Most?
According to a Google Search on the subject of “which Louisiana Parishes receive the most SNAP benefits,” it revealed that East Carroll, Madison, and St. Landry Parishes receive the most compensation per capita in the state.
It is estimated that 33.7% of East Carroll residents, 30.5% of Madison Parish residents, and 28.7% of St Landry Parish residents receive the benefit. In terms of the actual number of people using SNAP, that honor belongs to East Baton Rouge Parish, with Orleans Parish coming in second in that statistical category.
Which Acadiana Parishes Rely on SNAP Benefits the Most?
We’ve already established that, per capita, St. Landry Parish leads Acadiana with the largest percentage of SNAP benefit recipients. In Acadia Parish, there are some 13,711 SNAP recipients, which translates to 22.5% of the parish population.
In Vermilion Parish, there are 11,572 residents signed up for SNAP benefits. That translates to 20.0% of the parish population. Next door in Lafayette Parish, the number of SNAP recipients is 40,200, certainly a much larger total number than any other parish. But when you break the numbers down by percentage, only 18% of Lafayette Parish residents use SNAP benefits.
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In Iberia Parish, 24.2% of the parish population receives SNAP benefits, which translates to about 17,509 people. St Martin Parish has 10,546 residents who receive SNAP benefits, and that translates to 20.2% of the population…