Food deserts statistics depend on how food access is measured. In 2019, 53.6 million people, or 17.4% of the U.S. population, lived in low-income, low-access census tracts under the USDA measure using a distance of more than 0.5 mile in urban areas or more than 10 miles in rural areas. Using a more than 1-mile urban threshold with the same rural threshold, the estimate was 18.8 million people, or 6.1% of the population. These figures describe different definitions, not competing counts of one identical group. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
Contents
- National food desert population estimates
- Census tract counts and change
- Foodstore availability and composition
- Distance by race and ethnicity
- Distance by age and income
- Vehicle access and SNAP households
National food desert population estimates
The USDA’s 2019 estimates change substantially with the urban and rural distance thresholds. The more than 0.5-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural low-income, low-access measure covered 82,164,473 people, or 26.6% of the U.S. population. Adding the low-income condition produced the 53.6-million-person estimate described above.
Under the more than 1-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural low-income, low-access measure, 39,074,974 people—12.7% of the population—were covered by the broader low-access measure, while 18.8 million people, or 6.1%, were in low-income, low-access tracts. Under the more than 1-mile urban/more than 20-mile rural measure, 34,975,682 people, or 11.3%, were covered by the low-access measure, and 17.1 million people, or 5.6%, were in low-income, low-access tracts. The latter estimate uses the large-retailer access reference definition. USDA, Food Access Research Atlas - Large Retailer Access Map Reference Guide
| 2019 access definition | People covered by low-access measure | Share of U.S. population |
|---|---|---|
| More than 0.5 mile urban / more than 10 miles rural | 82,164,473 | 26.6% |
| More than 1 mile urban / more than 10 miles rural | 39,074,974 | 12.7% |
| More than 1 mile urban / more than 20 miles rural | 34,975,682 | 11.3% |
Another measure focuses on transportation and distance. In 2019, 43,646,621 people, or 14.1% of the population, lived in low-income, vehicle-access/more-than-20-mile tracts. In those tracts, 298,000 people lived more than 20 miles from a foodstore. Also, 1.9 million housing units—1.7% of all U.S. housing units—were in low-income, low-access tracts more than 0.5 mile from a foodstore without a vehicle. These estimates should be read as distinct geographic and transportation measures. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
Census tract counts and change
The USDA analysis covered 72,531 populated U.S. census tracts in comparisons between 2015 and 2019. The number of low-income tracts declined from 30,870 in 2015 to 30,287 in 2019, while their share of populated tracts fell from 42.6% to 41.8%.
Low-access tract counts varied by definition. The more than 1-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural measure increased slightly, from 27,527 tracts in 2015 to 27,548 in 2019, while its share remained 38.0%. The more than 0.5-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural measure declined from 49,725 to 49,521 tracts, or from 68.6% to 68.3%. The more than 1-mile urban/more than 20-mile rural measure was almost unchanged, moving from 24,710 to 24,709 tracts and remaining 34.1% of populated tracts.
The vehicle-access/more-than-20-mile measure declined from 16,638 tracts in 2015 to 15,574 in 2019, or from 22.9% to 21.5%. The corresponding low-income, low-access count fell from 10,869 to 10,126 tracts.
For combined low-income and low-access measures, the more than 1-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural count rose from 9,245 tracts to 9,293. The more than 0.5-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural count fell from 20,556 to 20,247, while the more than 1-mile urban/more than 20-mile rural count rose from 8,105 to 8,140. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
The urban and rural pattern was also slightly different under the more than 1-mile urban/more than 10-mile rural definition. Urban low-income, low-access tracts increased from 7,905 in 2015 to 7,941 in 2019. Rural tracts increased from 1,340 to 1,352. USDA, Number of census tracts classified low income and low access to foodstores increased in U.S. urban and rural areas from 2015 to 2019
Foodstore availability and composition
The number of tracked supermarkets, supercenters, and large grocery stores increased from 44,243 in 2015 to 45,233 in 2019. Store composition changed within that total. Supermarkets rose from 34,458 to 34,828, while supercenters declined from 8,323 to 7,801. Large grocery stores increased from 1,462 to 2,604, nearly doubling over the 2015–2019 period.
| Tracked store type | 2015 | 2019 | 2019 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 34,458 | 34,828 | 77.0% |
| Supercenters | 8,323 | 7,801 | 17.2% |
| Large grocery stores | 1,462 | 2,604 | 5.8% |
| Total tracked stores | 44,243 | 45,233 | 100% |
Supermarkets remained the largest tracked category, representing 77.9% of stores in 2015 and 77.0% in 2019. For an earlier reference point, the 2010 counts were 34,704 supermarkets, 4,165 supercenters, and 834 large grocery stores. The store categories and counts are part of the USDA’s tracked-foodstore analysis; they do not by themselves establish whether every resident had convenient physical or affordable access. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
Distance by race and ethnicity
Across all individuals in 2019, the median distance to the nearest foodstore was 0.88 mile, and 39.8% lived more than 1 mile away. The distribution differed across racial and ethnic groups.
| Group | Median distance | More than 1 mile away |
|---|---|---|
| White | 0.93 mile | 44.8% |
| Black | 0.69 mile | 29.5% |
| Asian | 0.62 mile | 20.7% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.98 mile | 48.9% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.69 mile | 28.1% |
| Hispanic | 0.62 mile | 22.5% |
| Non-Hispanic | 0.93 mile | 43.2% |
Black individuals were 37.0% within 0.5 mile of a foodstore, while Hispanic individuals were 46.0% within 0.5 mile. These distance statistics describe proximity to the nearest foodstore; they do not measure store prices, product quality, dietary suitability, or shopping frequency. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
Distance by age and income
Age groups had similar median distances in 2019, but the share living more than 1 mile away varied modestly. Children age 17 or younger had a median distance of 0.88 mile, with 40.4% more than 1 mile away. Working-age adults also had a 0.88-mile median distance, with 39.2% more than 1 mile away. Seniors age 65 or older had a 0.93-mile median distance, with 41.7% more than 1 mile away.
Income groups show a different pattern in these proximity measures. Low-income individuals had a 0.69-mile median distance to a foodstore, compared with 0.88 mile for moderate- and high-income individuals. The share more than 1 mile away was 33.2% for low-income individuals and 40.9% for moderate- and high-income individuals. Within 0.5 mile, the respective shares were 36.7% and 29.2%.
These results illustrate why a single distance statistic can be misleading without its population definition. The low-income group had a shorter median distance and a larger share within 0.5 mile than the moderate- and high-income group in this 2019 comparison, even though low-income status is also used in USDA low-income, low-access tract classifications. USDA, Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
Vehicle access and SNAP households
For all U.S. households in 2019, the median distance to the nearest foodstore was 0.88 mile, and 39.0% were more than 1 mile away. Households without a vehicle had a shorter 0.44-mile median distance, with 20.2% more than 1 mile away; 54.0% were within 0.5 mile. Households owning a vehicle had a 0.88-mile median distance, and 40.9% were more than 1 mile away.
| Household group | Median distance | Within 0.5 mile | More than 1 mile away |
|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 0.88 mile | — | 39.0% |
| Without a vehicle | 0.44 mile | 54.0% | 20.2% |
| Owning a vehicle | 0.88 mile | — | 40.9% |
| SNAP households | 0.69 mile | 36.3% | 33.6% |
| Non-SNAP households | 0.88 mile | 30.4% | 39.8% |
SNAP households had a 0.69-mile median distance, with 36.3% within 0.5 mile and 33.6% more than 1 mile away. Non-SNAP households had a 0.88-mile median distance, with 30.4% within 0.5 mile and 39.8% more than 1 mile away. More than 2 million households without vehicles lived more than 1 mile from a foodstore in 2019.
At the tract level, 14.5% of households nationally were in low-income tracts more than 0.5 mile from a supermarket without a vehicle, or in tracts where residents were more than 20 miles from a supermarket. This is a separate combined measure from the household distance figures above. USDA, Updated Food Access Research Atlas Now Maps Changes in Low-Income and Low-Supermarket Access Areas in 2019