County food-access profile · Vermont
Addison County, VT
Most of Addison County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 6.2%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.7%
- on SNAP
- 38K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
6.2% of Addison County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 558
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.6%
- 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).
By the USDA's measure, Addison County fares better than most: just 6.2% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 2 of the county's 10 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 2,294 people who live far from a supermarket, and none of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Addison County compares nationally
Food access in Addison County compares favorably nationally: its 6.2% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 12% of them (rank #2,751).
Addison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Addison County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Addison County vs. other Vermont counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Vermont
- Addison 6.2
Addison County, VT
6.2 % low-access
- Bennington 8.2
Bennington County, VT
8.2 % low-access
- Caledonia 5.8
Caledonia County, VT
5.8 % low-access
- Chittenden
Chittenden County, VT
13.9 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, VT
28.2 % low-access
- Franklin 9.2
Franklin County, VT
9.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 36,821 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,294 |
| Low-Access Share | 6.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 558 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 37,664 |
| Median Household Income | $89,639 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,306 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 8.8% |
About 8.7% of Addison County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 6.2% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,306 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $89,639 with a 7.6% poverty rate.
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 Addison County
below the national share
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.
An estimated 2,294 residents, roughly 6.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 558 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (80.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Addison County
Addison County has 30 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 15 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 15
- bristol country store, bristol
- bristol discount beverage and redemption, bristol
- champlain farms 140, bristol
- champlain farms 230, middlebury
- champlain farms 340, vergennes
- green mountain market #106 106, middlebury
- jiffy mart 443, new haven
- jiffy mart 461, ferrisburgh
- jolley 506, n ferrisburgh
- jolley 534, middlebury
- orwell one stop, orwell
- roxbury country store, roxbury
- tenneybrook middlebury 525, middlebury
- west addison general store, vergennes
- whiting general store, whiting
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- dollar general 13135, vergennes
- dollar general 17963, shoreham
- kinney drugs 22, vergennes
- kinney drugs 38, middlebury
- walgreens 18043, bristol
- walgreens 18375, middlebury
Supermarket · 3
- shaw's supermarket 1219, middlebury
- shaw's supermarket 2536, vergennes
- shaw's supermarket 3528, bristol
Farmers' Market · 2
- bristol farmers market, bristol
- middlebury farmers market, middlebury
Super Store · 2
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8121, middlebury
- middlebury natural food co-op inc, middlebury
Large Grocery Store · 1
- greg's market, middlebury
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- pratts store inc, bridport
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Vermont
Compare Addison County vs Bennington County → · All Vermont counties →
Food access nationally, Vermont in context
Addison County sits inside Vermont (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 Addison County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Addison County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Addison County? ▼
Is Addison County a food desert? ▼
What share of Addison County 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.