Signature · 27 SNAP-authorized stores
Amherst County, VA
Amherst County lands in the lower national band on low-access (11.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 11.3%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 31K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Amherst County, VA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 11.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -10.8 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 22% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Manassas city ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Amherst County lands in the lower national band (11.3%, #2,386 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,386
- national by low-access %
- #83
- in VA
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 27 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Amherst County compares nationally
Amherst County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.3% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,391).
Amherst County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Amherst County has 4 urban and 5 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Amherst County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Highland
Highland 99.7%
99.7 % low-access
- Albemarle 11.9
Albemarle 11.9%
11.9 % low-access
- Craig 11.8
Craig 11.8%
11.8 % low-access
- Amherst 11.3
Amherst 11.3%
11.3 % low-access
- Pulaski 11.2
Pulaski 11.2%
11.2 % low-access
- Manassas city 11.2
Manassas city 11.2%
11.2 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,353 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,662 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,251 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 31,485 |
| Median Household Income | $68,724 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,327 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Amherst County
Amherst County has 27 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 13 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 13
- apple market 509, amherst
- best bet mini mart 1, amherst
- country corner market, madison heights
- crossroad express market, gladstone
- express lane 5 5, madison heights
- murphy express 8743, madison heights
- quik-e foods 1, madison heights
- quik-e foods 10, madison heights
- quik-e foods 11, amherst
- sardis grocery store, amherst
- sheetz 272, madison heights
- speedway 4638, madison heights
- triangle quick mart llc, madison heights
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs pharmacy 3509, madison heights
- cvs pharmacy 7002, amherst
- dollar general 1048, madison heights
- dollar general 21719, monroe
- dollar general 2720, madison heights
- dollar general 2836, amherst
- dollar tree 880, madison heights
- family dollar 12143, amherst
Supermarket · 3
- food lion 199, madison heights
- food lion 2557, madison heights
- food lion 482, amherst
Farmers' Market · 1
- second street farmers' market, amherst
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- anderson's country market ii, madison heights
Super Store · 1
- walmart 2565, madison heights
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Virginia
One of 132 counties in Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Amherst County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Counties near Amherst County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Amherst County, both outside Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside VA (11.3% here).
- Clinton County, PA · 11.3% low-access
- Clinton County, PA · 11.3% low-access
- Dunklin County, MO · 11.3% low-access
- Dunklin County, MO · 11.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (10.5% here).
- Duchesne County, UT · 10.5% SNAP
- Duchesne County, UT · 10.5% SNAP
- Walker County, TX · 10.5% SNAP
- Walker County, TX · 10.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Amherst County inside a lower low-access state context
Amherst County sits inside Virginia (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Amherst County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51009. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.