County food-access profile · Virginia
Amherst County, VA
Amherst County'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.
- 11.3%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 31K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
11.3% of Amherst County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.8%
- 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).
Amherst County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.3% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 9 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 3,662 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,251 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 9 census tracts in Amherst County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Amherst County vs. other Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Amherst
Amherst County, VA
11.3 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack County, VA
2.2 % low-access
- Albemarle
Albemarle County, VA
11.9 % low-access
- Alexandria city 0
Alexandria city, VA
0 % low-access
- Alleghany
Alleghany County, VA
16.4 % low-access
- Amelia
Amelia County, VA
16.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| 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% |
About 10.5% of Amherst County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 11.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,327 households here.
- 3.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Amherst County
near the national share
2 of Amherst County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 22.2% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 3,662 residents, roughly 11.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,251 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Amherst County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Amherst County sits inside Virginia (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 Amherst County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Amherst County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Amherst County? ▼
Is Amherst County a food desert? ▼
What share of Amherst 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.