Signature · 8.7% low-access (17th pct)
Bedford County, VA
Bedford County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 81K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Bedford County, VA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 8.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 6% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Patrick County (+ 0.4 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Bedford County lands in the lower national band (8.7%, #2,580 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,580
- national by low-access %
- #95
- in VA
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.7% low-access (17th pct) (-13.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Bedford County compares nationally
Bedford County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.7% low-access share that beats 17% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,580).
Bedford County's lower-band USDA tier split
17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Bedford County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (14 rural, 3 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 3 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Bedford 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
- Goochland 9.2
Goochland 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Patrick 9.1
Patrick 9.1%
9.1 % low-access
- Shenandoah 9.1
Shenandoah 9.1%
9.1 % low-access
- Bedford 8.7
Bedford 8.7%
8.7 % low-access
- Campbell 8.1
Campbell 8.1%
8.1 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 74,898 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,553 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,105 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 80,894 |
| Median Household Income | $78,937 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.1%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,164 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
Thick SNAP store book in Bedford County
Bedford County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 32 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
11 towns share the 64 authorized stores; Bedford holds 36% of them. 7 of the 11 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Huddleston, Vinton, Montvale, Big Island, Goode, Goodview and 1 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford | 23 | 3 |
| Forest | 18 | 4 |
| Moneta | 5 | 1 |
| Huddleston | 4 | none |
| Vinton | 4 | none |
| Lynchburg | 3 | 1 |
| Montvale | 3 | none |
| Big Island | 1 | none |
| Goode | 1 | none |
| Goodview | 1 | none |
Top 10 of 11 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 32
- apple market 505, forest
- apple market 510, lynchburg
- apple market 511, moneta
- body camp store, bedford
- diamond hill general store, moneta
- express lane 2 2, forest
- express lane 4 4, forest
- go mart 121, bedford
- goode country store, goode
- goodview market, goodview
- h&h market, big island
- huddleston foodmart, huddleston
- huddleston market, huddleston
- jordantown mart llc, vinton
- m & a country store, moneta
- murphy usa 7480, bedford
- north side supply, bedford
- quick mart, bedford
- quik-e foods 3, forest
- quik-e foods 8, forest
- roadside market, montvale
- royal farms 168, bedford
- speedy mart, bedford
- sheetz 261, forest
- sheetz 440, forest
- shop in, vinton
- skymart discount tobacco, bedford
- stop in food stores 8124, bedford
- stop in food stores 8143, montvale
- stop in food stores 8268, bedford
- thaxton market, thaxton
- westside food market, bedford
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs 7378, bedford
- cvs pharmacy 5722, bedford
- cvs pharmacy 7028, forest
- cvs pharmacy 7948, forest
- dollar general 14252, lynchburg
- dollar general 18693, bedford
- dollar general 4473, bedford
- dollar general 11774, moneta
- dollar general 15056, vinton
- dollar general 15138, forest
- dollar general 15649, forest
- dollar general 19906, huddleston
- dollar general 24091, vinton
- dollar general 24449, bedford
- dollar general 24992, bedford
- dollar general 30699, huddleston
- dollar general 7198, forest
- dollar general store 16524, montvale
- dollar tree 2763, bedford
- dollar tree 8263, forest
Supermarket · 4
- food lion 1537, forest
- food lion 2174, moneta
- food lion 249, bedford
- food lion 657, forest
Farmers' Market · 3
- bedford va farmers market, bedford
- forest farmers market, forest
- the bedford farmer managed market llc, bedford
Super Store · 3
- kroger 377, forest
- walmart neighborhood market 3603, forest
- walmart supercenter 1399, bedford
Large Grocery Store · 1
- elba butcher shoppe, bedford
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- tienda xpress 1, lynchburg
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 Bedford County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Counties near Bedford County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Bedford 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 (8.7% here).
- Randolph County, WV · 8.7% low-access
- Orange County, NC · 8.7% low-access
- Cherokee County, NC · 8.7% low-access
- Caswell County, NC · 8.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (6.5% here).
- Natrona County, WY · 6.5% SNAP
- York County, SC · 6.5% SNAP
- Montour County, PA · 6.5% SNAP
- Medina County, OH · 6.5% 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.
Virginia among South Atlantic states
Virginia ranks 8th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (20.4%). Bedford County, at 8.7%, runs 11.7 pts below the Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Bedford County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51019. 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.