County food-access profile · Massachusetts
Berkshire County, MA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Berkshire County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 30.9%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 16.5%
- on SNAP
- 129K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
30.9% of Berkshire County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 39 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 16
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 9.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.4%
- 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).
USDA data puts Berkshire County's low-access share at 30.9%, above the national share. 16 of the county's 39 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 40,594 people. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,890 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 Berkshire County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Berkshire County's 30.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #882 most-affected nationwide.
Berkshire County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 39 census tracts in Berkshire County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Berkshire County vs. other Massachusetts counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Massachusetts
- Berkshire
Berkshire County, MA
30.9 % low-access
- Barnstable
Barnstable County, MA
51 % low-access
- Bristol
Bristol County, MA
26.4 % low-access
- Dukes
Dukes County, MA
32.2 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, MA
30.1 % low-access
- Franklin 19.1
Franklin County, MA
19.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 39 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 131,219 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 16 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 40,594 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,890 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 129,430 |
| Median Household Income | $76,013 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,512 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.6%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.7% |
About 16.5% of Berkshire County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 30.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,512 households here.
- 9.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Berkshire County
above the national share
9 of Berkshire County's 39 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.1% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 16.
An estimated 40,594 residents, roughly 30.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,890 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 23 tracts (59.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Berkshire County
Berkshire County has 107 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 44
- 7-eleven 32495h, adams
- a-mart, pittsfield
- alltown 3706, pittsfield
- alltown pittsfield 3715, pittsfield
- big y express 83, pittsfield
- big y express 98, lee
- cumberland farms 6772, north adams
- cumberland farms 6789, adams
- convenience plus 2750, lee
- convenience plus 3705, cheshire
- costanzo's package & variety, pittsfield
- cumberland farms 6670, pittsfield
- cumberland farms 6691, north adams
- cumberland farms 6697, pittsfield
- cumberland farms 6743, north adams
- cumberland farms, inc 6658, dalton
- cumberland farms, inc 6668, great barrington
- cumberland farms, inc 6678, williamstown
- ez mart foods of ma inc, north adams
- farmington river general store, sandisfield
- food mart, pittsfield
- gulf food mart, lanesborough
- hartes package & variety store, pittsfield
- jake's variety, pittsfield
- johnnie's superstore, pittsfield
- kr south street inc, pittsfield
- l&m auto inc dba/ papa's healthy food & fuel, east otis
- liptonmart elm st. 603, pittsfield
- liptonmart north st. 604, pittsfield
- liptonmart rt. 20 602, pittsfield
- liptonmart south st. 601, pittsfield
- massachusetts college of liberal arts po, north adams
- mobil salton ave, pittsfield
- new elm convenience, pittsfield
- palmers inc, pittsfield
- pittsfield xtra mart 10091, pittsfield
- placita latina restaurant & market, pittsfield
- quick trip inc., north adams
- south main xtra mart 10025, great barrington
- thing or two variety, pittsfield
- wheelers wine and liquor, pittsfield
- williams street market & deli, pittsfield
- wohrle's food warehouse, pittsfield
- zenner's package & variety inc, pittsfield
Combination Grocery/Other · 27
- berkshire co-op market, great barrington
- cvs 433, lenox
- cvs pharmacy 1131, north adams
- cvs pharmacy 257, pittsfield
- cvs pharmacy 8970, great barrington
- dollar general 14678, williamstown
- dollar general 13540, adams
- dollar general 14438, sheffield
- dollar general 14703, lanesborough
- dollar general 15167, pittsfield
- dollar general 30624, great barrington
- dollar general store 17051, cheshire
- dollar tree 1314, pittsfield
- dollar tree 4349, great barrington
- dollar tree 4508, north adams
- family dollar 2209, pittsfield
- i shree-2 llc, stockbridge
- i shree-3 llc, great barrington
- ishree-1llc 1, lanesborough
- mercy footstep market, pittsfield
- ocean state job lot 246, north adams
- walgreens 17226, pittsfield
- walgreens 17637, pittsfield
- walgreens 18016, williamstown
- walgreens 18122, pittsfield
- walgreens 19038, adams
- walgreens 19088, lee
Supermarket · 12
- adams hometown market 250, adams
- aldi 24, pittsfield
- guido's fresh marketplace, pittsfield
- guido's fresh marketplace, great barrington
- loeb's foodtown, lenox
- market 32 pittsfield 140, pittsfield
- market 32 by price chopper 233, lenox
- price chopper great barrington 155, great barrington
- stop & shop 21, pittsfield
- stop & shop 458, pittsfield
- stop & shop 784, north adams
- wild oats co-op, williamstown
Farmers' Market · 11
- berkshire botanical garden farmers market ffab, stockbridge
- berkshire grown holiday fm-great barrington, housatonic
- berkshire grown holiday farmers' mkt-williamstown, north adams
- city of north adams - farmers market, north adams
- farmers market of sheffield, sheffield
- great barrington farmers market ffab, great barrington
- lee farmers market, lee
- pittsfield farmers market, pittsfield
- stockbridge farmers market nafmnp, stockbridge
- west stockbridge farmers market, west stockbridge
- williamstown farmers market, williamstown
Super Store · 8
- bj's wholesale club 355, pittsfield
- big y supermarket 37, lee
- big y supermarkets 22, great barrington
- big y supermarkets 23, pittsfield
- big y supermarkets 26, north adams
- target 2127, lanesboro
- walmart 1984, north adams
- walmart 2228, pittsfield
Small Grocery Store · 4
- berkshire international market, pittsfield
- cultural market, pittsfield
- franky's 1, pittsfield
- katie's country store, east otis
Delivery Route · 1
- berkshire mobile farmers market, great barrington
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Massachusetts
Compare Berkshire County vs Barnstable County → · All Massachusetts counties →
Food access nationally, Massachusetts in context
Berkshire County sits inside Massachusetts (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 Berkshire County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Berkshire County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Berkshire County? ▼
Is Berkshire County a food desert? ▼
What share of Berkshire 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.