PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Alaska

Bethel Census Area, AK

Bethel Census Area sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

68.6%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
42.4%
on SNAP
18K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 AK

The food-access picture

68.6% of Bethel Census Area residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 3 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

3
low-access tracts
7K
food-desert residents
57.7%
households, no vehicle
25.6%
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).

Bethel Census Area carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 68.6% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 3 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 11,678 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,780 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 Bethel Census Area compares nationally

Bethel Census Area sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 68.6% low-access share outpaces 97% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #102 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Bethel Census Area: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 3 census tracts in Bethel Census Area, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Bethel Census Area, AK USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 3 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts limited (33.3%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (66.7%) Adequate 0% Limited 33% Severe 67% Food-access tier distribution: Bethel Census Area, AK
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Bethel Census Area vs. other Alaska counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alaska

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Bethel Census Area
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts3
Atlas Population (2010 basis)17,013
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population11,678
Low-Access Share68.6%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population6,780

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Bethel Census Area
IndicatorValue
Population18,394
Median Household Income$73,996
Poverty Rate25.6%well above the national average
SNAP Households2,047
SNAP Participation Rate42.4%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle57.7%well above the national average
Group-Quarters Population4.6%
SNAP participation in Bethel Census Area 42.4%

About 42.4% of Bethel Census Area households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 68.6% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 42.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,047 households here.
  • 57.7% 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 Bethel Census Area

well above the national share

2 of Bethel Census Area's 3 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 66.7% 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 11,678 residents, roughly 68.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 6,780 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Bethel Census Area

Bethel Census Area has 47 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 36 locations (77% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 36

  • a & l variety shoppe, kongiganak
  • akiachak enterprise, akiachak
  • atmautluak limited, inc., atmautluak
  • chefarnrmute inc 44-45, chefornak
  • ez trading, sleetmute
  • emi's store, kipnuk
  • iqfijouaq company incorporated, eek
  • john and bonnie's, eek
  • kalskag native store, lower kalskag
  • kugkaktlik limited, kipnuk
  • kwethluk native store, kwethliak
  • kwik store, kwigillingok
  • kashatok brothers store, kipnuk
  • kasigluk, inc 9074772177, kasigluk
  • kokarmuit corporation store, akiak
  • kuik run store, aniak
  • kwethluk sports store 757-6412, kwethluk
  • mumtram pikkai inc, goodnews bay
  • newtok native corporation store, newtok
  • nima store, mekoryuk
  • naparyalruar corporation (store), napakiak
  • napaskiak incorporated, napaskiak
  • nunapitchuk limited general store, nunapitchuk
  • nyc general store, toksook bay
  • paul andrew trading post, tuntutuliak
  • qinarmiut corporation, tuntutuliak
  • qayanek, kwigillingok
  • qemirtalek coast store, kongiganak
  • quick foods, bethel
  • stephan & co wake & bake coffee shop, quinhagak
  • thomas trading post, crooked creek
  • the cache n carry grocery, aniak
  • tom's store, newtok
  • tulkisarmute incorporated, tuluksak
  • tuluksak native store, tuluksak
  • tununrmiut rinit corporation, tununak

Combination Grocery/Other · 6

  • ac quickstop 136, bethel
  • alaska commercial company 125, aniak
  • alaska commercial company 135, bethel
  • alaska commercial company 206, toksook bay
  • christy's grocery, bethel
  • swanson's alaska llc, bethel

Small Grocery Store · 3

  • agaalag, platinum
  • ausdahl's mercantile, upper kalskag
  • johns store, toksook bay

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • qanirtuuq incorporated, quinhagak

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • tununak native store, tununak

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Alaska

Aleutians East Borough
39.0% low-access · 14.5% SNAP
Aleutians West Census Area
21.4% low-access · 4.8% SNAP
Anchorage Municipality
28.4% low-access · 8.7% SNAP
Bristol Bay Borough
56.3% low-access · 5.2% SNAP
Chugach Census Area
ACS data only · 9.8% SNAP
Copper River Census Area
ACS data only · 12.8% SNAP

Compare Bethel Census Area vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →

Food access nationally, Alaska in context

Bethel Census Area sits inside Alaska (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Bethel Census Area has low food access? ▼
68.6% of residents in Bethel Census Area, AK live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bethel Census Area? ▼
42.4% of households in Bethel Census Area receive SNAP, covering 2,047 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Bethel Census Area? ▼
The poverty rate in Bethel Census Area, AK is 25.6%, with a median household income of $73,996 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Bethel Census Area a food desert? ▼
2 of Bethel Census Area's 3 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Bethel Census Area households lack a vehicle? ▼
57.7% of households in Bethel Census Area have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.