County food-access profile · Colorado
Boulder County, CO
Boulder 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.
- 17.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 5.9%
- on SNAP
- 329K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.1% of Boulder County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 68 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 20
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.2%
- 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).
Boulder County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.1% per the USDA Atlas. 20 of the county's 68 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 50,451 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,671 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 Boulder County compares nationally
Boulder County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.1% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,937).
Boulder County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 68 census tracts in Boulder County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Boulder County vs. other Colorado counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Colorado
- Boulder
Boulder County, CO
17.1 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, CO
17.9 % low-access
- Alamosa
Alamosa County, CO
27.7 % low-access
- Arapahoe 13.6
Arapahoe County, CO
13.6 % low-access
- Archuleta
Archuleta County, CO
40.9 % low-access
- Baca
Baca County, CO
25.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 68 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 294,567 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 20 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 50,451 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.1%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,671 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 328,961 |
| Median Household Income | $103,994 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,034 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.9%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.1% |
About 5.9% of Boulder County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.1% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,034 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Boulder County
near the national share
1 of Boulder County's 68 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 1.5% of all its tracts.
A further 19 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 20.
An estimated 50,451 residents, roughly 17.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,671 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 48 tracts (70.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Boulder County
Boulder County has 147 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 12 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 57 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 57
- 7 eleven 22596c, longmont
- 7 eleven 34168b, erie
- 7 eleven store # 41867a 41867a, erie
- 7-eleven 32673j, lafayette
- 7-eleven 38638a, frederick
- 7-eleven 39641, boulder
- 7-eleven 39738, lafayette
- 7-eleven 25476a, longmont
- 7-eleven store 13164b 13164b, boulder
- 7-eleven store 13184c 13184c, longmont
- 7-eleven store 35345c 35345c, longmont
- 7-eleven, inc. store 41348b, louisville
- alta 6129, longmont
- boulder convenience inc, boulder
- boulder gas, boulder
- boulder gs llc, boulder
- carniceria guanajuato, longmont
- circle k 2703292, longmont
- circle k 2709846, longmont
- circle k 2709851, boulder
- circle k 2709858, lafayette
- circle k 2709861, boulder
- circle k 2709865, boulder
- circle k 2709866, boulder
- circle k 2709891, longmont
- circle k 2740635, lyons
- circle k 2740650, longmont
- circle k 2740688, longmont
- circle k 2741110, boulder
- circle k 2741147, longmont
- circle k 2744057, boulder
- circle k 2744058, boulder
- dulceria el bom bon 453998, longmont
- ferncliff food & fuel, allenspark
- gpm 4622, longmont
- hersheys market, boulder
- jenny's market 534, longmont
- k b gas and food, nederland
- lafayette mini stop, lafayette
- loaf n jug 750095, longmont
- mediterranean market, boulder
- mt everest inc, lafayette
- murphy express 8723, lafayette
- murphy express 8771, longmont
- murphy express 8813, lafayette
- murphy usa 8635, louisville
- new boulder gas, boulder
- niwot conoco, niwot
- pump & go lafayette, lafayette
- rocket #6503 6503, longmont
- rocket #6505 6505, boulder
- rocket #6510 6510, boulder
- rocket #6529 6529, superior
- rocket 6526, superior
- samu llc, louisville
- stinker store 328, longmont
- sunset fast stop, longmont
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- dollartree 9334, louisville
- dollar tree 3768, longmont
- dollar tree 4357, longmont
- dollar tree 4479, lafayette
- dollar tree 6028, longmont
- dollar tree 7518, boulder
- family dollar 5617, longmont
- lucky's market, boulder
- niwot market, longmont
- walgreens 06111, lafayette
- walgreens 07927, longmont
- walgreens 11327, longmont
- walgreens 12683, boulder
- walgreens 12864, erie
- walgreens 16022, boulder
- walgreens 19103, boulder
- walgreens 2482, boulder
- walgreens 6467, superior
- walgreens 6785, longmont
- walgreens 7006, superior
- walgreens 9598, longmont
Super Store · 21
- costco wholesale 0480, superior
- costco wholesale 1628, longmont
- king soopers 102, longmont
- king soopers 13, louisville
- king soopers 138, lafayette
- king soopers 28, boulder
- king soopers 33, boulder
- king soopers 42, longmont
- king soopers 61, boulder
- king soopers 80, longmont
- sam's club 4987, longmont
- shamrock fsw louisville 575, louisville
- target stores t- 0064, boulder
- target stores t- 1769, superior
- target stores t- 2218, longmont
- walmart sc 1045, lafayette
- whole foods market 10083, boulder
- whole foods market 10423, boulder
- whole foods market 10445, superior
- whole foods market 10544, longmont
- whole foods market 10785, boulder
Supermarket · 18
- natural grocers by vitamin cottage u016, longmont
- safeway 1116, longmont
- safeway 1615, boulder
- safeway 1656, superior
- safeway 1667, erie
- safeway 2910, longmont
- safeway 2911, boulder
- safeway 2919, boulder
- safeway 2812, louisville
- save a lot 24865, longmont
- sprouts farmers market 304, boulder
- sprouts farmers market 319, lafayette
- sprouts farmers market 323, longmont
- sunflower farmers market 312, boulder
- the market at nederland, llc, nederland
- trader joe's 0301, boulder
- vitamin cottage natural food market u012, boulder
- vitamin cottage natural food markets inc u021, lafayette
Farmers' Market · 8
- boulder farmers market, boulder
- erie farmers' market, erie
- growing gardens farm stand, boulder
- lafayette farmers market, lafayette
- longmont farmers market, longmont
- louisville farmers' market, louisville
- nederland farmers market, nederland
- wild wellspring farm, longmont
Small Grocery Store · 7
- asia bazaar inc, longmont
- carniceria las americas llc, longmont
- dds liquor & food mart inc., boulder
- el mercado de lafayette, lafayette
- india bazaar, boulder
- longs peak grocery store, longmont
- nude foods market, boulder
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- india's grocery, boulder
- la barata, longmont
- las americas tortilleria llc 2, longmont
- las x americas tortilleria y carniceria llc, boulder
- mountain people's co-op, nederland
Bakery Specialty · 4
- panaderia sabor a mexico, boulder
- papa murphy's take & bake pizza co 134, erie
- papa murphy's take and bake pizza co004, longmont
- papa murphy's take and bake pizza co091, longmont
Large Grocery Store · 3
- carniceria el cerrito llc, longmont
- longmont packing #1 carniceria, longmont
- st. vrain market, lyons
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- boulder county farmers market food hub, longmont
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- your butcher frank, longmont
Seafood Specialty · 1
- blue reef seafood market, longmont
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Colorado
Compare Boulder County vs Adams County → · All Colorado counties →
Food access nationally, Colorado in context
Boulder County sits inside Colorado (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 Boulder County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Boulder County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Boulder County? ▼
Is Boulder County a food desert? ▼
What share of Boulder 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.