County food-access profile · Rhode Island
Bristol County, RI
Bristol County 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.
- 56.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 5.3%
- on SNAP
- 50K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
56.0% of Bristol County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 5.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 6.5%
- 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).
Bristol County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 56.0% is well above the national share. 10 of the county's 11 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 27,937 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,032 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 Bristol County compares nationally
Bristol County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 56.0% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #144 most-affected nationwide.
Bristol County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Bristol County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bristol County vs. other Rhode Island counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Rhode Island
- Bristol
Bristol County, RI
56 % low-access
- Kent
Kent County, RI
32.2 % low-access
- Newport
Newport County, RI
33.5 % low-access
- Providence 15.9
Providence County, RI
15.9 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, RI
31.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 49,875 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,937 |
| Low-Access Share | 56.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,032 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 50,490 |
| Median Household Income | $114,490 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,074 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.3%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.2% |
About 5.3% of Bristol County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 56.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,074 households here.
- 5.8% 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 Bristol County
well above the national share
2 of Bristol County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.2% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 27,937 residents, roughly 56.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,032 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 1 tract (9.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bristol County
Bristol County has 27 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 11
- american dream of warren inc, warren
- bristol food mart inc, bristol
- bristol xpress, bristol
- cumberland farms 1209, warren
- colbea enterprises llc 40, barrington
- colbea enterprises llc 47, bristol
- corner store, warren
- cumberland farms, inc 1263, bristol
- iggy's food mart, warren
- pick n pay food mart, bristol
- sams food store, warren
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- cvs pharmacy 210, barrington
- cvs pharmacy 265, warren
- cvs pharmacy 645, bristol
- dollar general 19283, bristol
- dollar general 20990, warren
- dollar tree 4421, bristol
- family dollar 8425, warren
- ocean state job lot 110, warren
- walgreens 06892, bristol
Farmers' Market · 2
- hope & main schoolyard market, warren
- mount hope farmers market, bristol
Supermarket · 2
- shaw's supermarket 1435, barrington
- stop & shop 723, bristol
Large Grocery Store · 1
- toms market, warren
Small Grocery Store · 1
- azorean butcher shop, bristol
Super Store · 1
- clements marketplace, bristol
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Rhode Island
Compare Bristol County vs Kent County → · All Rhode Island counties →
Food access nationally, Rhode Island in context
Bristol County sits inside Rhode Island (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 Bristol County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bristol County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bristol County? ▼
Is Bristol County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bristol 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.