Signature · 27.3% SNAP (97th pct in VA)
Buchanan County, VA
Buchanan County stands out on SNAP (27.3%, +15.2 pts vs U.S.) with 1.9% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 1.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 27.3%
- on SNAP
- 19K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Buchanan County, VA
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 1.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -20.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 27.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Russell County ( -0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Buchanan County lands in the lower national band (1.9%, #2,962 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,962
- national by low-access %
- #117
- in VA
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 268
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 27.3% SNAP (97th pct in VA) (+15.2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Buchanan County compares nationally
Food access in Buchanan County compares favorably nationally: its 1.9% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 5% of them (rank #2,962).
Buchanan County's lower-band USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 7 of Buchanan County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Buchanan 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
- Arlington 2.3
Arlington 2.3%
2.3 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack 2.2%
2.2 % low-access
- Staunton city 2.2
Staunton city 2.2%
2.2 % low-access
- Buchanan 1.9
Buchanan 1.9%
1.9 % low-access
- Russell 1.7
Russell 1.7%
1.7 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 24,098 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 455 |
| Low-Access Share | 1.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 268 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,415 |
| Median Household Income | $42,886 |
| Poverty Rate | 25.2%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,056 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 27.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.5% |
SNAP retailers in Buchanan County
Buchanan County has 24 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 24 authorized stores; Grundy holds 42% of them. 5 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Hurley, Honaker, Oakwood, Raven, Whitewood.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Grundy | 10 | 2 |
| Hurley | 5 | none |
| Vansant | 5 | 1 |
| Honaker | 1 | none |
| Oakwood | 1 | none |
| Raven | 1 | none |
| Whitewood | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 14
- buddy's gas n go, whitewood
- chads zip in, grundy
- clarence justus grocery, hurley
- flowers bakery outlet 50000459, raven
- grundy double kwik 2073, grundy
- happy mart, vansant
- just us grocery, hurley
- lesters general store, grundy
- pit stop, hurley
- praters too, vansant
- praters zip in, vansant
- riverside pit stop, grundy
- stop & shop, grundy
- stop & shop 2, hurley
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- 460 market, grundy
- dollar general 19609, oakwood
- dollar general 20635, grundy
- dollar general 25954, honaker
- dollar general 6213, hurley
- dollar tree 6984, grundy
- family dollar store 3637, vansant
Supermarket · 2
- food city 839, vansant
- super dollar discount food 2843, grundy
Super Store · 1
- walmart 3303, grundy
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 Buchanan County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Counties near Buchanan County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Buchanan County (27.3%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Virginia.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside VA (1.9% here).
- Union County, TN · 1.9% low-access
- Carroll County, IN · 1.9% low-access
- Rowan County, KY · 1.8% low-access
- Greene County, IL · 1.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (27.3% here).
- Lenoir County, NC · 27.3% SNAP
- Mississippi County, MO · 27.3% SNAP
- Lee County, SC · 27.4% SNAP
- Mitchell County, GA · 27.4% 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%). Buchanan County, at 1.9%, runs 18.5 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 Buchanan County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51027. 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.