County food-access profile · Idaho
Canyon County, ID
Canyon 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.
- 19.3%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 251K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
19.3% of Canyon County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 14K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.5%
- 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).
Canyon County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 19.3% per the USDA Atlas. 11 of the county's 29 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 36,414 residents who live far from a supermarket. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 14,042 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 Canyon County compares nationally
Canyon County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.3% low-access share that beats 44% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,746).
Canyon County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 29 census tracts in Canyon County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Canyon County vs. other Idaho counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Idaho
- Canyon
Canyon County, ID
19.3 % low-access
- Ada
Ada County, ID
30.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, ID
25.5 % low-access
- Bannock
Bannock County, ID
34.7 % low-access
- Bear Lake
Bear Lake County, ID
25.9 % low-access
- Benewah
Benewah County, ID
23.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 29 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 188,923 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 36,414 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 14,042 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 250,790 |
| Median Household Income | $76,488 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,423 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
About 8.6% of Canyon County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 19.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,423 households here.
- 3.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Canyon County
near the national share
6 of Canyon County's 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.7% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 36,414 residents, roughly 19.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 14,042 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (62.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Canyon County
Canyon County has 125 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 64 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 64
- angeles de puebla ice cream 2084547829, caldwell
- bud's marketplace, nampa
- extramile 143, parma
- extramile convenience stores 0196, caldwell
- extramile convenience stores 144, nampa
- extramile convenience stores 149, caldwell
- extramile convience stores 0148, caldwell
- extramile convience stores 177, middleton
- extramile convience stores 178, caldwell
- extramile convience stores 179, nampa
- extramile convience stores 180, nampa
- extramile convience stores 181, nampa
- extramile convience stores 182, nampa
- extramile convience stores 183, nampa
- extramile convience stores 184, nampa
- extramile by jacksons 147, caldwell
- extramile by jacksons 164, caldwell
- farmway market, caldwell
- fast mart, nampa
- greenleaf chevron, greenleaf
- jacksons food stores 003, wilder
- jacksons food stores 059, nampa
- jacksons food stores 060, nampa
- jacksons food stores 061, nampa
- jacksons food stores 062, nampa
- jacksons food stores 063, caldwell
- jacksons food stores 064, caldwell
- jacksons food stores 082, caldwell
- jacksons food stores 115, notus
- jacksons food stores 117, nampa
- jacksons food stores 198, nampa
- jacksons food stores 22, middleton
- jacksons food stores 239, nampa
- jacksons food stores 241, melba
- jacksons food stores 5, nampa
- jacksons food stores 85, nampa
- kj garrity 66 80218, nampa
- lake lowell market, caldwell
- lakeshore market, nampa
- maverik 551, nampa
- maverik 595, caldwell
- maverik, inc 178, nampa
- maverik, inc 287, nampa
- maverik, inc 298, caldwell
- maverik, inc 430, caldwell
- maverik, inc 522, nampa
- maverik, inc 5407, caldwell
- maverik, inc 661, caldwell
- maverik, inc 778, middleton
- maverik, inc 797, caldwell
- nueva vida bakery llc, nampa
- pilot travel center 638, caldwell
- pk minimart, nampa
- stinker store 108, caldwell
- stinker store 113, nampa
- stinker store 122, nampa
- stinker store 41, caldwell
- stinker store 44, nampa
- stinker store 48, nampa
- stinker store 60, caldwell
- stinker store 75, caldwell
- stinker store 82, nampa
- sunny slope market, caldwell
- utaev stores 001, nampa
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- bi-mart 614, caldwell
- bi-mart 628, nampa
- dollartree 9010, middleton
- dollar tree 2775, nampa
- dollar tree 3181, nampa
- dollar tree 5589, caldwell
- dollar tree 6076, caldwell
- family dollar 10004, middleton
- family dollar store 10025, nampa
- family dollar store 6963, caldwell
- family dollar store 7267, parma
- family dollar store 7513, nampa
- franklin junction 13, nampa
- la hacienda market, caldwell
- m&w markets 4, parma
- walgreens 05648, nampa
- walgreens 07276, caldwell
- walgreens 10672, nampa
- walgreens 11541, caldwell
- walgreens 12483, nampa
Super Store · 9
- costco wholesale 0734, nampa
- fred meyer 226, nampa
- ridley's family market 8442, middleton
- target store t-2206, nampa
- walmart 2780, caldwell
- walmart 2781, nampa
- walmart 3739, nampa
- walmart neighborhood market 4180, nampa
- walmart neighborhood market 4494, caldwell
Supermarket · 9
- a compos market, caldwell
- albertsons 103, caldwell
- albertsons 1602, nampa
- albertsons 166, caldwell
- albertsons 176, nampa
- grocery outlet of caldwell 277, caldwell
- grocery outlet of nampa #441, nampa
- winco foods 011, nampa
- winco foods 144, nampa
Medium Grocery Store · 8
- asian grocery, nampa
- campos on lonestar, nampa
- carniceria mi tierra, caldwell
- cliff's country market, caldwell
- la esperanza market, nampa
- los ranchitos market llc., nampa
- pantera market 4, nampa
- red beets food & deli, nampa
Bakery Specialty · 6
- franz bakery outlet 9054, nampa
- papa murphy's garrity id036, nampa
- papa murphy's pizza id005, nampa
- papa murphy's pizza id011, caldwell
- papa murphy's pizza id022, nampa
- poppis take n bake pizza, middleton
Farmers' Market · 4
- farm to fork farmers' market, caldwell
- melba valley farmers market, melba
- nampa farmers' market, nampa
- red top market, llc, wilder
Large Grocery Store · 2
- la ranchera nampa, nampa
- pantera market and mexican restaurant #2, nampa
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- idaho meat and seafood 01, nampa
- winchester beef, caldwell
Small Grocery Store · 1
- gallegos meat market 2, wilder
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Idaho
Compare Canyon County vs Ada County → · All Idaho counties →
Food access nationally, Idaho in context
Canyon County sits inside Idaho (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 Canyon County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Canyon County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Canyon County? ▼
Is Canyon County a food desert? ▼
What share of Canyon 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.