PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · New York

Cayuga County, NY

Most of Cayuga County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

3.3%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
14.8%
on SNAP
75K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NY

The food-access picture

3.3% of Cayuga County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

2
low-access tracts
795
food-desert residents
9.1%
households, no vehicle
13.5%
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).

By the USDA's measure, Cayuga County fares better than most: just 3.3% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 2 of the county's 19 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 2,645 people who live far from a supermarket, and 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 795 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 Cayuga County compares nationally

Food access in Cayuga County compares favorably nationally: its 3.3% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 7% of them (rank #2,902).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Cayuga County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 19 census tracts in Cayuga County, 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 Cayuga County, NY USDA-defined food-access tiers: 17 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 19 tracts evaluated. 17 tracts adequate (89.5%) 1 tracts limited (5.3%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (5.3%) Adequate 89% Limited 5% Severe 5% Food-access tier distribution: Cayuga County, NY
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Cayuga County vs. other New York counties

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

% 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 Cayuga County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts19
Atlas Population (2010 basis)80,026
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population2,645
Low-Access Share3.3%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population795

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Cayuga County
IndicatorValue
Population75,102
Median Household Income$67,904
Poverty Rate13.5%near the national average
SNAP Households4,663
SNAP Participation Rate14.8%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle9.1%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.0%
SNAP participation in Cayuga County 14.8%

About 14.8% of Cayuga County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 3.3% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,663 households here.
  • 9.1% 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 Cayuga County

below the national share

1 of Cayuga County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.3% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.

An estimated 2,645 residents, roughly 3.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 795 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 17 tracts (89.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Cayuga County

Cayuga County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 25

  • a plus mini mart, auburn
  • auburn mini mart, auburn
  • bayside grocery, fair haven
  • byrne dairy auburn 37, auburn
  • circle k 4707628, montezuma
  • doms grocery, auburn
  • fastrac eg llc 500207, auburn
  • fastrac eg llc 500210, weedsport
  • kwik fill 351, moravia
  • kwik fill 352, auburn
  • lucky 7 mini mart, auburn
  • pit stop convenience stores 1, weedsport
  • pit stop convenience stores 13, genoa
  • pit stop convenience stores 16, port byron
  • pit stop convenience stores fleming 4, auburn
  • pit stop convenience stores north 9, martville
  • speedway 7600, auburn
  • speedway 7746, auburn
  • speedway 9904, auburn
  • speedway 9905, auburn
  • speedway 9936, auburn
  • speedway 9946, moravia
  • speedway 9956, cato
  • terry's food mart, cato
  • wilcox general store, king ferry

Combination Grocery/Other · 14

  • dollar tree 1395, auburn
  • dollartree 9505, auburn
  • dollar general 13235, moravia
  • dollar general 16610, cato
  • dollar general 17989, port byron
  • dollar general 21994, union springs
  • dollar general 6337, auburn
  • dollar general 8827, weedsport
  • family dollar 2148, auburn
  • kinney drugs 62, auburn
  • kinney drugs 63, auburn
  • kinney drugs 73, moravia
  • kinney drugs 75, weedsport
  • walgreens 10157, auburn

Supermarket · 5

  • aldi 65019, auburn
  • ed & jean's market, port byron
  • modern market, moravia
  • tops markets 504, auburn
  • wegmans 38, auburn

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • hornings produce, cato
  • meadow view market, martville

Super Store · 2

  • bj's wholesale club 314, auburn
  • walmart supercenter 1830, auburn

Farmers' Market · 1

  • auburn farmers market of cayuga county, auburn

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • union springs supermarket, union springs

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • owasco meat co inc, moravia

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • ohmsaisjp llc- terry's food mart, cato

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in New York

Albany County
31.4% low-access · 11.0% SNAP
Allegany County
3.9% low-access · 15.9% SNAP
Bronx County
0.6% low-access · 38.6% SNAP
Broome County
16.4% low-access · 15.4% SNAP
Cattaraugus County
7.9% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Chautauqua County
14.4% low-access · 19.9% SNAP

Compare Cayuga County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →

Food access nationally, New York in context

Cayuga County sits inside New York (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 Cayuga County has low food access? ▼
3.3% of residents in Cayuga County, NY 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 Cayuga County? ▼
14.8% of households in Cayuga County receive SNAP, covering 4,663 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Cayuga County? ▼
The poverty rate in Cayuga County, NY is 13.5%, with a median household income of $67,904 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Cayuga County a food desert? ▼
1 of Cayuga County's 19 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 Cayuga County households lack a vehicle? ▼
9.1% of households in Cayuga County 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.