Signature · 10.8% low-access (23rd pct)
Chaffee County, CO
Chaffee County lands in the lower national band on low-access (10.8%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 10.8%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.0%
- on SNAP
- 20K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Chaffee County, CO
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 10.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -11.3 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 1.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Denver County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Chaffee County lands in the lower national band (10.8%, #2,418 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,418
- national by low-access %
- #51
- in CO
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 521
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 10.8% low-access (23rd pct) (-11.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Chaffee County compares nationally
Chaffee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.8% low-access share that beats 23% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,418).
Chaffee County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Chaffee County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Chaffee County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Colorado, not a full county-board reprint
- Kiowa
Kiowa 100%
100 % low-access
- Hinsdale 11.8
Hinsdale 11.8%
11.8 % low-access
- Otero 11.2
Otero 11.2%
11.2 % low-access
- Chaffee 10.8
Chaffee 10.8%
10.8 % low-access
- Denver 10.8
Denver 10.8%
10.8 % low-access
- Gunnison 9.8
Gunnison 9.8%
9.8 % low-access
- Gilpin 0
Gilpin 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 17,809 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,923 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.8%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 521 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 20,178 |
| Median Household Income | $84,132 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 695 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 1.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.1% |
SNAP retailers in Chaffee County
Chaffee County has 17 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 7 locations (41% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 17 authorized stores; Salida holds 53% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (7 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Salida | 9 | 4 |
| Buena Vista | 6 | 2 |
| Poncha Springs | 2 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 7
- alta 6301, salida
- alta 3701, salida
- alta 6141, poncha springs
- alta 6659, salida
- loaf n jug 750009, buena vista
- loaf n jug 750055, salida
- love's country store 115, buena vista
Supermarket · 4
- buena vista lagrees food store, buena vista
- lagrees food stores, poncha springs
- safeway 2817, salida
- vitamin cottage natural grocers u152, salida
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar tree 6346, salida
- family dollar 8308, buena vista
Super Store · 2
- city market 437, buena vista
- walmart sc 921, salida
Large Grocery Store · 1
- scanga meat co, salida
Small Grocery Store · 1
- the lettucehead food company, buena vista
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Colorado
One of 63 counties in Colorado, 6 are shown here.
Compare Chaffee County vs Adams County → · All Colorado counties →
Counties near Chaffee County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Chaffee County, both outside Colorado so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside CO (10.8% here).
- Halifax County, NC · 10.8% low-access
- Warren County, PA · 10.8% low-access
- Randall County, TX · 10.8% low-access
- Trempealeau County, WI · 10.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside CO (7.0% here).
- Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT · 7.0% SNAP
- Elkhart County, IN · 7.0% SNAP
- Posey County, IN · 7.0% SNAP
- Butler County, IA · 7.0% 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.
Colorado among Mountain states
Colorado ranks 8th of 8 Mountain states by population-weighted low-access (21.5%). Chaffee County, at 10.8%, runs 10.7 pts below the Colorado rate.
- New Mexico 31.7%
- Wyoming 29.7%
- Arizona 26.8%
- Idaho 25.8%
- Utah 23.9%
- Nevada 23.0%
- Montana 22.3%
- Colorado 21.5%
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 Chaffee County, CO are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 08015. 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.