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Signature · 8.1% low-access (16th pct)

Charlottesville city, VA

Charlottesville city lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.1%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

8.1%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
9.9%
on SNAP
45K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 VA

USDA FARA access plate

County Charlottesville city, VA

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-THIN

  • LA-MODERATE 8.1% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -14.0 pts vs US
  • LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
  • SNAP-LIGHT 9.9% SNAP
  • VEH-GAP 11.0% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Campbell County (+ 0.0 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Charlottesville city lands in the lower national band (8.1%, #2,632 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,632
national by low-access %
#97
in VA
3
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 8.1% low-access (16th pct) (-14 pts vs U.S. low-access).

How Charlottesville city compares nationally

Charlottesville city lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.1% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,637).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Charlottesville city's lower-band USDA tier split

12 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Charlottesville city, VA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 9 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 9 tracts adequate (75.0%) 2 tracts limited (16.7%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (8.3%) Adequate 75% Limited 17% Severe 8% Food-access tier distribution: Charlottesville city, VA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Charlottesville city has 12 urban and 0 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Charlottesville city vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Virginia, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Charlottesville city
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)43,475
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population3,536
Low-Access Share8.1%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,733

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Charlottesville city
IndicatorValue
Population45,437
Median Household Income$74,824
Poverty Rate19.6%above the national average
SNAP Households1,967
SNAP Participation Rate9.9%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle11.0%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population6.6%

Thick SNAP store book in Charlottesville city

Charlottesville city has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 17

  • 7-eleven inc f 35273a, charlottesville
  • 7-eleven 16728g 16728g, charlottesville
  • 9th street market, charlottesville
  • browns market, charlottesville
  • cherry ave marketplace, charlottesville
  • easy mart, charlottesville
  • fas mart 3510, charlottesville
  • fas mart 3520, charlottesville
  • fas mart 3535, charlottesville
  • food master, charlottesville
  • prospect market and deli, charlottesville
  • quick mart, charlottesville
  • s fuel co, charlottesville
  • sunshine minimart, charlottesville
  • the market at 5th street 50, charlottesville
  • the market at preston, charlottesville
  • wawa store 8690, charlottesville

Combination Grocery/Other · 8

  • cvs pharmacy 1555, charlottesville
  • cvs pharmacy 1556, charlottesville
  • cvs pharmacy 4656, charlottesville
  • cvs pharmacy 67, charlottesville
  • dollar tree 7294, charlottesville
  • family dollar store 1135, charlottesville
  • integral yoga natural foods, charlottesville
  • matumaini african market, charlottesville

Medium Grocery Store · 5

  • afghan grand market, charlottesville
  • c'ville oriental market, charlottesville
  • everest grocery, charlottesville
  • ishtar market, charlottesville
  • market street market, charlottesville

Super Store · 5

  • harris teeter 177, charlottesville
  • harris teeter 332, charlottesville
  • kroger 359, charlottesville
  • kroger 239, charlottesville
  • whole foods market 10205, charlottesville

Small Grocery Store · 4

  • el tio, charlottesville
  • el tio variedades internacionales, charlottesville
  • la guadalupana, charlottesville
  • super amanecer, charlottesville

Farmers' Market · 3

  • charlottesville city market, charlottesville
  • farmers in the park, charlottesville
  • market central, charlottesville

Supermarket · 2

  • food lion 238, charlottesville
  • food lion 253, charlottesville

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.

Accomack County
2.2% low-access · 12.5% SNAP
Albemarle County
11.9% low-access · 4.6% SNAP
Alexandria city
0.0% low-access · 5.1% SNAP
Alleghany County
16.4% low-access · 8.1% SNAP
Amelia County
16.5% low-access · 13.4% SNAP
Amherst County
11.3% low-access · 10.5% SNAP

Compare Charlottesville city vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →

Counties near Charlottesville city's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Charlottesville city, both outside Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside VA (8.1% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (9.9% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Charlottesville city inside a lower low-access state context

Charlottesville city sits inside Virginia (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; 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

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 Charlottesville city, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51540. 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.