County food-access profile · New York
Chautauqua County, NY
Chautauqua 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.
- 14.4%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 19.9%
- on SNAP
- 126K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
14.4% of Chautauqua County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 11.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.4%
- 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).
Chautauqua County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.4% per the USDA Atlas. 9 of the county's 35 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 19,455 residents who live far from a supermarket. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,619 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 Chautauqua County compares nationally
Chautauqua County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.4% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,165).
Chautauqua County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 35 census tracts in Chautauqua County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Chautauqua County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Chautauqua
Chautauqua County, NY
14.4 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 35 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 134,905 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 19,455 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.4%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,619 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 125,544 |
| Median Household Income | $58,351 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 10,617 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 11.1%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.0% |
About 19.9% of Chautauqua County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 14.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 10,617 households here.
- 11.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Chautauqua County
near the national share
7 of Chautauqua County's 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 19,455 residents, roughly 14.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,619 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (74.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County has 113 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 43
- 575 conveniences, jamestown
- 7 eleven 35205a, jamestown
- 7 eleven 35260a, westfield
- 7 eleven store 35204a, jamestown
- 7 eleven store 35232a, jamestown
- allen street grocery & deli mart, jamestown
- barcelona market cafe, westfield
- best brothers holding inc, jamestown
- biodome project, jamestown
- busti country convenience grocery, jamestown
- cave's delicatessen, forestville
- country fair 15, dunkirk
- country fair 7, brocton
- country fair 76, gerry
- country fair 78, fredonia
- crosby's 40012, mayville
- crosby's 40016, dunkirk
- crosby's 40017, fredonia
- crosby's 40023, falconer
- crosby's 40024, westfield
- crosby's 40058, jamestown
- crosby's 40077, mayville
- crosby's 40078, lakewood
- crosby's 40079, lakewood
- fredonia food mart and deli, fredonia
- gokey mini mart, jamestown
- hanford country market, silver creek
- jamestown petro holdings inc, jamestown
- kwik fill 312, jamestown
- kwik fill 395, jamestown
- kwik fill 77, falconer
- kwik fill 79, jamestown
- kwik fill 80, mayville
- kwik fill 81, frewsburg
- kwik fill 84, jamestown
- love's travel stop 833, ripley
- matt's news, dunkirk
- pronto mart 2, jamestown
- robo enterprise inc, jamestown
- robo enterprises north llc, dunkirk
- robo in falconer llc, bemus point
- robo on main llc, jamestown
- the general store ii, falconer
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- cvs pharmacy 309, dunkirk
- cvs pharmacy 5075, westfield
- cvs pharmacy 5087, jamestown
- cvs pharmacy 5089, falconer
- dollar general 17678, sherman
- dollar general 18261, ripley
- dollar general 18496, bemus point
- dollar general 18952, findley lake
- dollar general 22154, sinclairville
- dollar tree 0440, lakewood
- dollartree 9511, dunkirk
- dollar general 12399, falconer
- dollar general 12852, frewsburg
- dollar general 16063, brocton
- dollar general 16085, cassadaga
- dollar general 17957, bemus point
- dollar general 19335, ashville
- dollar general 21766, jamestown
- dollar general 24271, gerry
- dollar general 6079, westfield
- dollar general 6849, jamestown
- dollar general 8240, fredonia
- dollar general 8294, dunkirk
- dollar general 8379, dunkirk
- dollar general 8402, silver creek
- dollar general 8439, jamestown
- dollar general 8865, lakewood
- dollar general 9394, mayville
- dollar general 9488, jamestown
- dollar tree 2014, dunkirk
- dollar tree 4727, jamestown
- dollar tree 7561, jamestown
- duane reade 09937, jamestown
- family dollar 1764, dunkirk
- family dollar store 3654, jamestown
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 69086, dunkirk
- aldi 69087, jamestown
- farm fresh foods, jamestown
- jamestown save-a-lot 24839, jamestown
- silver creek save-a-lot 24778, silver creek
- tuscany deli & meats inc, fredonia
- tops markets 209, jamestown
- tops markets 264, dunkirk
- tops markets 279, westfield
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 270, mayville
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 272, falconer
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 274, jamestown
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 278, silver creek
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 754, frewsburg
- wegmans 88, jamestown
Farmers' Market · 7
- dunkirk farmers market, dunkirk
- forestville farmers market, forestville
- fredonia farmers market, inc, fredonia
- jamestown farmers market, jamestown
- jamestown renaissance corp farmers market, jamestown
- lakewood farmers market, lakewood
- yerico farms, llc, dunkirk
Super Store · 4
- dunkirk save a lot 24700, dunkirk
- target store t2890, jamestown
- walmart 1973, lakewood
- walmart supercenter 1949, fredonia
Large Grocery Store · 3
- kennedy supermarket, kennedy
- lighthouse point grocery, mayville
- lakewood farm to market, inc/lakewood save-a-lot 45058, lakewood
Small Grocery Store · 3
- cassadaga market, cassadaga
- one stop food mart, dunkirk
- sinclairville superette, sinclairville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- brigiotta's farmland produce & garden center, inc, jamestown
- neckers company, clymer
Delivery Route · 1
- jamestown mobile market, jamestown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Chautauqua County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Chautauqua County sits inside New York (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 Chautauqua County has low food access? ▼
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What is the poverty rate in Chautauqua County? ▼
Is Chautauqua County a food desert? ▼
What share of Chautauqua 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.